08-27-2013 City Council Special Meeting Packet
City of Grand Island
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Special Meeting Packet
City Council:
Linna Dee Donaldson
Scott Dugan
John Gericke
Peg Gilbert
Chuck Haase
Julie Hehnke
Vaughn Minton
Mitchell Nickerson
Bob Niemann
Mike Paulick
Mayor:
Jay Vavricek
City Administrator:
Mary Lou Brown
City Clerk:
RaNae Edwards
7:00 PM
Council Chambers - City Hall
100 E 1st St - immediately following Regular Mtg
Grand Island Special Meeting - 8/27/2013 Page 1 / 18
City of Grand Island Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Call to Order
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.
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call
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.
Grand Island Special Meeting - 8/27/2013 Page 2 / 18
City of Grand Island
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Special Meeting
Item E-1
Public Hearing on Proposed Fiscal Year 2013-2014 City of Grand
Island and Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA) Budgets
Staff Contact: Jaye Monter
Grand Island Special Meeting - 8/27/2013 Page 3 / 18
City of Grand Island
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Special Meeting
Item I-1
#2013-293 - Consideration of Approving 12.5 Full Time Equivalent
Employees for 2013-2014 City Budget
Staff Contact: Jaye Monter, Finance Director
Grand Island Special Meeting - 8/27/2013 Page 4 / 18
Council Agenda Memo
From:Jaye Monter, Finance Director
Meeting:August 27, 2013
Subject:Consideration of Approving 12.5 Full Time Equivalent
Employees (FTE) and $936,000.00 for the 2013-2014
City Budget
Item #’s:I-1
Presenter(s):Jaye Monter, Finance Director
Background
At the August 13, 2013 Study Session, we discussed the changes in the Full Time
Equivalent Employees (FTEs) included in the 2013-2014 proposed budget for the City of
Grand Island. These departmental requested changes relate to efficiencies and continuing
department growth.
Discussion
Department directors and staff will be available to answer questions from Council.
Alternatives
It appears that the Council has the following alternatives concerning the issue at hand.
The Council may:
1.Approve the recommendation for requested FTEs and changes.
2.Modify the request to meet the policy direction of the Council.
Recommendation
City Administration recommends that the Council approve the 2013-2014 FTE requests.
Sample Motion
Move to approve the FTE requests and changes as recommended.
Grand Island Special Meeting - 8/27/2013 Page 5 / 18
Department/Fund Position Amount FTE
EMERGENCY 126 Senior Public Safety Dispatcher 41,735 0.50
MANAGEMENT Public Safety Dispatcher 64,246 1.00
Public Safety Dispatcher (63,347)(1.00)
215 Senior Public Safety Dispatcher (40,439)(0.50)
Public Safety Dispatcher (64,251)(1.00)
Public Safety Dispatcher 11,804 0.18
Public Safety Dispatcher (19,474)(0.25)
Public Safety Dispatcher 14,140 0.18
216 Public Safety Dispatcher 50,567 0.82
Public Safety Dispatcher 61,218 0.82
Public Safety Dispatcher (56,036)(0.75)
TOTAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:163 0.00
POLICE 123 Police Officers 313,503 5.00
Community Service Officers 63,886 2.00
TOTAL POLICE:377,389 7.00
METROPOLITAN 225 MPO Planning Manager 97,740 1.00
PLANNING ORG TOTAL METROPOLITAN PLANNING:97,740 1.00
PUBLIC WORKS 330 GIS Coordinator 88,144 1.00
Registered Land Surveyor 97,860 1.00
TOTAL PUBLIC WORKS:186,004 2.00
PARKS - HPSP 44801 Office Coordinator 64,739 1.00
Seasonal Worker Customer Service/Facility Operations (9,605)(0.50)
TOTAL PARKS:55,134 0.50
UTILITIES - ELECTRIC 520 Civil Engineer I/II 118,146 1.00
Utilities Electrician 101,424 1.00
TOTAL UTILITIES:219,570 2.00
TOTAL CITY:936,000 12.50
DOLLAR SUMMARY OF 2014 FTE CHANGES
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GENERAL FUND Amount FTE
Public Safety - Emergency Management 42,634 0.50
Public Works 186,004 2.00
Community Environment & Leisure 55,134 0.50
