City of Milwaukee - File #: 191930

• File #: 191930
• Version: 0
• Type: Communication
• Status: In Committee
• File created: 3/24/2020
• In control: PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE
• Title: Communication from the Department of Public Works relating to the status of current and future operations.
• Sponsors: ALD. BAUMAN

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
11/13/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR	Pass	5:0
10/23/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Appearing: DPW Danielle Rodriguez	Pass	5:0
10/2/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Appearing: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations Director	Pass	5:0
9/11/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Appearing: Chuck Schumacher, DPW Mr. Schumacher said leaf collection operations would occur soon, prepping was underway for snow removal for winter and collection of salt, and employment and training of new drivers was occurring.	Pass	5:0
7/10/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Appearing: Danielle Rodriguez, DPW DPW will still have normal operations during the RNC, except for the hard and soft zones under the RNC.	Pass	5:0
6/20/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - Dept. of Public Works Jerrel Krusche - Dept. of Public Works Commissioner Kevin Muhs - City Engineer, Dept. of Public Works Ms. Rodriguez gave the following report: -A couple of key positions are currently posted (Equipment Operator 1 (CDL Drivers) and accepting applications until June 28th. -The south area has been working on the Mayor's "Adopt a Neighborhood" plan which is going well. -There is a new class of eight parking enforcement officers (fully staffed now). -Forestry has finished with the annual flower plantings. -The 4th mow cycle for vacant and city owned lots begins in June 24th. Ald. Bauman said that a suggestion was made about to put out billboards noting the tremendous benefits (Infrastructure Bill, Inflation Reduction Bill and American Rescue Plan) that the City has received from the Biden administration during the third week of July. Mr. Kruschke said that they are consulting what they can put up legally recognizing the millions that the Biden administration has given to the City of Milwaukee. Mr. Muhs said that last year they have started providing public notification of the funding streams of the projects being made. Ald. Bauman said that the facts must be advertise on digital billboards because those funds have been incredible good to the City. Amber Danyus - Mayor's Office - said that the Mayor supports these signs suggested by Ald. Bauman.	Pass	5:0
5/30/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jerrel Kruschke appeared on behalf of Danielle Rodriguez and gave the following report: -The Youth Apprenticeship Program (getting juniors and seniors in high school interested in the mechanics for the future) -The Forestry Apprenticeship just closed with 31 applicants and 17 qualified. -Both programs are fostering the next phase of new people coming into the organization, that they will continue developing the program around the City. -The Clean & Green Program is completed and that last year they had 1,319 tons and this year 1,637 tons. - Getting into the second mowing cycle of City owned properties and the second round of cleaning the sideways of freeways will get started next week.	Pass	5:0
5/8/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations Gave the following the following report: -No Mow May is running this month with 600 participants, less than last year. People were reminded to register each year and also mentioned that the lawn must be completely mowed by June 1st. -Dumpsters boxes - all reserved (227 boxes for the full season are set up over the weekends). -Clean & Green project is happening on districts 11 and 13 and on portions of 8 and 14. There is a complete mapping on website. -Mowing and picking up garbage on boulevards have started.	Pass	5:0
3/27/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW -Recycling Facility: They have identified few properties - relocation is on the table -Spring clean up: Starts Sunday night. An e-mail is coming up from Rick Meyers outlaying the plan for the CC members Kevin Muhs - DPW -Potholes: The weather has been favorable, there have been less requests compared to last year 183 potholes requests on Monday's queue 9-10 patching crews/day A total of 930 potholes service requests have been received The use of the hot mix is coming up which is best for streets declining -Streets Lights: The weather has been favorable 12-13 outages/day (less than 2023) They are close to 24hr response -Flooded streets: Response is complaint based 3-4 back-hole trucks on service
3/6/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jerrel Kruschke and Kevin Muhs - DPW Mr. Kruschke said that the lack of snow has shifted operations: -Street Sweeping (main arterials) and pick up garbage have started. -Street sweeping will start on March 17th. -Defreeze started a little earlier. -About 4,700 Christmas trees were picked up. He added that is a low number probably because residents helped themselves dropping them at the collection centers. He also said that a separate operation will be conducted for next year and the information will be released before Thanksgiving. -Staffing numbers continue to increase and that they are at the lowest that they have seen in 5 years. Mr. Muhs said we have had an unusual month of February with 2,200 requests to fill potholes (more than any year). He added that he checked the queue this morning with 137 outstanding requests. He also talked about the pavement marking which will start when the weather is consistent 40-50 degrees so the paint sticks to the pavement.	Pass	5:0
