Public Works and traffic engineers report recruitment shortfalls as redesign pilots move forward

Public Works and traffic engineering staff briefed the assembly on FY26 operating and capital proposals and described persistent recruitment challenges that affect delivery of capital projects and maintenance.

Project Management & Engineering (PM&E) reported six vacancies among roughly 24 positions, including three civil‑engineer design openings and a vacant watershed manager post. Traffic engineering said key Vision Zero, safety engineering and signals positions remain open and that several candidates have declined offers—staff cited pay competitiveness and private‑sector recruitment pressure.

Traffic director described lessons learned from the downtown bike‑lane pilot: the city must maintain strong collaboration with the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT), design treatments that are winter‑maintainable, and consider treatments beyond protected bike lanes (which can be expensive and maintenance‑intensive). Staff said AMATS and other grant funding will support design and some construction; specific projects in design include Spenard Road and Fireweed Lane, both being rescoped to reduce car lanes and improve multimodal safety.

Members asked staff about public‑art disruptions and about how the department will sustain work if bond funding declines. PM&E said consultants and term contracts provide surge capacity to cover peaks; staff also noted some run‑off time (12–24 months) can be used if bond funds decline before positions are cut.

What happens next: staff will continue recruitment, update members on public‑art program status, and present detailed capital pages in the capital‑budget discussion where project‑level scope and funding will be resolved.