Public Works details $31M in projects, flags sewer pass‑through and sidewalk boost

Public Works Director Mark Moreyoti gave a wide-ranging overview of the department’s assets and FY27 budget priorities, telling the committee the department manages dozens of parks, hundreds of miles of utilities and a pipeline of roughly $31 million in construction projects.

Moyreoti said the general fund portion of Public Works shows an approximate 2.9% increase driven largely by salary and contractual obligations; the water budget is nearly 5% lower due to line‑item restructuring, while the sewer budget faces upward pressure because the regional sewer authority presented a roughly 6% increase that would otherwise be passed through to customers. He told the committee the city is seeking to avoid utility rate increases through a combination of fund balance management and targeted spending adjustments.

Moreyoti explained a 50% reduction in utility‑permit revenue is tied to a decision to allow a private utility (CNG) to resume trench repairs; the city will no longer collect the prior $800-per-trench fee but will not bear the repair expense either. On operations and labor, Moreyoti described a contract change that limits meal allowances for snow operations to employees working multiple shifts, reducing historical meal‑allowance expenditures. He also highlighted an approximate $200,000 addition to sidewalk funding in the mayor’s budget to expand the city’s cost‑share sidewalk program.

Committee members questioned fuel cost assumptions, potential need for additional appropriations in the fiscal year, staffing levels for utility and fleet maintenance and how the city will measure contractor performance if trench work reverts to the utility. Moreyoti said the administration will monitor CNG's repairs and could reassume trench responsibilities if workmanship declines.