How Santa Clara County projected maintenance resource needs to adress staffing shortages

How Santa Clara County projected maintenance resource needs to adress staffing shortages

Maintenance and Operations work is subject to large variations and risks because of the impacts of emergencies, public input, political influences and other items that make annual work planning difficult with only rough estimates.

Focused Leadership and Management Skills...

The transportation professional of the future will need both focused leadership and management skills. Management skills with the key functions of planning, organizing, scheduling and controlling resources, as well as leadership skills focused upon seeking constructive and adaptive change through influencing others and communicating a clear vision. Each skill is critical to a successful and effective agency.

Applying High-Performance Organization Concepts To Your Public Works Department

Applying High-Performance Organization Concepts To Your Public Works Department

The HPO framework is not a set of instructions or a recipe that can be followed blindly. Rather it is a framework that has to be translated by managers to their specific organizational situation in their current time, by designing a specific variant of the framework fit for their organization.

Does Size Matter For Public Works Directors? Is There A Leadership Difference Between A Large Organization And A Smaller One?

A public works organization’s size can vary from a two-member person agency to one like Los Angeles County, with nearly 4,000 members.

Using Technology And Best Business Practices To Make The Best Use Of Resources And Save Public Dollars

Creating long-term efficiencies and sustainability is a huge focus of today’s government sector.  Every day the charge of Public Works’ leaders is to do more, with less. Further, technology, if used correctly, can be an effective tool for organizing work and cutting costs. 

Public Works and Ethics Go Hand In Hand

Ethical behavior helps us live and work in a civil society. Human nature dictates that we act in our own self-interest in most circumstances unless we feel a moral obligation to others or society. Today's society promotes a "me first" mentality. Citisens expect public works officials to be watchful and careful with the resources entrusted to them. How can we create an environment that will encourage ethical behavior in the public works sector?

Getting Maintenance Work Done: In-House or By Others

The main objective for any Public Works department is to cost-effectively optimize resources - these include employees equipment, materials, contracts, and physical assets. Orange County, California has successfully used various maintenance and operations service providers, including a combination of in-house/force accounts, outsourcing, job order contracting, and incarcerated labor.

Asset Inspections Are Optimal Tool For Maintenance And Capital Improvement

Infrastructure asset inspection process is a tool that identifies deficiencies, creates backlog, establishes proactive maintenance, and monitors life cycles; as well as assists agencies in identifying projects for their Capital Improvement Program (CIP). These inspections can provide both a short-term benefit through work identification for repair and maintenance efforts and a long-term benefit of project identification of new capital improvements and enhancement.

Please Step Away From That Truck

A comprehensive fleet assessment and improvement program initiated for the Volusia County Public Works Department has resulted in annual savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars without impacting workloads. One of the biggest opportunities is optimizing your equipment needs and keeping equipment resources that add value.

Administering FEMA Requirements Doesn't Need to be a Disaster

Volusia County in northeast Florida has experienced a number of emergency events in recent years such as flooding, wind damage and beach erosion, many of which have been declared a federal disaster. This article outlines the process by which Volusia County has met federal reporting requirements and provides specific guidelines for other public agencies and municipalities.