Report of the Cost of Government Commission - January 9, 2007

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B. Solid Waste Division: 1. Recommend that the Solid Waste Division receive clerical assistance. Background/Exnlanation: At the time the COGC met with the Solid Waste Division chief (on May 18, 2006), they were informed that it was a one-man office, with no clerk or assistant to help with the filing, telephones, and other clerical matters. 2. Recommend that CDL truck drivers be separated from Heavy equipment operators, who work only at the landfills and should not need CDL licenses. Background/Exklanation: The Solid Waste Division has two categories of employees that require CDL licenses: truck drivers, who drive the large trucks on the highways, and equipment operators, who drive tractors and bulldozers at the landfills. The two categories should be sepazated so that the equipment operators do not need to possess a CDL. Not only do many of the landfill employees not want to drive trucks on the highway, but if they had to do so, they would be putting everyone at risk since they are not experienced in driving the big rigs on the highway. It would also be easier to recruit equipment operators if they did not need to possess a CDL. 3. Recommend that contract terms 6e lengthened to multi year terms. This is regarding vendor contracts, not employee contracts. BackQround/Bxplanation: The Solid Waste Division deals with many contracts. Most are set up for six-month or one-yeaz terms, which is not efficient. Because of the short terms, the County does not get competitive rates when the contracts go up for bid, because the companies with the existing contracts are already geazed up to do it. In addition, dealing with the numerous contracts and keeping track of them takes up a lot of the division head's time. 4. Recommend additional trainers to train transfer station attendants to become equipment operators, thus increasing their ability to multi- function. Backg_round/Explanation: There is only one authorized trainer to train transfer station attendants, and the training takes time. In addition, employees aze only trained one at a time. 5. Recommend that employees be subject to random drug testing, which is to include current employees and not just new hires. Back~ound/Explanation: At the current time, drug testing is only allowed for new employees coming into the County system. The employees of the 7