Write a commentOswego Mayor Billy Barlow announced today the creation of a new schedule at the City of Oswego Department of Public Works, a move that turns the department to a twenty-four hour, seven days a week operation for the months of December through March. Previously, the Department of Public Works has two separate shifts, covering 7AM-3PM and Monday through Friday only.
Mayor Barlow has now implemented three different rotating shifts Monday through Sunday, a change the Mayor says will surely decrease the amount of overtime within the department while also expediting the snow removal process and help with snow plowing efficiency.
Mayor Barlow also noted the significant decline in overtime for the DPW, cutting overtime by more than 50% compared to 2015. In 2015, department overtime soared just above $375,000 for the entire year, compared to $242,000 in 2016. As of December 15th, the DPW has accumulated just under $160,000 in 2017.
"The implementation of a twenty-four hour seven day a week operation will allow the Department of Public Works to better prepare and operate for major snow events throughout the winter and will allow the City more opportunities to remove snow from Downtown Oswego as we will be able to stay ahead of upcoming storms, handle the snow accumulation as it happens and be proactive about snow plowing and snow removal rather than reactive", said Mayor Barlow. "This shift will also help reduce overtime within the Department. Previously, if it started to snow or an incident occurred while the department was closed, overtime would be required to call in personnel. With the implementation of our new system, now we always have personnel available and will not need to call in overtime as frequently, ultimately creating a savings to the City taxpayer", Barlow continued.
The new scheduling system for the Department of Public Works is one of many changes that have occurred recently within the department. Mayor Barlow and the Department of Public Works has increased the focus on downtown Oswego recently, while also implementing a brining system to Oswego roads prior to forecasted snowfalls. The brine system is applied to City Streets before snow actually begins to fall and is used to delay the accumulation of snow on the roadway, allowing the plows more time to prevent major accumulation and keep the streets cleaner throughout the winter. Mayor Barlow called the brine system a "new, innovative way to cut costs and improve our snow removal operation" but the brining system became subject to a recent grievance and arbitration hearing with the Service Employees International Union Local 200, the Union representing City employees at the DPW. However, the City of Oswego won that hearing after an arbitrator ruled in favor of the City's position and allowed the City to continue with such a system.
"My administration will continue to improve operations in all City departments by finding new and creative ways to cut operating costs, especially when it comes to overtime. We will also continue our push to improve the level of service our residents receive. I remain committed to enhancing neighborhood services and properly maintaining our downtown area as we work to help our local, small businesses, provide safe traveling conditions for our residents, improve the appearance of our community and push to save the money or our City taxpayers", Barlow concluded.
The Department of Public Works is located at 114 Mitchell Street and can be reached by phone at 315-342-8180.
