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PA 512 Capstone Case Analysis

This case analysis presents a plan to address utility rate issues and prioritize management alignment for improved efficiency and effectiveness. Research methods, findings, and recommended action steps are detailed.

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PA 512 Capstone Case Analysis

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  1. PA512 Capstone Case Analysis City of Washougal Effective Utility Management Assessment By Trevor Evers Public Works Director for the City of Washougal Presented to: PSU Faculty and EMPA Cohort, June 15, 2013

  2. Problem Statement • Washougal has a utility rate issue and a significant misalignment between management and utility staffpriorities • Public-Private-Partnership initiative further strained an already contentious relationship between management & utility staff • Escalating utility rates have put additional pressure on efficiency & effectiveness of utility programs

  3. Literature Review/Pre-Research Findings (two groups of information): • Case study analysis provided by effective utility management consortium (EUM)www.watereum.org • Priority alignment research instrument (primer survey) • Association of Washington Cities (AWC) 2012 Trends Report; Municipal Landscape Critical Shifts • Critical review of utility rate report and PPP feasibility report provided to Washougal • Utility rate analysis report from FCS Group (2010) • Efficiency recommendations by PPP consultant (SAIC)

  4. Purpose & Significance of Research • Main objective of this research study: • Prepare a recommended plan of action to address escalating utility rates and align utility management and staff on priorities after recently failed initiatives • The significance of the report: • Is to identify a long term strategy to address utility rates and identify immediate efficiency improvements within the operation and maintenance of the utilities

  5. Research Questions • What are the current conditions of the 10 attributes ranked by utility staff, management, and utility billing staff? • How do department employees rank the importance of each of the 10 attributes identified in the consortium effort? • How well does the existing management structures and processes support the core attributes assessed by utility department staff

  6. Research Methods • Used primary and secondary research • Primary – 9 staff memberscompleted a primer survey to prioritize utility attributes • Secondary – Literature Review of AWC, FCS Group utility report, SAIC public-private-partnership feasibility report • Purposely selected utility attributes that are high priority to survey participants, but not meeting achievement expectations • Averaged scores of participants equally (not weighted)

  7. Research Findings – “The Yellow Box”Water Utility Attribute Overall Ranking Financial Viability (FV) Infrastructure Stability (IS)

  8. Research Findings – “The Yellow Box”Wastewater Utility Attribute Overall Ranking Stakeholder Under standing & Support (SS) Infrastructure Stability (IS) Financial Viability (FV)

  9. Recommended Action Plan Step 1: Develop Cost-of-Service scope of work for advertisement (FV) Step 2: Develop business case for technoloy upgrades to enhance efficiencies within utility operations (IS) Step 3: Scour utility service programs to identify additional efficiency opportunites(IS)

  10. Recommended Action Plan Step 4: Develop civic engagement campaign to further inform the community of utility rate initiatives (SS) Step 5: Critical review of organizational chart in utilities, redeployment options to enhance efficiency and stability (IS) Step 6: Link action plan initiatives to recently adopted strategic plan priority pillars (SS,IS,FV)

  11. Conclusion • All six steps need to be considered in a phased approach to address the utility attributes identified by staff as important but not meeting agency expectations • The primer survey should be revisited to identify attributes that are misaligned between customers, electeds, and utility staff. • PSU’s EMPA program preparation to lead • Long Term Solutions, short term strategies

  12. Acknowledgements A huge thank you to: • My advisor, Professor Morgan and all of the EMPA program Professors, staff and volunteers • Cohort team members, especially Ted Ebora • My family, especially my wife, Jody and two boys Oliver and Samuel • My supervisor, David Scott and Mayor Sean Guard • The City of Washougal

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