Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker is reworking the leadership of the Public Works Department, opting to replace the current director and general manager positions with three separate department heads.
Barker made the announcement during Monday’s agenda-setting meeting of the City Council at City Hall. The changes were approved Tuesday.
Having three department heads in Public Works provides more focus, Barker said.
“As we have looked at our Public Works Department over the last three months as we have been working with an interim general manager, we have felt that the smarter approach for us moving forward – at least through the interim – is to foster more accountability, foster more leadership and foster more direction if we went to three directors instead of a director and a general manager,” he said. “What we would do is do away with a director position and do away with a general manager position.
“You would have a deputy director of solid waste, which would be over sanitation and recycling. You would have a deputy director of streets, which would be over your streets, your sidewalks, your drainage and your mowing. You would have a deputy director of maintenance, which would occupy your shop and construction traffic. What you are giving me authority to do is advertise for these positions and stop at a range of $60,000 based on experience or their time with the city. I think this gives our employees working in that department an opportunity to step up. I also think it gives you a direct line when you have an issue to get that problem handled efficiently and faster.”
With the salary savings in eliminating the two top positions, Barker also wants to hire a second electrician.
“We’ve known for awhile that we have needed an extra person to help with the streetlights and replacing the streetlights,” he said. “Using the savings that we are taking by eliminating the director position and the general manager position, there are a couple of lower-level positions that are vacant or will soon become vacant. That gives us the money that we need to go out and hire a top-notch electrician to hire to our construction staff. It doesn’t meet all the needs that we have in that department right now.”
Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado said the $35,000 salary limit for the electrician may be too low.
“When I see $30,000-35,000, I think of a trainee, especially in that field,” she said. “I think you need to look at it again and have a conversation with the electrician we already have.”
Baker said he would. Advertising for the position was approved Tuesday.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the City Council:
• Approved Minutes of the March 1, 2, 5, 6, 19, 20 and 29, 2018, City Council meetings.
• Authorized Mayor to renew one-year maintenance agreement between the City of Hattiesburg and Kronos Incorporated for software support services, equipment support services, and educational services on time clocks and time-keeping software at a cost of $16,081.32.
• Approved Lease Agreement between the City of Hattiesburg and Southeast Aviation Services, Inc. for buildings and land located at the Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport; Authorized Mayor to execute said lease in duplicate.
• Ratified and confirmed the Mayor's re-appointment of Frederick Varnardo (W3) to the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport Authority for a five-year term beginning June 8, 2018 and ending June 7, 2023.
• Ratified and confirmed the Mayor's re-appointment of Maggie Williams (W3) to the Library Board for a term beginning 3/31/2018 and ending 3/30/2023.
• Acknowledged receipt of the monthly budget report for the month ending Feb. 28, 2018.
• Acknowledged receipt of bids received on March 8, 2018 for Janitorial Services for Various City Buildings; accept the bid of Molly Maid as the lowest and best bid received.
• Approved plans and specifications for the COMSWIP Sewer Phase X - Pearl & Quinn Street Area Project; Authorized advertisement for bids for same.
• Approved plans and specifications for the North Entrance to the South Lagoon Bridge Replacement project; Authorized advertisement for bids for same.
• Approved the sale of grave spaces, per Receipts, Memos and Deeds.
• Approved claims docket for the period ending March 31, 2018.