2/14/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: This item was discussed with item #8. Kevin Muhs - City Engineer and Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations	Pass	4:0
1/24/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez (DPW Operations) and Jerrel Kruschke (DPW Commissioner)	Pass	4:0
1/4/2024	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez (DPW Operations) and Rick Meyers (DPW Sanitation) were present: Ms. Rodriguez gave the following report: -No snow so far but doing prep work -Lowest vacancy rate in 5-6 years down at 14% -People getting trained off to get them ready to the streets -Parking enforcement is the most challenging position due the safety issues Mr. Meyers said that the Christmas tree collection will pick up next week and that a separately routed crew will be around the city. He also reminded the public to place the tree at the same regular collection point for garbage.	Pass	4:0
11/29/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez (DPW Operations) gave the following report: -Leaf collection: rake out ended on Sunday 11/26. She added that there is an online interactive map to check where they are collecting the leaves. Milwaukee.gov/leaf. -For areas that have been done, constituents can call 286-CITY to request a pick up. -Snow/ice season has started: there have been few opportunities to brine and salt. -Winter recycling schedule starts on December 4th., snow and ice operations affect the collection schedule; residents can check the calendar at Milwaukee.gov/collection. -Reminded residents that winter parking regulations start on December 1st. People can check the parking map at Milwaukee.gov/snow.	Pass	3:0
11/8/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Regarding the communication file 230968 presented earlier, Ms. Rodriguez said that DPW has been doing efforts using the salt responsibly and that public safety remains being the main goal. Operations Update: -Extending the leave collection until Sunday, November 26th -Staffing levels starting to rise -Resignations starting to drop -Retirees ready to drive -About 15 new hires on the next couple of months. -Staff and equipment are ready for the ice-snow season.	Pass	4:0
10/18/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations Responding to Ald. Bauman's question, she said that they still enforcing overnight (odd/even) parking with some staffing challenges (20% vacancy rate). She added that parking restrictions were lifted during the pandemic and that it is not easy to get people back into the habit. She also said that they are hiring in groups because there are a lot rules and ordinances to learn. Ms. Rodriguez recommended to enter all parking requests online (most efficient way) and that the team will handle or direct the requests. Announcements: -The Garbage and Recycling annual flyer will be arriving in the mail soon. -They are working on Fall Leaf Collection which ends on Nov 15 (could be extended). -Snow plowing looks better than last year, the equipment is ready to go, staffing is recovering and they have 11 retirees lined up.	Pass	3:0
9/27/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations Ms. Rodriguez gave the following report: -Prepping for the leaf season -Getting ready for winter operations (snow and ice communications will be sent out to elected officials to inform their districts and social media use) -Invited the members to ride along. -There is a new rate $27.24 for Equipment Operator (people with CDL) and that she hopes to see people back. -Good with salt orders, equipment in very good shape and that she has seen a slight increase on the staff numbers.	Pass	5:0
9/7/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jerrel Kruschke - DPW - said that they have been working on the permits for special events (249 approved special events in August). He also said that he will communicate with the Common Council members offices about the deadlines and that he hopes that they can be included in the aldermanic newsletters to help DPW through the process of those. He acknowledged that it is the busiest time of the year but that it would be very helpful to follow up the deadlines and that this information is also posted on the website: https://city.milwaukee.gov/dpw/AdministrativeServices/SpecialEvents PLEASE BE ADVISED: ALL Special Event Permit Applications must be completed and submitted on-line at least 30 DAYS prior to the event date and ALL Block Party Permit Applications must be submitted on-line at least TWO WEEKS prior to the event date. As for Operations, Mr. Kruschke said that this is the time of the year when they are making the transition for the fall and snow season. He added that the last mow parallel to freeways is coming in October along with the vacant lot maintenance and that they are going through the 7th mowing