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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOPD-001-18Clarington Operations Department Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: General Government Committee Date of Meeting: January 2, 2018 Report Number: OPD -001-2018 Resolution: GG -017-18 File Number: By-law Number: Report Subject: Plowing of Secondary Roads Recommendations: That Report OPD -001-2018 be received; and 2. That Council direct staff to continue investigating options for road snow plowing operations that may include the future use of private contractors to improve service levels, create efficiencies and reduce overall operating costs. Municipality of Clarington OPD -001-18 Report Overview Page 2 This report provides Council with background information on Clarington's current level of service for winter control road snow plowing operations. Discussion addresses the request by Council to investigate the use of private contractors to supplement staff resources for the plowing of secondary roads. 1. Background 1.1 The Municipality of Clarington experienced five back to back winter events between February 5, 2017 and February 14, 2017. Over this 10 -day stretch weather patterns included heavy accretions of freezing rain, periods of mixed precipitation and also a single event accumulation of up to 20 centimeters of snow. In addition to the provision of winter control services, Operations Staff were also required to support three cemetery casket internments. 1.2 As a result of the unusual and extended winter weather pattern, staff resources in the Operations Department became severely depleted resulting in mandatory employee rest periods and a number of secondary roads not being plowed within the 24-hour time limit as prescribed under the Provincial Minimum Maintenance Standards (MMS). 1.3 In response to this occurrence, Council passed resolution GG -172-2017, at its regularly scheduled meeting held on March 27, 2017. The resolution specifically directed staff to: 1. Investigate the cost of using private contractors to plow secondary roads to supplement staff resources where roads would otherwise remain unplowed for 24 hours; and 2. To consider any resulting savings in overtime. 2. Proposal 2.1 The Operations Department carries the responsibility of providing a safe, efficient and cost-effective road snow plowing service for the municipality. In order to discern how all available resources are utilized during the winter season it is important to understand the effects of the following matters: Legislative Framework Risk Management Existing Levels of Service Impacts of Growth Municipality of Clarington OPD -001-18 Legislative Framework Page 3 2.2 Ontario Regulation 239/02 prescribes the Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways (MMS). Specific to the standards are the established levels of roadway maintenance that are based on the classification of each public highway. Road classifications are determined through the combination of average annual daily traffic volumes (AADT) and the posted or statutory speed limit on each individual road segment. 2.3 As an example of this relationship, King Street East between Regional Road 57 and Liberty Street through downtown Bowmanville has a current AADT of more than 16,000 vehicles per day and a posted speed limit of 50 km/h. Accordingly, King Street East would have a Class 2 road designation. Most secondary roads would be a Class 5 or 6 street. 2.4 The minimum Maintenance Standards dictate a number of different inspection and maintenance requirements. In accordance with the class of road, these requirements include the frequency for which routine road patrols must be completed, the severity of defects that are allowed and also the time that is permitted to repair any problems that are found. The Minimum Maintenance Standards also establish the levels of service required for road snow plowing operations that are displayed on Table 2 below. Table 2 MINIMUM MAINTENANCE STANDARDS FOR MUNICIPAL HIGHWAYS (WINTER CONTROL) Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Icy Roadways Time: 3 hrs Time: 4 hrs Time: 8 hrs Time: 12 hrs Time: 16 hrs Depth: 2.5 cm Depth: 5 cm Depth: 8 cm Depth: 8 cm Depth: 10 cm Snow Accumulation Time: 4 hrs Time: 6 hrs Time: 12 hrs Time: 16 hrs Time: 24 hrs 2.5 The winter control standards in Table 2 provide motorists with a general expectation that snow clearing levels will be consistent on similar classes of roadways. These standards also allow municipalities a much stronger defence in the event that a claim occurs from a roadway accident. This defence, however, will only apply if the municipality has adhered to the standards. 2.6 Clarington's Operations Department is currently responsible for providing winter maintenance on approximately 909 single lane kilometers of roadway. Individual road classifications for this length of roadway are broken down within the municipality as follows; Municipality of Clarington OPD -001-18 Road Class 2 — 2.15 kilometers Road Class 3 — 92.78 kilometers Road Class 4 — 307.78 kilometers Road Class 5 — 366.14 kilometers Road Class 6 — 139.90 kilometers Page 4 The road hierarchy that is created forms the basis for Clarington's response protocol regarding which roads receive winter maintenance first. 