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01-31-2009 City Council Special Meeting PacketCity of Grand Island Saturday, January 31, 2009 Council Retreat Packet City Council:Mayor: Margaret Hornady City Administrator: Jeff Pederson City Clerk: RaNae Edwards S a 8:30:00 AM Council Chambers - City Hall 100 East First Street Larry Carney Scott Dugan John Gericke Peg Gilbert Chuck Haase Robert Meyer Mitchell Nickerson Bob Niemann Kirk Ramsey Jose Zapata Call to OrderCity of Grand Island City Council A - SUBMITTAL OF REQUESTS FOR FUTURE ITEMS Individuals who have appropriate items for City Council consideration should complete the Request for Future Agenda Items form located at the Information Booth. If the issue can be handled administratively without Council action, notification will be provided. If the item is scheduled for a meeting or study session, notification of the date will be given. B - RESERVE TIME TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS This is an opportunity for individuals wishing to provide input on any of tonight's agenda items to reserve time to speak. Please come forward, state your name and address, and the Agenda topic on which you will be speaking. MAYOR COMMUNICATION This is an opportunity for the Mayor to comment on current events, activities, and issues of interest to the community. Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call Invocation This is an open meeting of the Grand Island City Council. The City of Grand Island abides by the Open Meetings Act in conducting business. A copy of the Open Meetings Act is displayed in the back of this room as required by state law. The City Council may vote to go into Closed Session on any agenda item as allowed by state law. City of Grand Island City Council Item -1 Welcome/Introduction Guidance and outline of the day's purpose and activities will be given. Saturday, January 31, 2009 Council Retreat City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Mayor Hornady City of Grand Island City Council City Council Special Study Session Retreat Saturday, January 31, 2009 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Law Enforcement Center 111 Public Safety Drive Agenda 8:30 – 8:45 Welcome/Introduction Guidance and outline of the day’s purpose and activities 8:45 – 10:00 Budget Overview General Fund structure and future budgetary projections 10:00 – 10:15 Break 10:15 – 11:30 Department Presentations Two effective programs/activities. One program/activity requiring more focus & priority. Guidance (presentations will be 5-7 minutes in duration) Building Fire Library Public Works Emergency Management Human Resources Parks & Recreation Regional Planning Finance Legal Police Utilities 11:40 – 12:15 Lunch 12:15 - 1:30 Capital Improvements Plan/Funding Capital Improvements Plan Project Priorities Capital Improvements Plan Financing Options 1:30 - 3:00 Goal Setting Item -2 Budget Overview General Fund structure and future budgetary projections will be given. Saturday, January 31, 2009 Council Retreat City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Jeff Pederson City of Grand Island City Council GENERAL FUND CASH PROJECTIONS ACTUAL ACTUAL BUDG PROJ PROJ 1/27/09 10:34 AM 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Beginning Cash 9,505,396 6,469,784 6,001,104 5,906,553 4,288,597 Restricted Revenues(General Fund) 17,895,292 18,319,677 19,438,423 19,104,172 19,524,185 Other Revenues 10,034,580 10,585,577 11,781,841 12,017,733 12,258,087 Total Revenues 27,929,872 28,905,254 31,220,264 31,121,905 31,782,273 Personnel Expense 20,465,053 22,024,228 23,432,222 24,369,511 25,344,291 Other Operating Expense 7,462,430 8,569,422 10,347,990 9,971,090 10,095,728 Total Operating Expense 27,927,483 30,593,650 33,780,212 34,340,601 35,440,020 Operating Transfers In: Gas Tax 1,925,640 3,400,000 4,200,000 3,500,739 3,605,761 Electric Utility 658,605 836,426 750,000 780,000 845,625 Water Utility 44,555 51,053 55,000 70,000 71,750 Employee Benefits 48,077 6,063 - Library Trust - - - - - Cemetary Trust - - - - - Equipment Reserve 180,000 Line of Credit Police Reserve 109,270 50,000 50,000 Fire Reserve 694,145 1,200,000 500,000 500,000 Aquatic Reserve - - - - - Total Operating In 2,676,877 5,096,957 6,385,000 4,900,739 5,073,136 Operating Transfers Out: Fund 250 60,000 81,000 65,000 50,000 50,000 Economic Development Corp 750,000 750,000 750,000 750,000 750,000 Pensions 216,136 143,301 - - - Police Pension - - - - - Fire Pension - - - - - Employee Benefits Trust - - - - - Total Operating Out 1,026,136 974,301 815,000 800,000 800,000 Operating Excess(Deficit)1,653,130 2,434,260 3,010,052 882,044 615,389 Transfers Out: Debt - - - - - Cash Balance Before Capital 11,158,526 8,904,044 9,011,156 6,788,597 4,903,986 Capital Outlay-General Fund Depts. 