PRESS RELEASE DETAIL

For Immediate Release

Release Date: 03/27/2013

DPW Reorganization Recommendations Proposed

Recommended Organizational Structure Promotes Efficiency, Accountability, and Opportunity

A committee organized to advise and shape a process designed to provide recommendations for the reorganization of the Department of Public Works received an initial report today detailing a proposed new organizational structure for City-Parish public works functions.

This DPW Reorganization Steering Committee, a group representing a wide cross-section of internal and external public works stakeholders comprised of representatives of the Office of the Mayor-President and the Metro Council, Department of Public Works employees and union representatives, industry and trade association representatives, and community stakeholders, reviewed a consulting team’s recommendations that the existing Department of Public Works be decentralized and divided into six new departments with self-contained budget units, clear functional responsibilities, performance metrics, and one director for each new department tasked with overseeing the critical departmental functions and services to which each is assigned.

As presented, these recommendations include the following departments proposed to assume the responsibilities of the existing Department of Public Works:

• The Department of Environmental Services
• The Department of Transportation
• The Department of Maintenance
• The Department of Development
• The Department of Buildings and Grounds
• The Department of Fleet Management

“The proposed restructuring of our existing Department of Public Works is one that we believe makes a great deal of sense for not just the present, but also the future needs of East Baton Rouge Parish,” William Daniel, Chief Administrative Officer and a member of the Reorganization Steering Committee, said. “This is a solution we feel provides our employees with a great deal of opportunity, but also helps promote a culture of accountability and efficiency so that we can better serve the citizens of Baton Rouge.”

“With this reorganization, we look forward to improving our performance and continuing to play the critical role we do in providing necessary services and filling key functions for the citizens of Baton Rouge,” David Guillory, Department of Public Works Director and Reorganization Steering Committee member, said. “These recommendations were very clear that nobody will lose their job as a direct result of this reorganization, and that is a critical piece to this and to our City-Parish employees. This process is intended to increase opportunities for our hard-working employees, not create obstacles or barriers, something that we have emphasized from day one.”

As proposed, the recommendations for reorganization will soon be presented in full to the Metro Council for consideration and approval. A transition plan and phased approach for implementation will also be detailed at that time. Pending Metro Council approval, the recommendations, which outline proposed changes to the existing Plan of Government of the Parish of East Baton Rouge and the City of Baton Rouge which specifies a “single unified Department of Public Works,” would then go before the citizens of East Baton Rouge Parish as per the process for instituting changes to the Plan of Government.

Throughout this process, the reorganization team, in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office and appropriate City-Parish departments, will continue its work in moving towards full implementation and transitioning to the proposed new structure by identifying and filling key positions, realigning key public works functions at the division-level, conducting outreach to City-Parish staff and employees, and establishing performance measures throughout workgroups within existing public works functions.

“This is a process that was designed to be evolutionary – not revolutionary – and based on these recommendations, a significant amount of change is recommended for the future of our City-Parish. We believe this to be positive change, and we look forward to working with all stakeholders, including our existing DPW employees, as we begin implementing these recommendations and transitioning to a new and improved structure for City-Parish public works functions,” Daniel said.


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