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The fleet industry has seen massive change over the last 10 years and continues to evolve. We are flooded with new technology, regulations, fuel types and sustainability efforts that have…
Read MorePublic Works professionals work behind the scenes to make our communities better. However, most people do not even realize we exist. Public Works is EVERYWHERE – from state or local agencies, to engineers, consultants, contractors, inspectors, and vendors that work for these agencies, we are the men and women that make the quality of life better and improve our communities everyday by providing core services. As industry leaders, we need to continue to raise awareness of Public Works. This CLL program will provide you with new innovative ways to raise awareness for your agency and for the profession of Public Works.
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Vaughn is one of the fastest growing cities in Ontario, Canada. In 2016/2017, they embarked on a long-term, performance-based winter road maintenance contract. This marks a significant shift in the way winter road maintenance contracts have been structured, and it contains many innovative approaches that rethink the way winter maintenance services are delivered to residents. Find out more about their contract development process, how citizen experience evaluations are obtained, and the program's successes and pitfalls in this first contract year.Learning Objectives:Identify the lessons learned from Vaughn's winter road maintenance contract development process.Explore the many new approaches contained in the contract for improved operational performance and citizen experience.Evaluate how to establish a performance-based contract that includes quality control and assurance, and better contract oversight.
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Is everyone on the same page when it comes to making operational weather decisions at your agency? With today's plethora of information and quick communication tools, many agencies are realizing…
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Prior to 2012, the City of La Quinta, California, was a very ""top down"" organization largely run by the city manager and executive team. In an effort to meet the challenges for delivering more with less and reinventing the way the city does business, they embarked on an effort to increase employee empowerment, and improve business metrics, quicker response times, and greater transparency. By engaging all levels of the organization in decision-making and creative problem-solving, they have achieved higher morale, less manager burnout, and an agency better prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century.Learning Objectives::Achieve greater productivity and improve morale by empowering staff.Allow managers and supervisors time to plan and think strategically by pushing some decisions down to line staff who are closest to the work being performed.Use technology to leverage staff and make government more responsive and transparent to the public.
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Learn the nuts and bolts of how to orchestrate and host a successful Roadeo. Regional, state and national Snow Equipment Roadeos are becoming a popular way for public works staff…
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How do you get employees to stretch their boundaries and take on new initiatives and projects? Google famously lets its engineers spend up to 20% of their time on side projects. While we can't all be Google, some of their approach can be applied to encourage creative thought and problem-solving. The City of Des Moines Public Works Department has added a unique wrinkle to the pre-existing professional development program. The professional development form includes four goals; the first three are built by the employee and the supervisor. The fourth goal must stretch the employee's boundaries, forcing the employee to learn a new skill, acquire new knowledge or an ability that will help expand his or her job definition. Employees have come up with some really creative projects that will impress you!Learning Objectives: Adapt a traditional, professional development program into one that includes employee innovation.Drive innovation with experienced staff who know their jobs and do them well, but don't stretch beyond that.Build an employee retention tool that is interesting and exciting for both new and current employees.
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Facility managers know the importance of maintaining a safe and functional building for occupants on a daily basis. But, how prepared is your facility to withstand a hurricane, earthquake, flood, or fire? Do you conduct regular assessments of your facilities' roofs, utilities, and emergency life systems? Do you have a preventive maintenance program? What back-up systems are in place to support emergency operations, including fuel supply and generators?Learning Objectives: Identify facility deficiencies that would impact emergency preparedness.Anticipate ""Are You Ready?"" through preventive maintenance best management practices.Prepare facilities now to support emergency operations for specific issues and hazards.
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PokAmon Go introduced the world to augmented reality. Thanks to the simplicity and mass popularity of this game application, techno-consciousness has been expanded and creative ways to deliver valuable information to field staff, work crews, and citizens have been generated. AR is proving to be incredibly powerful for public sector uses, helping governments get more tangible use out of all the data they track and maintain. Alameda County, California, is putting in an AR system that will allow workers to track the county's 7,000+ streetlights and traffic signals. For example, when a worker points a smartphone at a streetlight, the system will fetch the relevant GIS and asset management data. This could be just the beginning. The County's 311 system might be the next project they tackle.Learning Objectives:Enhance and encourage the use of leading-edge technology for public works applications.Increase productivity and efficiency using augmented reality technology.Envision how AR technology might be used for various public works functions.
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There is a lot of pressure on local governments today to transition to a more citizen-centric form of service delivery that is transparent, holds government accountable, and provides an easy pathway for community members to be actively involved in decision making. This interactive session will feature a case study of how Nashua, New Hampshire, used data to successfully communicate its sustainability successes. We'll walk you through a process to link available data/metrics to implemented programs and provide you a worksheet template and a resource list you can take home.Learning Objectives:Establish a protocol to meet the growing pressure for transparency in operations.Identify specific metrics that ""tell the story"" of project or program success.Improve communication with community members.
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