cycle. He also said that they have 2 meetings coming up with the staff to plan for the fall and snow season and move forward. Mr. Pauly - Water Works Superintendent - was here to discuss the water main break on Wisconsin and Broadway. He said that last Wednesday at 4:15 pm the system operations noticed the large water pressure drop. He added that the crew got a controlled isolation around 6:30 pm but that they did not know the damage until WE Energies tried to go into their manhole and noticed that the walls were washed away for a significant area below the pavement on Thursday. He explained that this situation stopped the street car from running to avoid a mayor damage and to not compromise the tracks at all. He also said that WE Energies worked overnight (Thursday) to bridge customers to a nearby line and that on Friday afternoon WE Energies cleared the zone to allow DPW to remove the pavement. Mr. Pauly said that the contractor removed the pavement and the debris from the WE Energies manhole, worked on assess those lines, formed up the walls to be re poured and that late Sunday, WE Energies authorized the contractor to work on the main repair which it started on Monday. He added that they faced challenges like other utilities have been built very close or next to, partially over, sometimes crossing or running above for long stretches. He mentioned that there was a stop because WE Energies wanted to re-energize their lines in the damaged manhole for Tuesday morning (8 hr time frame). He added that they have continued working on the area and that it seems that it is going to be ready for next week's Monday and not on Saturday as they planned initially due another issue with a steam duct that required partial removal in order to install the new pipe.	Pass	5:0
7/19/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	Minutes note: Jerrel Kruschke (DPW Commissioner) and Kevin Muhs - (City Engineer) were present. Files 191930 and 211119 were called together. Mr. Kruschke appeared on behalf Ms. Rodriguez with the following update: -City owned properties - lot maintenance crew continues with 5th mowing cycle. -Just finished the 1st mowing cycle adjacent to freeways, the second cycle will start on the first week of August which includes the litter pick up on the city's side of freeways. -The beer line and KK trails are mowed twice. -Sweeping has been done three times this year, they are 50% done with the second time thru alleys and boulevard roads. -Looking to have crews to work on Saturday to catch up with sweeping before the winter season (due short staffing issues). -Regarding the recycling plant: they are currently working with the attorney's office and the insurance claim. No service disruptions, they continue using the Lincoln transfer station to sort and ship out to other plants in the southeast region and Madison. Mr. Kruschke said that they meet with WM and that they are in the process of rehabbing their facility and looking to have it up and running by the end of the year or early next year so we don't have to ship to the other recycling facilities around the state.
6/28/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW - said there was a quick 15 minute storm Sat - Sun and that they received about 300 calls for service from trees and branches that were down. Ald. Stamper asked is she knows anything about the air quality. Ms. Rodriguez said that the DPW Commissioner has been in contact with the Health Department, that masks are available to the employees working outdoors and that they have offered accommodations if they feel adverse reactions. She added that if the index hit a certain number, DPW would have to bring the staff indoors.	Pass	5:0
6/7/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW - gave the following report: -Round one of the heavy sweeping has been completed and that sweeping does continue. -Continuous recruitment for ODW (Operation Driver Worker) that operate garbage and recycle trucks and that they are also the operators for the snow/salt operations. She said that she encourages everyone with a CDL to apply for that position in particular. -There are another couple of openings and that they can be seen in the Employee Relations website. -Forestry section - the majority of the flowers have been delivered and that they are being installed in the boulevards. Ald. Bauman asked in regards of the boulevards, climate change and sustainability if we have looked at in replacing the grass for another type of foliage. Ms. Rodriguez said that they are looking at replacing annuals with perennials but also, long term; transferring these green spaces into something more sustainable with native plants and green infrastructure areas, low maintenance.	Pass	5:0
5/17/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations She said that they are in the midst of the Spring Activities - Spring Clean: -Street sweeping is happening -Clean and Green is going on at districts 11th, 13th, 8th and 14th and it will happen on the East side next week. -"No Mow May" has been successful with 1,847 participants and gave a reminder to registered people that the program ends on June 1st and that regular inspections will start as well. Ms. Rodriguez said that one of the DPW workers was hit by a car while standing on the back of the truck and reminded the residents to slow down when they see a DPW truck or work. She added that they still have hiring challenges and that it is very difficult to compete but that they are working very close with the Department of Employee Relations. Potholes: -They have had 2 overtime Saturdays and that they are going to continue it until they catch up and that 9-10 crews are out per day with 2 vehicles each.	Pass	5:0
