HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-12-15 City CouncilCity of PalA5
City Manager’s Report
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: UTILITIES
DATE:DECEMBER 15, 2003 CMR:461:03
SUBJECT:ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO THE UTILITIES
DEPARTMENT TO CHANGE THE DIVISION NAME OF
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES TO CUSTOMER SERVICES TO
ACCURATELY REFLECT THE CUSTOMER FOCUS AND NATURE
OF RESPONSIBILITIES OF THAT DIVISION AND TO MAKE
CHANGES TO THE PALO ALTO MUNICIPAL CODE TO CLARIFY
CURRENT PRACTICES
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council approve the attached ordinance amending Section 2.08.200 of
Chapter 2.08 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code to reflect changes within the Utilities
Department.
BACKGROUND
Changes to the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) require approval by ordinance of the City
Council. Periodically, the PAMC should be updated to accurately reflect changes in the
Utilities Departmenl current practices. Chapter 2.08 "Officers and Departments," Section
2.08.200, "Department of Utilities," was last amended by Ordinance 4624 on 5/3/00.
DISCUSSION
The amended ordinance incorporates changes to clarify current practices as well as changing
priorities and activities within the Department of Utilities. The changes to Section 2.08.200
(a) and (b) are described below:
(a2) Insert the word "financial" before the word "plans" to recognize that long-range
financial planning is currently performed annually using a ten-year financial forecast. Insert
the word "reserve" to recognize the goal of maintaining adequate reserve levels;
(a3) Replace the word "for" with "to";
CMR:461:03 Page 1 of 2.
(a7) Changes reflect current practice by including "water" customers and to seek "new and
efficient uses for dark fiber";
(b) Clarify the 4 divisions within the Utilities Department. In addition, provide for a division
name change from "administrative services" division to "customer services" to accurately
reflect the customer focus and nature of responsibilities of that division. Approximately 90
percent of the administrative services division staff, or 37 employees, interact with customers
on a daily basis.
RESOURCE IMPACT
None.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
The recommended action is consistent with existing City policy.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
ATTACHMENTS
Ordinance
PREPARED BY:
[-IUN
Director of Utilities Administrative Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
2~-’~RI
ctor of Utilities
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: ~, /~
E nLY SON
Assistant City Manager
CMR:461:03 Page 2 of 7_
***NOT YET APPROVED***
ORDINANCE NO.
ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO
AMENDING SECTION 2.08.200 OF CHAPTER 2.08 OF
TITLE 2 OF THE PALO ALTO MUNICIPAL CODE TO EFFECT
CHANGES TO THE DUTIES OF THE DIRECTOR OF UTILITIES
AND CHANGES IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF UTILITIES
The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as
follows:
SECTION i. Section 2.08.200 of Chapter 2.08 of Title 2 of
the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended, to read as follows:
2.08.200 Department of utilities.
"(a) The department of utilities shall be
organized and administered under the direction of
a director of utilities who shall be accountable
to the city manager. The duties of the director of
utilities shall be as follows:
(i) To plan, direct and coordinate the
operations of the city’s utilities department;
(2) To coordinate the forecasting of the
city’s long-range utility needs and develop
financial plans to ensure that the city’s
utilities rate, reserve and revenue levels will be
able to meet customer service, operating and
financial requirements;
(3) To provide administrative support ~-e~to
the utilities advisory commission on matters
relating to the department;
(4) To generate appropriate reports as may
be required by county, state and federal agencies
or by law;
(5 To operate a responsive customer service
center,to manage customer service utilities
billing inquiries and complaints and to provide a
fast and courteous response to each customer’s
request for utility service;
(6)To establish rates to offset operating
costs of all city utility operations designated as
utilities enterprise funds and to provide a fair
and reasonable rate of return on the city’s
030922 cl 0072293
***NOT YET APPROVED***
capital improvement investment in those utilities
designated as utilities enterprise funds;
(7) To maintain a profitable market share in
~....~-~market~............ ~a competitive energy
environment by retaining existing water, electric
and gas utilities customers and seeking new~ and
efficient uses for gas, water, eh~4-electricity and
dark fiber;
(8) To provide technical or other efficiency
services to enable residential, commercial and
industrial utilities customers to reduce their
operating costs, improve the quality of the
environment and maintain a high level of customer
satisfaction;
(9) To forecast and plan the acquisition and
disposition of sufficient least-cost resource
supplies to meet existing and future supply
requirements in an environmentally acceptable
manner;
(!0) To negotiate for the purchase and sale
of water, gas and electricity and contract with
water, gas and electric power producers, suppliers
and marketers for resource supply at the best
available price or cost:
(!i) To recommend capital construction and
improvements of all utility systems,and to
administer such programs when approved;
12) To inspect all construction work done by
or for the utilities and require compliance with
all contracts made in connection therewith;
(13) To prepare or cause to be prepared all
utility maps of the utilities, and to keep and to
maintain such records as are necessary for the
fulfillment of this function;
(14) To provide operations, maintenance, and
construction necessary to ensure the safe,
efficient and reliable delivery of electric,
water, gas and wastewater collection services to
al! customers;
(15) To provide operations, maintenance, and
construction necessary to ensure the proper
operation of the city’s traffic signal, street
lighting and communication systems;
2
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* * *NOT YET APPROVED* * *
(16) To perform or cause to be performed all
duties required by this code or other law of the
director of utilities and the department of
utilities; and
(17) To perform such other duties as may be
required.
(b) For organizational purposes, the
department of utilities shall consist of the
following divisions or functions: administration;
a~ministrativccustomer services;resource
management; and engineering and operationsT
SECTION 2. The City Council hereby finds that this project
will have no significant adverse effect on the environment.
SECTION 3. This ordinance shall become effective upon the
commencement of the thirty-first day after the day of its adoption.
INTRODUCED:
PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
ATTEST:APPROVED:
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Senior Asst. City Attorney
Mayor
City Manager
Director of Utilities
Director of Administrative
Services
030922 cl 0072293