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11-16-2010 City Council Study Session PacketCity of Grand Island Tuesday, November 16, 2010 Study Session Packet City Council:Mayor: Margaret Hornady City Administrator: Jeff Pederson City Clerk: RaNae Edwards T u 7:00:00 PM 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 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 Discussion Concerning Expanding Sale of Fireworks in December Tuesday, November 16, 2010 Study Session City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Jeff Pederson City of Grand Island City Council Council Agenda Memo From: Jeff Pederson, City Administrator Meeting: November 16, 2010 Subject: Expanding Sale of Fireworks in December Item #’s: 1 Presenter(s): Jeff Pederson, City Administrator Background During the 2010 Legislative Session the Nebraska State Legislature passed LB 880 allowing the sale of fireworks from December 28 to January 1 to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The bill took effect on October 1, 2010. Discussion Current Grand Island City Code Section 16 allows for the sale of fireworks in the City of Grand Island from June 27 through and including July 4 of each year. Section 16-22 sets the local time limits when fireworks can be discharged. A request has come forward from one fireworks vendor for the City to consider amending local Ordinance to allow for fireworks sales during the period specified in LB 880. The Police Department has commented that the Independence Day Fireworks contribute a significant increase in calls for service of fireworks related complaints and burglaries of fireworks stands. The Chief believes that New Year’s fireworks impact upon his Department would depend upon sales volume and the weather and would probably not have a major impact on the Police Department. The Fire Department was not in favor of allowing firework sales in December as it would add more duties to already limited resources. Attached is an informal survey of First Class cities regarding expanding fireworks sales in December. Conclusion This item is presented to the City Council in a Study Session to allow for any questions to be answered and to create a greater understanding of the issue at hand. It is the intent of City Administration to bring this issue back in Ordinance form at the November 23rd City Council meeting. Expanded Fireworks Sale in December Survey 11/9/2010 Municipality Yes No 1 Beatrice X 2 Bellevue X 3 Blair X 4 Columbus X 5 Fremont X 6 Gering X 7 Grand Island X 8 Hastings X 9 Holdrege X 10 Kearney X 11 LaVista X 12 Lexington X 13 McCook X 14 Nebraska City X 15 Norfolk X 16 North Platte X 17 Omaha X 18 Papillion X 19 Plattsmouth X 20 Scottsbluff X 21 Seward X 22 Wayne X Expanded Fireworks Item -2 Presentation of 2nd Year Program Prioritization Plan Tuesday, November 16, 2010 Study Session City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Jeff Pederson City of Grand Island City Council Council Agenda Memo From: Jeff Pederson, City Administrator Meeting: November 16, 2010 Subject: Program Prioritization-Year Two Roadmap Item #’s: 2 Presenter(s): Jeff Pederson, City Administrator Mary Lou Brown, Finance Director Background In 2009, the City of Grand Island implemented Program Prioritization as its new budgeting process and format. Through a commitment by administration to diagnosing causes and solutions to the fiscal distress facing the City, Program Prioritization emerged as a process to bring greater discipline along with enhanced understanding and decision making to the process of allocating the City’s financial resources. Subsequently, the City worked with consultants Johnson & Fabian to conduct the first year process that heavily engaged City Council, Administration, and Directors in a time-consuming effort to create the new systems required for Program Prioritization to proceed. Discussion As a result, a strong foundation is in place to continue with the process for preparation of the 2011/2012 budget. By all measures, significant outcomes were achieved through Program Prioritization in the first year including the balancing of the General Fund budget without an increase in the property tax rate and without the drawdown of General Fund reserves. Conclusion Benefits from the use Program Prioritization will continue to be gained, as challenges remain for achieving a balanced budget and strengthening the fiscal wellness of the City. We have, in consultation with Directors and our consultants, identified several objectives for improvement to the process for the second year, including better program definition, public input in to key components of the process, and better understanding of the meaning of the Sub-Result areas. A detailed Plan for 2nd Year Program Prioritization will be presented by Pederson and Brown that will include process changes, activities, and timelines. This item is presented to the City Council in a Study Session to allow for any questions to be answered and to create a greater understanding of the issue at hand. Item -3 Upadte on Waste Water Capital Imrpovement Plan (CIP) Tuesday, November 16, 2010 Study Session City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Steve Riehle City of Grand Island City Council Council Agenda Memo From: Steven P. Riehle, Public Works Directore Meeting: November 16, 2010 Subject: Update on Waste Water Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Item #’s: 3 Presenter(s): Steven P. Riehle, Public Works Director Background Comprehens ive planning is important for a utility operation to insure the system be sized and maintained at a level that is necessary to accomplish the vital public purposes for which it is in place. Waste water master planning is used to develop a Capital Improvement Plan, multi-year rate projections, and of course annual budgets. The Plan analyzed collection system issues such as flow projections, system condition, and operation & maintenance plans. The Plan addresses treatment plant issues such as loading & hydraulic capacity, condition, operation & maintenance plans, and future regulations. The Plan also recommends a short and long range Capital Improvement Plan. Consulting Engineering firm CH2MHill worked with city staff in developing an updated comprehensive plan for the waste water collection system and treatment plant. The waste water comprehensive plan was completed in May with the City Council approving the certificate of completion for the consulting agreement with CH2MHill in August of 2010. The Waste Water Comprehensive Plan recommended an increased emphasis on the collection system, especially the gravity sanitary sewer interceptor mains because of their condition. The Plan also recommended a smaller emphasis on treatment plant projects because of the reduced loading from the JBS meat packing plant. In conjunction with the finalization of the planning process, the City hired the firm of Black and Vetch to conduct a rate analysis incorporating key components of the Master Plan including the need for capital investment and debt financing. An initial presentation, “Report on Revenue Requirements, Cost of Service and Rates for Wastewater Service” was made to the City Council by consultant Anna White of B&V in May of 2009. Subsequent to that, changes in the rate analysis have been made as JBS plans have solidified and better information has been generated on the effect upon City revenue from reduced loadings from JBS. Discussion With the decision by JBS to construct extensive pretreatment facilities, the emp hasis of the Plan changed to include a more aggressive commitment to replacement and upgrade of collection facilities. Among the planned projects most impacted by the JBS construction will be the Digester project which the City had planned for and spent several hundred dollars in designing. The need for that project in the short term is negated as the sludge generation at the plant is expected to be significantly reduced. The Fiscal Year 2011 Waste Water budget was put together using the Waste Water Comprehensive Plan as a starting point. The attached 5 year Waste Water Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) was put together using information from the Waste Water Comprehensive Plan and considered parameters such as condition, flow, growth, loading, permit requirements, and future regulations. The projects were prioritized with a ranking and scoring system that considered a number of factors including benefit and risk. Two large projects are included in the front end of the timeline, including a new aeration basis on the treatment side and replacement of a portion of the North Interceptor Sewer on the collection side. The CIP that incorporated in to the 2009 rate analysis included approximately $50m in capital investment, whereas the revision to the rate analysis reduced that by approximately $8m. The revised rate analysis also incorporates new revenue projections associated with the extensive increase in pretreatment that is expected to occur at the JBS site. Conclusion This is a presentation, and no action is expected at this time. It is intended to provide the City Council with an awareness of the impact on the 2009 rate analysis that is associated with the revised CIP and the JBS conversion. It is expected that this will be brought back to Council in a follow-up Study Session for discussion and to identify the course of action to take on potential changes to the CIP and the rate model.