4/26/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: The file was not heard.	Pass	5:0
4/3/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Appearing: Randy Krouse - Forestry Kevin Muhs - City Engineer	Pass	5:0
3/8/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations She said that she does not oversees the pothole filling but that she will pass it along (infrastructure). She also said that the months of March and April are hot times in the Operations because we are still in the midst of snow and ice season and, making sure that ice and snow control operations are efficient and effective. She added that they are also preparing for the spring clean ups. She also mentioned the e-mail that was sent out to the council members dated March 6th from Rick Meyers about the spring Drop Off Center hours and open on Sundays until April 16th; the Green Clean up Project and some other things that they will be doing for litter pick up. Ald. Bauman mentioned that Mr. Joseph Berrada talked about the illegal dumping at his properties and that he thinks it is because the City of Milwaukee charges for dropping off tires and mattresses. Ald. Bauman asked if we are really creative an incentive for dumping when we are charging people to drop off old tires and mattresses. Ald. Stamper said that we are not making money of this service. Ms. Rodriguez said that this program is not a revenue generator but a recovery cost operation. She added that there is no cost to drop off tires after Ald. Bauman suggested to have a bounty program for old tires. Ms. Rodriguez said that Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful started on March 1st. Ald. Stamper asked Ms. Rodriguez to have a representative for the Big Clean Day meeting for April 5th. Ald. Zamarripa asked about the street lights. Rollin Bertran said that there is a big challenge with the aging circuitry. He added that last Monday there were 75 outages and that 11 crews were working on them when typically are only 3. He added that is taking 3 days to repair the outage. Ald. Brostoff asked what else they need to run the schedule as is needed. Mr. Bertran said that they are at 40% vacancy rate between labor and electricians, that they are working 3 shifts, 7 days/wk and working overtime. He added that wages are the major concern to recruit because similar positions are getting paid more and mostly working indoors. Ms. Rodriguez said that DPW has been working with DER to do studies to change the minimum recruitment wages for many positions. Ald. Stamper asked to have a communication file about the money allocated (two years ago) for the street lighting, from beginning to the end and where the street lighting fee is going.	Pass	5:0
2/15/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Ald. Bauman said that he was told by a cell phone provider that there was a moratorium on cell phone towers. James Washington - DPW - said that there is a guidance that they provide to carriers that are consistent with state statutes and that we cannot collocate by state statute. Mr. Washington said that he won't use the term "moratorium" and that what they do is, to have the carrier to collocate where is technical visible to do so. He said that in other words, if there is an area where they can collocate, DPW will require to collocate. Rick Meyers - Sanitation Services Manager gave the following report: -Snow is coming tomorrow - the operation is preparing for a snow fall from 5 to 8 inches -Sanitation updates: 1.The popular weekend box program where neighborhoods organize clean ups and reserve boxes begins March 1st. He said that updates will be sent to the aldermanic offices. 2. Narrowing down the schedules for the green and clean program that allows bulky items (up to 6 cubic yards) to be picked up without fees (done on one garbage collection day). He added that information is coming out soon. -The sweeping program will be starting late March (weather dependant) which is the around the clock shifts of sweeping. -The leaf program happened from October 23 to December 18 with 13,500 tons of leaves collected which is more than the last couple of years. He added that the leaf program have evolved operations due staffing limitations like working longer shifts, with less equipment out there and completing fewer total cycles through the city but that it has been successful in terms of living with our constraints and effective in the terms of the services that they are providing. Ald. Zamarripa asked if it's possible to have a summary presentation like it used to be done.	Pass	5:0
