[{"_1":2,"_75":-5,"_76":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6604923,"mediaKeyId","3023269-3fedb3f4a3d0b88e9e89f30955ebfb8d","parentId",3023269,"title","Syracuse City reviews largely flat Public Works budget; officials flag driver shortages, new street‑cut enforcement position","audioSeconds",3730,"startMs",316000,"endMs",4046000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023269-3fedb3f4a3d0b88e9e89f30955ebfb8d&start=316&end=4046","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023269-3fedb3f4a3d0b88e9e89f30955ebfb8d/thumbnail_316000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6604923/Syracuse-City/Onondaga-County/New-York/Syracuse-City-reviews-largely-flat-Public-Works-budget-officials-flag-driver-shortages-new-streetcut-enforcement-position","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6604923-96031d93740816dcbe998f51c7afd0bb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174099&Signature=Sjt5PfrYUc~lO4tgvTpAJjeUvkzdhJHcqu2Mk8oBh-325XRn1QYPlILZxgxYFDQQ1pEYYBVMYj6rwDxQJfIqLCelrkN~5h4nSRyxORH2vc4zIZ~w14Diksg2l1Oj7bDNKkU8mSbUE41-bsD48O6-T6PPo~u6RJK1dXZBK-ri5Rg3sy8vvz2Lh26~D28wCwWsqzchZE4EXErO0eGmO4Rj-hU1qjsIn5dQRnds8wFaaW~W1sMS-e1FtI3w1uJ8WVgtAXD4ESGsUHWO8elTUfkJqMgA2yl3jGu-k-ZKuwHaQpa6reEcOgWkvBWFidCIJ5sWt6KSNaouJPwGiiNSz0DosQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Syracuse, NY","date","2025-04-16T17:33:57.37Z","article","Syracuse City officials on Tuesday reviewed a proposed Department of Public Works (DPW) budget that officials said is essentially flat compared with the prior year and spent much of the meeting on staffing shortages, street‑cut enforcement and winter‑related costs.

Anne Fordock, First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Public Works, told the council the adopted DPW figure for last year was 40.9 and the proposed figure for the current year is 40.8 (units not specified in the budget book excerpt discussed). She said the department and central budget staff continually reallocate underspent lines to cover higher needs without broadly increasing the department’s requested total.

The budget review focused less on increases in the overall DPW total than on internal shifts and operational risks. Officials said DPW’s payroll in the budget incorporates an assumed vacancy rate that is higher than many other departments. DPW staff said the department’s built‑in vacancy assumption is about 8 percent, reflecting persistent turnover in frontline positions; DPW staffing was described as roughly 380 employees citywide (counting regular staff and not including short‑term temps) with an estimated 50–60 current vacancies in positions that typically require a commercial driver’s license or similar qualifications. The council requested a follow‑up that would list current vacancies and how long each has been open.

Officials stressed that the budget line labeled as a vacancy rate is baked into salary projections rather than reflecting a policy to eliminate positions. \"If DPW were to fill every single position and keep it for all 12 months, we would have to move money around salary wise because we account for the fact that there are going to be vacancies in DPW's budget,\" a DPW representative said during the hearing.

Councilors pressed DPW on driver and operator shortages, noting the department had difficulty filling CDL (commercial driver’s license) roles after winter. DPW said the department temporarily freezes some internal bid movements during snow and ice months to maintain crews for storms; after April, those internal bids are allowed and staffing levels typically change. DPW said it plans job fairs and continued recruitment to address the shortage.

Street‑cut permits and enforcement drew sustained attention. DPW and Engineering staff told the council that a recent change requires refundable deposits tied to street‑cut permits; the central permit office will hold those deposits and engineering and DPW staff will inspect restorations and retain funds when contractors, utilities or developers do not return the road to the city’s standard. The program, officials said, went into effect April 1 and a new dedicated enforcement position for the program is included in the DPW budget, though the job is not yet filled. The job description was described as finalized and awaiting civil‑service posting. DPW said the enforcement hire’s sole responsibility will be to monitor and enforce the ordinance.

Commissioner of Finance Mike Ennis explained one budget line that had raised questions from councilors: a separate line item for SURA salaries was intentionally separated from contractor expenses two years ago. \"A couple years ago we broke out Sura from the contracted services line,\" Ennis said, adding that the related‑party SURA salaries are now shown on one line (the 541,700 line) and true contractor expenses appear on a different line.

Winter costs and salt usage were discussed at length after councilors raised the sharp increase in operating supplies and expenses tied to snow response. DPW staff said salt accounted for a large share of that line — officials pointed to roughly $1.2 million for salt within operating supplies — and noted the unusual winter contributed to greater-than-anticipated salt use across many municipalities. DPW and finance said they are coordinating grant or reimbursement submissions and identified a May 23 submission date for CHIPS reimbursement paperwork.

Operational changes and title reorganizations were also presented. DPW staff said some positions (for example, Laborer 2) have been re‑titled or converted to Motor Equipment Operator (MEO) or Laborer 1 to reflect changing operational needs; some duties for eliminated positions are being redistributed to other employees rather than eliminated. DPW supervisors described consolidating tasks across bureaus and relying on temporary union tradespeople during slow months.

Street repair and street sweeping were discussed as part of operations. Street repair staff said a dedicated settlement crew focused on water‑cut restoration will be formed to limit redundant work and to improve consistency of restorations. On street sweeping, an operations supervisor identified the city’s fleet of sweepers and said, \"We have 8 sweepers,\" and councilors were told the division is short approximately 10 drivers, 5 operators and 2 laborers across affected operations.

Waste and collection staff described a reorganization of routes and duties intended to produce more focused responses to complaints, bulk pickups and tire collections; staff said route optimization and a shift from 15 to 12 primary routes were part of that effort. DPW staff said trash tonnage has trended down for trash, but data on recycling and tipping‑fee impacts were not yet available and staff agreed to provide detailed tonnage and revenue charts.

Councilors asked the department for several follow‑up items: a list of current vacancies and duration of each vacancy; documentation of the revenue from appliance/scrap metal lines and tipping fees; and a short summary of workers’ compensation savings tied to recent operational changes. DPW said staff would provide those follow‑ups and that the council would revisit the remaining DPW sections at a later meeting.

The hearing included multiple department supervisors and city staff, but there were no formal votes or ordinance adoptions recorded during the portion of the meeting covered by the transcript.

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Syracuse City reviews largely flat Public Works budget; officials flag driver shortages, new street‑cut enforcement position