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Committee amends ordinance to make forester report to DPW director; council discusses separating parks supervision
Summary
The committee approved amended language making the city forester report to the DPW director rather than directly to the Board of Public Works, and debated splitting a parks superintendent role from DPW duties; staff and the solicitor said employment/classification changes are handled through job descriptions and bargaining.
The Ordinance Committee on Tuesday approved amended language to Section 94‑62 of the municipal code so that the city forester will report directly to the director of the Department of Public Works rather than to the Board of Public Works.
Solicitor Bissonnette and DPW Director Mike Gallagher briefed the committee on the legal and collective bargaining implications. The solicitor said the forester role is established in the charter and requires ordinance language; other supervisory roles (for example a parks superintendent or a parks maintenance supervisor) typically exist through job descriptions and collective bargaining rather than by ordinance.
Gallagher told members the administration can separate supervision by establishing a job description and funding a separate budget line, but that changing the organizational reporting for forester clarifies accountability immediately. Committee members approved the drafted ordinance change and directed staff to proceed with drafting any required legal language for full council consideration.
Next steps: solicitor will provide final ordinance language for council consideration; staffing and budget moves to create a separate parks supervisor will be addressed through the budget and personnel processes.