TOTAL GENERAL FUND WITHOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT 283,772 3.00
Public Safety - Law Enforcement 377,389 7.00
TOTAL GENERAL FUND 661,161 10.00
SPECIAL REVENUE FUND
Emergency Management (42,471)(0.50)
Metropolitan Planning Organization 97,740 1.00
TOTAL SPECIAL REVENUE 55,269 0.50
ENTERPRISE FUND
Electric 219,570 2.00
TOTAL ENTERPRISE FUND 219,570 2.00
TOTAL CITY:936,000 12.50
DOLLAR SUMMARY OF 2014 FTE CHANGES
By Fund-Budget 2013-2014
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Emergency Management
The following FTE changes need to be made in order to meet budgetary directions of the
Interlocal Committee:
1.Moving 1 FTE from the 215 Fund (E911 Special Revenue Fund) to the General
Fund budget
2.Changing a 75/25 split to 82% in 216 Fund (PSC Wireless Fund) and 18% in 215
Fund (E911 Special Revenue Fund)
3.Changing 1 FTE currently in the 215 Fund to a 50/50 split with the General Fund
4.Moving 1 FTE from the General Fund to a split of 82% in 216 Fund (PSC
Wireless Fund) and 18% in 215 Fund (E911 Special Revenue Fund)
Jon Rosenlund, Emergency Management Director
Police – Increased Law Enforcement
The City conducted a Public Safety Study in 2012 that identified the need to increase the
sworn strength of the Police Department. The study identified that the Police Department
was understaffed in relation to the demand for services and the ability to provide
proactive services in the City. The study recommended that the Police Department adopt
a strategic policing model and increase sworn officer strength by ten officers. The Police
Department prepared a four year implementation plan to phase in resources and assure
that hiring and training standards were maintained.
The implementation plan identified increasing the sworn strength in the Police
Department by five sworn Police Officer in the 2013/2014 fiscal year. These additional
officers will allow the Police Department to move forward with the implementation of
our strategic policing plan. Three of the new Police Officers will be assigned to the
Patrol Division to support the Patrol teams in carrying out planned proactive operations.
One Police Officer will be assigned to the Crime Prevention Unit to expand crime
prevention efforts in conjunction with Patrol operations. One Police Officer will be
assigned to the Training and Personnel Unit to assist in the selection and training of new
officers and to ensure that the Department continues to provide continuing education to
all officers and employees.
The study also recommended that the Police Department have the equivalent of six full
time Community Service Officers assigned to the Patrol Division to support the
Department’s efforts to implement strategic policing in the City. The Community
Service Officer resources will primarily focus on code enforcement issues that create
disorder in our neighborhoods.
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The implementation plan identified the hiring of two full time Community Service
Officers in the 2013/2014 fiscal year. The two Community Service Officers will enhance
code enforcement in the City and support the Department’s strategic policing efforts to
improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
Steve Lamken, Police Chief
Metropolitan Planning Organization
The City of Grand Island is in the process of creating the organizational structure
necessary to meet the requirements of a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). An
MPO Program Manager is needed to handle the daily work required of the MPO. Work
includes tasks associated with coordinating and documenting meetings of both the Policy
Board and the Technical Committee, compiling and submitting documentation, assisting
with the development of Requests for Proposals, assisting engineers with various traffic
studies, and monitoring associated traffic and safety projects. This position is fully
funded by the MPO and is necessary to ensure eligibility for MPO funding.
