The city will be putting out a request for proposal next month to hire a management advisory service
TRENTON -- The problems facing Trenton Water Works are not new: The understaffed utility has had difficulty filling the 50-plus vacancies. An untold amount of water loss continues to cost the city money. And customers complain of long wait times -- sometimes 45 minutes.
But changes could soon be coming. Mayor Eric Jackson told council on Thursday that the city will be putting out a request for proposal next month to hire a management advisory service.
Following a comprehensive review of the utility's operations -- from administration, plant processes and maintenance to customer service, billings and collections -- the firm would identify, evaluate and make recommendations to the city.
"It is my hope that this company will work with our staff to make sure we're able to maximize our resources and minimize our losses," Jackson said. "The RFP is intended only to improve, transform and protect this most important asset that we have in our city."
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Jackson made it clear that there is no plan to sell the utility.
"I will not, nor will this administration, propose to sell or support the sale of, in whole or in part, our water utility," he said. "This is an opportunity that, I believe, we have to improve the asset, to get the most out of the staff and assets' capacity, but never to sell the asset."
The large number of vacancies is one of its biggest hurdles, he said.
While the state Department of Community Affairs has at times been slow to approve new hires for the lower-level positions, those with more technical skills and experience have been in short supply for years, the mayor said.
"That's not a DCA problem," Jackson said. "That's our inability to recruit individuals with those licenses to come and work for the city."
The city does not offer tuition reimbursement to its employees, but encourages them to continue their education and obtain certifications because a job would be waiting for them.
"I would like to grow our own ... but the individuals have to have the willingness to go back to school and grind it out in the classroom," Jackson said.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.