Item:
Title
Approval of the Creation of Three New FTE Positions in the County’s Sewer Utility Enterprise Fund
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: October 13, 2025
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve the creation of three new full-time positions in the Sewer Utility Enterprise Fund. The positions will be funded by Sewer Utility Enterprise Fund revenue; no General Fund revenue will be used. This action will restore positions transferred out of the Enterprise Fund over the past few years.
As part of the ongoing efforts to re-align the County organization to provide efficient, timely services to the community, these three (3) positions are proposed to be restored to the authorized complement of the Utility Enterprise Fund. The positions will be focused on and utilized to help support Capital project and development services activities related to the renewal of the County’s Utility Infrastructure, as well as support development related to the County’s Economic Development work in RTP. As noted in a white paper prepared in early 2025, attached, the EES-Utilities business unit has undertaken an aggressive program of Capital work to renew and upgrade our major utility infrastructure, some of which is now approaching 60 years old.
The three new positions are:
1. Senior Project Manager, with an estimated hiring salary of $131,000. The Senior Project Manager will oversee the Utilities’ Division’s Capital Improvement Projects (CIP). These projects are driven by aging infrastructure and economic development such as new industry and RTP 3.0.
2. Project Manager, with an estimated hiring salary of $95,000. The Project Manager will assist the Project Manager overseeing the Utilities’ Division Capital Improvement Program.
3. Operations & Maintenance Technician III, with an estimated salary of $85,000. The position is responsible for the skilled operations at the County-owned Wastewater Treatment Plant (TWWTP). This position pays a critical part in ensuring regulatory compliance, system efficiency and environmental safety.
Currently, approximately $65-$70 million new sewage lift station work is underway including the Chin Page, Slater-Shiloh Glenn, and Wind River lift station replacement projects. Further, a $75 million to $100 million program of renewal and modernization work has been developed and initiated for the Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant (TWWTP), as the last major upgrade was now 20 years ago. The Northeast Creek master sewerage basin study is also in progress and will result in additional projects to upsize and rehabilitate our collection systems to meet current and future demands. Work is also being done on long-range planning to best position the Utility for the coming 30-50 years to ensure our service area remains an asset to the County in facilitating community prosperity.
We have also continued to experience significant private land development-related service demands in our utility service area as noted by the following Year-to-Date (YTD) statistics since January 1, 2025:
• Site Plan Submittals: 563
• Construction Plan/As-Built Submittals: 94
• Utility Construction Inspections: 483
• Utility Locates: 4,813
• Building Permit Reviews*: 336
*Note: Building permit review ONLY includes those projects reviewed AND commented on by DCo Utilities. The actual number of building permits submitted to and triaged by DCo Utilities staff is much higher as all building permit submissions are triaged-reviewed to ascertain if more formal reviews are required.
Additionally, with the advent of RTP 3.0, these positions will help ensure timely services related to workload demands from RTP 3.0 activities as well as ensuring new infrastructure reasonably conforms to County Utility Standards. All funding needed for these positions is available within the Utility Enterprise Fund and will not require any current rate adjustments.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This item aligns with Strategic Plan Goal - Visionary, Efficient, and Effective Leadership
Resource Persons: Claudia Hager, County Manager; Maurice Jones, Deputy County Manager; Jay Gibson, P.E., Director of Engineering and Environmental Services
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board approve the creation of three new full-time positions in the Sewer Utility Enterprise Fund. The positions will be funded by Sewer Utility Enterprise Fund revenue; no General Fund revenue will be used. This action will restore positions transferred out of the Enterprise Fund over the past few years.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________