HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Employee Recognition Brian Barnett 15 YearsSpringfield Upbeat
July 16, 2012
Employee Recognition: Brian Barnett, 15 Years of Service
1. What personnel data, promotions, career highlights, and significant accomplishments best tell our
Council about the employee?
• Brian has brought innovation to the traffic realm in Springfield. Under his leadership the city has:
o successfully designed and deployed roundabouts as a viable traffic control alternative that have
delivered much greater mobility (i.e. less waiting), traffic safety, and reduced operating costs
o worked on the leading edge of improving pedestrian safety with deployment of rapid flashing
beacons and hybrid pedestrian crossing signals
o developed decorative lighting infrastructure and associated design standards
• Brian pioneered the City’s involvement with the OSU Civil Engineering Cooperative Program
(CECOP) and has served on the CECOP Board
• Brian is consistently involved in state of the practice activities in Oregon, including longstanding
membership on the Oregon Traffic Control Devices Committee which provides input and guidance to
ODOT for the Oregon Supplement to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
2. How has the Department changed over the employee’s career?
• Both the City and the Department have grown and changed during his tenure:
o Traffic/transportation have been merged, and unmerged, with other engineering functions
.…more than once
o Planning and Development has merged with Public Works to form a single City Department
o Engineering functions have evolved into a reporting structure where they are not necessarily
supervised by other engineers.
o The Department culture has moved away from a command and control hierarchy to a more
horizontal teaming model
o During his first 12 years at the City he worked for the same Department Director; during his
last three years he has worked for three different Directors, one of whom was Interim while
maintaining his other duties
o Revenue has not kept pace with demand, causing a need to re-look at the way services are
delivered, to explore creative solutions and to effectively partner with other work groups both
within and outside the City
3. How has the employee grown in their position and their career?
• Brian was not a “traffic engineer” when he first came to work for the City. He quickly got up to speed
and over the ensuing 15 has become the City’s expert in Traffic
4. What significant projects or events has the employee been involved in?
• Thurston Roundabout
• 42nd Street Roundabout
• MLK Roundabout (first multi-lane RAB in the state with four approach roadways)
• Bob Straub Parkway
• Gateway EmX extension
• Gateway/Beltline and I-5/Beltline
5. What positive comments do her co-workers have to share about the employee?
• “He is an amazing supervisor who trusts his employees and lets them learn from their mistakes.”
• “He is a great listener and understands his employees’ needs.”