Equipment Operator I

Performs entry level support work. Work involves completing a variety of tasks under the direction of the Streets Foreman, including construction, maintenance and repair of city streets, sidewalks, public rights-of-way, storm water detention ponds and drainage systems. Employees must be able to be scheduled for on-call rotation. Equipment Operator I will also assist with training newly hired employees. Works under close supervision, with minimal latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

Essential Duties & Required Qualifications

• Work schedule is Monday - Thursday or Tuesday - Friday from 6:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (schedule is subject to change).
• Prepares equipment, vehicles, and tools for work assignments.
• Grades, maintains, patches, seals cracks and resurfaces streets, repairs potholes, repairs/replaces sidewalks and curbs.
• Levels streets and other areas, digs and maintains drainage ditches and culverts, tamps, packs, and levels dirt, asphalt, or other material.
• Assists with sanding roadways, bridges, and sidewalks during inclement weather conditions.
• Assists with the set up and take down of road work traffic control areas, sets up barricades at work sites to warn traffic of hazardous areas in accordance with the TXMUTCD.
• Performs necessary mowing, cuts, collects, and disposes of tree limbs, trash, and general debris found along streets, roads, drainage system, and other city facilities.
• Repairs guardrails.
• Picks up litter and debris and removes graffiti.
• As an essential employee, you are subject to after-hours call outs for emergency situations which can include icy weather, flooding, police department assistance, etc., including a required on-call rotation, and special events.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or its equivalent.

Required Certificate and Licenses:

• Valid Class "C" Driver's License from any U.S. State (Approximately 15% driving time in a company vehicle.)Must be able to obtain a Texas license within 90 days of hire.
• Must have a basic first aid certificate or must be able to obtain within six months of hire date.

Preferred Qualifications

• Six months or more years of full-time work experience in either construction, maintenance and/or repair of city streets, sidewalks, public rights-of-way, storm water detention ponds and drainage systems or related work experience or related technical training.
• Texas Commercial Driver License (CDL), Texas Class A license with an air brake endorsement or ability to obtain one within one year of hire.
• Experience working with concrete, asphalt, grading, and/or traffic control.
• Experience working with operating equipment (i.e. dump truck, bucket lift, skid loader, hand tools. Etc.)
• Experience mowing and/or disposal of trash and debris.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge and ability to set up secure work zones using cones and barricades.
• Skills and ability to operate a dump truck/water truck, bucket lift truck, VAC trailer, Jet machine, motor grader, backhoe, skid loader, roller, grader, gradall, and small hand tools, chainsaw, shovel, two-way radio, cell phone, measuring devices, excavator.
• Knowledge of duties performed in construction and maintenance of streets and roadways, hazards, and safety precautions common to equipment operations.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Ability to understand and carry out written and oral instruction.
• Ability to work safely.
• Must be able to wear city provided uniform and city issued personal protective equipment - Steel-toed leather boots, gloves, eye protection, head protection, safety vest, and ear protection.
• Workers must be in compliance with safety procedures and usage of safety equipment.
• Ability to work hours other than the regular daytime schedule such as shift work, on call, or emergency response situations (i.e., early-mornings, afternoons, evenings, and late-nights shifts, weekends).
• Ability to report safety hazards, equipment problems and emergency situations.

Physical Demands & Additional Information

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds and push, pull, drag up to 150 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Working Environment:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee works outdoors in extreme heat or cold temperature and during inclement weather; exposed to dust fumes and loud noises. Frequently exposed to wet and/or humid conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but occasionally loud.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified in this position.

Your well-being and that of your family matters to you, and so it's important to us too. To support you and your loved ones through life's many challenges, we offer our full time employees access to a wide array of benefits including health, dental, vision, life, disability, accident, cancer, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, employee assistance, paid holidays, paid sick leave, paid emergency leave, longevity pay, golf course discounts as well as generous retirement and deferred compensation programs and social security participation.

Medical

We offer two types of medical plans (a traditional PPO plan and a high deductible health plan) so that you can choose the one that best fits your needs. The premium you pay is based on which plan you select and who you cover. Covering just yourself? The City currently pays the entire employee-only premium for either plan. Covering qualified dependents in your family? Currently, we'll pay your employee premium and split the remainder of the spouse/child/family premium with you - we pay 60%; you pay 40%. That generous cost share reflects our philosophy that our employees and their families should have the best health care we can afford to provide.

Dental

Dental plans include a DMO option (no cost for employee-only coverage) and two more traditional plans whose premiums are also affordable. You can choose to cover yourself or any qualified dependents and choose which plan best suits your dental needs. Currently, for the DHMO option, we pay the employee premium and split the remainder of the spouse/child/family premiums with you - we pay 50%; you pay 50%. Under the more traditional plans, although we don't pay the entire employee-only premium, we still split the incremental dependent premiums with you 50/50.

Vision

Access to $10 eye exam co-pays and up to $150 frame and contact lens allowances make vision insurance a popular benefit among employees. Cover yourself for just a few bucks a pay period or all of your qualified dependents for not much more.

Life/AD&D

Your basic employee $15,000 term life insurance policy is paid for by the city. Accidental Death & Dismemberment under the plan would pay an additional $15,000 to your beneficiary if you die in an accident. More life insurance coverage is paid for by the City and provided through our Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) program. If that's still not enough coverage, you can purchase more life/AD&D coverage for yourself and your qualified dependents. Over the age of 65? These coverages are subject to an age reduction schedule.

Disability

Both short and long term disability plans which provide up to 60% income replacement are available to purchase at competitive rates.

Accident & Cancer

Need extra coverage for off-the-job medical injuries or a cancer diagnosis? Supplemental plans that pay cash for some of life's most unexpected events are available for purchase.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Want to set aside some pre-tax dollars for health care expenses or dependent care expenses? If you select the traditional EPO medical coverage, you can set aside pre-tax money for medical expenses through the City's Section 125 medical FSA plan, which is managed by an outside carrier. You can do the same for dependent day care expenses, regardless of which medical plan you select.

Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

The high deductible health care plan has its own provisions for pre-tax health savings (HSA) so you can set aside money for your qualified health care expenses. The City will add $1000 to your health savings account to get you started each plan year.

Employee Assistance Program

We know that sometimes your needs are much different than a doctor visit or a prescription, so the City pays for a generous employee assistance program through Alliance to help you or any household member with counseling, legal referrals or simply a safe ride home.

Holidays

The City has thirteen designated holidays each year.

Vacation Leave

Most full time, regular employees (excluding firefighters on a 24 hour shift schedule and department heads) accrue 3.69 hours of vacation time each pay period and are eligible to use that time after just six months of empl