The City of Overland Park is launching a new incentive to ensure snow crews are prepared to keep City streets safe this winter.
During the 2022-2023 snow season, snow crews will get paid, per winter weather event, to respond and help clear City streets.
The City will pay:
- Plow drivers on staff $150 per winter weather event,
- Smaller truck drivers $100 per winter weather event,
- Support staff $50 per winter weather event.
This is in addition to regular pay, which starts at $18 per hour for maintenance workers, and any overtime for which staff are eligible.
The incentive program will help the City ensure it has enough staff to be ready to treat and plow streets when winter weather begins. It also encourages staff to volunteer for the citywide program and recognizes the burden that responding to snow and ice events can have on staff.
“Winter weather events take our staff away from family and friends. Snow and ice fall in the freezing cold, at night, on holidays, during Chiefs games, and sometimes for several days in a row,” said Public Works Maintenance Operations Manager Joshua Welge.“ These shifts take personal sacrifices from our crews, so it’s important we recognize the work they’re doing to serve the community.”
The incentive program also includes a seasonal minimum incentive amount. This means that plow drivers who report and participate in events throughout the season will receive, at minimum, $1500.
Beyond ten winter weather events, staff will receive the per-event incentive amount for each additional event.
The program does not currently have a cap.
Citywide operations
Overland Park’s snow response comes from several staff departments. While the Public Works is responsible for managing operations, staff from Parks and Recreation, Planning and Development Services, Human Resources, Information Technology and other departments assist with each winter weather event.
Current City staff who are part of the snow program are eligible, but the City is also hiring maintenance workers who are core to snow operations.
New maintenance workers and members of the snow team will be eligible for the snow program incentive as well.
Candidates can learn more about open positions and apply at recruit.opkansas.org.