2006 Annual Report

From the WTD Division Director
June 2007

I'm pleased to report that wastewater program employees achieved the program's Productivity Initiative target in 2006. This report details the 2006 target and results, and compares those results with previous years of the ten-year Productivity Initiative Pilot Program.

Last year's results marked the fifth year that wastewater employees have met operating program productivity targets, generated savings for ratepayers and received a financial incentive reward for their actions. It was also the first year that savings were generated from wastewater's capital program since the pilot program was expanded to include aspects of the capital program in 2005.

To date, the Productivity Initiative Pilot Program has resulted in $42,788,451 in savings to ratepayers. Last year's results added $9,756,050 to the total ratepayer savings, and the 650 participants in the program received incentive payments of about $1,069 each.

Program participants continue to apply what they have learned to help ensure success in meeting productivity targets in the remaining years of the initiative. Program expenses were higher than the target in 2004, for example, and the program took immediate corrective actions that resulted in successfully meeting the target in 2005. Some of those actions were short-term, temporary measures; however, other actions have been integrated into the way the wastewater program routinely does business.

In mid-2006, the program undertook a major effort to review the structure of its entire operating program. With the help of an independent consultant, the program identified ways the organization could be aligned that would most likely result in meeting the productivity targets in the last four years of the initiative (2007 to 2010). Working with labor organizations and employees, wastewater management is currently developing an implementation plan for those recommendations and has initiated a similar review of the capital program.

As it has in previous years, the wastewater program has benefited greatly from the support and assistance the Productivity Initiative Pilot Program has received from the Executive Office, elected officials, labor organizations, King County Office of Management and Budget and Department of Natural Resources and Parks management.

Finally, as a result of the challenges offered by the Productivity Initiative, program participants are increasingly engaged in a near-constant review, reappraisal and reworking of how the program does its business. I encourage you to read the descriptions in this report of employee-driven actions that led to successfully achieving the 2006 productivity target. Wastewater program employees are truly demonstrating that government can apply some of the best practices in private industry in ways that are beneficial for both our customers and our workforce, and I am proud of their achievements.

Christie True
Division Director

Want to know more?

• View the entire 2006 Annual Report, available as a PDF file (725 KB).
• View previous annual reports and Pilot Program library documents and legislation, union contracts, and other information related to this program.
• For questions about the Productivity Initiative or this Web site, please contact the Productivity Communications Coordinator by e-mail or at 206-684-1161.

For questions about the Wastewater Treatment Division Web site, please send an e-mail message. For general information about the division, contact us at:

Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Wastewater Treatment Division
201 S. Jackson St.
Seattle, WA 98104-3855
Phone: 206-684-1280
Fax: 206-684-1741
Telecommunication device for the deaf (TTY): 711

Updated: Aug. 15, 2007