It’s our pleasure to be a resource answering questions that come to us. What I’ve found is that often the questions asked are similar so it led to this idea to share the questions and answers here as they might be relevant to what you’re going through now, too. Check this one out from a City Administrator in Nebraska and if you have a question, email it to info@PeopleService.com. If selected for this e-newsletter, we will send you a cup of poo. Okay, it’s not really poo but a coffee mug and poo emoji.
Our licensed operator is getting close to retirement, and I have been tasked with creating contingency plans for his departure or for coverage if he cannot work for whatever reason. The mayor has asked me to reach out to neighboring towns with the possibility of contracting with them. What is your advice on developing a contingency plan?
Thank you for the question. You are not alone with having to create backup plans for various reasons. To be a little self-serving, contracting with PeopleService would eliminate the vulnerabilities and concerns you are faced with. Compliance, emergencies, staffing, etc. become our headache and our deep bench ensures we have you covered. Partnering with a neighboring city has its risks with the main one being that you will never be the priority over that city’s needs. In a dual emergency, who gets taken care of first? Short staffed? What gets done and what gets shelved for a later day? Is there a risk of annexation? Contracting with a neighboring city for your water/wastewater operations is an entirely different ballgame than just coordinating emergency backups. I would be happy to have a conversation with you on how PeopleService could check all those boxes for you while ensuring you will always be the priority. Please contact me anytime.