Collection Technician Time Allocation – Current vs Proposed Staffing Assumptions
1,800 annual hours per employee
150 hours/month available per technician
Current staffing: 4 technicians (600 hrs/month capacity) Proposed staffing: 6 technicians (900 hrs/month capacity) Activity Current Monthly
Workload Hours
Proposed Monthly
Workload Hours Justification
Lift Station Inspections 220 220
Industry practice requires daily inspection of critical lift stations. With 9 stations currently and additional stations planned, inspections consume significant staff time due to travel, inspection logs, and troubleshooting requirements.
Additional staff reduce per-technician workload and improve response readiness.
Sewer Cleaning (Jetting) 160 220
Utilities typically target 5–7 year preventive cleaning cycles for gravity sewer systems. Additional staff allow expanded preventive cleaning coverage, reducing blockages, odors, and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs).
CCTV Inspections 80 140
Industry best practice recommends 5–10 year CCTV
inspection cycles depending on system condition. Dedicated CCTV crews require two operators (camera truck operator and safety/traffic control). Additional staff allow the camera van to operate more consistently and improve asset
condition monitoring.
DigAlert Responses 120 120
DigAlert response volumes of 150–200 tickets per month are consistent with growing urban systems. While the total
workload remains constant, additional staff improve
compliance with state response time requirements and
reduce delays in marking utilities.
Emergency Callouts 10 10
Emergency response events such as blockages or overflows occur intermittently. Additional staff do not necessarily reduce frequency but improve response readiness and
reduce after-hours overtime exposure.
Manhole / Asset Inspections 60 100
Industry practice recommends routine inspection of
manholes and critical assets. With additional staff, the City can expand inspections to improve preventive maintenance and reduce infrastructure failures.
System Growth / New Sewer Lines 40 60
System expansion increases asset inventory and maintenance obligations. While KPI data is limited, additional staffing supports increased infrastructure monitoring and
maintenance.
GIS / Infrastructure Tracking 30 40
Asset management and GIS updates are necessary to
maintain accurate system records and support capital
planning. Increased inspection activity generates additional documentation workload.
Complaints / Customer Service 30 30
Customer complaints and odor investigations occur
periodically. Additional staff primarily improve response time rather than reducing workload.
Training / Safety / Administrative Duties 50 50
Utilities must maintain required safety training, confined space certification, and operational documentation. These activities remain relatively constant regardless of staffing levels.
TOTAL 800 990
Worklaod Hours Current Capacity (4 staff) 600
Operational Surplus / (Deficit) (200)
Workload Hours Proposed Capacity (6 staff) 900
Operational Surplus / (Deficit) (90)