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Public Works reports staffing shortfalls, outlines brush pickup changes and other service trade-offs
Summary
Public Works Director Shane Brown reported fewer filled positions than a decade ago, an aging staff profile, results of a brush pickup pilot and proposals for landfill hours; management will bring a brush policy proposal back to council.
Public Works Director Shane Brown told council Public Works and Recreation have 31 positions budgeted for 2025, compared with 43 positions a decade earlier, and that the water and sewer crew will be down to five employees later this month. He said the department is relatively young — several employees have under a year on the job — and that management is actively recruiting for vacant roles.
Brown reviewed a brush pickup trial held midsummer: crews spent eight weeks collecting brush with three to six employees per day. The city opened the landfill Wednesday evenings for an eight-week trial and 18 residents used the evening hours. That midsummer run allowed crews to pave 31 blocks — five more than the previous year — and to progress on catch-basin cleaning, which Brown described as helping stormwater and flooding problems.
Brown recommended keeping the midsummer pickup suspended to avoid staff conflicts with the Sew Away Festival and said management will prepare a clearly defined brush policy for council consideration. He proposed possibly expanding landfill evening and Saturday hours and working with codes enforcement on alternatives to better manage brush disposal. He also said two employees are scheduled to complete commercial driving road tests this month and expected to be licensed soon.
Council members thanked Brown and his staff for maintaining services despite reduced staffing levels. Management said it will return with a formal brush policy proposal outlining trade-offs and enforcement approaches.
