This department encompasses the Public Works for the City of Mt. Vernon, including the Maintenance & Utility Department, Water Treatment Plant and Wastewater Treatment Plant. Public Works involves street repairs, water distribution, wastewater, drainage, stormwater, and maintenance for the City of Mt. Vernon.

Street and Maintenance

The Street and Maintenance Department strives to provide sufficient maintenance and improvements of pavements, curb and gutter, street signs and markings to ensure quality improvements are available and functional for the City of Mt. Vernon. City crews currently make minor repairs to city streets such as asphalting potholes, replacing curb and gutter, repairing utility cuts, and blading non-hard-surface streets. All major projects must be contracted out.

Some of our objectives include maintaining existing road surfaces as efficiently as possible and continue to look for new ways to increase the current level of service. We will enforce current subdivision ordinances requiring developers to install streets properly, supported by the testing of each street and inspection of new streets to ensure compliance with our subdivision ordinances.

Stormwater and Drainage

The City of Mt. Vernon is currently active in the maintenance and improvements to drainage ways, channels, or streams so that run-off water will conform substantially to the lines of such water course. Erosion, silting, and flooding are important concerns in our maintenance department.

Stormwater runoff occurs when precipitation from rain flows over the ground. Impervious surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, and streets prevent stormwater runoff from naturally soaking into the ground. Stormwater can pick up debris, chemicals, dirt, and other pollutants and flow into a storm sewer system or directly to a lake, stream, or in a ground water source that we use for recreation or drinking water. This in turn, can affect human health and increase drinking water treatment costs. Please help by limiting the use of fertilizers and pesticides, clean up after your pets, don’t litter, and dispose of yard waste properly.