Baltimore, MD – Feb. 12, 2023 – At a recent City Council committee hearing, the Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW) faced intense scrutiny over staffing and salaries, reports FOX45. The department acknowledged that they are still operating at a 25% vacancy rate.

To combat this shortage of workers, DPW announced that they are conducting a “Job Classification and Compensation” study. However, Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of these hiring efforts. He argued that DPW is disconnected from the needs of the city and that their routine services are likely to suffer as a result.

Schleifer pointed out that the leadership at DPW, not the pandemic, is the root cause of the staffing problem. “Unless something dramatically changes, our routine services are not going to be performing like they were over a year ago because of plans like these,” he stated.