Commissioner Sean Sullivan presented the Department of Public Works’ highlights and priorities for fiscal year 2026 to the Public Facilities Committee, outlining ongoing work on paving, sidewalks, recycling, water meters and preliminary planning for electrifying parts of the city fleet.

Sullivan described the department’s emphasis on road preservation and sidewalk ADA work, the operation of a new asphalt recycler to reuse material on municipal jobs, and continued in‑house yard waste collection. He told the committee that the department is implementing route optimization, trying to reduce contamination in curbside recycling and promoting a customer portal for water accounts as it completes a near‑term meter replacement program.

Why this matters: The DPW’s capital and operating choices affect basic services — road conditions, curbside pickup, water billing and response to storms — and the department is responding to rising contract costs, evolving state rules for vehicle emissions and resident expectations for services.

Key program points and numbers presented

Staffing and vacancies: Sullivan told the committee the DPW headcount is budgeted at 99 employees (88 full‑time and 11 part‑time) and that the department reported 42 current vacancies arising from promotions, retirements and resignations. Sullivan said the department is actively recruiting to fill those positions.

Paving and preservation: The department expects to pave about 52 streets in the coming year from a package of funding that Sullivan said includes $9.5 million in annual program funds, carry‑forward and additional ARPA allocations to bring the total for road work to roughly $16,496,000 for the year. Councilors asked whether that level is sustainable and how much of the program depends on free cash and rollover balances.

Solid waste and recycling: Sullivan said the city will start a new five‑year waste and recycling collection contract with Waste Management on July 1, 2026. The contract carries an initial increase over current payments, and Sullivan told councilors the department expects the first year’s cost increase to be about 8% (contract pricing declines in later years of the five‑year term compared with an earlier, higher estimate). He said the department has hired a consultant to assess long‑term recycling and recovery center options.

Water, meters and leakage: The water division is about 94% complete in the meter replacement program, Sullivan said, and the department is promoting a customer portal that allows residents to review usage and receive leak alerts. He noted that unaccounted (nonrevenue) water decreased from about 24% to about 17% year‑to‑year, citing meter replacements and leak repairs as contributing factors.

Fleet and electric vehicle planning: The fleet division has transitioned the nonemergency sedan fleet to electric vehicles (about 31 EV sedans) and maintains a plug‑in hybrid SUV fleet (about 18 vehicles) along with roughly 20 hybrids. Sullivan described efforts to seek grants and to plan level‑3 charging infrastructure at the DPW yard, and told the committee that medium‑ and heavy‑duty electrification will be constrained by vehicle availability, charger infrastructure and the high cost of replacement vehicles.

Other programs and compliance

Stormwater and sewer: The department is continuing work on MS4 (NPDES) permit obligations, catch basin cleaning, culvert and stream maintenance and phosphorus reduction planning. Sullivan said the department will submit requests to EPA for alternate schedules for phosphorus reductions and is identifying candidate phosphorus‑reduction capital projects.

Sustainable materials and resource recovery: The sustainable materials team will continue curbside recycling education, aiming to keep contamination below a contractual 20% limit, and will pilot routing and collection changes for yard waste. The department also plans to add space and improved facilities at the resource recovery center (additional trailer and lockers) to better support operations.

Council discussion and questions

Councilors asked for clarity on recurring funding versus one‑time free‑cash allocations for paving and other capital items, the schedule for ARPA funds, and whether DPW could implement more resident‑facing steps such as wider promotion of the water customer portal or opt‑in electronic billing. Several councilors pressed for details on charger infrastructure for fleet electrification, the timelines for sewer area projects and the phosphorus compliance pathway with state and federal agencies.

Committee action

The committee took a straw vote on the FY26 DPW presentation “as presented” and recorded the voice approval. Committee members said they expect follow‑up materials including the consultant’s recycling/solid‑waste assessment, more detail on paving funding sources and the meter‑replacement schedule.

What to watch: the consultant assessment of sustainable materials/recycling options, final terms of the Waste Management five‑year contract, the department’s phased approach to level‑3 charging infrastructure and continued reduction of unaccounted water as the meter program completes.