Public Works
As stated several months ago, one of the most important goals for the Department of
Public Works (DPW) is to rebuild the Engineering Division so that it is properly staffed
both with the necessary skill sets and numbers to accomplish the objectives set by the
City. There will still be a need for consultants to provide skills that are not needed as
frequently (such as those required in the dewatering study) and for work exceeding the
capacity of staff (it is better from both an economic and productivity view to never have
more staff than required for the continuous work load). The three basic skill sets missing
are Traffic Engineering, Surveying, and GIS. The DPW Engineering Division is
performing work in these areas, but has no one specializing in them (I.E. Professional
Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE), licensed Land Surveyor (LS), or Certified and
Degreed Geographic Information System Specialist (GIS Specialist)). Note that there are
many other needed skill sets not present (such as structural engineer, geotechnical
engineer, hydraulic engineer, etc.), but the work load for these will remain too small to be
cost effective until the City is much larger; for the next few decades it is more cost
effective to consult these out as needed.
Work in the DPW Engineering Division falls into 3 broad categories:
Support – activities that support the community such as providing the location of
a sewer tap or preparing final documents for permanent storage. These activities
are often border line between sub-professional and clerical, and typically handled
by sub-professional engineering staff in most government operations, though
clerical staff often supplements this effort. This seems to be the area of primary
focus for the GI DPW Engineering Division prior to 2011. Note that occasionally
professional or paraprofessional level skills are required for these tasks.
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Study and Design – Developing plans, surveys, Request for Qualifications (RFQ),
Request for Proposals (RFP), Bids, Standards, Studies, and other engineering
activities necessary to produce projects and protect both public and private
infrastructure. In addition to various professional engineering skill sets, CADD,
GIS, Survey and other paraprofessional skill sets are necessary to accomplish the
City’s objectives. The lack of expertise in this area is the primary reason for
DPW’s past failures: poor consultant performance, excessive construction fees,
projects designed but not built, poor base and other materials on streets, poor
drainage, inappropriate choice of solutions, etc.
Construction – activities required to continue projects to completion, beginning
when the final design is complete, or after bids are awarded, depending on
whether staff or contractors will complete the work. Poor inspection is
responsible for the early failures of infrastructure, high maintenance frequency
and increased repair costs. In some cases the City has not received what was
purchased. Depending on the type of project professional and/or paraprofessional
skill sets are needed, though with proper guidance, some tasks (such as
observation) can be successfully completed by sub-professionals.
Properly staffing the Engineering Division is the best opportunity to correct the problems
the City has experienced, and to reduce total infrastructure related costs. Realization of
savings will be difficult until past deficiencies have been corrected, such as those related
to Wastewater or drainage. Note that fixed cost will increase with staff, but consultant
cost will diminish with their utilization, contractor cost and maintenance/repair cost will
diminish with better designs and closer inspections.
At this time the weakest area in the Engineering Division is data collection and
compilation necessary for proper engineering analysis. The most needed skill set is GIS,
which should be provided by a GIS Specialist responsible for:
Compiling feature/property needs and developing data structures to accommodate
them.
Developing data collection contracts to collect data for such things as pavement
management, traffic signs, and drainage.
Acquiring or developing software and reports to support network analysis needed
by the engineers. Note that network analysis is needed to develop system wide
plans for handling traffic flow or creating a series of drainage projects to correct
the drainage without simply moving the problem from one location to another.
There will still be a need for modeling and master plans from consultants (some
software and skill sets are too expensive and or too infrequently needed), but this
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makes implementation easier, and a real review of things such as the Summerfield
drainage issues or Highway 281 accidents possible.
Ensuring new data is entered as it is available; out of date information leads to
poor decisions.
Interfacing with the Utilities and County GIS staffs to ensure efforts are
coordinated and data validation occurs.
Automating ancillary tasks such as determining where sanitary sewer connections
are located and what fees are associated with connecting.
Surveying is the next most critical missing skill set, and the need will increase if the City
decides to adopt and enforce drainage regulations at the lot or subdivision level. To
provide this it is necessary to establish a Licensed Land Surveyor responsible for:
Completing the surveys necessary for developing projects with staff. A surveyor
with assistance from sub-professional staff will be able to complete many of the
surveys needed for staff designs, but consultants will be needed to handle some
when the workload is excessive. This position will be especially effective for the
many small projects where survey data is needed quickly for studies/designs.
Work is cyclical, so there will be some down time; this will be spent inspecting
construction projects, a function where we are significantly understaffed, and handling
some ancillary duties. The quality of inspection services we have received from
consultants has been inconsistent, and has contributed to some failures.