1,963,548 1,987,186 3,104,603 2,500,000 2,550,000 Transfers To Capital Fund - 400 Fund 2,725,194 915,754 - - - Transfer to Capital Replacement - - - - - Total Capital 4,688,742 2,902,940 3,104,603 2,500,000 2,550,000 Ending Cash Balance 6,469,784 6,001,104 5,906,553 4,288,597 2,353,986 Reserve % Of Operating 23.17% 19.62% 17.49% 12.49% 6.64% Change In Cash (3,035,612) (468,680) (94,551) (1,617,956) (1,934,611) Recommended Surplus - 15% 5,585,497 6,118,730 6,756,042 6,868,120 7,088,004 Item -3 Department Presentations Department Director's will list two areas/activities that were high priority for their departments that had been handled effectively. They will also present one area that was important to their department but was not as effective due to lack of resources. Presentations will be 5 - 7 minutes in duration. Saturday, January 31, 2009 Council Retreat City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Department Directors City of Grand Island City Council DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR’S FOCUS/PRIORITIES Department Director’s were asked to list two areas/activities that were high priority for their departments that had been handled effectively. They were also asked to list one area that was important to their department but was not as effective due to lack of resources. BUILDING: 1. Continue to Facilitate the Construction and Completion of Major Projects; Good Samaritan Village – Mechanical System Grand Island Public Schools – shoemaker Global Industries Walgreens Case New Holland St. Francis Hospital State Fair Buildings Review and Construction 2. Complete Building Permit, Inspection Reporting and Posting Electronic Conversion 3. Substandard Housing Demolition (Legal and Financial Support) EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: 1. Alternate 911 Center 2. Community Preparedness – Citizen Corps 3. Capital Replacement a. Narrow Band Upgrades for 2013 b. Warning Systems FINANCE: 1. The reading of metered usage and the billing, collection, and customer service for Electric, Water, and Wastewater Utilities 2. Self insurance program for the City’s commercial insurances, particularly the Worker’s Comp large deductible plan, which has saved the City over $1.5 million during the last four years alone versus a full premium plan 3. Upgrading of wireless communications between city departments and locations and expanded Spillman and IT support for the Police Department FIRE: 1. Regional collaboration with other fire departments, emergency management, and support agencies 2. Staff professionalism, readiness to respond, wellness and fitness 3. Emergency response vehicle replacement schedule HUMAN RESOURCES: 1. Risk Management 2. Compliance 3. Automation LEGAL: 1. Revenues · Feasibility and legality of new revenue streams · Protecting and preserving existing revenue streams · Shifting revenue streams to other purposes 2. Assets · Acquisition of assets including both real and personal property · Disposition or sale of assets · Property use and expenditure of reserve funds 3. Expenditures · Union negotiation strategies may need to be revisited · Grievances and other forms of opposition to changes in working conditions or employment LIBRARY: 1. General Customer Use Functions 2. Basic Literacy/Learning Enrichment Programming Functions 3. Specific Customer Service Functions PARKS & RECREATION: 1. Maintenance of Existing Facilities and Grounds 2. Recreational Programming 3. Capital Improvement Funding, i.e. Lincoln Pool replacement, Children’s Wet Play area at Island Oasis and potentially insufficient funding for relocation of athletic fields slated to be eliminated for the State Fair POLICE: 1. Self evaluation of our services, systems, and tasks to identify efficiencies and increase productivity 2. Target known criminal offenders to stop their criminal activity 3. Implement a proactive, problem oriented policing approach in the Department PUBLIC WORKS: 1. Managing Design and Construction Project – from Funding, through Design to Managing the Construction 2. Maintenance of Expanding Infrastructure and Increasing Regulations 3. Funds for an Aging Infrastructure REGIONAL PLANNING: 1. Respond to citizen concerns and requests 2. Combine funding sources for department funding and projects 3. Proactive planning for development, neighborhoods and redevelopment areas UTILITIES: 1. Reliability 2. Cost 3. Issues Pending Item -4 Capital Improvements