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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-82
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
June 30, 2015
To celebrate the exceptional accomplishments and dedication of William O. Howland, Jr. who, during his 11-year tenure as the Director of the Department of Public Works, provided outstanding service to the residents of the District of Columbia.
WHEREAS, William O. Howland, Jr. began his long District career in 2001 as Deputy Director for the Department of Human Services, where he oversaw the construction and renovation of agency buildings and was instrumental in creating an emergency management plan for the District;
WHEREAS, from 2002 to 2004, William O. Howland, Jr. continued his service as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Operations, where he worked to resolve issues facing the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Office of Contracting and Procurement, and the Office of Property Management;
WHEREAS, William O. Howland, Jr. became Director of the Department of Public Works in April of 2004 and is the longest-serving director in the history of the department;
WHEREAS, William O. Howland, Jr. has worked tirelessly to achieve the Department of Public Works’s core mission of providing environmentally healthy municipal services that are both ecologically sound and cost-effective in the areas of solid-waste management, parking enforcement, and fleet-management services;
WHEREAS, at William O. Howland, Jr.’s direction, the District became the first jurisdiction in the nation to apply the Zipcar reservation model to its fleet operation and the first jurisdiction in the region to provide free, monthly document shredding to protect residents from identity theft;
WHEREAS, because of William O. Howland, Jr., the Department of Public Works improved the productivity of its fleet operations through integrated management techniques, it increased use of alternative-fuel vehicles in the District’s fleet, and it established the District government’s only apprenticeship program for mechanics-in-training;
WHEREAS, under the tenure of William O. Howland, Jr., the District government’s fleet of vehicles has been named among the top 20 Green Fleets in the country for the past 5 years;
WHEREAS, William O. Howland, Jr. increased the District’s residential-recycling rate by 50% through the introduction of the single stream recycling program and implementation of weekly collections of household hazardous waste and electronics; and
WHEREAS, William O. Howland, Jr.’s vision of incorporating technology in operations at the Department of Public Works is now a reality that can be seen throughout the agency: the use of license plate recognition technology to enforce a range of parking violations- a first in the metropolitan area; the creation of an online vehicle auction program that allows anyone in the world to bid on vehicles; the introduction of smartphones to parking enforcement to improve the accuracy of parking tickets; and the introduction of tablet-size computers to solid waste enforcement to provide access to the District’s property database.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the District of Columbia is grateful for the service of Director William O. Howland, Jr., a public servant who has exemplified outstanding leadership, dedication, and service
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “William O. Howland, Jr. Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
