The Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation or the Commissioner’s designee shall have the following duties:
(a) the supervision of the cleaning of public ways and the removal of garbage, refuse and waste, and the removal of any article or thing which may encumber or obstruct any public way;
(b) to coordinate the utilization of operational equipment in the exercise of the authority to tow vehicles upon the demand of the Superintendent of Police or the Executive Director of Emergency Management and Communications for the purpose of carrying out traffic regulations;
(c) to enter into contracts with private towing operators for the purpose of towing vehicles located on the public way;
(d) the supervision, planting, and maintenance of parkways, trees, plants and shrubbery in the public ways;
(1) to superintend, regulate, and encourage the preservation, culture, and planting of shade and ornamental trees, plants, and shrubbery in the public ways of the city;
(2) to prune, spray, cultivate, and otherwise maintain such trees, plants, and shrubbery, and to direct the time and method of trimming the same;
(3) to advise, without charge, owners and occupants of lots regarding the kind of trees, plants, and shrubbery and the method of planting best adapted to, or most desirable on, particular streets;
(4) take such measures as may be deemed necessary for the control and extermination of insects and other pests and plant diseases which may injuriously affect trees, plants, or shrubs that are now growing on the public ways of the city;
(5) report to the Corporation Counsel all cases which come to his knowledge of violations of provisions of this Code respecting trees, plants, and shrubbery;
(6) the establishment and maintenance of a managed native and pollinator garden registry as provided in Section 10-32-055;
(e) to keep a record of all transactions of the office, subject to such rules as the Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation may prescribe, and whenever the Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation may require, make a full and detailed report of such transactions;
(f) the administration of programs for the extermination of insects, rodents, or other pests;
(g) the removal of snow from streets, street sweeping, lot cleaning, and graffiti removal.
(h) to negotiate and enter into intergovernmental agreements, which may include an obligation to indemnify, with the Chicago Park District in order to provide or receive services related to rodent control, snow removal, refuse removal and other services within the scope of duties of the Department of Streets and Sanitation, with respect to property located within the city boundaries.
(Prior code § 14-3; Amend Coun. J. 10-3-01, p. 68141, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 7-19-07, p. 4395, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 9-14-21, p. 35526, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 11-15-23, p. 6542, Art. III, § 2)