Pictured is Mark Roetzer, acting director of the Department of Public Works. P-J photo by Timothy Frudd

City Council members recently expressed concerns regarding a potential city ordinance that would change the requirements for the director of the Department of Public Works, as the city searches for a new director following the retirement of Jeff Lehman.

City Council Public Safety Committee Chairman Brent Sheldon, R-Ward I, told City Council members that the committee discussed an ordinance that would potentially change the city code regarding the requirement for a potential director to have a professional engineering certificate.

“We had some discussion,” he said. “The committee was back and forth on that. We felt that this should be discussed as a whole by the whole council before any action would be taken.”

Asked by City Council President Anthony Dolce, R-Ward II, if the committee had reached a consensus, Sheldon said the committee was torn between understanding that the city needs to find a candidate who can serve as the director of Public Works but also knowing that the city currently has Mark Roetzer serving in the capacity of acting director.

“By eliminating this engineering requirement, we could possibly have to hire another junior engineer to take over the work if we did eliminate the requirement from the director of Public Works,” Sheldon said.

City Councilwoman Kim Ecklund, R-At Large, and City Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large, both questioned the “need” to eliminate the P.E. requirement. Russell said his concern would be that eliminating the requirement could affect the city’s ability to accomplish and “sign off” on various projects in Jamestown.

Roetzer said the director of Public Works does not “typically” stamp drawings as a professional engineer; therefore, he said it would not “hold up” work for that reason. However, he acknowledged, that not having a P.E. would be a disadvantage for a Public Works director.

“You’re not producing drawings, that would then stamped and then you have to sign as a professional engineer, but you’re viewing drawings and plans and that sort of thing, specifications,” he said. “To not have a P.E. would be a detriment. If you hire someone who doesn’t have it, they would potentially become more of an administrator and then the work the director does now, part of it, would fall back on the other engineering staff that does have a P.E.”

In terms of liability and safety for engineering projects, Roetzer assured the City Council that every structure would be designed by engineers and reviewed by engineers no matter what. He added that while the city does not have structural engineers on staff, structural inspection work is regularly carried out by outside engineers or by the Department of Development.

Following Roetzer’s explanation of the position, Russell said his “position” is that the city should not lower its standards for hiring.

“I think that we’re lowering our standards by getting rid of that position unless for some reason we absolutely cannot find someone for that position,” he said. “Why would you have someone that’s running a department that’s less qualified than the people underneath.”

Questioned by City Council members about the process of obtaining a P.E., Roetzer said an individual first has to receive an engineering degree from an accredited source before qualifying for the fundamentals of engineering test. If an individual passes the test, they begin to accrue experience. After accruing enough experience, Roetzer said the final step is to take a P.E. test.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist told City Council members that out of all the applications the city has received for the director of Public Works position, only one potential candidate has possessed a P.E. degree. Based on conversations the city administration has had with Lehman and other experts, Sundquist said many people with P.E. degrees are joining consulting firms that are willing to pay almost double what the city offers.

“The county does not have a P.E. requirement for their director of public facilities,” he said. “Most communities do not. They have more of an administrative role at the top. Not saying we need to change it, I’m just saying that based on what we’ve seen in our search.”