BOSSIER CITY, La. -- First a Bossier City department head resigns after employees weren't paid thousands in overtime. Now there is talk of privatizing that department.

The building maintenance department has licensed workers on staff. But the city still spends huge amounts of money for private contractors to do work on its buildings.

Bossier City Councilman Don Williams (District 3) says already this year the city has paid nearly $200,000 for private companies to work on city buildings. That's in addition to having a licensed electrician and two heating and air conditioning workers on staff.

"Instead of going out and doing the job, they were actually calling electric companies and plumbing companies to do, in my opinion, minor maintenance," said Williams.

Williams says some of the jobs are big. But most are small, even changing light bulbs at city hall.

"We've contracted out toilets stopped up, changing toilet seats. Just minor things that don't take a rocket scientist to do," Williams said.

"Just knowing the history of what's been going on in that department, my suggestion is going to be to the mayor that we do away with that department."

Part of that history only goes back a few weeks. Discrepancies have surfaced of three employees not being paid tens of thousands of dollars worth of overtime. Building maintenance director Charles DuBois has resigned and the city has agreed to pay the employees.

But some say that's not enough, and the department needs to go.

"Especially the way it's been going, like I said... it smells in there. It's time for a change," Williams said.

Williams recommends sending out requests for proposals to several plumbing and electric contractors. Then, he says there only needs to be one person on staff to manage work orders and make sure the work is done properly.

Mayor Lorenz "Lo" Walker's office says it's too early to comment about the issue and that this proposal would have to come out during budget talks this fall.

The mayor's chief administrative officer, Cliff Oliver, is currently overseeing building maintenance.

The department currently employs six people and has a budget of about $1.8 million.