2.7 Once it has been determined by weather monitoring that a substantial probability exists for snow accumulation on roadways, ice formation on roadways, or that icy roadways may exist municipalities must commence road patrols on a route that is representative of all of municipal highways under their jurisdiction. As soon as the snow or ice conditions on the roadway meet the limits as outlined within the MMS municipalities must immediately deploy resources to address the conditions. After a weather system has ended a municipality must further address each roadway such that the surface conditions are less than the limits allowed and within the amount of time that is permitted in the MMS. If at any time during a storm event the conditions are less than or equal to the limits in the MMS the roadway is considered to be in a state of repair. For those occasions when storm conditions extend over a lengthy period of time the deployment of service shall be repeated each time the MMS limits are met. 2.8 At no time should the delivery of service by a municipality ever fall below the requirements of the Minimum Maintenance Standards. Municipalities must, therefore, consistently ensure that appropriate levels of staff and equipment are available to properly respond to each winter storm event. This delicate balance between managing operating costs and providing required levels of service can be a very difficult challenge particularly during those times of back to back winter events when staff are typically engaged with working 40 hours of regular time and additional overtime. Highway Traffic Act 2.9 Ontario's Highway Traffic Act prescribes the regulations and/or limitations under which the operator or driver of a commercial vehicle can legally work. On January 1, 2007, these regulations were significantly changed resulting in a number of major impacts relating to the length of time that Municipal staff can be actively engaged in the provision of winter control services. 2.10 Of the more significant changes, the legislation specifically set out the following limitations for commercial motor vehicle drivers: x A maximum of 70 hours of driving during a 7 day cycle; x A maximum daily driving time of 13 hours; 14 hours of on -duty time; and 16 hours of elapsed shift time; x A minimum of 10 hours of off-duty time following each shift; x 36 hours of continuous off-duty time to reset a 7 day work schedule; x 24 consecutive hours of off-duty time during any 14 day period. Municipality of Clarington OPD -001-18 Page 5 2.11 This legislation has a major impact on the ability of the Operations Department to properly respond to road snow plowing requirements during extended periods of inclement weather. In addition, the requirement to formally track the available hours that each employee can legally work beyond their normally scheduled shifts can be a very difficult process to manage. Regardless of the type of work that is completed by Operations staff all hours are recorded as driving time. Risk Manaaement 2.12 On a more frequent basis municipalities are becoming challenged to prove that required levels of winter control service have been provided. As a result, substantial effort is given to the documentation of internal protocols for legal defence purposes. These records include the capture of road patrol records, inspection and maintenance logs for roads, sidewalks and parking lots, weather reports, vehicle inspection and out -of -service lists, lead hand and supervisor response journals, employee call-in and work assignment records, vehicle global positioning system (GPS), individual storm event reports, etc. As a means to provide a more pro -active, efficient and cost-effective approach to winter control services, Clarington's Operations Department has implemented the following staff response programs: 2.13 Road Patrol Based on the requirements of the Minimum Maintenance Standards, the Operations Department has assigned a total of four staff to monitor weather reports and continuously evaluate roadway surface conditions along a prescribed route through the municipality. These staff are scheduled to work shifts that occur during all non -regular working hours, seven days a week, between the months of October to April. Road patrol staff are required to complete detailed records that document road surface conditions during each of their individual patrols. As necessary, patrol staff coordinate minor responses to weather conditions or as necessary refer larger events to lead hands who coordinate responses using additional staff. Patrol staff also initiate the commencement of work by contractors that provide winter maintenance service on sidewalks abutting municipal properties, corporate parking lots and the senior's snow removal program. 