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Public Works warns of lost skilled operators; proposes $100,000 capital for catch‑basin cleanup
Summary
Public Works director Todd Wood Lewis said staffing losses have reduced skilled motor‑equipment operators, described sanitation and recycling workloads, and proposed a $100,000 capital appropriation to contract catch‑basin cleaning to shorten the current five‑year cycle.
Todd Wood Lewis presented the Department of Public Works’ 2025–26 budget overview and capital priorities at the Board of Trustees’ April 8 special meeting, saying recent retirements and resignations reduced the number of certified motor‑equipment operators (MEOs) and left the department understaffed for specialized tasks.
Lewis said DPW is responsible for 96 lane miles of roadway, the village sewer system, sidewalks, street trees and a fleet of more than 100 vehicles. When fully staffed in 2020, the department employed 43 full‑time employees; since then several positions have been lost or downgraded to laborer classifications that do not carry commercial licenses. Lewis said that staffing mix means DPW often must reassign people between sanitation, highway and other tasks and that training and retention are constrained by the 2020 contract changes that removed step raises.
On stormwater infrastructure, Lewis said the village has roughly 1,500 catch basins and currently cleans about 300–400 per year, creating an effective five‑year cycle. He proposed retaining a contractor to increase cleaning capacity, with a $100,000 one‑time capital allotment to kick‑start the program and transition the work into the operating budget thereafter. Trustees asked why the catch‑basin work is placed in the capital budget (DPW said initial catch‑up costs are front‑loaded), and sought cost estimates and RFP timing; DPW said it expects to issue an RFP and will refine the operating impact once bids are returned.
Lewis also described sanitation operations (five trash routes; business‑district pickup every day), fleet maintenance savings from in‑house repairs (shop did roughly $170,000 in parts in 2024), and challenges with hybrid/electric vehicle servicing capacity at local dealers. He said public‑facing issues such as business‑district trash storage and rat mitigation sometimes require multi‑department responses and, for large infestations, consultant or contractor work coordinated with the manager’s office.
Ending: DPW will supply detailed cost estimates and a proposed RFP structure for catch‑basin work and follow up on staffing classification and potential compensation changes intended to improve recruitment for certified positions.
