First moves

County manager takes first steps in reshaping municipal business

The County has begun taking steps to restructure and reorganize its business. Mayor Peter Mertens campaigned in 2010 to lead a top-to-bottom review of the municipal organization—something that hadn’t been done since amalgamation in 1998. It took longer than Mertens had hoped to find the right manager—but now, with Merlin Dewing eight months into the CAO job and a tough budget exercise behind them, the first signs of the long-awaited renewal are beginning to emerge.

The first of these are steps to streamline and simplify the County water and wastewater systems, separating the operations of these two systems into discrete businesses.

Currently water and wastewater operators train, qualify and work on both systems interchangeably; when they aren’t doing that they are overseeing repair and maintenance of the waterworks” underground pipes and sewers.

This makes them highly prized by other jurisdictions and their positions difficult to fill when they move on.

Effective immediately, waterworks staff are being assigned to operate primarily the County’s six water systems or its two wastewater systems. Digging and repair work to the underground systems will be contracted out. The waterworks supervisor position will be split in two and two foreman positions will be eliminated.

“These changes will first and foremost assist us in recruiting and retaining staff,” explained Dewing. “But more than that, it helps ensure we have the appropriate supervision overseeing the appropriate work at the appropriate place.”

Dewing said operators found themselves too often by the side of a road staring down a hole when their time was better spent running a water or wastewater plant. He said repair services are better provided by contracted providers.

“We are dismantling the distribution and collection repair crew,” said Dewing. “If everything is working properly the question can be asked: what are they doing?”

CAO IN WAITING
Dewing also announced the creation of a new acting CAO program. Acting CAOs will step in in the case of Dewing’s absence and will also participate in special projects either individually or as a group. But the central purpose behind the program is to provide orderly succession planning—to ensure a ready replacement to the leadership of the municipal government when the time arises.

Dewing announced that James Hepburn, Robert McAuley and Susan Turnbull were selected to participate in the program.

“The candidates selected for the acting CAO program have demonstrated administrative excellence since joining the team at the County of Prince Edward,” said Dewing in a statement. “Their skills, experience, and dedication will provide the leadership necessary to ensure the acting CAO program serves its intended purpose—upholding continuity, authority and steady business flow in the absence of the CAO, while providing them with continuous learning and professional development opportunities.”