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DPW presents broad budget and operations update; councilors press on engineering capacity, refuse fees and Aquaria desalination
Summary
DPW Commissioner Patrick Hill updated councilors on multiple divisions — engineering, highway, refuse, water, sewer and stormwater — and answered questions about engineering capacity, landfill solar lease revenue, refuse contracts and the Aquaria desalination plant.
DPW Commissioner Patrick Hill briefed the finance committee Wednesday on the department’s divisions and budgets, fielding questions about engineering capacity, landfill lease revenue from a solar array, refuse contracts and the city’s alternative water supply options.
Engineering and staffing: Councilors raised concerns about turnaround and backlog on technical plan reviews. Commissioner Hill said the city had engaged external consultants to clear a backlog of technical stormwater reviews and that the city engineer’s salary is currently split between general government and stormwater work. Councilor Farwell argued charging engineering time to enterprise stormwater fees can look like “double dipping” and urged clearer documentation of duties; Hill said consultants were used when an independent engineering opinion was needed to clear projects and accelerate permitting.
Landfill and solar lease: Hill said the Thatcher Street landfill generates annual lease revenue from Onyx Renewable Energies for the solar array on the capped landfill, about $187,000 per year under the current 20‑year lease. The utility power is sold to the grid and a power purchase agreement exists for a school district to buy the output.
Refuse and contract/fees: The DPW refuse presentation noted the city reduced the FY26 budget ask because earlier capital costs (purchase of carts) were paid off; Hill said he negotiated a multi‑year amendment with Republic Services to lock prices and maintain service levels. Commissioners said the city has limited bidders in the market and rising disposal costs drive rate pressure; the department is evaluating camera systems to track illegal dumping and estimated a plate‑reading camera program at $50,000–$60,000. The city also operates a green‑bag program and abatements for qualifying low‑income households.
Water and Aquaria desalination plant: On regional supply, Hill and CFO Troy Clarkson discussed an Aquaria desalination plant in Dighton that has supplied Brockton. Clarkson said the city is exploring whether acquisition or renegotiation is feasible and that a prior high‑level analysis suggested owning and operating the plant could produce savings in some scenarios (estimates had suggested potential monthly savings at full capacity), but a complete due diligence and valuation would be required. The Brockton Reservoir remains offline due to PFAS; Silver Lake is the primary source and Veolia operates treatment under contract.
Stormwater: Hill described stormwater work (drain cleaning, river cleanups) and said some street/drain cleaning costs were shifted into the stormwater budget consistent with MS4 obligations. He said a new stormwater commission is active and that the city is pursuing projects and consultants to clear a backlog.
The committee did not take votes on DPW budgets Wednesday. Several councilors praised field crews and urged continued improvements in responsiveness and documentation.
