Across Massachusetts, cities and towns manage a vast array of public works projects and assets. In addition to ensuring the integrity of local roadways, other common public works obligations include cemeteries, parks, public buildings, solid waste, recycling, water utilities, and sewer systems. Under a traditional municipal structure, multiple departments oversee these different functions, but over the course of time, a more streamlined service model has gained favor. With resource efficiency and performance accountability in mind, the majority of communities statewide have reduced their total number of physical-asset-managing departments by merging some or all of them into a consolidated department of public works (DPW).
There is broad variation in the functional divisions included within local DPWs. At one end are a few small towns that have combined their highway departments with only one or two other departments, such as cemetery or parks. At the other are numerous cities and towns that have done comprehensive consolidations, while most DPWs lie somewhere in between these two extremes. Including all these varieties, 70% of Massachusetts communities have some form of consolidated DPW, including 189 of the state’s 292 towns (65%) and all 59 cities.
A prime reason for the modern prevalence of DPWs is the long-time governance trend toward lean, vertically aligned structures that group similar functions under directors, who in turn report to a chief administrative officer (CAO). This integrated, top-down structure can be especially effective in promoting efficiency and accountability in the realm of public works. When local citizens encounter issues with physical public assets, there is less guesswork about where to go for help. In addition, CAOs benefit from the lightened managerial load that results from fewer direct reports and reduced involvement of separately elected or appointed boards in operational matters.
The question of moving toward, or adding new divisions to, a DPW typically arises when a community experiences the negative aspects of having a more siloed structure, which may include overlapping costs or disjointed coordination efforts. Also providing motivation is the increased awareness of the vital role that a well-managed, professionalized DPW can play in promoting a community’s economic growth, environmental health, and emergency responsiveness. The merger of staff and equipment in a DPW can enhance operational flexibility and service coverage while also providing some cost-savings. A DPW makes it easier to synchronize projects, such as upgrades to sewer lines and streets, and to marshal divisional employees in carrying them out, thereby lessening the chance of wasting resources on duplicative efforts and avoidable overtime hours.
If a municipality has a charter, it can create or expand a DPW through a charter amendment or revision. In the absence of a charter, the options depend on the community’s existing and desired structures. If an elected board, such as a water commission or parks committee, oversees any department under consideration, town meeting may vote to dissolve the board and create a new department under an elected DPW board (M.G.L. c. 41, §§ 69C-F). If the town does not want to create an elected DPW board, there is the option of a special act. In the act, the community could choose to dissolve all related elected boards or might opt to retain one or more of them with a redefined role limited to policymaking only.
When drafting the special act, it is good practice to employ purposefully flexible language that will allow for the future merger of related functions into the DPW, such as this example from the Town of Norton in 2004: The department shall have additional powers related to the duties and responsibilities of a department of public works as the town may from time to time provide, by a 2/3 vote at town meeting. It is also important to note that just because a particular service is provided through an enterprise fund does not mean that it cannot or should not be included in the consolidation, as there are many DPWs that incorporate one or more enterprise-fund-operated divisions.
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Editor: Dan Bertrand
Editorial Board: Tracy Callahan, Sean Cronin, Janie Dretler, Jessica Ferry, Christopher Ketchen, Paula King, Jen McAllister, Brianna Ortiz and Tony Rassias
| Date published: | April 16, 2026 |
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