Plan/Funding Capital Improvements Plan/funding will focus on Capital Improvements Plan Project Priorities and Capital Improvements Plan financing Options. Saturday, January 31, 2009 Council Retreat City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Jeff Pederson City of Grand Island City Council Item -5 Goal Setting Saturday, January 31, 2009 Council Retreat City of Grand Island Staff Contact: City Council City of Grand Island City Council City Council Goal Setting: 2009-2010 In recent years, the Grand Island City Council has formulated a set of goals to use to guide development of the annual budget and to serve as a statement to the organization and to the community of progress that the Council intends to make in important priority areas. The current adopted City Council Goals is in need of annual update, and it is time to re-examine the goal headings to determine if changes need to be made to reflect current priorities. Using the current set of goals as a starting point, please examine the goal headings (Public Safety, Infrastructure, etc) to determine if changes need to be made. Council has typically had 5-6 goal headings, and it is important that we stay with that number in order to keep the collective goals manageable and meaningful. When the current set of goals was adopted by Council, staff added a brief line describing the direction or the end that a goal area is intended to go or reach. I believe that this brief statement adds considerable value to the ability of the public, city organization, etc. to understand the meaning and the importance of the goal. Please give some thought to how a statement should be worded for any goal area that you are interested in. The third aspect of the Goals is the goal activities that are identified under each goal heading. Think of these as objectives for pursuing or progressing a particular goal. These activities, or key objectives , can be tangible or may involve a process or a planning effort. Either way, they are pathways to goal attainment. Please consider what activities you are interested in identifying as key to attainment of goals that you have in mind, or that exist in the current Goals. It is vital to the process of goal setting that the Council and staff have a common understanding of the attainability of each goal. Clearly, for a goal to be attainable and for the City to hold itself responsible for completing the goal, there needs to be a determination that the necessary resources for goal attainment exist. Where goals are longer-term, there needs to be an understanding of what acceptable progress will be at points in time. I have attached the current GI City Council Goals (with progress report), along with an example of Goals from another City that uses a similar approach as we do. Should time not permit us to complete this process at the Retreat, we should schedule a follow-up session in the very near future to do so. City Council Goals 2008-09 1 City Council Goals 2008-09 Public Safety To Provide the highest level emergency response to the community GOAL Pursue 911 backup center location in an existing building A temporary location has been identified at Fire Station #1 for a limited-capability call center, able to receive 911 calls (without addresses) and utilize a limited number of basic radio frequencies. The temporary location is an emergency stop-gap strategy until a more suitable and capable alternate site is determined. Economic Development To Ensure a stable local economy GOAL Assist in creating and retaining quality jobs through LB 840 program Several City Departments have been engaged with the EDC and other entities in the effort to recruit Project Amada to Grand Island. Included was development of information for Blaine St. improvements, sanitary sewer and water extensions, and Tax Increment Financing. GOAL Assist CRA in identifying and creating new business redevelopment projects Staff processed the redevelopment plan request (expedited) for Project Amada, which was approved by the CRA and awaits future consideration by the City Council at such time as the project moves forward. Infrastructure To Preserve and develop consistent infrastructure GOAL Support infrastructure for sustained housing/commercial development The Public Works Department will assist developers on proposed development. The Annual Paving Program has an available $300,000 budgeted for assessment districts for paving. GOAL Progress the Railroad Corridor Study The UPRR was working on crossings this past summer. The consultant was unable to complete survey work until the UPRR work is complete. The Public Works Department