Intercity Transit (IT) is looking to recruit more full-time employees than they originally planned to hire with their 2023 budget.
Its board of directors, the Intercity Transit Authority (ITA), authorized on Wednesday, July 19, raising its FTE budget to add 47 operators, one human resource (HR) specialist, two facilities specialists, and one assistant for the Walk N Roll program.
According to Interim General Manager Emily Bergkamp, the adjustment raises the FTE budget from funding 481.5 to 532.5 employees, corresponding to additional costs of around $2.1 million, a 4% increase in wages and benefits.
IT currently has 261 full-time Fixed Route and Dial-A-Lift operators out of a limit of 278, which the 2023 budget currently affords. With the additional 47 operators, this would bring their total budget to 325 operators.
Bergkamp said that they preferred to maintain their current success with their recruitment instead of limiting the number of operators they can get. She noted that there used to be a time when hiring operators, or any other employees for that matter, was “like getting water from the rock.”
IT staff have recently interviewed 39 operator candidates for the fourth cohort of recruits this year, which is set to start this August, and will hold another hiring event on August 31 to fill this year’s fifth cohort.
According to Bergkamp, they are also considering a sixth cohort this year, which would be a first if it happens.
Bergkamp added that the additional operators would provide a buffer to its available workforce when employees take long-term and protected leaves as part of the Washington Paid Family Medical Leave program.
Due to the number of employees taking leave, Bergkamp said that the HR division is struggling to keep pace with the additional work as processing leaves require large amounts of data tracking and paperwork. The additional HR specialist would help in this regard to reduce the workload.
The additional two facilities specialist would help improve maintenance, especially with bus stops now numbering at a thousand. Current staffing levels are struggling to keep up with maintenance work which involves cleaning, the removal of vandalism, and fixing broken glasses.
Lastly, IT is looking to hire an assistant for the Walk N Roll Youth Education Program, which offers various activities encouraging children to walk or bike to their schools.
AmeriCorps currently provides a member to assist with the program, but the member’s term ends in August. According to Bergkamp, AmeriCorps’ timeline and reporting requirements are no longer a good fit for the program.
At the same meeting, ITA authorized an increase to the contract amount of Tapani, Inc., which was contracted to construct improvements at the Martin Way Park-and-Ride. The board added $188,000 to the firm’s contract, raising its total value to $2,239,411.
The additional money would be used for lighting, electrical, and elevation adjustments at the main bus platform to help the project meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
The project would now also include upgrades to the security system, which the agency initially planned to do later on.
The contract was just amended last month to address an additional requirement from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which is funding the project. The state agency required repairing and repaving the northern parking lot at the site.
Actual costs for this portion of the project exceeded engineering’s estimate, so this month’s amendment adds more funding to cover additional costs for the parking lot.
Supporting ITA with this project is SCJ Alliance which provides the agency with on-call engineering and construction services. ITA adjusted the firm’s contract to cover the additional workload of the Martin Way Park & Ride improvements project. The board authorized an increase of $40,000 to SCJ Alliance’s contract, bringing its total contract value to $496,288.
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