Board converts engineer role to project manager, approves salary

The Michigan City Water Works Board on July 14 approved a change to the department's organizational chart that reclassifies a planned licensed engineer position as a project manager and set the compensation for that role.

Staff told the board that turnover and hiring challenges made it difficult to fill a licensed engineer position: the utility experienced multiple retirements and hires that did not complete probation, reducing the practical need for a full-time licensed professional engineer on staff. Staff said the developer-main program the utility is using will shift some design responsibilities to consultants and therefore decreased the need for a licensed engineer on payroll.

The proposed job description removes some licensing requirements while retaining expectations such as a distribution-class license where applicable; staff said it would be difficult for a manager to obtain operator certification that requires multi-hour, on-the-job operator time. A candidate was identified and a salary recommendation was presented to the board. A board member moved to approve the organizational chart change and the salary recommendation; the board approved both items by voice vote.

Board members said they had no objection to the reclassification and the pay recommendation as presented. The staff member who presented the change said the decision is intended to better match the utility's operational needs and recruiting realities.

The motion and salary approval were passed by voice vote; staff noted the salary implementation is consistent with the business plan and would be applied in accordance with the merit/timing provisions described in the supporting materials.