Sweeping Changes To DPW Proposed
Town officials want to restructure Public Works in a $3 million plan that would change garbage and brush pick up
Photos
Tree trimming. Painting. Filling potholes, mending drain pipes, clearing retention ponds.
The list of tasks that the 50-some member Department of Public Works is falling behind in is long, township officials from inside and outside the department said at Wednesday’s Township Committee meeting.
So in an effort to get more done with the same number of people, or fewer, Public Works officials along with Township Administrator Jeffry Bertrand have come up with a $3.5 million restructuring plan they say would streamline the department and raise the level of service in all areas of public works.
The result, Bertrand said, would be a far more efficient Public Works department able to allocate its resources to the long list of tasks it cannot perform adequately, mired as it is in the garbage and brush disposal.
“We’re just not getting things done that need to be done,’’ Bertrand said. “And that’s not acceptable.’’
The plan would do away with labor-intensive garbage pick-up as it currently exists today, require residents to do more to prepare brush for pick-up and outsource some grass-cutting services, among other changes presented in the sweeping restructuring of the department’s duties.
Following the presentation, which lasted more than an hour, Township Committee members agreed that the restructuring was needed. No decision was made Wednesday, however.
“I think this shows real leadership,’’ Mayor Jeffrey Foster said.
The pitch for the restructuring is scheduled for a repeat at the committee’s Sept. 12 public meeting. Committee members would then have to give it their blessing, and measures to purchase the equipment necessary to make it work would have to be introduced and voted on. No action is expected at the Sept. 12 meeting.
Bertrand said the new system could be running by May, with the committee’s approval.
Under the plan:
- Garbage collection would move to once weekly and would be done by automated trucks;
- Garbage cans, purchased by the town and distributed to residents, would hold a capacity of 96 gallons, more than twice the current 45-gallon capacity allowed;
- The recycling schedule would remain at twice a month and 96-gallon cans would be purchased by the town and distributed to residents;
- Brush would be collected only May, June, August and October;
- Brush would have to be cut to particular lengths – size to be determined – and bound before pick-up;
- Bush pick up would no longer be done by use of front loaders. It would be done by hand
- Public works would add janitorial services and ground maintenance of the municipal complex, but would outsource grass-cutting in the summer.
The plan would save employees thousands of work hours a year – hours that could be used to attend to tree trimming and other needed tasks in the town, Bertrand said.
“We think it’s a good plan,’’ he said. “We hope you think it’s a good plan.’’
Cost estimates
In total, the restructuring would cost about $3.3 million, Bertrand said.
The town would need to buy seven automated garbage trucks — five for garbage, two for recycling and one as a backup for the others in case of maintenance or repair. Each truck costs about $275,000, for a total of about $1.925 million, he said.
The town would also need to purchase about 9,400 garbage cans and the same number of recycling cans at a cost of about $55 each, for a total of about $1.03 million, he said.
The town would also buy several thousand additional garbage and recycling cans, offered for purchase by residents for half the town’s cost, if a homeowner is in need of a second or third can. That would cost about $96,000, if they all sold out to residents, Bertrand said.
There also would be a cost of nearly $200,000 to outsource the summer grass cutting the plan proposes.
No Public Works positions would be eliminated under the proposal. Two positions – employees who plan to retire – would not be replaced, Bertrand said. If other positions become vacant, the administration would discuss on a case-by-case basis what was to become of those vacancies, he said.
The current garbage collection system uses four trucks and eight employees, Bertrand said.
'Residents are going to see an improvement'
Under the proposal, garbage collection would move to automated trucks — sometimes called “one-arm bandits’’ — which require only one employee. Those trucks would pick up 1/3 of the town a day, Bertrand said.
The changes to the brush pick-up would be borne mainly by residents, Bertrand said. Homeowners would have to cut and bind their brush before Public Works would pick it up.
It is necessary, however, because employees are spending large amounts of time picking up brush when they could be performing other tasks, Bertrand said.
“We’re asking that if you do this,’’ Bertrand said. “We can go do some of the things that are slipping through the cracks.’’
Members of the committee seemed keen on Bertrand’s idea.
“I know that we need to do things better,’’ Committeewoman Ann Marie Conte said. “I know we can do things better, and I think this is a clear example of what we need to move forward with, in some fashion, quickly.’’
"This is a long time coming for me,’’ Foster said. “It’s going to be an improvement, on everything. Residents are going to see an improvement next summer. They’re going to be real happy.”
