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Council presses DPW for after‑action report and contractor cost details following major storm
Summary
Councilors sought exact contractor call‑out dates, overtime cost totals and a standardized post‑emergency synopsis after DPW revealed three contractors were paid about $330,000 and crews later moved contractor‑placed snow piles.
Council members at the caucus pressed Department of Public Works leadership for a timely, data‑driven after‑action report after a recent major storm that overwhelmed local assets.
DPW Director Pat Cusick told the caucus the city paid three outside contractors roughly $330,000 for snow removal work related to the storm. Council members asked for exact dates when contractors were called and for the record of which contractors were contacted and selected. Cusick said the city maintains an advance vendor list that staff call during emergencies and that selection during this event depended on availability and price.
Council members raised an allegation that contractor crews had dumped snow at locations that required later city overtime to move piles; Cusick denied knowledge of contractors pushing snow into the river and said contractors generally placed piles on city property (Parker Avenue by the levee and a site near the Salvation Army), which DPW crews later relocated to aid melting and levee remediation. Council asked DPW to provide calculations for overtime hours and costs for the city crews who moved those piles after weekday/weekend contractor placement.
The caucus also reviewed response staffing and fleet availability during the storm. Cusick said the city initially had 16 trucks on the road (two deadlined), then experienced a drop in available drivers; at one point the number of available drivers fell to five while available trucks dipped into the low‑teens. He noted the new labor contract includes a 16‑hour maximum behind the wheel to protect safety and sustain staffing over long storms.
Councilors proposed creating a mandatory post‑emergency synopsis or ordinance to require a short, public after‑action report following emergency declarations so residents and councilors have timely accounts of what was done, what worked and what did not. Cusick and staff agreed such a data‑driven synopsis would increase transparency.
Council asked for follow up deliverables: exact dates contractors were engaged, the contractor vendor list used during the emergency, overtime and straight‑time cost calculations for city crews who relocated piled snow, and confirmation of fleet and driver availability numbers from the after‑action report. The city said it would supply the requested documentation.
