Utility Services director briefs board on staffing, Prospect Lake transition and $4M temporary staffing ask

Albert Carbon, director of Utility Services, presented the utilities departments FY2027 base budget and operational picture to the Budget Advisory Board. He described the departments responsibilities, scale and regional service area: about 339 full-time positions, roughly 783 miles of water lines and a service area covering approximately 43 square miles.

Carbon told the board the adopted regional wastewater fund (the 451 fund) for FY26 was about $31.3 million and the FY27 baseline is projected at about $32 million to account for increased purchases (notably liquid oxygen and related operating changes). The water and wastewater utility fund (the 450 fund) adopted FY26 budget was cited at roughly $82 million and the FY27 request is near $112 million, driven primarily by the transition from the 5 Ash treatment plant to the Prospect Lake membrane treatment facility. That change includes a $20 million availability payment to operate Prospect Lake and a roughly $12.6 million increase in operating costs tied to membrane treatment.

Carbon said the department expects to need temporary staffing for 5 Ash operations while Prospect Lake staff assume operations; the transition decision package for temporary staff was estimated in the meeting at about $4 million for FY27 (with the ultimate cost dependent on timing and decommissioning of 5 Ash). The director also noted vacancy reduction progress and described tactics to lower overtime including restructured overnight staffing patterns and improved triage of emergency work.

Board members asked technical and workforce questions. Carbon said hiring efforts have reduced vacancy rates in recent months and managers are analyzing overtime and workload trends to determine whether permanent staff increases will be required in future budgets.

Next steps: Staff will provide detailed backup on the decision package cost assumptions and continue monitoring vacancy and overtime metrics; the board requested that performance measures (inspections, staffing, overtime) be included in future budget documentation.