After telling Mayor Tim Monceaux last week that he wasn’t going to rubberstamp department head recommendations, Alderman Clint Cradeur has recommended consolidation of some departments.
During the first city council meeting of the new year, council members shot down two of Monceaux’s nominations for department head positions — street commissioner and recreation director.
The latter was subsequently filled by an alternate nomination by the mayor.
During a special meeting Monday night, Monceaux was scheduled to again make a recommendation for the street commissioner’s position but, at the last minute, decided to delay that action until the February meeting.
That’s when Cradeur spoke up.
“Before we vote on a street commissioner, I would like to go on record to recommend the mayor combine the wastewater, street department and public works divisions under a single manager,” Cradeur read from a preprepared statement. “This will give these departments much-needed supervision and unity.”
Cradeur did not offer any insight as to what would happen to the positions that had been filled earlier in the month — Public Works Director Albert John and Wastewater Superintendent Tim Cradeur.
According to the councilman, the change would result in “significant cost savings to the city by eliminating duplicated resources in each of these departments.”
He explained that equipment such as backhoes, dump trucks, tractors, mowers, etc., are used by all three departments, adding that “maintenance personnel, equipment operators, supervisors and general laborers are also areas that could be consolidated, with some possibly eliminated ...”
In conclusion, Cradeur said,” I recommend we seek out all opportunities to find a competent individual for this position, someone able to fulfill the management of this multi-million dollar infrastructure operation.”
Asked Tuesday morning about Alderman Cradeur’s proposal, Monceaux all but said he opposed it, explaining that the position Cradeur alluded to was, in his opinion, comparable to that of a city manager.
“The city of Crowley can’t afford that,” he said.
Monceaux added that he had been prepared to offer a nomination for the street commissioner’s post Monday night but learned prior to the meeting that it would have been voted down again.
“We’re going to offer it at the February meeting,” he said.
That meeting is set for Tuesday, Feb. 12.
In other action at Monday’s special meeting, the council voted to extend the bid reception deadline by a month for equipment for the new fleet of police patrol units.
According to Tom Regan, city attorney, bidders have substituted “comparable” equipment instead of the equipment specified in the bid request.
“We just need extra time to evaluate this substitute equipment,” he told the council.
Chief Jimmy Broussard also noted that the SUVs that were purchased for the department probably won’t be delivered until April.
“All the Tauruses are in —in fact, they came in a little early — but the SUVs are on back order,” he told the council.