NORTHAMPTON – After 18 months of existence and not much to do, the Public Works Commission will likely be eliminated as part of another restructuring of city government, according to a plan from Mayor David J. Narkewicz.
The commissioners aren’t complaining. Narkewicz met with the commission May 23 to present and discuss his plan.
“I think it’s an appropriate action for him to take,” said Mike Parsons, the commission’s chairman. “The Public Works Commission has had very little to do over the last year and a half. We just haven’t had a clear mission. This makes perfect sense to me.”
The mayor submitted an administrative order to city councilors on May 27 detailing his plans to abolish the seven-member commission, stating that it has been “challenging” to define its role over the past 18 months.
The commission was created in November 2014 as an advisory-only replacement for the former Board of Public Works, whose financial and policy-making powers shifted to the Department of Public Works, mayor and City Council under an expansive reorganization of city government that began that year under changes to the city charter.
“My primary goal in creating the Public Works Commission at the time was to retain the dedicated members of the former BPW in an advisory capacity to the Mayor and City Council,” Narkewicz wrote to councilors. “With the professional leadership of the DPW and the city’s two elected branches of government assuming these new, updated roles in the administration, policymaking, and oversight of public works, the need for a separate, stand-alone advisory body has now been substantially diminished.”
In his letter to councilors, Narkewicz explained that “clearer, more direct” reporting lines between the mayor and DPW, along with the council’s creation of a Committee on Public Works and Utilities, has played a role in his decision to eliminate the commission, among other changes related to the restructuring of departments.
The role of the council’s public works and utilities committee is to “develop, review, and recommend policies on matters including public works, streets, infrastructure, solid waste, water treatment, buildings, and all utilities including water, sewer and stormwater.” The former Board of Public Works once had the authority to set water and sewer rates, but that responsibility also now rests with the council.
“It’s been pretty clear that there was going to be some change coming,” said Patrick Goggins, a member of the Public Works Commission. “It was really unclear whether it (the commission) had any authority to do anything.”
Goggins added that voters who supported revising the city’s charter in 2012 shouldn’t be surprised by the latest developments.
Parsons said the commission, which has been meeting monthly, is likely to meet once more to handle a request by the City Council to provide recommendations on a few street-related matters.
The council is required to hold public hearings on the mayor’s plans, which also includes revising language regarding the responsibilities of the Public Shade Tree Commission, and revising procedures for appointing elected officials to city boards and committees.
Narkewicz said in an interview that there are still roles for citizens to play in advising the city on public works-related issues, noting panels like the Reuse and Capital Improvements committees, and Public Shade Tree and Transportation and Parking commissions, for example.
As for the outgoing members of the Public Works Commission, “I hope they will continue to serve in some other capacity,” the mayor said.
Staff Writer Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.