City Paying $130,000 for Water Leadership Drought

City Council will consider hiring Enprotec/Hibbs and Todd to support San Angelo's depleted water department leadership.  The background packet states:

With the Water Utility Director and now Assistant Director position being vacant, assistance is needed to help navigate many of the routine reports and monitoring activities of the Utility. This change order will be for temporary assistance in managing the regulatory paperwork and reports of the Utility until a new Water Utility Director and Assistant Director are hired.

Consider approving Change Order No 1. to ES-06-19 EHT between Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd, Inc. and the City of San Angelo for Water Utilities Department Assistance up to the amount of $130,000

Patrick Frerich, Director of Operations, Water Utilities

Hiring key leaders for strategic priority areas may need to get in the City's strategic plan given the number of vacancies in top positions.  It took over two years to fill the City Engineer position.

There is a real cost to leadership turnover, in this case up to $130,000.  It is budgeted for this fiscal year and the next.  That's either fiscally conservative or sadly practical.

Update 6-6-23:  Councilman Harry Thomas pulled this item from the consent agenda and expressed his concern that the city is losing another key staff person.  Executive Director Public Works Shane Kelton avoided -the loss of yet another leader in the Water Department in his comments to council. 

Update 6-8-23:  Water Utilities Assistant Director Andy Vecellio submitted his resignation on May 12th and June 2nd was his last day with the City of San Angelo.