La Plata officials flag staff turnover, construction inspections and high numbers of photo-enforcement violations

Town staff told the La Plata Town Council that recent turnover across multiple departments is elevated compared with typical monthly public-sector rates but that exit surveys point to multiple causes including higher pay elsewhere.

"I send an exit survey for him," Director Kennedy said when the council asked whether the town conducts exit interviews. Kennedy said some departing employees reported leaving for higher pay and that year-over-year turnover is "probably a little higher than that." The council pressed whether any single department is at acute risk; Kennedy said turnover reasons were spread across departments.

Building-inspections staff summarized a heavy inspection workload tied to new construction projects such as Pinegrove, Magnolia Gardens and Rosewood Apartments. Director Masri said inspections generally identify problems through a corrective-order process and that most contractors comply: "It is a issue in corrective order, and it gets sent back to us. We'll review it, and the corrections are made." Council members asked staff to flag any need for additional boots on the ground as construction activity continues.

The police chief presented a comparative view of calls for service and crime statistics, noting the department is handling a larger share of calls locally as the county sheriff's assistance has declined. The chief said La Plata accounts for a larger share of county retail-area crimes given the town's retail centers. On automated enforcement, the chief said the vendor report showed "48100 violations" in the recorded period and that staff are working to separate warnings from enforceable citations.

Acting director Wood reported water main breaks during unusually cold weather and described the town's operational response. On sidewalks, the acting director said staff are compiling a list of neighborhoods needing repair and "we're gonna work on putting a bid package together"; he added concrete repairs will wait until the thaw to avoid freeze-thaw damage.

Council members and staff agreed to monitor staffing and inspection workloads and to return with updates if additional personnel or contracting is needed. Several council members also thanked crews for snow clearing and other emergency responses during recent storms.