RAUSCHER BIDS ADIEU

City engineer leaving Oneida for job in Vermont

ONEIDA, N.Y. » After six years as the city of Oneida engineer, Jon Rauscher is leaving City Hall and heading to Vermont.

While his last official day is Feb. 2, Rauscher said he’s been working hard to make sure the city and his successor are ready.

Applications have been coming in for the city engineer position, Rausher said, but he feels there won’t be a replacement ready by the time he leaves.

“We have a lot of capital projects that are moving forward,” Rauscher said. “So there’s going to be a lot to coordinate and keep on top of. There’s waste water treatment projects, the Rail Trail and the street lighting projects. That’s going to be a big challenge staying on top of them.”

The groundwork for several of the capital projects have been laid out, but Rausher has spent the last month transitioning projects internally to other departments, such as Planning & Development, the Water Department and the City Comptroller until a replacement is found. Until then, Rauscher plans to be on call to answer questions and help the City of Oneida as questions pop up, he said.

In the six years as city engineer, Rauscher said his department has tried to implement the vision and goals of the council and the mayor, including improved efficiency in public works and better community with res-

idents. “One of the things that we’ve implemented that I’m proud of to that end is our GIS Infrastructure Management Systems.”

The GIS is a system that lists several city assets, from sewer to road and transportation. Any time the Department of Public Works does any work on them, it gives them data to help in the future.

On top of that, Rauscher said the resident portal that lets Oneida residents alert the city to issues though either the city email or the app YourGov have helped increase efficiency.

“I think we’ve done some really innovative things, like the GIS and GPS vehicle tracking and trying to use technology to get us a little more efficient,” Rauscher said. “Our budget, like most municipal budgets, has decreased over the years, so we have to get more efficient with what we have.”

“Jon’s been just great,” said Ward 5 councilor and deputy mayor Jim Chamberlain. “He’s very easy to talk to, a great communicator and a nice guy that’s easy to get along with. He’s done a phenomenal job with the waste water treatment plant, the building at City Hall and all the cityowned buildings. You could walk into his office anytime you wanted and he’d stop what he was doing and try to solve your problem.”

“I congratulated him, I wished him well,” said Ward 2 councilor Michael Bowe. “You can never stand in anyone’s way if they have a chance to better themselves of their family.”

Rausher looks forward to take what he’s learned in Oneida and implement it in the Burlington, Vt. area, he said.

Rauscher’s successor will be in charge of the city’s infrastructure, including roads and transportation, the waste water treatment plant and distribution system, and facilities such as City Hall, the Justice Center and coordinating with the Kallet, Rauscher said.

“The key component of the job is the communication aspect with the council and the mayor and executing what they want done,” he said.

Chamberlain said at least one applicant has al- ready been interviewed, but more applications are expected to come in for the position.

“We hope we get some qualified, interesting people to work for us,” said Bowe.

The city’s job listing for the position notes that it is “an important administrative and technical position involving responsibility for planning and directing all public work activities for the City of Oneida. The position requires a thorough knowledge of civil engineering principles and practices. General administrative direction is received from the Mayor and Common Council with considerable leeway allowed for the exercise of independent judgment. Supervision is exercised over the Code Enforcement Office, Department of Public Works, Water Department, Waste Water Treatment Plant and the Central Garage.”

Rauscher makes approximately $88,000 a year as a full-time city engineer, according to SeeThroughNY.com.

The job posting for the city engineer position can be found on the Oneida City Clerk Facebook page or on Indeed.com

PHOTO COURTESY SUE PULVERENTI - ONEIDA CITY HALL Oneida City Engineer Jon Rauscher has accepted an engineering position in Burlington, Vermont. His last day as city engineer in Oneida will be Feb. 2, 2018.