Department Description

Public Services General Fund activities consist of the following:

Public Works maintains various City spaces such as gateways, the urban forest, downtown, and snowmelt system. The revenue source is the General Fund.

Citywide maintenance provides custodial, upkeep, mechanical maintenance, and necessary repair services for all City facilities. Staff ensures services are provided in an efficient and effective manner to support all other City departments in providing their services to the community. These services are funded by revenue from the General Fund and a special assessment for snowmelt.

The facilities maintained are the Harrison Facility, Stockbridge Facility, Water Department Buildings' HVAC, Public Safety Facilities (including headquarters, fire stations, and training spaces), City Hall, and to a limited extent, Mayors Riverfront Park Team Facility, Parks Administration Building, and Mt. Home & Riverside Cemetery buildings.

Fleet manages, purchases, disposes, repairs, and maintains vehicles and heavy equipment within the Public Services Department, as well as a portion of Parks and Recreation, Public Safety and City Hall vehicles and equipment. The revenue to fund the Fleet Services budget is derived from use charges.

Public Services provides the following services for the residents and visitors of Kalamazoo:

• Maintain various City spaces
• Custodial, upkeep, mechanical maintenance, and necessary repair services for all City facilities
• Manage, purchase, disposal, repair and maintain vehicles and heavy equipment

Department Positions

Department Expenditures - General Fund

Department Expenditures - All Funds

In addition to the General Fund, the Public Services department manages several programs that have resources from restricted and other dedicated funding sources and user charges.

Department Goals - Public Services All Funds

Goal: Implement two-way streets funding model

Objectives: Finalize and enact two-way streets funding model

Action Plan: Apply for local, state, and federal grants

Metrics: Grants received in 2022 – Kalamazoo & State of MI KATS TIP, and RAISE; 2023 Apply for and receive additional funding, including federal grants

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Connected City

Goal: Enhanced pedestrian walkways

Objectives: Enhanced pedestrian crossing safety improvements (Rapid Flashing Beacons)

Action Plan: Install rapid flashing & enhanced crosswalks and HAWK pedestrian system

Metrics: 2022 - Installed rapid flashing & enhanced crosswalks; 2023 - Continue rapid flashing & enhanced crosswalks; and install HAWK system

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Connected City

Goal: Traffic Signal Replacement Program

Objectives: Design traffic signal replacement program

Action Plan: Document existing signal location and condition; develop replacement schedule

Metrics: New program in 2023 - Implement traffic signal replacement

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Connected City

Goal - Improve Recycling Stream

Objectives: Improve recycling stream

Action Plan: Identify top contaminants and enhance community education via outreach and direct mailer

Metrics: 2022: conduct materials audit for baseline of top contaminants; 2023: reduction in materials that reflect more responsible recycling

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Environmental Responsibility

Goal - Improve Leaf removal System

Objectives: Leaf removal system

Action Plan: Implement forward facing system that will allow residents to see leaf pickup by area

Metrics: New in 2023, will implement system and track number of users

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Environmental Responsibility

Goal - Sustainable maintenance

Objectives: Create a sustainable cemetery maintenance plan

Action Plan: To ensure safety of visiting families, implement plan for hazardous tree removal, headstone reset, patching and paving improvements

Metrics: 2022: staff assisted with maintenance needs, some funding received via grants to assist with improvement needs; 2023: identify grants and other sources to assist in funding maintenance needs

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Inviting public places

Goal - Improve asset management

Objectives: Create a plan for cemetery asset management

Action Plan: Conduct inventory of and document assets to include current location and condition; use information gathered to plan for maintenance and capital improvement plans

Metrics: New in 2022; 2023: utilize staff and interns to assist with entry in Lucity to track assets

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Good Governance

Goal - Lead Service Line Replacement

Objectives: 500 or more Lead Service Line Replacements systemwide

Action Plan: Conduct Northside replacement project, biannual lead sampling & schedule service line renewal if exceeds limit, replace on streets in coordination with Public Works projects

Metrics: 2022 - 700 services replaced; 2023 - monthly status reporting

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Safe Community

Goal: Improve Compliance Rating

Objectives: 98% or better total combined compliance rating

Action Plan: Test, score, and track compliance percentage for each to ensure permit parameters are met, as well as fewer effluent violations

Metrics: 2022 - Achieved 99%; 2023 - continue achieving 98% or better

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Environmental Responsibility

Goal: Reduce hydrogen sulfide concentration

Objectives: Reduce annual average background hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentration

Action Plan: Utilize Envirosuite Suite Sensor System to monitor and calculate per sensor

Metrics: New in 2023 - will calculate average per sensor

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Environmental Responsibility

Goal - Improve surface/groundwater

Objectives: Collaboration with and performance of research surface/groundwater with Western Michigan University

Action Plan: Monitor water quality and treatment needs, and assess need to expand

Metrics: New in 2023; will track the communities in which need improvement

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Safe Community

Goal - Improve Water Quality

Objectives: Train, enact and employ 10-Step Water Quality Improvement Plan

Action Plan: Help improve water quality, install seasonal and permanent auto-flushers, annual tank cleaning, monitor water comments received

Metrics: Reduce the number of water quality complaints

Alignment with Strategic Vision: Safe Community