5.3b ERMUSR 02-14-2023 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Highlights, Challenges, and Results from the 2022 Strategic Plan Initiatives • Live Chat System — Explore embedding a live chat system into ERMU's website. This initiative was created to explore options for a live chat system to be available to customers which would be supported by the customer service department during normal business hours. Staff identified and tested three vendors that met ERMU's website requirements. However, as ERMU was finalizing details with the final vendor the City and ERMU's IT department made staff aware of an upcoming phone trial that could offer a chat feature as part of their system. In January 2023, the City Council approved a phone system upgrade which incorporated ERMU's offices. During the trial of 3CX staff learned that a chat feature was included in the pricing, so staff tested and approved its chat feature. This service will go live at the end of quarter one or the beginning of quarter two, 2023. • Inventory Assistant — On -board an assistant to manage inventory in the new facility. With the construction of the new service building, a significant workload has been added to the inventory & procurement foreperson. The budgeted position of an inventory & procurement assistant was filled in August 2022 to assist in resource management. In hiring Curt, we added a detailed self-starter with a lot of knowledge and experience in shipping and receiving. His efforts have given Dan more time to work on other duties such as opening and closing of work orders, receiving quotes, and taking on water department inventory tasks. • Vault Retention — Research and create/setup retention policies in NISC Document Vault. The vault retention polices have been setup within National Information Solutions Cooperative's Document Vault. The accounting department has been utilizing this feature to be able to follow the records retention schedules for electronic documents that are housed in the Vault. With those policies in place, this feature can be used by any department. • Landfill Gas Plant — Consider the future of the Landfill Gas Plant past 2022. After 20 years of successful operation, the Elk River Landfill Gas -to -Electric Facility generated its last kWh on October 31, 2022. Over its lifecycle the facility produced over 480 million kWh of renewable energy. The facility was the center of attention for Energy City and created a buzz in central Minnesota for all sustainable environmental initiatives. The partnership between ERMU, the City of Elk River, Sherburne County, and Waste Management highlighted how public and private organizations can work together to achieve great things for the communities they serve or operate in. • Schedule of Charges/Aid to Construction — Document processes and charges. In 2022, the operations director and the technical services superintendent gathered information from several neighboring utilities to compare their charges and fees with our own published Utilities Fee Schedule, last reviewed in 2014. It was decided there was a need to review these charges and fees on a more regular basis so that we stay comparable with our neighboring utilities and are accounting for rising material expenses and construction costs. Notably for the 2023 Utility Fee Schedule, we increased the New Residential Electric Connection fees by $500.00 per lot for both those with and without water service. The Security Light - Existing Pole fee went up by $225.00 due to increasing Page 1 of 2 W,