1/25/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations - said that we have salt trucks deployed for the snow from this morning. She said that due the lack of snow, they were able to catch up with the illegal dumping requests. Ald. Stamper said that this effort will be promoted on the Big Clean Up project that he intends to share with other districts. Ms. Rodriguez said that they have seen an increase on reporting this issue. She also said that the Forestry Department has been focused on tree pruning and that a limited amount of litter pick up on the streets and boulevards has been done. Ald. Bauman asked what about the accident debris. Ms. Rodriguez said that they have seen an increase and that some accidents are not reported to the police so they don't know about the debris of those. She asked the public to report it along with the illegal dumping. Ald. Rainey suggested to have someone from the community to drive around to pick up the debris rather than having contractors.	Pass	4:0
1/5/2023	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations said that they are a fourth of the way through ice and snow season and gave few reminders to keep the best efficiency and for the ability to get to the streets as quick as possible: - Not to move snow from homes into the roadway - Clean and clear water hydrants - Social media and flyers have been sent regarding that garbage collection could be impacted so leave the garbage and recycling carts at their collection point but clear from snow and ice. Ald. Bauman said that there in issue with the recycling carts standing out for too long because people will throw any garbage in there. In regards staffing: 15% vacancy rate in operations specifically and at 21% vacancy rate in general which is about 69 employees less than the regular or ideal situation. She added that they continue working temporal workers to be trained eventually and that the streets are never compromised because of this. She said that they staff all the trucks and other operations get affected like pot holes, garbage and recycling collections, tree pruning, etc.	Pass	5:0
11/30/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Ald. Spiker was at the meeting saying that his appearance was prompted by the calls received in regards of potholes, leaves and ice/snow. Ms. Rodiguez - DPW Operations- said that the vacancy rate is at 25% and that ice/snow operation is a priority for PW when it hits. She added that the other services adjusts to a level that it can take a little longer to be addressed and that those delays are always announced to the public (like garbage collection, potholes, etc). She also said that the staffing level has impacted the way that they are delivering services across the city. Rick Meyers - Sanitation Services Manager - said that the parking still an issue for the leaves collection. Ald. Spiker said that he is concerned that a snow storm comes and that those piles of leaves are on the way still. Ald. Stamper asked Mr. Meyers if he is aware of the piles on each district. Mr. Meyer said that he is aware and that there is some information and a map (routes) on the leaves web page and that the pick up collection was extended to November 22, 2022. Ms. Rodriguez sent out a reminder that winter parking regulations starts tomorrow, December 1st.	Pass	5:0
11/10/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jerrel Kruschke - DPW Commissioner - said that sweaping is over and that the brush will stop at the end of the month. He added that the leaves collection is in place (half way, with 2 more to go) with a total of 4 rounds. He made a public announcement by asking the residents to rake their leaves in the curb area this weekend to get collected next week.	Pass	3:0
10/19/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations - said that they have started collecting leaves and that they are making sure that the fall operations happen. She also said that they are still recruiting and that the operations for fall and winter will be done but that it will take longer. She added that WCS provided 47 temporary workers and that they are part now of the sanitation team and that they will be trained to advance on the career latter.	Pass	4:0
9/28/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW- said that they are in the middle of preparing for the fall operation and that the winter operation comes immediately after. She added that the vacancy rate is at 19% and that the recruiting process continues. She wanted to make it clear that all those essential services will continue even during the winter months but that things are going to take a little longer. She said that 30 contractors are ready for the season to help out.	Pass	4:0
9/26/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HEARING NOTICES SENT
9/8/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jerrel Kruschke - DPW - said that the potholes staff have been working 10 hours per day to catch up with the requests and that the complaints are still coming today but that the back log has been taken care of. He added that the street lights have been working well and that they are at 24 hours response now. Ms. Rodriguez said that we are still on the high of the summer operations and that the crew is using the weekends to catch up with the rest of the operations. She added that there is a 25% vacancy rate and that a lot of planning is going on for the upcoming operations (fall and winter), considering that the vacancy rate will continue as it is. She also said that they have been eliminating components (like the written part of the exam) and that they are not requiring a CDL but willing to train in order to obtain the CDL eventually. They both said that they are trying to get the people through the door by approaching the candidates asking them what kind of barriers are stopping them from continue with the process. They added that they are facing issues like the applicant don't even hold a valid driver's license, the rate pay, or the back ground check and tickets on the record. Ms. Rodriguez said that they have 3 positions open (critical) and that she will share it with the board to be shared with constituents.	Pass	5:0
