Request to Temporarily Increase WRRC Employee Complement to add an Equipment MechanicCity of Dubuque
City Council
CONSENT ITEMS # 14.
Copyrighted
September 15, 2025
ITEM TITLE: Request to Temporarily Increase WRRC Employee
Complement to add an Equipment Mechanic
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending City Council authorization to
temporarily increase the Water & Resource Recovery
Center's (WRRC) authorized employee complement by one
Equipment Mechanic position.
SUGGUESTED Receive and File; Approve
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
1. MVM Memo
2. Memo to MVM, Temporary FTE Increase, Equipment Mechanic, 9-9-25
Page 559 of 1171
Dubuque
THE CITY OF
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Request to Temporarily Increase WRRC Employee Complement to Add
an Equipment Mechanic
DATE: September 10, 2025
Water and Resource Recovery Center Director Deron Muehring is recommending City
Council authorization to temporarily increase the Water & Resource Recovery Center's
(WRRC) authorized employee complement by one Equipment Mechanic position. This
increase in 1.0 FTEs will allow the WRRC to hire a permanent Equipment Mechanic
immediately to maintain staffing continuity until the retirement of a current Equipment
Mechanic, anticipated in the summer of 2026. At that time, the WRRC complement will
return to its current level through attrition, with the newly hired employee continuing in
the Equipment Mechanic role.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Deron Muehring, Water & Resource Recovery Center Director
Shelley Stickfort, Chief Human Resources Officer
Jenny Larson, Chief Financial Officer
Willie O'Brien, WRRC Plant Manager
Page 560 of 1171
Dubuque
THE CITY OF
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TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Deron Muehring, Water & Resource Recovery Center Director
SUBJECT: Request to Temporarily Increase WRRC Employee Complement to
Add an Equipment Mechanic
DATE: September 9, 2025
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to request authorization to temporarily increase the
Water & Resource Recovery Center's (WRRC) authorized employee complement by one
Equipment Mechanic position. This increase in 1.0 FTEs will allow the WRRC to hire a
permanent Equipment Mechanic immediately to maintain staffing continuity until the
retirement of a current Equipment Mechanic, anticipated in the summer of 2026. At that
time, the WRRC complement will return to its current level through attrition, with the newly
hired employee continuing in the Equipment Mechanic role.
BACKGROUND
The Water & Resource Recovery Center (WRRC) currently has two Equipment Mechanic
positions (2.0 FTEs) in its authorized personnel complement. Effective August 11, 2025,
one of these positions became vacant when an Equipment Mechanic was promoted to
Maintenance Lead. The WRRC's remaining Equipment Mechanic has announced plans to
retire in the summer of 2026.
Equipment Mechanics play a critical role in maintaining reliable operations at the WRRC
and across the City's 21 sanitary sewer lift stations. Their responsibilities include
preventive maintenance activities such as inspections, lubrication, and alignments;
servicing pumps, blowers, centrifuges, digesters, and HVAC systems across multiple
buildings-, supporting electrical and control systems, including SCADA-connected
equipment; and responding to emergency repairs on critical systems. The maintenance
team also coordinates vendor and contractor work, and supports capital projects through
equipment installation, tie-ins, and system integration. These wide-ranging duties are
essential to ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and safeguarding the health
and safety of the community.
DISCUSSION
When looking to fill the vacant Equipment Mechanic position, it is important to
acknowledge the impending retirement of the current Equipment Mechanic and plan
accordingly. One option considered is to move forward with the hiring process now to add
a third Equipment Mechanic, recognizing both the vacancy and the anticipated loss of the
Page 561 of 1171
current incumbent through retirement. The primary benefit to the City adding a third
equipment mechanic is the assurance of a seamless transition in critical maintenance
staffing. By temporarily authorizing three Equipment Mechanic positions, the WRRC will be
able to hire and train two new Equipment Mechanics to work alongside the current
Equipment Mechanic. This overlap period would ensure that when the incumbent
Equipment Mechanic retires next summer, the WRRC will continue to have two fully
trained and experienced mechanics on staff. If the City waits to fill the impending vacancy
until after the retirement, the WRRC will experience diminished capacity to perform the
necessary maintenance to keep treatment systems operational.
In addition to providing continuity, a temporary third position will also enable the WRRC to
make progress on addressing its backlog of maintenance issues. Some of this backlog
involves equipment that is currently out of service and backup systems that are not fully
functional. Addressing these needs is important to ensure that both primary and redundant
systems are available when needed. With three Equipment Mechanics for a limited period,
the WRRC will be able to reduce this backlog, restore equipment to service, and
strengthen overall system reliability. This proactive effort enhances resiliency against
process interruptions that could otherwise result in costly emergency repairs or permit
violations.
Both Equipment Mechanic positions are expected to be filled by November 1. As a result,
roughly one third of the fiscal year will have passed with one position vacant, generating
approximately $24,000 in unspent salary savings that can be applied toward the cost of
temporarily maintaining three Equipment Mechanics. In addition, the part-time
Maintenance Supervisor position — budgeted at 0.25 FTEs and $24,000 annually — is
projected to expend only about half of its allocation, producing another $12,000 in savings.
Together, these personnel savings total $36,000. The cost of employing a third Equipment
Mechanic from November through June (eight months) is estimated at $48,000. The
remaining $12,000 required to support this temporary position in FY26 will be covered
through a reduction in the WRRC's equipment maintenance and repair budget, which is
funded at $548,886 for FY26.
In FY27, funding for the temporary third Equipment Mechanic would only be required for a
portion of the year, up to 8% of the annual cost, as the position will be reduced through
attrition following the anticipated retirement in early August. As a result, the FY27 budget
will reflect 2.08 FTEs for Equipment Mechanics to account for the additional funding
needed during the first month of the fiscal year. The incremental cost in FY27 is estimated
at approximately $6,000. In FY28, the WRRC's authorized complement will return to 2.0
FTEs for Equipment Mechanics.
RECOMMENDATION
I recommend a temporary increase in the WRRC's authorized employee complement to
three Equipment Mechanics until reduced by attrition following an anticipated retirement in
the summer of 2026. This action will allow the WRRC to ensure continuity of operations
through an overlap and training period and return the authorized complement to two
Equipment Mechanics once the retirement occurs.
Page 562 of 1171
BUDGETIMPACT
Increasing the number of Equipment Mechanics from two to three starting in November of
2025 and ending in August of 2026 will require $48,000 in FY26 and $6,000 in FY27. The
additional expense in FY26 will be accomplished using existing funding. It will result in an
increase of $6,000 in FY27 WRRC budget. The funding breakdown is outlined in the table
below.
Description
Fund
Amount
FY26 Equipment Mechanic Savings
610-43-0000-80-815-4302-00-01-60200
$24,000
FY26 Maintenance Supervisor Savings
610-43-0000-80-815-4302-00-01-60100
$12,000
FY26 Equip. Maint. & Repair Budget
610-43-0000-80-815-4302-00-01-63400
$12,000
FY27 0.08 FTE Increase
610-43-0000-80-815-4302-00-01-60200
$6,000
ACTION REQUESTED
I respectfully request that the City Council authorize a temporary increase in the Water &
Resource Recovery Center's authorized employee complement to three Equipment
Mechanics, effective upon approval. This increase will remain in place until reduced by
attrition following the anticipated retirement in the summer of 2026, at which time the
complement will return to two Equipment Mechanics.
Cc: Shelley Stickfort, Chief Human Resources Officer
Jenny Larson, Chief Financial Officer
Willie O'Brien, WRRC Plant Manager
Page 563 of 1171