[HISTORY: Adopted as indicated in text (Ch. 60 of the 1990
Code of Public Local Laws). Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1972, ch. 629, § 1]
There shall be a Department of Public Works of the County, the
head of which department shall be the Director of Public Works.
[1972, ch. 629, § 1; 1988, ch. 227, § 2;
amended 11-13-2012 by Ord. No.
2012-12]
The County Executive, in accordance with the Charter, shall
appoint a suitable person as Director of Public Works and, with the
advice of the County Executive, shall appoint such assistants, aides,
clerks, stenographers and other field and office help as may be necessary
for the proper administration of the Department of Public Works created
hereunder. The Director of Public Works shall be a professional engineer
registered under the laws of this state. The County Executive, when
appointing a Director of Public Works, shall give first consideration
to the qualifications of those who are graduates in engineering from
a recognized college or technical school of collegiate grade. The
Director of Public Works shall be a person of broad experience and
high standing in the engineering profession, and shall have had responsible
charge of engineering works over a period of at least five years.
If the person appointed as Director of Public Works is not a graduate
in engineering from a recognized college or technical school of collegiate
grade, he shall have had not less than 10 years' experience in
engineering, during five years of which he shall have been in responsible
charge of important engineering projects. The Deputy Director of Public
Works may be a professional engineer registered under the laws of
this state. The Director of Public Works may be removed from office
at any time in the discretion of the County Executive; and his compensation
shall be fixed for his services by the County Executive from time
to time.
[1972, ch. 629]
The organization of the Department of Public Works shall consist
of the Director of Public Works as Chairman, the divisions or subdepartments
which may be created under the general authority of this section and
the following County offices, which shall be considered subdepartments
of the Department of Public Works:
[1972, ch. 629, § 1]
A.
All of the subdepartments of the Department of Public Works shall
continue to perform and to execute the duties and obligations and
to exercise the rights, powers, functions and privileges now or hereafter
conferred upon them by any public local or public general laws; except
that all of the subdepartments shall be subject to the control, supervision
and direction of the Director of Public Works. The Director of Public
Works shall be the final arbiter of all questions and controversies
of any kind or nature that may arise within, between or among any
of the subdepartments.
B.
The Director of Public Works shall have power and it shall be his
duty to coordinate the functions and operations of the subdepartments
constituting the Department of Public Works, to the end that all unnecessary
waste and duplication of effort may be eliminated. He shall see to
it that no subdepartment unnecessarily maintains duplicate equipment
or personnel which should be centralized in one bureau and is empowered
to centralize any such unnecessary duplication of work or personnel
in one or more subdepartments for the purpose of eliminating such
duplications and likewise shall have power to assign and reassign
equipment from the custody of one subdepartment to another subdepartment,
as he may deem expedient. Notwithstanding any contrary provisions
of public local law concerning public works construction, preparation,
approval and signature of plats, drawings, deeds or other documents
by the Roads Engineer, Chief Sanitary Engineer or other subdepartments
of the Department of Public Works, the same shall be subject to reassignment
by the Director of Public Works with the approval of the County to
any division which may be created for the purpose of consolidating
such operations as design, drafting, construction, inspection, maintenance
operations, land acquisition, etc., in the interest of efficiency
and economy.
[1972, ch. 629, § 1]
The Director of Public Works shall have supervision over all
engineering questions and over all matters concerned or connected
with any and every public improvement in the County or elsewhere,
made by the County or any department, office, board, commission or
agency thereof, and all plans and specifications of such public improvements
shall be submitted to the Director of Public Works and be subject
to his approval.
[1972, ch. 629, § 1]
The Director of Public Works shall perform such additional duties
as may be required of him by the County Executive, and the County
Executive shall have full and complete authority to reverse, alter
or amend in any way any decision of the Director of Public Works.
[1972, ch. 629, § 1]
The Director of Public Works shall have the power to assign
and reassign to and take from the subdepartments of the Department
of Public Works the performance of any duties or the exercise of any
powers incident to the conduct of the Department of Public Works as
may seem to the Director of Public Works to be necessary and proper
and, whenever it seems advisable, from time to time to transfer duties
and powers from one subdepartment to another subdepartment, and from
time to time to retransfer the same, in whole or in part.
