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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Public works gets external review

By: Jen Skerritt

Posted: 08/10/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

An outside expert will review Winnipeg's public works department to see if there are ways to improve operations and save money.

On Thursday, City of Winnipeg officials announced they issued a request for proposals for industry experts to review the public works department to ensure the city makes "the most efficient and effective use of taxpayers' funds." Public works is the second-largest city department, next to the Winnipeg Police Service, and is responsible for everything from road and bridge work, parks and urban forestry to transportation planning and traffic management and snow removal.

This year, the department's operating budget is $168.9 million. It employs about 650 full-time and 900 seasonal, part-time and student workers.

Finance chairman Coun. Scott Fielding said the city wants to be as efficient as it can so any savings can be put towards Winnipeg's infrastructure deficit. He said the city previously promised to review the operations of public works and the police department to identify any potential cost-savings or improvements earlier this year.

Fielding said the police review of operations will also go ahead as planned, but no RFP has been issued yet.

"We want to be as efficient as we can in public works because we need every dollar, every cent to go towards infrastructure," Fielding said.

This year, the city's operating budget pledged to save $15 million by delaying filling vacancies, and finding better ways to deliver services. A recent report on the future of Winnipeg's golf course operations recommends the city use a process called "managed competition" to see if unions can provide services for less money than cost estimates submitted by the private sector.

The public works review will examine how the department operates, its core services, resources and deficiencies, and what other cities are doing.

An internal city document said Winnipeg believes the public works department is well-managed and operated. However, it said there could be room for improvements.

The city will measure its performance against accepted standards, and evaluate its response times and productivity. The document also said the review will examine whether there are ways to improve the department by transferring certain functions to other city departments or the private sector.

CUPE's Manitoba spokesman Liam Martin said union officials are not concerned about the forthcoming review and Winnipeggers seem satisfied with city services.

Winnipeg plans to award the contract in September, review the first set of findings in October, the second set of findings in November, and draft a final report and present recommendations to council's executive policy committee in December.

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 10, 2012 B4

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