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Public Works seeks staff for encampment cleaning, expands pit‑stop toilets proposal
Summary
The Department of Public Works told supervisors its 2016–17 operating budget is roughly $272.9 million with a $152.6 million capital program; DPW asked for additional staff for encampment cleanups and proposed expanding the pit‑stop public‑toilet program to 20 units at an estimated $1.2 million to sustain operations.
A Public Works representative outlined the department—s FY2016–17 operating and capital requests and highlighted several operational priorities for the board. The presenter said DPW—s proposed gross operating budget is about $272.9 million (including roughly 1,539 positions) and a capital program of about $152.6 million.
DPW described three new priorities the department is seeking to fund: additional staffing to respond to the greatly increased demand for encampment cleaning (which now diverts many crews from scheduled work), expanded maintenance and inspection capacity to support capital projects, and an expansion of the pit‑stop public toilet program. The department said sustaining and expanding the pit‑stop program to a total of 20 units in 2016–17 would cost about $1,200,000 and that usage has grown from a few hundred flushes per day to thousands per month at some sites.
Other requests included investments in urban‑forestry crews, additional inspector and stationary‑engineer apprenticeship slots, and a proposal to grow staffing for building, streetscape and sewer projects. The presenter noted steam‑cleaning services have been reprioritized during the drought to focus on public‑safety hazards (feces, blood) and contractual obligations.
Supervisors asked for follow‑up details on program breakdowns and revenue sources; DPW said much of its operating revenue comes from departmental work orders and fees, with general‑fund support representing about 11 percent of DPW—s operating funding.
