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City interim public-works manager outlines 60-day plan to clear backlog, advertise director position
Summary
IBTS and interim leadership reported a backlog in public-works work orders and said they are advertising for a permanent public-works director while using subcontractors and a 60-day plan to address drainage and service requests.
City planning and public-works staff told the Central City Council on Aug. 26 that they are addressing a backlog of public-works requests while advertising for a permanent public-works director.
Torres Freeman, deputy program and planning director for IBTS, said July is typically an intense month for code and public-works calls and that staff issued 103 permits and logged 243 inspections in July. On code enforcement IBTS reported “10 high grass” and other nuisance categories and said the department is operating at a 93% compliance rate for notices sent.
Freeman described public-works activity, saying the department completed 218 work orders in July (158 generated in July and 62 carried from prior months), with a year-to-date completion rate of about 60% and 98 pending work orders.
Freeman and other staff described an operational backlog they plan to address with a 60-day review of standard operating procedures, additional subcontractor support and an interim leadership arrangement. "We are in the middle of advertising for a new director. In the interim, public works director. I'll speak handling all the planning zoning duties with the assistance of our consultants," Freeman said.
Council members raised concerns about lower completion numbers in July compared with previous months and asked how residents should submit service requests while the department recruits leadership. Staff advised council members to continue sending constituent requests to staff (Freeman) so they would be documented and entered as work orders.
Staff showed before-and-after photos of roadside drainage excavation on 4 Oaks Drive, reporting the crew excavated more than 2,300 linear feet of debris and soil to restore proper flow.
Council and staff discussed turnaround and quality control: staff said they are bringing on subcontractors to accelerate backlog clearance and will present an interim plan for expedited response. One council member asked whether the issue reflected turnover or leadership failure; staff said it was a personnel matter and that corrective steps were underway.
The city did not adopt new policy or a budget appropriation during the meeting; staff said they expect the backlog-reduction plan and recruitment process to be completed in coming months.