held a plan-in-hand review on September 17th. The consultant submitted plans to the City to review and forward to the Railroad with a Notice to Intent on the proposed Quiet Zone, and the Railroad will start the design work on the interface between the wayside horns and the railroad’s circuitry. City Council Goals 2008-09 2 GOAL Prepare a master plan for infrastructure development south of Grand Island This requires funding of a consultant or in-house design from the Waste Water Superintendent. There will need to be sufficient funding in an upcoming budget in order for this to proceed. GOAL Support relocation of State Fair to Grand Island A condition report was prepared on the existing private sanitary sewer owned by Fonner Park in case it would be upgraded and taken over as public to serve the new state fair complex. The sanitary sewer main construction includes an extension of existing public sanitary sewer main in Fonner Park’s Main Driveway in a north-south direction to serve new buildings. Stolley Park Road will be widened to a three-lane roadway from Locust Street to Stuhr Road. A westbound right turn lane will be built at the entrance or entrances to the facility. Design work will be in 2009 and storm drainage work during the winter of 2009-2010, finally concrete paving in summer of 2010. Fonner Park Road will be striped to a three-lane roadway from Locust Street to the entrance to Fonner Park. Fonner Park Road could be widened to a three-lane roadway from Fonner Park’s entrance to Stuhr Road as part of the 2010 Asphalt Resurfacing Program if traffic studies indicate the need. On November 13, the City hosted a meeting with State Fair Board project representatives to identify and discuss key site development issues. Several City Department Directors and staff were present, along with representatives of the State Fair Board and architects/engineers involved with site development and building design. At present, the Building Department is working with the architect for the State Fair to determine building design issues related to building occupancy. GOAL Progress Broadwell Grade Separation Project Funds are budgeted to begin the process of hiring a consultant engineering firm for the environmental and preliminary engineering work. Preparation of a Request for Proposals is being coordinated with the NDOR. The City expects to have a draft RPF to the Railroad for review by the end of this week. Government Efficiency To Identify and develop potential opportunities between governmental agencies for coordination, cooperation, collaboration, or consolidation of programs. GOAL Seek inter local partnerships that eliminates duplication and promotes efficiency The city streets division worked with the Hall County Highway Department to share an asphalt paver. The City/County Emergency Services Director has begun a process to review the Inter-local Agreement between Grand Island and Hall County for the purpose of insuring the continued effectiveness of the of the Emergency Management/Communications Center. GOAL Complete a comprehensive City Code review and update The Council and City Administration started the comprehensive code update in 2005. All but a very few chapters have been updated in some fashion. The following comments relate to chapters that still need to be revisited or that have not been updated since 2005: City Council Goals 2008-09 3 · Chapter 5 was updated to harmonize with state law but certain areas are going to be discussed at the Animal Advisory Board January 2, 2009 to determine if any further amendments should be recommended to Council. · Chapter 6 relating to bicycles was repealed but PD has expressed some interest in restoring bicycle regulations into Chapter 22 (motor vehicles). · Chapter 9 is the cable franchise which is in ongoing negotiations. · Chapter 16 relating to fire protection had just been updated in 2005 before the comprehensive review goal was adopted and would require considerable input from the fire department if further revision is necessary. · Chapter 19 relating to the library is not a chapter that may be updated without resolving underlying policy issues about library governance. · Chapter 28 relating to railroads does not need to be updated…our power to regulate is very limited. · Chapter 30 relating to sewers is pending. An entire new chapter regarding illicit storm water discharge was drafted last year and was submitted to Public Works for review. · Chapter 32 has been amended twice since 2005 and further revisions have been submitted to Public Works and are awaiting review and comment. They were scheduled to go