WESTFIELD – Three City Council committees are slated to meet in joint session to determine if an appropriation request will be approved to allow the hiring of a controversial facilities and maintenance director.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik submitted a $30,000 transfer last week, moving that money from the Purchasing Department to the mayor’s office to hire a new director for the newly created Department of Facilities Maintenance for the remainder of the fiscal year.
The council unanimously rejected a similar appropriation, of $40,000, in January. The new Department of Facilities & Grounds was created in November, on an 8-5 council vote, to centralize building and grounds maintenance to facilitate both short and long-term capital investment, through bonding, intended to protect the recent investment of more than $25 million to repair municipal buildings and schools across the city. The maintenance director will also be responsible for establishing a consolidated facilities work order system.
The council members approved a request of the Finance Committee to kept that $30,000 transfer in committee at the Feb. 23 City Council session because of a number of issues, including availability of the funding, which was in the Purchasing Department purchase of services account.
Another issue is that the position is currently in the mayor’s department. Several Council members have argued that it should be included in the Public Works Department which is being reorganized to consolidate the current Public Works, Water Resource, Parks & Recreation departments as well as the Wastewater Treatment plant.
Ward 5 Councilor Robert Paul Sr., argued at the Finance Committee meeting held on Feb. 23 prior to the full council session, that the “we should put this new job inside the DPW structure.”
Other councilors have argued that the facilities department and director need to be an independent, stand-alone department.
Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy, responding to Paul’s suggestion, said that several city officials, including Dave Billips the current Water Resource and interim DPW superintendent, have argued “that the facilities (director) must be independent to work for all departments, so for now it has to be under the mayor.”
The joint meeting, slated for tomorrow, will include the council’s Finance Committee, Personnel Action Committee and Legislative & Ordinance Committee to find a resolution acceptable to at least seven councilors, the number needed to approve the funding transfer.
