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Public Works
Public works’ Mike Spradling and Juan Galvan repair potholes. (Photo provided by Greeley, Colo.)
Colorado city sought external analysis to uncover potential improvements in public works By DANI MESSICK | The Municipal
After years of steady growth, the city of Greeley, Colo., decided to place matters of its public works department’s development into someone else’s hands. In May 2020, the Greeley Public Works Department finished its first-ever external analysis, following the human resources department’s success with the same project. “You get a little nervous going into it, not knowing what’s going to come out of it because it can lead to some changes,” said Joel Hemesath, deputy director of public works, a recently created position. “I think we all see it as a benefit to the organization and the community as a whole. It’ll make us better as we move forward.” Hemesath’s position was one of seven positions recommended by the external analysis for immediate inclusion. A total of 21 were recommended. The public works department is the second largest in the city, following the police department, with just under 200 employees 52 THE MUNICIPAL | AUGUST 2021
managing engineering, roadways and day-to-day needs of the department. “We took pride in being able to do (our jobs) without more staff and more burden on the taxpayers, but it’s come to a time where our community has grown so much that we do need a few more staff members to keep up with the demand, and I think that (analysis) has brought that to light.” According to Hemesath, northern Colorado has seen steady growth since the ’90s; he estimates a 2% population growth until the Recession of 2008 and following it. “We’ve had a good balance of residential and commercial growth, and we’re getting pretty diverse with different industries, subdivisions and all the infrastructure that goes along with that and supporting it.”
