Faulty equipment and decreased manpower have led to many of the current struggles within the city’s public works department.
The consequences can be seen around the city from streets in need of repair to inconsistent garbage collection.
But Public Works Director Walter Williams is hopeful that his latest proposal will bring his department back up to par. Williams believes he can at least get the minimum tools needed to do the job.
“These plans will allow us to offer better service – not the best,” Williams said. “The best service would be if we could get everything we need. However, my requests are for the minimum at this point.”
Williams provided his proposal concerning equipment and manpower needed for the public works department to the city council last week. From garbage trucks to more workers, he hopes the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will see the need for such requests within his department.
Williams said the street department and solid waste management would see improvements with updated equipment and more feet on the pavement.
“I need more than what I am asking for,” Williams said. “In order to offer efficient service, we need to increase my manpower and my equipment.”
Williams said equipment is the main headache within his department.
“Once we repair one thing, something else is needed,” he said.
Within solid waste, Williams said the city’s garbage trucks are constantly in need of repairs. He would like to see the city replace all four of its garbage trucks.
“We have three trucks running now because we have one down with a brake sensory issue,” Williams said. “We have some running, but they are not operating as they should be.”
The newest garbage truck the city owns is a 2012 model, Williams said. He said the other trucks are nearly a decade old, if not older.
“My plan would be to change trucks every year, phase out,” he said.
But Williams said he is also compiling a comparative analysis with the city contracting out its garbage collection versus doing it on their own. Perhaps it would be cheaper to hire a private collection service.
Williams said he also requested the purchase of a knuckle boom truck, which the city doesn’t currently own. The knuckle boom truck would allow workers to use a hydraulic lift for various projects.
“We are doing a good job now, but we could do a better job with this new equipment,” Williams said. “These are major investments but well-needed.”
Along the lines of the street department, Williams said he badly needs a back hoe.
“Our back hoe we have is constantly giving us problems,” he said. “We are beginning to run into transmission problems, and those repairs are very expensive.”
Williams said he would like to purchase a new dump truck and a pickup truck for the street department.
But a shortage of manpower is also a major issue within the street department, Williams said. He said he currently has about 29 city workers, and two are supervisors. .
“I don’t have anyone on my construction crew right now,” Williams said. “The construction crew handles keeping drains clean, installing signage, repairing potholes, limb cutting, erosion repairs and other things.”
Williams said he understands getting the public works department back on track will prove to be costly.
The solid waste equipment should run about $400,000, Williams said. He added the street department requests could run about the same in cost.
“You can’t manage without finances, efficient manpower and good operating equipment,” Williams said. “With those things, better services would be provided.”
