What are the duties of Georgetown’s public works director?

The city of Georgetown’s first public works director, Octavio Garza, started Jan. 30. Garza is a civil and environmental engineer who brings more than 21 years of related work experience to the position, having worked in Waco and New Braunfels prior to this position.

That begs the question: What are the responsibilities of Georgetown’s first public works director? Infrastructure development and maintenance generally fall under Garza’s purview, but there are additional duties that may not be as obvious.

As head of the newly formed public works division, Garza will also be responsible for the city’s street maintenance, transportation planning and stormwater drainage departments as well as the Georgetown Municipal Airport and solid-waste and recycling services—all departments that previously reported to the city’s general manager of utilities, according to the city.

That means the public works division will have a hand in many city functions that regularly impact Georgetown residents.