to Council but were pulled to give further consideration to a snow removal policy. · Chapter 34 relates to telecommunications and is highly specialized. It was updated in 2005. GOAL Investigate County industrial Tracts to determine potential means to seek payment for City services The City of Blair brought forward to the League Legislative Subcommittee an initiative to modify the County Industrial Area law. The primary interest of the City of Blair is to clarify when a tract is no longer eligible (by usage) for County Industrial Tract designation. The Legislative Subcommittee referred this issue to the Economic Development Subcommittee, (The City Administrator serves on that Committee) for review and recommendation. The ED Subcommittee has recommended to the full Legislative Subcommittee that legislation be introduced to “modify the County Industrial Area law to clarify definitions, to clarify the appeal procedure, to change provisions for annexation from a county population of one hundred thousand to ten thousand persons, and to provide an expiration date for such areas”. On October 31, the Legislative Committee voted to have the League draft legislation for introduction in this Session. The League Executive Board will meet soon to discuss details of proposed revisions, and a draft will be sent out for review of the ED Subcommittee prior to introduction. Administration discussed this issue with the League Attorney on November 17, and he believes that there will be consideration given to including time limits on both new and existing Industrial Tracts. At present, there is no provision in the law to set a time limit on the existence of an Industrial Tract. Quality of Life To Enhance the level of community and citizen well-being through enhanced civic opportunities GOAL Continue to support development of the Heartland Public Shooting Park 2008 saw the introduction of two new shooting venues to the Park. Also added was an Action Handgun venue and a facility for International Bench-rest Rifle Competition. GOAL Update Parks and Recreation master plan including a study of children’s play area at Island Oasis. City Council Goals 2008-09 4 The master plan update will be completed in house. The design and engineering is complete for the Children’s Wet Play Area and construction funds need to be identified before the project can proceed. GOAL Progress the Community Appearance Plan Legal and CSO meetings realized necessary updates to various codes, council approved $40,000 2008/09 budget for demolition, number of properties are resolved without court intervention, Multicultural Coalition joined the PRT to assist, a number of PRT properties will be demolished within three months (rpts will be forwarded to Council), Community Development submitted a one million dollar grant for demolition, construction and down payment assistance, web page upgrade will contain a citizen request system which will assist in addressing problem properties and respond 24/7 to citizens. GOAL Take steps to mitigate groundwater intrusion problem The Public Works Department will continue to regulate construction with the inclusion of subsurface drainage systems when applicable. GOAL Complete the design of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Digesters The council approved a professional services agreement with Consulting engineers Black & Veatch with Olsson Associates as a sub-consultant. The design kickoff meeting was November 18, and design work is in progress for a 2009 bid letting. Public Health To Be a Good Custodian of the natural environment GOAL Secure funding and begin construction of the Household Hazardous Waste facility Council approved facility redesign with Milco and Associates and the inter-local is complete. A construction grant was submitted in September 08 to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Trust. An operational grant will be submitted to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality in February 2009. Both grant award notices are give in the spring and summer of 2009. Partnerships continue to be forged as more interest gathers on the subject. GOAL Continue to aggressively address environmental issues and advocate for citizens Public Works met with the consultant for the design of the anaerobic digester complex in November. Discussions continue with JBS Swift & Company on daily loading and renewal of their discharge permit with the City and the NDEQ. A proposal is before the Council to contract with a wastewater consultant for assistance with cost of service analysis and industrial rate design for wastewater treatment services.