Council hears petition to restructure Department of Public Services; petition filed after mayor, commissioner comment

Councilor Cavey presented a petition asking the City Council to consider restructuring the Department of Public Services, raising concerns about oversight of road-work inspections, project follow-through and the clarity of responsibilities for business-manager and supervisory roles.

Mayor Marchetti said he had retained a former commissioner to review the department and described a cautious approach: he endorsed creating a deputy commissioner position to increase field oversight, asked for assurances that leadership would enforce standards and said some organizational changes should be rolled out slowly. He also said the administration had applied for and been approved for a compact grant from the lieutenant governor’s office to support a comprehensive review of major departments and that the grant would be forthcoming for council consideration.

Commissioner Morales described staffing shortages and turnover that have affected capacity in Highway and Traffic divisions and said the administration is pursuing restructuring steps and additional oversight, including re-examining the business manager role and providing more long-term planning capacity.

Councilor Cavey and others pressed for specific steps and more written detail. The council voted to file the petition; the action carried unanimously.

What’s next: The mayor and commissioner said they would continue work on the proposed deputy-commissioner role and provide details to council and that the compact grant — when before council — would outline scope and funding for any comprehensive review.