2.14 Night Operators Two Operations Department staff are assigned night shifts during the months of December to April. These staff have the primary responsibility of ensuring that road surface conditions remain suitable on the higher classes of road in the municipality. Amongst other duties, the night operators also respond to unsatisfactory road surface conditions in locations that are referred to them by the road patrollers. Since the night operators work shifts they are readily available to individually respond to minor winter situations thereby avoiding the need to bring in additional staff on overtime. Municipality of Clarington OPD -001-18 2.15 On -Call Lead Hands Page 6 Six Roads and Parks Lead Hand employees are scheduled into an after-hours rotation during the winter months. The primary function of these employees is to maintain the accuracy of the employee call-in board and to coordinate a response to major winter events. As necessary, the lead hands also provide leadership and direction to the road patrollers and night operators regarding winter control related matters. 2.16 On -Call Supervisors Four Roads and Parks Supervisors are scheduled into an after-hours rotation during the winter months. The Supervisors are responsible for updating the hours of work data, ensuring the accuracy of all winter documentation, checking weather reports, compiling winter storm updates and for communicating maintenance requirements to the lead hands, road patrollers and night operators. 2.17 On -Call Staff The remaining 32 Roads and Parks staff are placed on an after-hours winter call-in list. These staff which consist of Heavy Equipment Operators, Light Equipment Operators and Labourers are called -in based on the type of response required and also according to their position in rotation. It should be noted that mandatory responses to winter events are currently not required by these employees. Under winter storm response requirements, however, the rates of response are satisfactory to meet the minimum requirements of the MMS. In addition, four Fleet mechanics are also placed on an after-hours call-in rotation. Existing Level of Service 2.18 The Operations Department is currently responsible for providing snow plowing service on approximately 909 kilometers of arterial, collector and secondary roadways. This network of roads is broken down into 29 distinct plowing routes that operate out of the three Operations depots being Hampton, Orono and 42. Route lengths presently range up to a maximum of 56.2 kilometers depending on the road class, road design and the type and size of equipment that is being used. At present, a total of 36 pieces of equipment is assigned for a full call -out event consisting of 2 graders, 13 tandem -axle combination dump trucks, 11 single -axle combination dump trucks, 4 one -tonne utility trucks equipped with salters and plows and 3 loaders. 2.19 Impacts of Growth Residential growth in the municipality continues to progress at a very rapid rate. Estimates confirm that on average a minimum of 12 kilometers of new roadway has been added in each of the past five years. It is anticipated that development will continue to advance at a similar pace in the municipality with at least a dozen subdivision agreements currently being considered for construction over the next two to three years. Municipality of Clarington OPD -001-18 Page 7 Although these subdivisions will be of varying sizes the additional length of new road is expected to continue averaging approximately 12 kilometers a year for an additional 60 kilometers by the year 2022. 2.20 Based on the configuration of our existing snow plow routes a new piece of equipment and operator should be added to the fleet as every 25 kilometers of additional roadway is built. Although snow plow route lengths can vary significantly the type and style of development now being constructed with reduced right-of-way's, increased densities and the presence of more on -street parking the efficiency of snow plowing is impacted by slower driving speeds and more reversing movements. For newer urban areas a route length of 25 kilometers is considered standard and remains consistent with the average for newer urban snow plow routes in other Durham Region municipalities. 2.21 The Development Charges that are received from the construction of the new subdivisions provide Clarington with the necessary funding to purchase additional equipment that is necessary to keep pace with the rate of new roads being built. In accordance with the Development Charges Background Study for 2015-2020, the Municipality took possession of an additional combination snow plow truck in 2016 and another two additional trucks are included in the 2018 draft budget. 2.22 It is imperative that as the new heavy vehicles arrive, qualified staff shall also be employed to operate them. With 24 kilometers of additional road being added to the inventory between 2016 and 2017, a new qualified operator is presently required while a second operator will be necessary prior to 2019. The Operations Department last hired an additional qualified snow plow operator in 2013. 