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Committee recommends Public Services FY27 budgets; winter operations and brine plans highlighted
Summary
The committee recommended the Public Services personnel and expenditures budgets and approved separate snow‑and‑ice spending after a presentation by DPS on pothole repairs, park trash increases and winter operations; members pressed DPS on contractor shortages, brine use and GPS route optimization.
Ray Jordan, representing the Department of Public Services, told the Salem City Committee on Administration and Finance on June 3 that the department’s FY27 personnel request totals $2,325,777, a 4.15% increase from the prior year, while operational spending is projected to rise about 1.4 percent amid higher utility and contract costs.
Jordan said DPS is maintaining roughly 28.17 full‑time equivalent staffing while handling rising demands driven by emergency response, tourism and climate resiliency work. He reported metrics including maintenance of 34 parks, 48 public spaces, 28 playgrounds and five cemeteries, and a projected 627 pothole repairs for the upcoming year; for FY26 to date Jordan said the department logged 848 pothole requests and completed 779, a closure rate of roughly 91.9 percent.
Councilors asked about a year‑over‑year increase in park trash tonnage (from about 250 to close to 300 tons), and Jordan attributed the rise to greater public use of parks in denser neighborhoods. Members also pressed Jordan on sidewalk repairs (attributed in part to capital investment via the CIP 'click‑fix' sidewalk program), rising police‑detail contract costs, and whether flaggers or other non‑police alternatives were being pursued; Jordan said the mayor and unions are in conversations and that alternatives remain under discussion.
On winter operations, Jordan described Salem’s snow‑and‑ice program as a complex, resource‑intensive public safety function that covers roughly 104 center miles of roadway, about 275 miles of sidewalks and multi‑use paths, MBTA commuter rail stations and key public facilities. He noted the city uses state contracts to procure salt and related materials and has purchased an on‑site brine station to make its own pre‑treatment brine; the department is testing brine additives and exploring beet‑juice mixes for environmental benefits.
Councilors raised contractor shortages for snow response—Jordan said the shortage is a regional issue affecting neighboring municipalities—and discussed a pilot to use youth‑employment partners (ROA) to clear downtown crosswalks; Jordan confirmed the youth crews are paid and have assisted since 2017. The department is also piloting GPS and route‑optimization tools with a contractor to improve efficiency and is working to GPS all equipment over time.
Following the presentation and Q&A, Council King moved and Council Flynn seconded two motions to recommend approval of the Public Services general administration personnel budget ($2,325,777) and expenditures budget ($1,741,420). Both motions passed on committee voice/hand votes (the chair recorded five in favor). The committee subsequently recommended the snow‑and‑ice personnel budget ($50,000) and expenditures budget ($48,935); both motions carried.
What’s next: The committee’s recommendations advance these budget items to the full council for final consideration.