Wall Resident
6:42 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
How about Mr. Berttrand just manage his crews instead of throwing 3.5 million dollars at the problem and cutting the services to a town that pays astronomical property taxes. I do not even work for PUblic Works but yet I see them almost daily at the North Wall little league field talking on cells phones for at least the 30 minutes that I am there and they are sitting in trucks. Yesterday they were cutting the grass on the 60/90 field that will not even be used by NWLlL until next spring! Use your management skills Mr. Bertrand not our money!
Fred Grygiel
7:41 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Just curious. Costs = $3.5 million. Are there any measurable savings from the restructuring in terms of labor costs or any other costs compared to the current system? BTW the binding of brush will be especially burdensome on seniors. Since the brush is picked up by a loader and directly put in a truck why does it need to be tied-up? Can understand the length issue. Lastly it is very important to provide the estimated "savings" from introducing this restructuring compared with the current system.
Joanne Fink
8:27 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Our taxes in this town are already astronomical. A fifty man crew can't get all the work done? Why doesn't Mr.Bertand do some managing of his 50 employees before he asks to throw a ton of money at the situation? That is governments' answer to everything, throw more money at it instead of trying to work more efficiently with what you have. That is what all the taxpayers are doing in these tough economic times. What is good enough for the people that pay your salary should be good enough for you!
Allenwoodie
8:54 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Didn't we just buy new trucks? Now we are going to buy different trucks? If the DPW isn't going to mow and the new trucks only need one person to operate then why aren't we getting rid of more employees? The Committee should note that the rules they implemented last year have caused more residents to employ curb side pick up of brush, leaves and bulk because of the new policy restricting commercial vehicles from entering the recycling yard. My husband is a carpenter and his pickup truck is registered as a commercial vehicle therefore we cannot use his pickup truck to get rid of our bulk and vegetative waste. I refuse to put these dirty items in the only new car I've ever owned. As a result, we put the items out at the curb and wait for the town to pick them up. The DPW created more work for themselves by restricting access to the yards and now the residents will pay more to "help" the DPW to get their jobs done. Why does it always end up costing us more to get the same service? Maybe they should be looking at the effectiveness of the people running the DPW?
Also, on a side note, why do we now have full time police/EMTs with a brand new expensive ambulance that is housed at the brand new and very expensive police station? We have volunteer EMTs with vehicles already. This seems redundant and very expensive!!
Wall Resident2
10:09 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Allenwoodie, but if your husband worked for the town or knew someone that worked there he wouldn't have a problem. Many DPW workers who have 2nd jobs use the recycling yard on a daily basis to get rid of debris from landscaping or home improvement jobs.
Greg P
9:33 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
The garbage plan has merit but I am wondering if we truly need 7 trucks to get the garbage pick up going. If pickup is weekly and one truck picks up a third of the town each day, wouldn't 2 or 3 be sufficient?
Wall Resident2
9:37 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Really? Maybe what the DPW needs is someone that knows how to manage! If you can't get the work done with 50 some employees then there is a problem. Like someone else stated in the comments- if they all weren't sitting around doing nothing you would have a more efficient department! with only 8 employees working garbage what are the others doing? They can't cut a tree? And let me guess- one of the DPW employees who has a landscaping business will be the one the DPW outsources the grass cutting contract to. Mr. Bertrand, let's start managing with what we have and let's STOP wasting all of OUR money!!!
Mike stiffler
10:16 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
It's truly amazing how people can comment when they have no idea of the tasks that the Dpw does. And I see them everyday talking on cell phones? How could this be when their assignments are in different areas each day . And then get rid of more employees.? Why don't you talk to the residents in big towns like wall that had that happen and see of they are happy I think you will be surprised because they are very unhappy. You people have no clue but yet you run your mouth all day long because your taxes are high. 80 percent of the Dpw employees live in town and endure the same tax burden that you do so in other words get a life!
Wall Resident
10:50 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
I see with my own eyes DPW workers at the NWLL fields almost daily talking on their cell phones and sitting in trucks. I do not know if these are the same DPW workers every time and maybe they are not where they should be when they are sitting at the fields but they are there! Furthermore, if you think that people should not speak up when they see government waste maybe you should get a life in say North Korea!
Wall Mom
10:20 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
The brush suggestion is ridiculous. No early spring pick-up? That is when people start working in their yard to pick up winter brush/tree damage. Bundle brush?!? Why, so I can watch the DPW guy pick up my "bundles o' brush" from the curbside with his front end loader?? I will bundle my brush when the DPW guys start throwing the bundles by hand into the back of a truck and we all know that isn't going to happen anytime soon. If residents are abusing the limits on brush (over-sized branches, excessive amounts, incorrect placement at the curbside), then don't pick theirs up, make them pay extra to have it removed. The jury is still out for me regarding the "one-armed bandits". That is a lot of money to invest all at once. I would suggest gradually replacing garbage trucks over time to roll out the new system incrementally by zone.
