County Reaches $1 Million in Cumulative Focus on Energy Grants

Milwaukee County has participated in the Focus on Energy program since 2007. This program is a statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource program funded by the state’s investor-owned energy utilities and participating municipal and electric cooperative utilities. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus on Energy information, resources and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect our environment and control Wisconsin’s growing demand for electricity and natural gas.

Milwaukee County has earned almost $1 million in incentives through Focus on Energy (FoE), Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy. The County has put the incentives to wise use, implementing projects that will save approximately $1.5 million per year in energy over their expected lifetimes.

Annually, Milwaukee County’s participation with FoE is saving an estimated 8.8 million kWh and 500,000 therms. That savings is equivalent to the energy used by 800 homes for a year. Focus on Energy has approved incentives for a diverse range of County projects, including steam trap repair, HVAC and lighting upgrades, and solar energy systems. The projects have been implemented at the County Courthouse, Children’s Court Center, Fleet Garage, Milwaukee County Zoo, and other facilities.

As of January 13, 2015, Milwaukee County has been awarded Focus on Energy incentives for the following energy efficiency and renewable energy projects:

Date	Project Description	Incentive Awarded
Aug-10	Courthouse-Energy   Performance Contract	$159,679
Dec-07	Milwaukee County Courthouse – PC Lighting	$73,482
Sep-09	Zoo Staffing Grant	$63,294
Aug-10	Children’s Court Center-Phase 2 GESPC	$39,504
Aug-09	Milwaukee County – 2009 Staffing Grant – 08/09	$37,100
Aug-10	Fleet Garage-Phase 2 GESPC-08/10	$32,872
Sep-10	Milwaukee County Zoo – Solar Electric	$26,197
Sep-09	V Phillips Juvenile Justice Center – Solar Water Heating	$21,109
Dec-07	O’Donnell Park – PC Multiple Measures – Staffing	$20,012
Nov-12	Boerner Botanical Gardens – Chiller	$15,714
Jun-11	Fleet Garage – Solar Electric	$15,486
Sep-14	Fleet Services – Boiler	$15,000
Jun-13	House of Corrections – Hood Ventilation	$14,200
Sep-14	Children’s Court – Boiler	$12,000
Dec-07	King Park – PC Multiple Measures – Staffing	$11,865
Dec-07	Kosciuszko Park – PC Multiple Measures – Staffing	$10,410
Mar-12	Correctional Facility ERV	$9,810
Dec-07	Wilson Park – PC Multiple Measures – Staffing	$7,404
Jan-13	Child Adolescent Treatment Center- Lighting	$7,309
Sep-09	General Mitchell International Airport Admin Building – T5 Lighting Upgrade	$6,790
Mar-10	Juneau Park Pavilion – Solar Electric	$6,028
Apr-14	Zoo – Lighting	$5,756
Sep-10	Wilson Park Senior Center – Solar Electric	$5,287
Feb-09	Milwaukee Cty Airport Division – New Const	$3,660
Nov-10	Public Museum – 3rd floor exhibit relighting	$3,102
Aug-14	Mitchell Domes – Steam Trap Repair	$3,100
Jul-10	Washington Park – Solar Thermal	$3,000
May-10	Airport Division – NC Lighting – 05/10	$2,730
Nov-14	House of Corrections – Cooling & Htg Tune up	$2,560
Feb-13	Zoo – Htg Equip Tune up	$1,902
Dec-09	GMIA Ticketing Roadway-LED upgrades	$1,812
Oct-14	House of Corrections – Lighting	$1,800
Dec-10	House of Corrections Laundry Lighting	$1,480
Dec-07	Washington Park – PC Multiple Measures – Staffing	$1,420
Jan-08	Zoo Australian House – Boiler Replacement	$1,167
Apr-12	Fleet Admin Bldg – Lighting	$1,029
Feb-08	Milw Co Parks – Svc Buydown	$946
Mar-13	Correctional Facility South – Htg Equip Tune up	$890
Dec-07	Noyes Pool – PC Multiple Measures	$808
Jul-11	Wil-O-Way Pavilion	$750
Aug-11	Behavioral Health Division – Food Service Equip	$750
Apr-09	House of Corrections – Lighting/High Bay	$720
Oct-10	House of Corrections – T12 to T5 retrofit	$525
Dec-07	Pulaski Pool – Perf Contract Multi Measures	$482
Jan-10	Mitchell Park Domes – Heating Tune Up/Boiler	$400
May-14	Zoo- ZooFari Conf Bldg – Lighting	$380
Jan-09	Milwaukee County Greenhouse – Service Buydown	$200
Jan-09	Mitchell Park Conservatory – Service Buydown	$200
Jan-10	Greenhouse – Heating Tune Up/Boilers	$200
Nov-14	Zoo – Lighting	$160
Sep-14	Zoo – Wolf Den – Lighting	$150
Aug-14	Zoo – Parking Lot – Lighting	$120
Jan-10	Wilson Park Ice Rink – Heating Tune Up/Boiler	$100
Sep-10	Zoo Aquatic Reptile Cntr – Solar Hot Water Assmt	$100
May-08	Dept of Parks Recreation and Culture (CFLs)	$48
Aug-14	Zoo – Anaconda Cage – Lighting	$30
May-08	Parks – Lighting (CFLs)	$24

County Making Progress towards Implementation of LEAN

DAS-PSB was awarded financing through the 2014 innovation fund to implement a countywide LEAN initiative. LEAN is a process improvement practice that helps organizations function more efficiently by critically analyzing burdensome processes, including those that are administrative and those that directly impact our constituents. By streamlining and improving these processes, the County expects to improve the value and sustainability of its core services.