7/20/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: No report. Ms. Rodriguez sent an email as follows: Public Works Committee, As requested at the last Public Works Committee Meeting, below is DPW Forestry’s current projected timelines for City street tree removal processes. Tree Removals: It may take up to 12 months for a tree to be fully removed down to stump level. Tree removals may require a multi-step process to address the risk to public safety. Step 1: Removes the crown of the tree to eliminate hazards, Step 2: Removes the main trunk. This step can lag several months behind the topping of the tree. Stump Removals: Stumps are scheduled to be removed 12-18 months after the full removal of the tree (tree crown & trunk). These timelines are subject to increase over the course of the next few years if staffing issues continue.	Pass	4:0
6/29/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jerrel Kruschke and Danielle Rodriguez - DPW. Mr. Kruschke said that the City Hall foundation work will continue but that the entrance on Market St. will be reopening soon. He said that regarding the street lights, they are close to target and that they still recruiting municipal electricians. About the potholes he said that there are 2,000 requests to patch and, that they have implemented a pilot program with workers from other divisions to volunteer on Saturdays and that they expect to have up to 20 crews out by the end of the summer. Ms. Rodriguez said that they are almost 4,000 stumps behind. Both Ms. Rodriguez and Mr. Kruschke said that the department is struggling with its operations due the labor shortage and that they are actively working with the Mayor's office, partnering with MPS for the internship programs and that the hiring efforts continue.	Pass	5:0
6/8/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jerrel Kruschke, Danielle Rodriguez and Patrick Pauly from DPW Mr. Kruschke said that It is taking 1.4 days to address electricity outages, that there is an increase in the number of pot holes from last year and that it is taking from 3 days to 5 days to take care of them because the department is understaffed by 26 (labor staff). Mr. Kruschke explained that they continue doing open recruitment, hiring on the spot and doing everything what they can. Ald. Stamper asked about those employees that have worked for 3 months and have not received a job offer yet. Ms. Rodriguez said that it is because there are some issues with driver's licenses, background checks and/or it is a matter of time. She also said that the reason to use outsourcing is to bring more people that want to work for the City. Ald. Borkowski thanked the DPW team and asked the to keep the good work. Mr. Kruschke said that he wanted to bring to the committee's attention that there is a shortage of labor and that the supply chain has started to hit again, which have slowed down some operations and that he will keep the common council informed. An example of the supply chain shortage was explained by Mr. Pauly who said that the Water Department is running short on corporation stops (valves) and curve stops, that those have been delayed month after month, that they are rationing them and don't know when it's going to end. Mr. Kruschke said that is happening with electrical services and yellow paint (until 2023) but that they are focusing on the services like garbage collection, recycling, etc. Ms. Rodriguez said that they working on the recycling program (education and enforcement). Mr. Kruschke said that there are 900 trees and stump removals pending for the same reasons and asked the common council and residents to be patient.	Pass	5:0
5/18/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: No report.	Pass	5:0
4/27/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jerel Kruschke - Acting DPW Commissioner - said that the response for the pot holes is almost on target (3.1 days) and that there is a crew working also on Saturdays. As for the traffic/street lights said that there is a crew working 7 days at week and the response is 1.5 days. Ald. Stamper brought up an issue with Diggers' response. Mr. Kruschke explained that it is a private entity that protects the utilities from other companies and that it is required by law to give a 72 hours notice. Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations - said that there is a full swing on the spring clean up (second week) and that with ARPA funding the use of the boxes have been extended. Added that there are 49 extra boxes for Saturdays and 10 extra boxes for Sundays). Mentioned that there is an "Arbor Day" event next Friday at 10:30 am on 4101 N 31st St. Clean and Green Project - is going on from April 25th to April 29th and is asking that any type of household item must be out on the standard garbage collection day and that dates can be looked up online. Said that bulky items will be picked up the following day. Ald. Borkowski mentioned that he visited the electrical services facilities and discussed with Rollin Bertran the situation of the staff's property being vandalized or stolen. Added that he wants to find money to get better protection (like a gate for example) for the employees there. A conversation was brought up again about having the crew working outside to look around the area to check if there is something else that can be picked, taken care of or done when attending an specific request.	Pass	4:0
