The city of Helena is considering some key changes to the organization of city departments.
At Wednesday's semi-monthly administrative meeting, the city commission discussed name changes and some larger restructuring of the city's Public Works Department.
The city is looking at creating a new Transportation Systems Department, which would include streets, city shop and fleet services, transit, parking, stormwater and right-of-way code enforcement. Public Works would then focus on the city's utility and water structures, solid waste and recycling, and wastewater treatment, and it would include the position of city engineer.
Interim Public Works Director Libbi Lovshin said the unseen side of public infrastructure will become the focus of the Public Works Department.
"Those are all the things we don't want to think about or need to think about when things are going well," Lovshin said.Â
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Lovshin said the proposed separation is intended to let the two departments hone in on "things that are similar in nature, and delivery of service."
"There's an opportunity to focus in those areas," Lovshin said.
Changes to other departments are being proposed as well.
Open lands would be added to parks and recreation to create the Parks, Recreation and Open Lands Department. The Civic Center operations division would be moved from community facilities to the newly named Parks, Recreation and Open Lands Department.
City Manager Ana Cortez said the combination of like items will create more "synergies" in the city's day-to-day working environment. Moving Open Lands to the Parks and Recreation Department's purview simply made sense, Cortez said.Â
The Administrative Services Department will be renamed the Finance Department under the proposed changes.Â
The city plans to move forward with the proposed changes later this summer.