The Department of Public Works shall be directed by a Commissioner
of Public Works who shall be appointed by the Mayor for a four-year
term concurrent with the Mayor's term. The Commissioner of Public
Works shall recommend appointment of such deputies, assistants and
employees of his department as may be necessary and as shall be authorized.
The Commissioner of Public Works shall, before he enters upon
the duties of his office, give a bond to the City of Oswego for an
amount determined by the Council and executed by a duly authorized
surety company incorporated or doing business under the laws of the
State of New York, to be approved by the Mayor and conditioned that
he shall faithfully execute the duties of his office and account for
and pay over all moneys received by him.
A vacancy in the office of the Commissioner of Public Works
shall be filled by appointment by the Mayor for the unexpired term.
The Department of Public Works shall have control of the construction,
improvement, repair and cleansing of the streets, highways, alleys,
avenues, sewers, sidewalks, culverts, crosswalks, parks, City Hall
grounds and bridges; the erection of electric lights, electric light
poles and fixtures; and the lighting of the city and all buildings
and rooms owned or used by the City of Oswego. Said department shall
purchase all material, supplies and equipment only pursuant to the
provisions of this Charter.
The Department of Public Works shall, with the Mayor's
approval, determine the size, dimensions, material and other specifications
of any private, connecting lateral sewer connections feeding into
the city's sewage system.
There shall be included in the annual budget an amount which
shall be placed to the credit of the Department of Public Works and
which shall be used by said Department for the purchase and planting
of shade trees. Such trees shall be planted each year and shall be
equitably apportioned to each ward of the city. Such trees shall be
planted only on lands owned by the city and on lands bordering the
public ways of the city. Said trees shall be planted under the direction
of the Department of Public Works. Said fund shall be used for no
other purpose. In the event that a portion of the fund is not used
in any one (1) year, the balance shall be added to subsequent appropriations
provided for by this Charter.
The Department of Public Works shall be authorized to require
the owners of property fronting upon any street, highway, alley or
public place to construct, repair and keep in order sidewalks. The
Department may prescribe the width and thickness of new sidewalks,
as well as the material for sidewalk construction. If, within a reasonable
time determined by the Commissioner of Public Works, owners of property
fail to install or repair sidewalks, the Department of Public Works
may install or repair them, and the cost shall be assessed and collected
in the same manner as other local assessments. The Department of Public
Works is further authorized to require sidewalks to be kept in a safe
and passable condition free from any obstructions, including snow
and ice. The failure of owners of property to comply after appropriate
notice shall subject them to local assessment charges for any work
done by the Department of Public Works to keep sidewalks open, safe
and passable. The above not withstanding, the city may, at its own
expense, implement a plan of sidewalk construction and renewal.
The Commissioner of Pubic Works shall have authority to:
A.
Permit the excavating in any public street or the opening of any
public sewer of said city at such time and in such manner and under
such regulations and superintendence thereof as said Commissioner
may prescribe in its order granting such permission. Any expense incurred
by said department in any such superintendence or in restoring or
repairing such street or sewer shall be a lien, until paid, upon the
premises or lot for the benefit of which any such work was done, and
the City of Oswego shall have a lawful demand against the applicant
to whom such permission may have been given for such expense, and
the same may be sued for in the name of the city and recovered by
said department and, when collected, shall be paid to the City Chamberlain
to the credit of the fund against which such expense is properly chargeable.
B.
Determine the place for planting and the relative location of any
shade or ornamental trees in the streets and parks of said city, and
the removal, pruning and trimming thereof of any such trees now in
said streets or parks, and to that end may propose rules and regulations
with reference thereto. These rules, with the approval of the Mayor
and Council, shall specify modes of compliance, forfeiture for noncompliance
and conditions under which the Department of Public Works shall perform
work to be charged against the owners of property.
C.
Employee the services of the City Engineer in all matters pertaining
to said department requiring the services of a civil engineer or surveyor.
D.
Enforce regulations pertaining to the installation and maintenance
of culverts after such regulations shall, with the approval of the
Mayor and Council, have been promulgated.
The Department of Public Works shall have power to make provision
whereby all garbage and other refuse of the citizens shall be gathered
and removed. It may require every occupant of any house, store, apartment
or room to place garbage and other refuse where the same may be readily
gathered for removal under such reasonable rules and regulations as
said Department may adopt.
The Department of Public Works shall have power, when authorized
by the Common Council, to contract for or to equip and operate and
maintain an electric generating facility or facilities for lighting
the streets, highways, alleys, parks, public places and all municipal
buildings and for other municipal purposes and to furnish electricity
to private consumers.
