Dade City public works leaders asked the city commission to add 11 full-time positions in the coming budget to address what they described as an increased maintenance burden from growth. The request, presented at the commission’s budget workshop, emphasized urban forestry, stormwater maintenance and grounds/park upkeep.

Public works manager Jeremy Toner told commissioners, "Public works primary mission is maintenance operations," and said that delivering on that mission requires "the right people." He said the requested roles include a lead forestry worker, a forestry worker, a groundskeeper 2, two groundskeeper 1s, two stormwater trainees, a fleet administrative assistant and other crew positions.

Toner said the staffing shortfall has grown as the city has expanded, and that many of the positions would be assigned to routine maintenance work year-round. "These folks will be working gainfully employed to regain maintenance that has not been maintained as well as to try to get ahead of it," he said.

Commissioners pressed for specifics. Mayor Pro Tem Woodard asked about the wide salary range for the lead forestry worker; Toner replied the position would likely be hired at the lower, entry-level end of the range with room to grow for certified candidates. Toner also said the stormwater trainees would be entry-level hires who would operate small equipment and focus on culverts, ponds and other drainage features to keep stormwater flowing.

Toner said the city already has one stormwater technician and that adding trainees would stop the current practice of pulling staff from other divisions to respond to stormwater work. He described the proposed forestry positions working alongside an on‑staff arborist to preserve canopy and reduce damage from storms.

Commissioners asked the department to identify its top priorities. Toner replied the highest needs were the urban forestry hires and the two stormwater trainees. Commissioners also requested the department keep the full request in the budget process for now and promised to revisit priorities later if needed.

The presentation included fringe‑benefit figures used for budgeting: a retirement contribution of 8% of salary, FICA of 7.65%, annual health insurance of $13,383.72 per full‑time employee and dental insurance of $120 per year. The commission did not take a final vote during the workshop; the staffing requests remained in the draft budget for later decisions.

If approved, the hires would expand public works’ capacity to conduct routine tree maintenance, maintain parks and rights‑of‑way, and perform preventive stormwater upkeep rather than repeatedly reallocating personnel from other duties.

Commissioners and staff said they would return with more detailed cost totals and sequencing as the budget process continues.