Palm Desert public‑works director proposes two weekend maintenance positions to speed cleanup; council gives staff direction to proceed

Randy Chavez, Palm Desert’s Director of Public Works, told the City Council on March 12 that staff has studied whether bringing select contracted maintenance services in‑house would improve responsiveness and value. Chavez highlighted predictable weekend demand and argued that scheduled weekend coverage would allow the city to address issues proactively rather than reactively.

"In 2025, the city received 608 weekend service requests," Chavez said, and noted that shopping‑cart retrievals numbered 448 in 2025 (240 of which were submitted through the city’s work‑order system). He described current contracted costs — roughly $100,000/year for 45 bus shelters — and the city’s public‑art program costs (about $309,000 annually, of which more than $90,000 covers routine cleaning of a subset of pieces).

Chavez proposed adding two maintenance workers with a first‑year estimated annual cost of about $226,000 plus startup equipment and uniform costs. He said the change would enable morning weekend shifts to address peak problems (trash, graffiti, shopping carts) and reduce reliance on overtime. Staff estimated a small first‑year fiscal impact relative to current contracted spending and projected operational savings in subsequent years.

Several councilmembers expressed support for the staffing model’s improved responsiveness but raised concerns about adding permanent positions because of future pension and post‑employment liabilities. Mayor Pro Tem and other members argued that rising contract prices and labor shortages make in‑house staffing a reasonable value proposition for consistent service. The council gave staff clear direction to move forward with the proposed approach and asked staff to refine cost details as the budget process continues.