Englewood Public Works reports 2024 accomplishments, outlines 2025 priorities and use of sales-tax street funds

Victor Rochelle, Englewood City Director of Public Works, told the Budget Advisory Committee that the department completed a range of pavement, stormwater and facilities projects in 2024 and described priorities for 2025, including finishing the South Englewood Flood Reduction Project and continuing sales-tax-funded street repairs.

Rochelle said Public Works focuses on a broad set of services — streets, traffic, facilities and stormwater — organized around engineering/asset management and operations/maintenance teams. “So, we're really broken into 2 parts, but these are the 3 main teams inside those parts,” Director Victor Rochelle said.

The update matters because a voter-approved sales-and-use-tax increase passed in November 2022 dedicates money to roadway and maintenance programs; the committee asked for and Public Works offered more detailed per-project cost breakdowns to help auditors and the public trace how those funds were spent.

Public Works reported several 2024 work metrics and accomplishments. The department said it issued a significant number of right-of-way permits; applied crack seal to about 105 blocks; applied asphalt mill and overlay to about 28 blocks; applied recycled asphalt millings to roughly 40 alleys; removed more than 200 cubic yards of sediment from the Northwest Greenbelt; replaced about 21,000 square feet of sidewalk; replaced about 4,500 square feet of curb and gutter; and completed roughly 1,200 fleet work orders. The stormwater team reported cleaning about 279 storm grades and jetted about 304 pipes, and marked 34% of the city's inlets as draining to the river in an MS4 public-education effort.

Rochelle also described staffing and budget movements. The department returned about $225,000 in salary savings in 2024 — lower than prior years when vacancy-driven savings approached $500,000 — reflecting a reduced vacancy rate. Public Works reported a $221,000 shortfall in the general fund after applying a department budget-savings target of $307,000; Rochelle said staff will bring a request to City Council for a supplemental appropriation to “true up” the books when final numbers are available.

Contracts and cost drivers were called out as major factors. Rochelle said midyear increases in custodial (MRI) and Allied contracts, and fewer vacancy savings than in prior years, contributed to the overrun in contractual and professional-services lines. He said Public Works is evaluating whether some contracted services (for example, parts of a security services contract or custodial work) can be brought in-house but noted hiring constraints: “We want to bring it in house, but we're never fully staffed,” Rochelle said.

On stormwater and capital, the department said about $16 million was recognized in the stormwater capital line and roughly $5.8 million is shown as being returned; staff tied that to the South Englewood Flood Reduction Project, which was described as about 90% complete with substantial completion expected in May. Rochelle said the remaining capital invoicing includes lagging contractor invoices and touch-up work and is expected to clear during fiscal year closeout.

Public Works listed near-term street and utility priorities for 2025: completing the South Englewood Flood Reduction Project; completing Dartmouth Bridge paving and related warm‑mix asphalt placement; finishing an updated pavement condition index and presenting results to council; Old Hampden utilities work in advance of a Complete Streets Phase 2 project (including stormwater, water and sewer work and a redundant hospital water line); and reconstructing portions of Union Avenue west of Santa Fe after utility coordination. Rochelle emphasized coordination with the lead-service-line replacement work in Utilities to avoid paving new roads that would be cut later.

On the sales-tax-funded street program, Rochelle said the 2024 zone (Zone 1) work included Broadway from 285 north to Floyd, Bates from Grant to Pennsylvania, Dartmouth Place, Floyd Avenue, Girard, Lafayette, Lincoln, Logan, Ogden and Pearl from 285 to Old Hampden, University from Columbia to Girard and Inglewood Parkway from Cherokee to Broadway. The department told the committee it will provide a more detailed, contractor-unit‑price‑based takeoff (cost per lane mile or linear feet) to show the approximate cost by street and the point at which Public Improvement Fund (PIF) funds overflowed to cover additional work.

Committee members asked for per-project cost estimates, and Rochelle said staff and finance will provide a table showing unit pricing and an approximate cost per project to be reviewed by the committee ahead of the June meeting. The committee set a tentative June 24 deadline for finalizing the scope of any further audit deliverables tied to the sales-tax program.

Less-critical details discussed included service-center cleanups, disposition of fully depreciated assets at auction, and the SURF capital replacement fund mechanics for vehicle replacement.

Public Works agreed to provide the committee the requested project-level estimates and unit pricing, and to coordinate with finance for the supplemental appropriation plan for Council if needed. The committee said it will review the forthcoming materials and determine whether additional information is required before June 24.

Ending: Public Works provided the committee with documents and committed to the additional cost detail requested; the committee will review that detail before deciding on any follow-up audit or report to Council.