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Department of Public Works asks Hartford committee to back $10 million lease bond to replace aging fleet
Summary
Director Hayes told the Management, Budget, and Government Accountability Committee that much of the city's public-works fleet is past its useful life and asked council support for a lease bond and bonding package; he estimated a $4.8 million annual replacement pace and said a $10 million lease bond would provide roughly $5 million in year one.
Director Hayes, the city's Department of Public Works director, told the Management, Budget, and Government Accountability Committee on the night's agenda that much of the department's equipment is failing and that the department needs council support to replenish vehicles and heavy equipment. "Currently, our heavy plow units, 86% of them are past their useful life," Hayes said.
Hayes said the administration and counsel have already contributed funding and labor agreements that helped secure $2,500,000 toward DPW equipment, but that storms and mechanical failures exposed the department's vulnerabilities. He described recent operational shortfalls: half the plow fleet was unavailable during a large snowfall and two-thirds of waste trucks were unusable during a single week.
Asked by Councilman Mitchdom what it would cost to restore the fleet so nothing was beyond its useful life, Hayes said "$4,800,000 a year would allow the Department of Public Works to turn over every piece of equipment during its useful life." He added that an anticipated lease bond would provide roughly $10,000,000 to the department, allowing about $5,000,000 to be used in the first year and the remainder spread over the next two years.
Hayes also highlighted other capital and programmatic priorities in the department's budget presentation: roughly $25,000,000 in flood-control repairs already underway; a forestry hire supported by a $147,725 grant (largely from DEEP) to plant about 175 trees in four parks; and anticipated USDA-funded tree plantings of about 450 trees in FY26 and 500 in FY27.
He said the FY26 budget for the department shows a 9% increase driven mainly by salary adjustments stemming from recent contracts, the transfer of four positions from the 311 call center, and additional overtime and maintenance allocations. Hayes emphasized compliance needs as well, saying new environmental requirements will add roughly $150,000 in costs.
Council members pressed on operational details, including CDL driver training and staffing levels for snow operations. Hayes said the city has expanded internal CDL training, and that the municipal bond allocation should help "put DPW in a far better place" but that it would take several years to fully restore a reliable fleet.
Hayes closed his presentation by reviewing workforce demographics and said the department is working with OSHA through a voluntary consultation to improve training and safety. No formal vote was taken at the meeting; Hayes requested council support for the lease bond and broader bonding package as part of the budget process.
