Reform 8.2: Streets Department

Create a Single “Streets Department” for Improved Infrastructure Management.

Other Information:

The Roadmap to Reform endorses the idea to consolidate all functions relating to the maintenance of city streets into one single department. Currently the functions with responsibilities for city streets are scattered across several offices. This challenge has been identified in a City Auditor report – and a consolidation in now underway. 6 Furthermore, the City Auditor has released a report on one of the three main components of the city’s acknowledged deferred maintenance backlog: streets 7. The Auditor’s report highlights many aspects of the city’s street maintenance and repair operations requiring improvement, concluding that the strategy employed by the city could cause the “costs of maintaining streets [to] greatly increase over the long term should deferred maintenance needs not be strongly addressed.” The audit also documents that opportunities for improvement exist within the streets division that would allow for the most efficient use of budgeted funds for the maintenance and deferred maintenance related to streets. By the end of FY 12, the Mayor and City Council should insist upon full implementation of the recommendations identified by the City Auditor to improve management of city street repairs and maintenance.

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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