4/7/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Patrick Pauly, Danielle Rodriguez, Jerell Kruschke and Karen Dettmer. Danielle Rodriguez said that trucks are migrating to get them ready for the spring operation and that they still have a snow/ice operation plan in place. Added that street clean ups are happening and that there are new hours at the drop off centers (open on Sundays starting April 10th) and the Neighborhood Clean-Up Box Request. There are 13 boxes available each Saturday April 23-July 30, 2022. A limited amount of boxes are available on selected Sundays April 24-July 24, 2022 and that the updated information can be found at the PDW website. Also said that the heavy sweep, pick up litter, etc, continue and that there are some piles of leaves out there and asked the residents to report them. Karen Dettmer said that street sweeping staff are reporting the piles that can't be swept. Ald. Stamper asked if its possible to include as a part of a new process to have the staff to take a look around the area to check if there's anything else that can be picked up or report it. Karen Dettmer said that specifics are needed in order to send the proper response. Ald. Perez said that somehow communication must be coordinated between departments (DPW and DNS). Karen Dettmer reported that the hiring process is improving but that there is a 19% vacancy rate still. The board members thanked the staff (crew) for the excellent work and response despite the vacancies and the amount of issues weather related. Jerell Kruschke said that the snow operations and street maintenance are switching over and that there is a delay on the transition. Added that there are 2,000 pot holes requests and that it is taking 3 days to respond. Regarding the street light outages said that it seems to be under control with few requests on the queue and that it is taking 1.5 day to respond. Ald. Stamper and Ald. Perez noted that they have not received complaints. Patrick Pauly and Karen Dettmer explained that the Water Works conventional rate case is a lengthy process which is in the phase of data request for clarification purposes and that on September 2022 we will get an update as the process moves forward. Patrick Pauly said that they have held discussions with the mayor' s office to construct a plan to improve the employee's compensation plan. The members thanked Ms. Dettmer for her years of passionate service to the City of Milwaukee.	Pass	5:0
3/9/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jerrel Kruschke - City Engineer Karen Dettmer - Interim Director of Public Works Patrick Crawley - Water Administration Manager	Pass	5:0
2/17/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Karen Dettmer - DPW Commissioner - said that the crew is ready to go out when needed either for salting or brining operations depending on the pavement and air temperatures. Regarding the staffing and vacancies she said that the Covid related absences have declined a lot with the vaccine mandate and that they still have a number of vacancies but that they are working on it. Ald. Stamper asked who is responsible of the median's maintenance. Ms. Dettmer said that it is DPW Forestry job to take care of the medians and explained that the litter is more visible since we do not have a snow blanket covering it but that they will be responding to the request of his office to clean up Sherman Blvd. and others. Added that clean ups are not planned during this time of the year because the priority is the general ice control operations and that clean ups are done during the spring when the snow has melted and it is easier to clean up.	Pass	4:0
1/26/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Karen Dettmer - Interim Commissioner Public Works said that they have a good handle of the positive cases, and that have seen a very significative increase on numbers but this last week the number has declined (symptoms covid related and test results have come back quicker) and that the vaccine mandate is working very well. Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Director of Operations said that operations based on circumstances have been positive and that they are handling each weather patter at the time. Said that they saw some challenges like vacancies but also said that they were able to staff the entire operation (also thanked the staff) from last weekend/beginning of the week and that it was done in the most ideal time. Added that this week will be interviewed the last list of candidates and that there are some delays with the medical and drug testing. Ald. Stamper said that he was very impressed with Ms. Dettmer because she drove herself around the city to make sure the streets were plowed. Ald. Bauman and Stamper said that they had no reports or complaints from constituents. Ald. Perez said that he did not receive complaints but thanked Ms. Rodriguez for following up with the issues reported from his office (narrow streets and parking issues). Ms. Dettmer said that these temperatures cause main breaks and encouraged residents to report at the control center (open 24 hour) if they see any water surfacing.	Pass	5:0
