City Manager Pat West announced over the weekend that three Bureau Manager positions have been cut in order to simplify city management operations and cut down on costs. It is the latest of several attempts since West has taken office in August of 2007.
“We are making a concerted effort to better coordinate the city’s operations and be fiscally responsible,” West said through a press release. “These changes represent a commitment to continuous improvement of City services to the Long Beach community.”
Under West’s tenure, city management has been completely reorganized. The most recent changes come from the Department of Public Works – recently reduced from six bureaus to four – and the Department of Community Development, but several other operations have been merged or simplified over the last few months as well. All maintenance functions operate under the new Public Service Bureau, while all engineering functions operate under the Engineering Bureau.
“Through this reorganization, there will be greater responsibility for both maintenance of public infrastructure and management of capital projects,” said Michael Conway, Director of Public Works. “Resources can now be more easily allocated to areas of need providing for greater efficiency and a better balance of the Department’s workload.”