Trimming up jobs: City council considering water meter setter and foreman II position cuts

Marietta Human Resource Director Therea Taylor, right, asks City Utility Administrator Kimberly Nohe, left, a question during an Employee Relations Committee meeting Thursday evening. Marietta City Council discussed during the meeting possibly cutting a water meter setter position from Nohe’s department and a Foreman II position from the Public Works department. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

Marietta City Council held a discussion that at one point turned tense Thursday night about possibly cutting two positions.

During an Employee Relations Committee meeting, council discussed possibly cutting a water meter setter position in the Utility Billing Department and a foreman II position in the Public Works Department.

At-Large Councilwoman and Employee Relations Committee Chair Cassidi Shoaf asked City Utility Administrator Kimberly Nohe to share information about the duties and hours of the water meter setter position and for the water meter reader position in the Utility Billing department.

During the meeting, Shoaf and City Human Resource Director Theresea Taylor made suggestions for operational changes in the Utility Billing Department that they believe would help save time.

Shoaf suggested maybe water customers could be notified about shutoffs by phone instead of how it is currently handled with the water meter reader and water meter setter going out to a property and one of them physically posting the shutoff notice and one shutting off the water.

“Who’s going to do them,” Nohe said about the phone calls. “I mean, we are already down one person.”

Nohe said making phone calls would take time away from other things her department should be working on.

Shoaf said phone calls may be quicker than driving to every location to post the shutoff notice.

“I think the way I would explain it and probably the best thing I would offer is, not that I’m not willing to try something different, but as I suggested before and invited you all to come, it’s really hard to understand the process or really truly know how it sets in until you’re out there doing it,” Nohe said. “I’d be happy to have you come, show you what we do, go out in the field with us, see the time it takes to do it.”

Shoaf suggested not using meter books. Nohe had described earlier in the meeting how the entire history of an account for three to four years is contained in meter books and that water meter readers and water meter settlers spend time writing information in the books.

Nohe said the meter books provide the Utility Billing Department the opportunity to still do their work if computers are down.

“That is our backup,” Nohe said about the books.

Taylor asked Nohe about the efficiency of using meter books when the the Utility Billing Department has gone to a drive-by meter system.

“I realize change is hard,” Taylor said. “But if you’re downloading (information) and you’re able to print electronic (records) why is your (meter) reader having to spend so much time writing in a book?”

Nohe answered, “This is a safe thing for us because we don’t want to be caught without being able to take care of customers.”

Taylor shared a time from a prior job where they had to switch from a paper document to something electronic.

“It was hard to basically cut that cord … I’m just thinking of the savings of time for the (meter) reader and that the (meter) reader and the (meter) setter, if there were two positions in that department, being able to crosstrain with one another,” Taylor said.

Nohe responded to Taylor by reiterating people need to come down to her office and see what employees do.

City Safety Service Director Steven Wetz asked Nohe some questions during the meeting.

He said the performance audit said she has seven employees in her department and he asked if that is correct. Nohe answered that she has seven employees, four on the utility billing side and three on the meter side of things.

“How many of those are funded through the general fund itself,” Wetz asked.

“Zero,” Nohe said.

Then Shoaf started to speak and Wetz asked her if he could finish talking.

“I would like to talk, it is my meeting,” Shoaf said. “(Nohe) doesn’t call on you to speak, it is my meeting.” Shoaf said.

“I apologize, so duly noted,” Wetz responded.

According to Shoaf, council was not there in the meeting because of changes to the general fund but because of operational costs that go directly to ratepayers.

Nohe shared toward the end of the meeting that she is down one clerk right now and that if she had to choose at this point in time to lose an employee temporarily she would choose a clerk position.

Shoaf turned the conversation to the foreman II position in the Public Works Department. She said the position is now vacant.

Mayor Joshua Schlicher said if the city gets rid of that position then they need to look at bringing back some of the mowing contract the city just got rid of by doing mowing in-house, since they would have less people to do the mowing.

“We’re stretching two guys, which is pretty hard.” Schlicher said.

Shoaf said she would request legislation for abolishing the foreman II position to be read at the next regular council meeting on July 3. She did not mention requesting any legislation for cutting a Utility Billing department position.

Requests for comment from City Public Works Superintendent Chris Hess were not returned by press time.

The next regular council meeting is at 7:30 p.m. July 3 in Room 10 of the Marietta Armory.