waste water operator

customer service representative

systems analyst

civil engineer

administrative assistant

City of Tucson


This organization harbors immense potential to evolve into a thriving entity deeply intertwined with the community. Regrettably, the upper echelons of management, particularly those beyond department heads, exhibit a significant disconnect from frontline employees. Their decisions and policies perpetually propel employees towards burnout and a toxic work environment.

The impact on individuals' lives and well-being is palpable, as employees find themselves casualties of the relentless demands and sacrifices required to sustain a career within the City of Tucson. It becomes apparent that certain colleagues and managers are driven by motives contrary to the welfare of their peers.

I extend my gratitude to those managers, employees, and supervisors who serve as beacons of light and positivity, diligently working to make a positive difference. However, the truth remains that a substantial 80% of employees across various departments are primarily self-oriented. The passionate 20% are at risk of burning out unless they adopt a relentless approach to climbing the organizational ladder, often at the expense of their colleagues.

The proverbial needle in the haystack was the organization's response to the pandemic, revealing a complete systematic failure from top to bottom. Unfortunately, it was the employees who bore the highest cost of this failure.

For those 20% passionate workers and managers I speak of, I would rate YOU MVP’s, 5/5’s on all scales.
However in good conscious, City of Tucson deservedly gets a 1/5 for being quite frankly,
A Joke. 

One city, one team. 

What a Joke. 

My experience working for the City of Tucson Aquatics Department was extremely frustrating and disorganized. Communication from leadership was consistently poor, and staff were often left without clear direction on expectations or priorities. There were multiple managers overseeing the same areas, frequently giving conflicting instructions and pursuing different goals, which created confusion and inefficiency.

Planning for operations, staffing, and maintenance often felt reactive rather than proactive. Many facilities were clearly struggling with aging infrastructure, yet meaningful repairs or long-term planning rarely seemed to materialize. At times it felt like taxpayer resources were not being used effectively, while pools and equipment continued to deteriorate.

The hiring and training process for lifeguards was also unnecessarily complicated. Instead of making it easier to recruit and retain new staff during a nationwide lifeguard shortage, the process was slow, confusing, and poorly coordinated.

Workplace culture was another major issue. There was a noticeable amount of drama between coworkers, and some employees behaved in ways that felt vindictive or unprofessional. Rather than addressing these issues constructively, management often appeared disengaged.

Overall, the department has the potential to provide a valuable service to the community, but serious improvements in leadership, communication, and organizational structure are needed.


Bureaucracy was a challenge sometimes, but necessary in any Government organization.

Received requests from City Departments for Capital Budget estimates for various City projects.  I conducted on-site surveys, calculated project budgets for presentation to City Council approval, advertised and selected Architectural & Engineering Design firms and Construction Contractors, coordinated with City Facility Managers and Contractors for access to facility to design or construct approved projects.

I learned that, especially in Government, you must do all you can to present the facts of a project and then allow the "system" take care of the rest of the process.

You have to learn the various Managers' interests and challenges and then work to remove obstacles to their Department's needs.

We had a great staff and working relationships.

The hardest part of any Government position is dealing with the bureaucratic processes.

Pulling together a variety of resources from inside and outside the City to accomplish the work was a most rewarding part of the work.  I made many friends among City employees.

I am able to use frame machine, I just don’t have heavy collision experience I worked at the City of Tucson for 12 years and did mostly light to medium repairs. I disassembled the front end of trucks and cars, replaced doors, hoods, fenders and trunk lids and a lot of body work, (repairing dings and dents).  I did a lot of fiberglass repair on tractors and heavy and medium trucks and plastic repair on front bumper covers, some welding.
Any car that required frame repair was sent to the outside vender. I can replace quarter panel’s, I have experience with estimating, I am able to talk to people I understand the paint department as well as the body shop. I have my ASE certification in structural repair, non-structural, painting, and estimating I was an I CAR certified Platinum until 2008. I have 12 years of experience in writing estimates dealing with other body shops and I am able to communicate with customers. 
I worked part time in a body shop after my day job for over 8 years, until the owner retired I would assist in frame repair’s and panel replacements. 
MEDIUM TRUCK REPAIR , FIBER GLASS REPAIR

The City of Tucson has been on the verge of financial ruin for almost a decade. The city hasn't given employees raises in that same period of time. Of all the places I have worked in my life, management is the worst I have ever seen at COT. In typical government fashion, they are trying to save money by having hundreds of hours of meetings and writing reports that go nowhere. Management has literally spent $4 Million to save $1 Million. The general incompetence and criminal negligence here is possibly more brazen than the federal government. The pension is not worth the years of your life you would have to put into it (if it's even still solvent by the time you retire). 

