How much does the City of Portsmouth actually do in a month?
October’s City Manager’s Report offers a pretty good snapshot: hundreds of ambulance and fire calls, nearly 1,900 police calls, dozens of code-enforcement cases, water-line repairs, sewer work, trash collection and continued work on some of the city’s biggest construction projects.
Here’s a look at what city departments reported getting done during October.
243 EMS Runs, 343 Fire Calls
Portsmouth firefighters responded to 343 incidents during the month, with medical emergencies accounting for the overwhelming majority of the workload.
The fire department logged 243 EMS calls, not including vehicle crashes involving injuries.
Other calls included building fires, outdoor fires, vehicle crashes, gas leaks, electrical problems, alarm activations and public-assistance calls.
The department also conducted 11 inspections during the reporting period, including residential, business, institutional, educational and assembly properties.
Fire and EMS dispatch records show breathing problems and sick-person calls were among the most common reasons people requested emergency medical help.
Nearly 1,900 Police Calls
Portsmouth Police handled 1,872 calls for service in October.
Those calls covered everything from disturbances and suspicious people to thefts, traffic crashes, juvenile complaints and warrant checks.
Among the larger categories were:
- 341 officer-wanted calls
- 97 suspicious-person calls
- 67 disturbances
- 46 parking violations
- 44 check-occupant/welfare calls
- 33 suspicious vehicles
- 31 theft reports
- 27 domestic calls
- 23 disabled-vehicle calls
- 22 fire-alarm calls
- 21 traffic crashes with injuries
- 20 investigations
- 17 juvenile complaints
Police also recorded 123 moving citations and 37 parking citations during October.
Through the end of the month, the department had issued 795 moving citations and 496 parking citations for the year.
Impound Lot Brings in Revenue
The Portsmouth Police impound lot also generated significant revenue.
In October alone, the city collected $9,620 in impound fees and another $40,002.87 from an auction.
Expenses for the month totaled $8,079.24.
Through October, the impound operation had collected $161,646.87, with $49,658.42 in expenses, leaving $111,988.45 in net revenue.
34 Code-Enforcement Cases
Code Enforcement documented 34 cases during the reporting period.
The cases covered a range of familiar neighborhood complaints, including high grass and weeds, garbage and trash, vacant structures, parking issues and housing concerns.
The report shows inspectors dealing with properties across the city rather than concentrating on a single neighborhood.
Sewer Crews Stay Busy
Sewer Maintenance reported a long list of work during October.
Crews completed:
- 16 dig-downs
- 10 storm-line runs
- 16 sanitary-line runs
- 4 sanitary manhole cleanouts
- 15 storm-basin cleanouts
- 16 dye tests
Workers also repaired 17 manholes and basins.
Water-Line Repairs Across Portsmouth
Water crews repaired several broken or leaking mains during October.
Locations included Gallia and Buch streets, Buena Vista Lane, Ridgewood Road, Front Street, Gilbert Avenue and Union Street.
Crews also cleaned and exercised water valves in the Hilltop area and along Kinney’s Lane, Boulevard and nearby streets.
A new six-inch water line was also installed across Walnut Street from Buch Street as part of an effort to avoid future problems when Walnut Street is repaired.
Workers also began patching smaller holes left behind by water-line breaks.
More Than 2,100 Tons of Trash
The Public Service Department reported collecting 711.24 tons of city trash and another 1,425.03 tons classified as other trash.
Trash operations generated $85,877.51 in October revenue, bringing 2026 revenue through the reporting period to more than $726,000.
The city cemetery also handled three funerals during the month.
Big Projects Keep Moving
Work continued on several major Portsmouth projects.
City Manager Sam Sutherland reported that construction of the new city building and water treatment plant was progressing.
Construction also continued on the Riverfront Project.
Flood-defense crews continued mowing and maintaining levees, floodwalls, pump stations and gate houses, while contractors worked on repairs involving the sewage bypass line and pumping system.
A Month Behind the Numbers
Much of the work city employees do never generates a headline.
A repaired water main, a cleaned storm basin or a code-enforcement visit generally only gets noticed when the work doesn’t happen.
But Portsmouth’s October report shows the scale of the routine work happening behind the scenes: emergency crews answering hundreds of calls, police responding nearly 1,900 times, utility workers repairing aging infrastructure and city employees handling everything from trash to flood protection.
And then November starts, and the numbers begin all over again.