A cross-department workgroup of individuals involved in a particular process gather and, with the help of independent facilitators, map out the steps of the process and then investigate which steps should be changed to improve that process. Steps that actually provide value to customers and the organization are kept and possibly improved. For instance, a group of individuals who are involved in the process of issuing a permit will gather and look at which steps of the permitting process could be modified so that it requires less time and work to issue the permit.

The County has engaged a consultant to help set up an ongoing LEAN effort. This will include a steering committee, which will review requests for processes to be analyzed; and a group of facilitators who will work with cross-departmental teams to examine processes and develop options to make efficiency improvements. The County’s goal is to emulate the successes realized with LEAN in Brown County, Wisconsin and the City of Denver, Colorado, and to empower employees to provide value to constituents through a culture of continuous process improvement.

You may click here to review a presentation on LEAN management that provides more detailed information on the County’s LEAN journey.

 

2014 Innovation Fund Project Awards

The 2014 Adopted Budget included the creation of the Milwaukee County Innovation Fund. This fund will utilize one-time revenue sources for projects that are designed to improve customer service, enhance operational efficiency, and reduce taxpayer costs for services.

In 2014, the County expects to receive approximately $5.7 million in revenues related to the 2011 sale of a portion of the County Grounds to develop the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Innovation Campus. Of this amount, approximately $4.1 million is available for Innovation Fund Projects. A workgroup made up of representatives from the County Board of Supervisors, the Office of the Comptroller, and DAS-PSB make recommendations for project funding and on April 24, these recommendations were approved.

The approved projects include:

• Construction of  20 units of housing focusing on chronically homeless individuals with alcohol addictions.  The Housing Division would take referrals from Detox, corrections, courts, police, etc. and house individuals that cannot be served in existing housing or shelters due to their active use of alcohol. This funding will leverage over $2 million in other  capital funds from the City of Milwaukee, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and private funds.  A similar model in Minneapolis toured by Housing Division staff show a cost savings for taxpayers of over $500,000 per year by reducing detox admissions by 85%, emergency room visits by 20%, and jail bookings by 23%. 
• An updated jail management system utilized by the County Jail and the House of Corrections. This project will replace an outdated system that uses mainframe computer technology. This project will vastly approve the two facilities’ ability to track inmates, collect data and generate reports. It will also move the County closer to eliminating outdated and extremely expensive mainframe computer technology.
• Updated billing software for the Highways Maintenance Division of the Department of Transportation that will replace the current outdated paper-based system.
• Updated capital project management software.
• Data flow consulting and a call center upgrade in the Department of Child Support Services. Two-thirds of the cost of this project is funded with federal revenues.
• LED lighting upgrades at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
• Consulting services to develop a LEAN workgroup that will analyze County processes and make recommendations for improved efficiency.
• Core competency training for direct care staff that will provide services to individuals with co-occurring intellectual disabilities and mental illness who are being relocated to the community from Behavioral Health Division-Hilltop.
• Lighting retrofits for Lincoln Memorial Drive and tennis courts in various parks.
• Scanning equipment in the Circuit Courts to reduce the use of paper filings and increased electronic document storage.
• Electronic whiteboard units in the Acute and Children s’ Units at the Behavioral Health Division that will enhance the efficient sharing of patient information at the facility.
• Two pieces of equipment that will enhance autopsy services in the Office of the Medical Examiner.
• Funding for the Parks Amenities Matching Fund that will leverage outside revenues for park improvement projects.

The project awards include requirements that recipient departments provide informational progress reports six months after initiation of the project.

2013 Performance Data Submitted to ICMA

Milwaukee County is a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Center for Performance Measurement. The County joined this program in 2012. The Center for Performance Measurement tracks several hundred activity data and performance measures in a wide variety of major service areas. In Milwaukee County, these service areas include:

• Parks & Recreation
• Sustainability
• Information Technology
• Human Resources
• Risk Management
• Procurement
• Facilities Management
• Highway Maintenance
• Fleet Management
• Housing Programs

On March 17, the Office for Performance, Strategy and Budget submitted (thanks to the cooperation of several departments) the 2013 data for these service areas to ICMA. The ICMA compiles these data sets from dozens of cities and counties across the Country and makes them available to program participants. This data will be used to evaluate our performance against peer jurisdictions, such as Miami-Dade County, FL; Bernalillo County, NM; Alameda County, CA; and Fairfax County, VA; that also participate in the program.

Look for additional information on performance measures and comparisons with peer jurisdictions in future blog posts!