The deputy director of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works is departing next month.

Richard Luna, who previously served as interim director, is leaving Oct. 3, the mayor’s office said.

“I want to extend my sincere thanks to Director Luna for his tireless work on behalf of Baltimore. He stepped up to lead DPW at a critical time, helping to lead the agency through both challenging times and exciting progress, like the return of weekly recycling,” Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement. “We are excited for him in this next chapter of his journey, and will sorely miss his voice and expertise in City government.”

Khalil Zaied, Baltimore’s former deputy mayor of operations, was hired as the department’s director in March after Luna served as interim director for nearly 10 months.

Luna joined the department in 2022 and was previously an adviser in the District of Columbia’s assistant city administrator’s office and the deputy city administrator in Oakland, California, the city said in a news release.

Last month, the city hired D.C.-based law firm Conn Maciel Carey LLP to review the department’s safety policies following the on-the-job death of a sanitation worker in a summer heat wave.

Final recommendations are expected by the end of the month.