Public Works and Public Utilities Committee Meeting - August 4, 2026
Public Works and Public Utilities Committee Meeting - August 4, 2026
The Public Works and Public Utilities Committee met on August 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The committee elected new leadership, discussed several public works projects, and provided guidance on public utilities reporting. Multiple motions were passed to advance infrastructure improvements.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Motion Summary from September 23, 2025: A motion to approve was made and seconded. Councilor Griffith and Dr. Bogan abstained, Vice Mayor Frazier voted yes. Due to the abstentions, the item was not approved and will be revisited at a future meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public addressed the committee.
Election of Chair and Vice-Chair
- The committee elected Councilor Caitlin Frazier as Chair and Dr. Kyle Bogan as Vice-Chair. The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion Items
Public Works Department Updates
-
Recycling & Yard Waste Public Information Campaign
Staff presented new messaging on refuse vehicles about proper disposal of lithium-ion batteries, which have caused multiple onboard fires. The campaign also addresses yard waste contamination, as two of three local providers reject the city’s yard waste due to contaminants. Staff seeks resident awareness to avoid a potential switch to rear-load collection in cans. -
Sidewalk Maintenance Update
Over two years, the city repaired nearly 25,000 square feet of sidewalk at a cost of $326,000. Most repairs are city-responsible due to street tree root damage. The program is complaint-driven. Staff plans to increase funding from $150,000 to $225,000 in 2027 for a spring, summer, and fall program. -
Franklin Street Parking Lot Dumpster Enclosures
Staff proposed constructing an attractive enclosure for four dumpsters and rearranging parking to improve aesthetics and safety. The project is planned for the 2027 budget. A motion to move forward passed unanimously (Griffith: yes, Bogan: yes, Frazier: yes). -
Potter Street Widening
To restore parallel parking lost due to CSX bridge work, staff proposed adding six feet of pavement along 190 feet of fence line, using $5,000 in materials. A motion to proceed passed unanimously. -
Potter Alley Improvement (east side of Potter Street)
Staff recommended rebuilding 265 feet of alley to offset parking loss from the Central Avenue project. A motion to proceed passed unanimously. -
Alley Improvement in Core Business District (behind Sherwin Williams)
Staff proposed rebuilding a deteriorated public alley that serves downtown businesses and refuse trucks. The project requires permission from adjacent property owners but can be completed this year. A motion to proceed passed unanimously. -
DriveDelaware Facebook Page Relaunch
The city rebranded its Facebook page from AccessDelaware to DriveDelaware, which will serve as a one-way information platform for road closures and projects.
Public Utilities Reporting Preferences
- Public Utilities staff requested guidance on what information to bring to the committee. Members expressed interest in water usage metrics and capacity discussions. Staff will present summer usage data at the next meeting.
Staff Comments
- City Manager Paul Break provided reassurance about cybersecurity protections on the water system, noting it is not connected directly to the internet and that multi-factor authentication is in place for alarm systems.
- Chair Frazier commented that the new water rate structure is working as designed: most residential users see lower bills, while heavy irrigation users pay higher rates, and revenue is up.
Key Outcomes
- Election of new Chair (Frazier) and Vice-Chair (Bogan) – unanimous.
- Motions to proceed with the Franklin Street dumpster project, Potter Street widening, Potter alley improvement, and core business district alley improvement all passed unanimously.
- The consent calendar item was not approved due to abstentions; will be revisited.
- Staff directed to provide summer water usage data at the next committee meeting.
- Meeting adjourned at 6:41 PM.
Meeting Transcript
The time is now six o'clock. We will call to order the public works and public utilities committee meeting for the city of Delaware for August 4th, 2026. Roll call, please. Miss Griffith? Here. Ms. Sorry, Dr. Bogan. Here. Vice Mayor Fraser. Here. All right. Item two is approval of the motion summary. Approval of the motion summary from the public works public utilities committee meeting held on September 23rd, 2025, is recorded and transcribed. What is the wish of the committee? Yes. And two of our committee members are brand new to the committee, so I don't know how you want to handle that. Well, I'll I'll make the motion to approve the motion summary. Second. Ms. Griffith Abstain. Dr. Bogan. Abstain. And Vice Mayor Frazier. Yes. So this will be on our next council meeting or the next meeting then and then until it gets approved. That's the one zero to abstentions. No. Because an abstention is essentially a no. Yeah. You could just move it to the next meeting agenda. So we'll just yeah. No, I know, but yeah. So we'll discuss after. Yeah. Yeah. Great. We will uh move to item three, which is public comment. Is there anyone in the public here to would like to address the committee? All right. Seeing none, we will move on to item four, which is the election of the chair and vice chair uh for the committee. Do we have any motions on the floor? I move to elect Caitlin Frazier's chair and Kyle Bogan is vice chair. Second. Ms. Griffith. Yes. Dr. Bogan.
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