3. Service Delivery Review 3.1 The February 14, 2017 occurrence of secondary roads not being plowed within the 24- hour time limit remains of great concern to the Operations Department. As outlined in this report not only is there a maintenance obligation under the MMS but there's also a service level expectation by Clarington's residents that needs to be upheld. 3.2 Under typical winter weather conditions all roadways within the municipality, including all secondary roads, are normally plowed well before the time limits expire. On the very rare occasion, however, weather extremes may limit the ability of the municipality to properly respond with the resources that are available. 3.3 As a means to estimate the cost of contracting out snow plowing work, the area municipalities in Durham Region were contacted to obtain details on their specific programs. A broader scope of municipalities that extended beyond Durham Region was not included in this initial review as their levels of service, administration and market conditions for contracted services would be somewhat different and therefore cannot be equitably compared. The Region of Durham was also not included in this review as their level of responsibility is focused on higher class roadways that require faster response times and more frequent service. Municipality of Clarington OPD -001-18 Page 8 3.4 Of the lower tier municipalities, the Town of Ajax, Town of Whitby, City of Oshawa and the Township of Scugog presently utilize contracted snow plowing service. These municipalities contract out between 1 and 25 of their existing snow plow routes that average approximately 26 kilometers in length for the urban areas. The contracts also require different levels of services. For example, the Town of Ajax only uses the contractor to salt and plow during major snow events whereas the Town of Whitby requires the contractor to respond to every snow event. 3.5 Based on the 2016 budget information provided by these municipalities, it has been determined that the average annual cost per contracted route is approximately $44,500 which consists of equipment standby and on-call snow plowing rates. The fees incurred for standby are a minimum contract requirement to ensure that adequate equipment and operators are available when needed by the Municipality. The comparative cost for a full- time Clarington municipal employee to similarly respond during each winter season would be approximately $34,000. This cost includes employee base salary, benefits, average overtime and all fleet related expenses. 3.6 The outsourcing of contracted snow plowing service may also result in a higher rate of customer complaints. The survey group of municipalities suggested that new contractors will be unfamiliar with Municipal policies and procedures, may employ staff with limited experience and on occasion may also not meet the MMS requirements. 3.7 In an effort to reduce overall operating costs, consideration is currently being given to contracting out cemetery operations during the winter season. It is estimated that this change will supplement the availability of staff resources and reduce overtime requirements by an average of 179 hours. Other changes in the delivery of service may also include the future assignment of winter night shifts to new full-time employees thereby further reducing the requirement for on-call staff to be brought in on overtime. 4. Concurrence 4.1 This report was reviewed by the Director of Finance/Treasurer. 5. Conclusion 5.1 The day-to-day management of the winter road plowing functions as described within this report is provided at a very high level. Each part of the system is integral to the provision of a responsible and effective service that meets our legal obligations and also the needs and requirements of Clarington's customers. 5.2 After reviewing the available options, staff are of the opinion that the employment of two additional full-time light equipment operators in 2018 to keep pace with growth rates is the preferred method by which to ensure a more proactive and timely approach to providing snow plowing service on secondary roads in the municipality. While the annual cost for each full-time employee would be approximately $74,000 (base salary plus benefits) in accordance with Clarington's 2017 wage rates, it is important not to overlook Municipality of Clarington OPD -001-18 Page 9 the additional tasks and services that these staff will also provide during the remainder of the year. 5.3 The 2 full-time Light Equipment Operators that have been recommended in this report are presently included as new staff requests in the 2018 draft budget. 6. Strategic Plan Application 6.1 Recommendations in this report support Strategic Plan initiatives for the promotion of good governance and value for the tax dollar and also resident engagement in our community. Submitted by: Frederick J. Horvath Director of Operations Reviewed by: Andrew C. Allison, B. Comm, LL.B CAO Staff Contact: Stephen Brake, Manager of Operations, 905-263-2291 or sbrake@clarington.net