Fred Grygiel
10:44 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Some simple questions about the proposal: (1) were the trucks/cans put out to bid? (2) how will senior residents be able to get full 96 gallon containers to the curb(now you can put out smaller cans/bags)? In bad weather? (3) will these larger mandated cans create some local traffic problems? (4) Why the rush on implementing the restructuring. Is there a crisis? (5) Can the Twp start with one day a week garbage pick-up and track the benefits? (6) Are there any studies that show that brush pick-up by hand is more efficient than by loaders(some brush cannot be tied so some hand loading will always be necessary)?
Wall Resident
12:18 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
You are missing the point that we PAY HUGE property tax bills so why should we just accept less services from the township ( ie. once a week trash pick up) just because they say they can not get all the work done. By the way a family of five accumulates too much trash for a once a week pick up. If we had to, I would rather spend a smaller amount of money and get a management consultant firm or such to see if the DPW is working at its highest efficiency with their current personnel and equipment. Shame on Foster to think the citizens of Wall would be happy with this proposal! It just shows you how out of touch the committee is with its residents.
Wall Resident 3
12:17 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
You got to be kidding me!! $3.5 million for new trucks and trash cans! I already haul half of my trash and recyclables to the center. How about reducing my taxes since I already "work" for the township by doing this. Regarding brush pickup... I am glad that I have someone to cut my bushes, nevermind asking them to bundle it for me. I do not have a suitable vehicle to bring it to the center.
Guntoter66
1:16 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
Remember folks these are "proposals" nothing is written in stone. I'm not sure on the cost factors, but again these are estimates. I'm retired and up in years and I for one welcome once a week pick-up. That means only one trip to the curb. Just switch the P/U days so Zone 1 doesn't get screwed every Monday!
Phineas J Whoopee
2:07 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
This is just reason for them to raise our quarterly service bills. Mark my word 1 year after they put this in place an extreme rate hike will take place.
Allenwoodie
5:50 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
Our brush hasn't been picked up in more than a month. Bulk week came and went with no pickuo. My neighbors and I tend to put our brush in one pile to reduce the number of obstacles in the street but we don't get a thank you from the DPW, we get a "hey your not doing it right enough so we're not picking up your brush with our loader because it's too hard!" Enough of this. DPW, you work for us! We don't work for you!
North Shark
9:04 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
There seems to be a great deal of falsehoods stated in the above comments. I have been attending township meeting for over 6 years to “monitor” what is taking place in town and see what our elected officials are doing. First, I think it distasteful for people to make statements about Mr. Bertrand, the township admin and the management of DPW without seeing the presentation as it is their JOB to make recommendations to the committee to cut raising costs.
Mr. Bertrand presented a power point presentation to the Committee outlining how to stream line the work that needs to be done throughout the township. The above article only gives a couple of basic examples; “Tree trimming. Painting, filling potholes, mending drain pipes, clearing retention ponds.” The work that needs to be done around town is much more involved than the basics listed above. Keep in mind, Wall Township is over 32 square miles and has over 8 miles of open space. It is much larger than your yard......
North Shark
9:05 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
Not all DPW workers take advantage; these men show up and work out in the elements, as they are paid to do, while we are inside with the AC or heat keeping us comfortable. If you see abuse you should report it. At times Personal Cell phones are used for communicating with supervisors as the radios in the trucks do not function, most trucks do not have air conditioning, the equipment is old and outdated as previous committees didn’t invest in the future, only the here and now and as a result we are paying for it.
So if you want to learn why Mr. Bertrand, the DPW, and the Committee (if they elect to proceed), you should plan on attending the presentation at Town Hall, September 12th at 7:30 pm. Get the facts first and then make an informed decision.
And just to set the record straight I am not a township employee or committee member, just a tax payer
Wall Resident2
6:33 pm on Sunday, September 9, 2012
Hey there North Shark, Blah, Blah, Blah. Maybe we should think about outsourcing our garbage pickup. Oh yeah and by the way maybe we should keep our eyes open for people(township employees) taking our aluminum (and other things) to the junkyard to profit from it ;) be careful!
Wall Resident2
10:25 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
Hey Pollyanna, open your eyes! Waste, waste ,and more waste! You choose not to see it from the inside looking out but believe me the residents of Wall are sick of the nonsense. The can has been opened and we are WATCHING!!!! ;)
North Shark
11:08 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
Now, Now Wall Resident2…name calling? I assure you my eyes are wide open as well as my ears. There is a great amount of waste on just about every level of government and I am glad you are watching. If you see the presentation you might actually realize this will be a good move for Wall.
