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· Budget issues and establishing a base of agency credibility · Succession planning and aging workforce issues · Complex workplace/knowledge management · Success of other agencies in managing liabilities Mr. Corey reviewed the phases of the accreditation process and commended the process management efforts of staff members Margaret Boutell and Roland Hoskins. He related that self-assessment consisted of an internal review of the agency's practices combined with a comparison of recommended practices contained in the Public Works Management Practices Manual. He said that Eugene Public Works had responsibility for more than 400 practices encompassing 30 chapters of the manual. Once the self-assessment was completed, he said that the agency would bring all practices identified as needing improvement to an acceptable level of compliance. He said that Public Works was in full or substantial compliance with all of the 400 practices, although simply complying with the practices was not a guarantee that things were being done as effectively as possible. Mr. Corey indicated that the most critical phase was the on-site evaluation visit by a team appointed by APWA, which was scheduled for June 26-30, 2004. He said that accreditation was granted for a three-year period and annual written updates were required to demonstrate continuing compliance, followed by a re- accreditation process at the end of the three-year period. He invited councilors to an open house at the Roosevelt yard on May 20, 2004, in celebration of National Public Works Week. Mayor Torrey opened the floor to comments and questions. Mr. Poling asked what the cost of the accreditation process was and whether there were financial benefits to accreditation. Mr. Corey replied that in addition to staff time, he estimated the cost at between $10,000 and $15,000 over a two-year period. He said that accreditation would not lower insurance rates, but based on the experience of other accredited agencies, the net indirect effect was a significant reduction of liability claims because of a proactive maintenance plan and preventive maintenance practices that lowered the bottom line. Mr. Poling commented that citizens expected predictability from City government and accreditation would provide that level of predictability and was a positive step. Mr. Meisner observed he had often expressed the wish that City departments and senior staff could spend time on continuous improvement and Public Work's efforts were commendable. He questioned why the council was just being informed of the process when it had consumed thousands of hours of staff time and had an additional cost. He agreed that documenting operating practices as people retired was extremely important and again expressed concern that the council was for told of the project sooner. Mr. Corey replied that accreditation was undertaken by the staff because they cared about what they were doing. Mr. Taylor said that ensuring practices were at the highest level and measuring them against standards was essential. Mr. Kelly remarked that perhaps the greatest value of accreditation was providing a formal structure to evaluate practices and capture institutional knowledge in the face of a high retirement rate. He said he was pleased that those efforts were occurring. MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 10, 2004 Page 6 Work Session