The people who crashed this ship into the iceberg are now in charge of the rescue boats. If you want a rewarding and fulfilling career, stay away from the City of Tucson. Unless you are completely void of ambition, lack an education, and only care about job titles, this place will suck the life out of you.

As a court clerk for public service you are not trained and advised to essentially train yourself by reading work manuals. Management has an aversion to the staff that asks questions leaving staff members perplexed about what the protocol is for many duties, e.g. language line for defendants that do not speak English. The staff themselves, management included, are some of the most impolite, boorish, verbally abusive individuals one will ever encounter. Terrible place to work. If you don’t believe that, you’ll see it for yourself should you pass through the hoops they set before you. The city of Tucson makes the application process seem alluring and unobtainable as if it is a very lauded position. It’s smoke in mirrors and a waste of time for the unfavorable working environment plus the minimum wages you are paid and no paid parking which costs a lot of money. Big waste of time.

The city is working with little budget. They advertise step increases for employees city wide but have only delivered one step for police/fire in 11 years. 

Fire department leadership does what they can, and the department does have a union. Ultimately, the department is at the whim of the city. Rather than address the attrition and morale issues, they have implemented mandatory 12 hour overtime shifts. This is adding more fuel to an inevitable implosion of the public safety sector. There has been no media coverage nor a push for recruitment/retention efforts. Unfortunately, it is likely that change will not happen until there is a loss of life as a result of burnout or lack at resources.

As far as treatment of employees, a commissioned position was held by a firefighter in a wheelchair, while others with various medical issues were not offered the same accommodations. Having connections was somehow a loophole to keep your job over other employees who were forced out of the department?

This department that I worked in was very set in their ways and not opened to a new hire,. I tried my best to fit in but was not able to find acceptance or someone who would train me in the position I was hired for, A typical day at work for me was getting someone to find something for me to do. The hardest part of the job was the cold shoulder I received from the staff I worked with. The most enjoyable part was mail sorting and interacting with the people in other departments and the clients who came in to the office. I learned that I will not always be a fit for any job place I work and I can always find a place where I am both wanted and needed. Although it was not what I called a positive experience, I worked  hard and tried my best for a year and half in a place I was not wanted,and to make the best of an unpleasant situation,

A typical day at work would consist of walking to the school and making sure all the kids are with you once you pick them up from school, then wed come back do exercises and then have a snack then go into rotations. I learned a lot from working here. You learn how to interact with kids and their parents about their day such as what the need help on and so on. The management was fair although there was some down falls like benefits etc. The hardest part about this job was nothing I loved this job. I liked working for this company although there was some down falls but I really enjoyed it! The kids there are extremely welcoming and so entergetic. The most enjoyable part about my day was the kids i loved seeing how excited they were to come to my site and see me!

If you want a flexible job with good benefits, this is for you.  If you want a job where your contributions are appreciated monetarily or otherwise, look elsewhere.  The management is poor from top to bottom.  The good manager is a rare exception.  Because of the poor pay (due to years of no pay increases) in comparison to comparable jobs in other municipalities, those still at the City of Tucson are the bottom of the barrel or hanging on to retirement.  Those ill-equipped to do their jobs pass over others better qualified than them due to insecurity.  The Finance area is especially poorly managed, understaffed and the facilities are largely run-down.  My advice?  Work 5 years, get vested in the pension and move on to real money and possibilities.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Waste water operator 11 salaries reported	$27.45 per hour
Customer service representative 5 salaries reported	$20.63 per hour
Systems analyst 13 salaries reported	$39.99 per hour
Civil engineer 3 salaries reported	$44.21 per hour
Administrative assistant 5 salaries reported	$24.09 per hour

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