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The special committee of the Legislature that is conducting the once-a-decade review of the County Charter is considering a recommended Charter change that would eliminate the County’s Department of Public Works and elevate the four Public Works divisions to department status.

County Administrator Joe Mareane recommends the change, which would reflect the current operational structure.  The Commissioner of Public Works position has been vacant since Commissioner Bill Mobbs retired 15 years ago; between 2007 and 2012, Ed Marx oversaw the divisions, as well as Planning, as Commissioner of Planning and Public Works.  Since that time the four divisions—Airport, Facilities, Highway, and Solid Waste Management—have functioned as autonomous units reporting to the County Administrator, and the County has saved $150,000 a year in administrative costs.  Planning and operation of the divisions are coordinated through a strong Infrastructure Cabinet.

Administrator Mareane told the committee the divisions are comparable to County departments in size and complexity, and the division managers, as provided for in the Charter, are given broad authority over operations and are fully accountable for the performance of their divisions, little different from County department heads.  The appointment process for division heads, he noted, follows the same search process used to select department heads.

Airport Manager Bob Nicholas, Facilities Director Arel LeMaro, Highway Director Jeff Smith, and Solid Waste Manager Barbara Eckstrom all spoke with the committee, reporting that the current system and structure works very effectively for them and their operations.  Highway Director Smith told the committee, “I feel like a Department Head.  If you want the Charter to reflect what you’re doing now, you should change it.”

Administrator Mareane said elimination of the Commissioner position makes sense in a constrained fiscal environment, and that the divisions have achieved operational excellence within the current structure.  He noted the Charter change would preserve the direct line of accountability between the division heads and the Legislature.  Elevating the divisions to departments, he said, would allow the director titles to be placed in the non-competitive class under State Civil Service law, which could facilitate hiring and retaining competent leadership when turnover occurs.  Legislator Kathy Luz Herrera expressed some concern that mentoring and diversity be encouraged and preserved as part of any change related to the official public works structure.

The committee next review proposed Charter wording changes related to Public Works, and hopes to have proposed revisions ready for review by the full Legislature within the year.

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