1/6/2022	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Karen Dettmer - Interim Commissioner DPW said that the snow operation over the holidays is always difficult but the department was able to handle a full implemented staff operation and had a great response despite the absences, holidays and sickness. Added that the vaccine mandate has helped employees as long as they are not exhibiting symptoms and testing negative to return to work immediately. Ald. Borkowski said that he wanted acknowledge the efforts of the staff to support the snow operation even if they had to return from vacation time to fulfill the department needs. Also said that the streets lights are going on 5:40 pm which is kind of late and wonders if it is because the day light savings. Mr. Rollin Bertran- DPW Infrastructure- said that the lights get adjusted by a system of two components and that at this time they need to make the adjustments. Ald. Perez also thanked DPW for such a smooth operation. Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Operations - said that they have been working on narrow and highly parking streets and hopes that people is in compliance with the parking regulations. Ald. Perez asked if any additional mailing will be done to remind people about the parking regulations on narrow streets. Danielle Rodriguez said that additional notices can be mailed out. Ald. Bauman asked if the citation mailing pilot program has started yet. Danielle Rodriguez said that the pilot program started on Jan. 3rd and the citations will be mailed out and placed on the windshield as well. Ald. Stamper asked about the staffing number. Ms. Dettmer said that some people are working longer shifts and that numbers still fluctuating because of the pandemic but that they have a good group of people to come up when they can to help our community. Added that an open hiring process is going on and that they are working on the list of candidates.	Pass	5:0
12/1/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Presentation made by Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Director of Operations Rick Meyers – Sanitation Services Manager Jeff Polenske - Commissioner of Public Works Jerrell Kruschke - Coordination Manager DPW	Pass	5:0
11/10/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez and Tom Woznick - DPW	Pass	5:0
10/20/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Appearances by Jeff Polenski, Joe Krusche and Danielle Rodriguez	Pass	5:0
9/27/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Tom Woznick - DPW Parking Rick Meyers - DPW Jerrel Kruschke - DPW	Pass	4:0
9/9/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR	Pass	5:0
7/16/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: This item was not discussed.	Pass	5:0
6/23/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Tom Woznick - DPW	Pass	5:0
6/3/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Jerrel Kruschke - DPW Randy Krouse - DPW Tom Tarkowski - DPW Rick Meyers - DPW	Pass	4:0
5/12/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Mike Amsden - DPW Kate Riordan - DPW Ald. Hamilton Randy Krouse - DPW Rick Meyers - DPW	Pass	5:0
4/21/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW	Pass	5:0
3/31/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Rick Meyers - DPW	Pass	5:0
3/10/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Rick Meyers - DPW Jerrel Kruschke - DPW Rollin Bertran - DPW	Pass	5:0
2/18/2021	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Danielle Rodriguez - DPW Tom Woznick - DPW Brian DeNeve - DPW Ald. Spiker	Pass	5:0
12/2/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Laura Daniels - DPW Randy Krouse - DPW Rick Meyers - DPW	Pass	4:0
11/11/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Rick Meyers - DPW	Pass	5:0
10/21/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Laura Daniels - DPW	Pass	5:0
9/30/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Karen Dettmer - MWW Laura Daniels - DPW	Pass	5:0
9/9/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Laura Daniels - DPW	Pass	5:0
7/15/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR	Pass	5:0
6/24/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Laura Daniels - DPW	Pass	5:0
6/3/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Laura Daniels - DPW Ald. Spiker	Pass	5:0
5/13/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Ald. Rainey Jeff Polenske - DPW Laura Daniels - DPW Ald. Kovac	Pass	5:0
4/1/2020	0	PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE	HELD TO CALL OF THE CHAIR; Minutes note: Jeff Polenske - DPW Karen Dettmer - MWW	Pass	5:0
3/24/2020	0	COMMON COUNCIL	ASSIGNED TO

Number

191930

Version

ORIGINAL

Reference

Sponsor

ALD. BAUMAN

Title

Communication from the Department of Public Works relating to the status of current and future operations.

Analysis

Body

Drafter

Donald McLeod

3/27/2020