Chuck
5:40 am on Saturday, September 8, 2012
It is good to have a place to comment on these Wall issues. As usual this huge expenditure is "long time coming for me,’’ Foster said and Ms Conte says" I think this is a clear example of what we need to move forward with, in some fashion, quickly.’’ A huge rush tied to huge expenditures. How easy it is to spend the taxpayers money when ther is one party rule and no elected official to vote "no" to anything. Just check the last "no"vote on anything by anyone on the WTC. You will be hard pressed to find a dissenting opinion amongst the elected. By the way is not suprising that Mr. Lutman dosen't express an opinion in this patch report. Why? Because he is up for reelection and as Ms Conte demonstrated in last years WTC election it is better to keep yourself below the radar than express an opinion. Any way if the public wants to participate you better talk fast at the Sept. meeting because you only get five minutes before you are cut off by your committe. Good luck curtailing the purchase of these new toys for the township I suspect the deal is already done.
Really?
9:53 am on Saturday, September 8, 2012
I agree Chuck. On both points. The only time you see or hear from a member of the WTC in an election year is when their picture is being taken with an Eagle Scout, or helping a old person cross the street. The remarkable thing is the people in Wall prefer it that way. It makes everything rosey to them. Good old Wall, Mayberry without sincerity.
Kidding me
9:08 am on Sunday, September 9, 2012
I don't agree with Chcuk at all. Although I am not in favor of the new trash pickup idea, I do not believe there is some one party conspiracy. I have looked into voting history of the current committee and they most certainly do not always agree. As a matter of fact when a dem was on the committee he agreed with almost EVERY topic ever discussed. Is it becuase agreeing is wrong? or perhaps the question and issues that came up really only had 1 answer regardless of party lines. As far a toys for the township, clearly Chuck must have worked in a Public Works Department picking up somneone elses trash, as he clearly knows how fun it is. "Really?" I am assuming you are not "the people in Wall"? As you seem to talk down to them and the way of life they prefer. It is so easy to poke jabs at government and in this case the Republican Party when you are only out to either scream from the cheap seats, or try to promote a candidate here in silly season, but I ask you, if the local government is so riddle with bad judgement and single party corruption why do you choose to live here? This is town has been molded since 1851 to what it is today by the citizens through election. If you think other towns are doing better than us and are then a better place to live because of it then move there! Otherwise come to the meetings or set up a meeting with the Administrator and offer a better suggestion if you are so sure one exists.
Chuck
5:02 pm on Sunday, September 9, 2012
I am fine with my neighbors not agreeing with me. I did not say there is a" conspiracy" that would suggest wronge doing. I did not say that nor do I imply it. However there is and has always been "one party rule" here in Wall. That is what I object to regardless of the party which "rules" unchecked by another. I went back through ten years of WTC voting records and was astounded at the lack of dissenting votes recorded there. Including the few that the one Democrat who was elected had cast. I give Mr Foster kudos for casting a few "no" votes during his tenure. (continued)
Chuck
5:03 pm on Sunday, September 9, 2012
I do not mean to suggest that a no vote is the right vote all the time or even most of the time. It just seems unusual that so few dissenting votes are cast at all. It is difficult to believe that anyone would say " issues that came up really only had 1 answer " except where there is one party rule or a dictatorship. I work as a skilled laborer with many many different kinds of tools. Some very heavy some not so bad. I have collected trash and it is not fun as a job (though I was volunteering at the time and we did have many laughs). Therfore I can say with some certainty that getting "brand new tools " to work with regardless of the work makes the easier for a while and the tools seem like toys. Mostly the "toys" reference was directed at those who vote to make the purchase not the hard working PWs people who will have to use them. Lets see how long it takes after the new trucks arrive before the WTC has their pictures posted with them (possibly even posing while operating them). I did not endorse any canidate. Yet. My wife wanted to live here and found a nice home for us long before I investigated the towns politics. The politics would not have kept me out anyway since I believe change is posslble.(Continued)
Chuck
5:04 pm on Sunday, September 9, 2012
I did not realize that the Republicans have been molding Wall since 1851. Maybe it is time to mix things up a bit. I have been to many WTC meetings. I have witnessed the beat down of dissenters. Unfortuately I am currently earning a living working overnight. So for better or worse I wil be unable to attend WTC meetings untill the building is built. All the best to all Wall citizens wether they agree with me or not.