SANFORD, Fla. — The City of Sanford's utilities director is resigning from his position effective February 9. This comes during a massive overhaul of their wastewater vacuum system downtown, and as some commissioners are alluding to tensions inside city hall.

For David Coffin, utility issues are nothing new. He says the wafting smell of sewage drifts into his Sanford home almost every other day. It’s been like that since he moved in 15 years ago.

“It’s very inconvenient, very uncomfortable. Especially when you want to keep the windows open during the spring or the fall,” said Coffin. “The smell that comes from there and there is awful.”

Head closer into downtown, and the people who work at Hollerbach’s will tell you about their own water issues. Because of the wastewater vacuum system, their alley frequently floods after storms.

Commission is working to address the issue. In Monday’s meeting, the commission voted to put the procurement of new system parts into the hands of the city manager. The vote will allow the city to get needed parts without going through weeks of processes in commission.

“We all are aware of the problem. We have the pieces in place to solve it, and it needs to get done. Waiting for this bureaucracy to solve issues that can affect people’s homes and businesses is not a smart choice,” said Christina Hollerbach, CEO of Hollerbach’s. “I think they did the right thing.”

However, talk about the work at Monday’s meeting brought up larger issues apparently within city hall. Commissioner Sheena Britton hoped to discuss other issues outside of utilities, alluding to employee morale issues.

“It can not wait. There’s a possibility of people walking out,” said Commissioner Britton.

Sanford Public Works and Utilities Director Bilal Iftikhar was absent from Monday night’s meeting. Spectrum News 13 learned of his resignation a day after.

In a resignation email to City Manager Norton Bonaparte, Iftikhar wrote in part:

“It has been the highlight of my professional career to serve the citizens of Sanford, most recently as Director of Public Works and Utilities. However, opportunities to further my career have presented themselves, and it is time for me to explore them.”

 According to the email, Iftikhar’s last day will be February 9.

On Monday, Commissioner Britton urgently wanted to address apparent concerns she had with the future of the city.

“The city of Sanford is a sinking ship, and I need to talk about it with my fellow commissioners and mayor today,” said Commissioner Britton during the meeting.

Spectrum News 13’s Celeste Springer ran into Commissioner Britton while out in downtown Sanford on Tuesday morning. Commissioner Britton declined to interview and referred questions to City Manager Bonaparte.