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Committee approves referral of public-safety building facilities-manager position to full council
Summary
After bids for building maintenance far exceeded expectations, the committee voted to refer a pay-plan ordinance creating a facilities-manager position for the new 100,000-square-foot Public Safety Building to the full council. Administration said hiring in-house could be more cost-effective than contracting expensive bids.
Brockton's ordinance committee voted July 21 to refer to the full council an ordinance creating a facilities-manager post to oversee the city's new Public Safety Building.
CFO Troy Clarkson told the committee that maintenance bids came back much higher than expected and that, after analysis, the administration concluded hiring an in-house facilities manager would be more cost effective over time than contracting all maintenance. The new building is roughly 100,000 square feet and contains complex HVAC, elevator and security systems that require ongoing preventive maintenance.
Sergeant Skinner and Commissioner Bill Forte supported the proposal, saying an on-site city employee can maintain institutional knowledge, coordinate state-bid service contracts and protect warranty obligations. "Preventive and maintenance, energy management, life-cycle planning are almost always less expensive than emergency repairs," a supporter told the committee.
Committee members expressed interest in the job description, reporting relationships and pay scale; some members asked why the facilities director was initially drafted as reporting directly to the mayor and recommended that the description be clarified to reflect department oversight. The administration indicated it would fund the position from within the Public Safety Building budget rather than seek additional city funds.
The committee moved and seconded a referral to the full council; the motion passed, sending the ordinance to the next stage where the council will consider final approval and any associated budget transfer.
If approved by the full council and finance committee, the city plans to post and recruit for the position and to put in place on-call contracts (HVAC, elevator, fire protection) to support in-house maintenance.
