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Lake Elmo accepts Raftelis public‑works assessment and hears staffing recommendations
Summary
The Lake Elmo City Council accepted a public‑works operational assessment from Raftelis that concluded growth and low density have left the department comparatively understaffed; the consultant recommended adding three FTEs over 2025–26 and expanding CMMS and training.
The Lake Elmo City Council voted to accept a public‑works operational assessment conducted by consulting firm Raftelis, after hearing a presentation that concluded recent growth and low neighborhood density have increased maintenance workload without matching staff levels.
Raftelis consultant Brian Kirsch told the council that Lake Elmo grew roughly 22% between 2019 and 2023 and that the city’s lower density (about 139 residents per street mile) means public‑works crews must maintain more assets per resident than peer communities. “We recommend that the city increase staffing by 2 FTEs in 2025 and 1 in 2026,” Kirsch said, describing the hires as one operator and a second lead operator to reduce supervisory spans.
Why it matters: Raftelis compared Lake Elmo to seven peer cities and national utility benchmarks and found the city ranks near the top for residents per public‑works FTE and for miles of infrastructure maintained per worker. The consultants warned that although the department has met service targets so far — in part because much infrastructure is new — continuing to meet those targets will become harder as systems age and new treatment (PFAS) requirements increase operational complexity.
Key recommendations: The report urged creation of an annual work plan to coordinate seasonal and project work; hiring two additional FTEs in 2025 and one in 2026; designating roughly six experienced operators as utility specialists for on‑call rotations; hiring a part‑time (0.5 FTE) administrative assistant with utility experience to support work‑order entry; and expanding the city’s Beehive asset system into a full computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) with training and field tablets.
Council members asked staff about current Beehive use and implementation. Public works staff acknowledged daily GIS use but limited work‑order entry to date and said the department plans field iPad rollout in 2026 to improve real‑time logging. Staff also cautioned that union approval will be needed for changes to pay or on‑call schedules tied to new roles, and that some recommendations will require budget adjustments.
What happened next: Council member Holtz moved to accept the Raftelis assessment; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The acceptance was procedural — it places the consultant’s findings and recommendations on the city record and directs staff to pursue next steps, including integrating staffing requests into budget planning and returning with implementation details.
