Mount Vernon water, wastewater staff earn high-level certifications

The city of Mount Vernon’s Water and Wastewater employees have multiple opportunities to advance their training, as do municipal employees statewide. But very few cities the size of Mount Vernon have as many workers with Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 certifications as this city does.

“These are people who have all went well above and beyond. These are guys who are very dedicated to their job. They care about the environment, they care about the residents, they care about the product that we put out into the river,” said Brandon Hanners, chief of operations at the city’s wastewater treatment

plant. “It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of studying. It’s a lot of time to make sure that you’re as educated to a level as much as possible. This is very rare.”

Mount Vernon’s Water and Wastewater employees have opportunities to acquire certifications in Water Reclamation, Water Supply, Distribution and Collection.

As of September 2025, 21 workers had earned at least one Class 1 certification, 12 workers had earned Class 2 certifications and 10 a Class 3. Four additional employees were in the process of obtaining a Class 1 certification, while Public Utilities Director Aaron Reinhart had submitted an application for a Class 4.

“Most municipalities our size don’t have five Class 3’s at a wastewater plant. Maybe two,” said Reinhart. “Educationally, they’re going to have a much better understanding of all the aspects of this place. There is a financial reward as well. They do make more per hour because they are more valuable. They provide a much higher level of service.”

There are also logistical benefits. “The nice thing about it is that if something happens to me, somebody within the department can take over. You don’t have to go out and farm out and try to find somebody for that,” said Charlie Brown, assistant utilities director.

While having such a highly trained workforce does have many benefits, it’s not a situation that the water and wastewater facilities can just take for granted.

“To keep the certifications, the state asks for continuing education units, and that keeps you in that field, keeps you updated. Technology’s always improving. Technology advances faster than implementation, so before it can be implemented somewhere, there’s already a 2.0, 3.0 version of everything,” said Hanners.

“There’s always somebody looking for a new way to make the wheel. Why would this be immune to that? It’s everywhere. Anything that involves as much energy, cost and everything else, there’s always going to be some way to do it more efficiently.”

Mayor Matthew Starr said he’s probably utilities’ biggest cheerleader.

“These employees are putting in significant extra time and effort in order to do their jobs better. That’s the very definition of professionalism. The city of Mount Vernon is very fortunate to have staffers who buy into what we’re working to accomplish to this degree. They just get it.”