§ 18-1. General powers of commissioner of public works; police to report street defects, etc., to commissioner; general function of city engineer.

1.

The Commissioner of Public Works of the City of Syracuse, subject to ordinances of the common council, shall have direction and control of the cleaning of streets, highways, sidewalks, crosswalks, gutters, catch basins, sewers, drains, culverts and bridges of the city, including the watering, flushing and sprinkling of public streets and highways and the laying of dust therein with substances other than water, and the removal of snow and ice therefrom; of the maintenance and ordinary repairing of unpaved streets and of the sewers and sewer system of the city; of the collection and disposition of ashes, refuse and garbage by the city; and of the maintenance and repairing of the public market of the city. He may employ or hire such laborers, teams and trucks and incur such expenditures as may be necessary for the performance of such duties, and pay for same out of moneys appropriated for his department. It shall be his duty to inspect the streets, highways, sidewalks, crosswalks, gutters, catch basins, sewers, drains, culverts, bridges and public market of the city with sufficient frequency to enable him to properly perform such duties.

2.

It shall be the duty of the police department to promptly report to the commissioner of public works any and all obstructions upon or defects in the streets, sidewalks and gutters and any violation or failure of performance of any contract for the lighting, sprinkling, watering or flushing of the streets or public places discovered by any member of such department.

3.

When authorized so to do by ordinance of the common council, the commissioner of public works may lease in the name of the city of Syracuse any real property of said city not used for municipal purposes at private or public letting. Such lease shall be for a term not to exceed one year and shall be subject to the approval of the board of estimate and apportionment.

4.

The City Engineer of the City of Syracuse, subject to ordinances of the common council, shall have supervision, direction and control of the construction of pavements in streets, highways and public places of such city, of the maintenance and repair of pavements in such streets, highways and public places other than the ordinary maintenance and repairing of unpaved streets, highways and public places; of the construction of sidewalks, crosswalks, gutters, vaults, sewers (excepting sewers to be constructed by the Syracuse Intercepting Sewer Board pursuant to Chapter 356 of the Laws of 1907, as amended), drains, culverts, bridges of the city and city buildings, and of the maintenance and repairing of the same, except that the commissioner of public works, subject to ordinances of the common council, shall have direction and control of the ordinary maintenance and repairing of the city's sewers and sewer system. Such city engineer shall have general supervision and control of all work performed under any contract with the city for any local or other improvement to be performed within or upon any of the public streets, parks and public places, or with reference to the public works and ways within the jurisdiction of his department, and shall cause the same to be performed in full compliance with the provisions of any contract therefor, except that the commissioner of public works shall have supervision and control of work performed for the cleaning, flushing and sprinkling of streets and as to such work the commissioner of public works shall cause same to be performed in full compliance with the provisions of any contract therefor.

(N.Y. Laws 1905, Ch. 684, § 1; N.Y. Laws 1917, Ch. 163, § 1; L.L. No. 1-1928, § 1)

Editor's note

Chapter 356 of the Laws of 1907 is compiled as Pt. S, section 17-26 et seq. See note to Pt. S, Chapter 17, Article II.