Design usually costs 8% to 12%. Assuming minimal cost, the value for 2012 was
$248,000 and for 2013 is projected to be $290,000, which would have otherwise been
contracted. This equates to saving about four dollars for every dollar spent on the
engineer. Note that this accounts for about half of his time; the remaining effort is spent
on more general tasks such as reviewing subdivisions, developing/revising standards,
responding to public requests, etc….
We were able to hire a CADD Operator with good CADD skills, but with a power
background rather than the needed to with road, drainage and pipe design. It usually
takes 5 years or so to become proficient in this area. The expectation is that some savings
will be recognized over the next year, and increase for several years. This position also
adds value to the division by improving the skill level and methodology of other CADD
utilizing staff.
2014 Budget Decisions:
Add GIS Specialist
This position is needed for current work. It is possible and cost effective to contract
specific projects, but setting appropriate tasks for such projects and handling the daily
and/or urgent tasks is difficult to contract in this area because the service is not readily
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available. The position in IT that was responsible for providing GIS services to DPW
was replaced with a different position. The Utilities Department GIS Technician has
been helping DPW get by, but has informed us that they do not have time to continue,
and reminded us that continuing is inappropriate since they are an enterprise fund.
Availability of data is limited, but the cost of the position performing the full range of
duties should be less than the cost of contracting those duties that lend themselves to
contracts.
Add Land Surveyor
This position is needed for current work, but will become essential if drainage regulations
are established. It is relatively easy to contract most of the current needs, though the
process makes quick surveys impossible. The expectation is that there will be some cost
savings from performing many of the project surveys with staff, and that a staff surveyor
will allow us to better respond to the small requests (difficult at this time).
Delay Traffic Engineer
At some point hiring a Traffic Engineer will be recommended. It is not advisable at this
time because:
The Engineering Division cannot handle the effort to integrate this position.
Focus needs to remain on better developing the design function which includes a
number of ancillary tasks (revising standards, developing processes, etc.).
Without an existing traffic unit, establishing the MPO will be work intense, and
the Engineering Division will have to devote significant resources to this.
We may be able to acquire much of the traffic data and analysis as we develop the
MPO documentation.
There are two primary factors involved in developing organizations are skill sets and
capacity. As mentioned two years ago, missing skill sets was the most critical issue in
the Engineering Division, and addressing this deficiency has been our main objective.
After the missing skills are filled, capacity should be addressed.
Capacity involves setting the number of staff at a level to handle the minimal
work load. As indicated in the chart of Capital Funding and Expenditures, the
workload is too volatile to determine the minimal workload at this time. Since
2000 Public Works has been budgeted as much as $12M and spent as little as $0.
Additionally, the productivity of the Engineering Division is still increasing as we
set processes and change staff. Once productivity stabilizes, the City should set a
stable level of funding, after which the optimal level of staffing can be
determined.
DPW regularly writes legal descriptions and locates property pins, though there is
no surveyor on staff. This is inappropriate, and there is risk from increased
liability and from increased project cost.
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Collect survey information for small drainage related issues that is frequently
needed to determine problems and develop solutions.
Assist with enforcement of drainage regulations (should these be established) by
inspecting subdivisions as they are constructed and lots as grading is complete,
and by performing site inspections in response to drainage complaints.
The final missing skill set needed to complete a small managing municipal engineering
group is that of a certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE). Support
from a GIS Specialist will greatly enhance the effectiveness of this position.
The primary purpose of a PTOE is to perform traffic studies for speed limits,
traffic signs, traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, trails, parking, ADA, and such.
These are necessary to improve safety and efficiency as traffic changes with the
City’s growth. The PTOE would assume the work currently performed by
existing engineering staff and be able to handle larger and more in depth studies.
Consultants would still be needed for large corridor studies where the effort of
data collection or of the cost analysis tools are prohibitive.
The PTOE would provide the traffic analysis necessary for the planning required
by the MPO. Note that communities large enough to become an MPO usually
have an established Traffic Engineering Program which usually assumes primary
responsibility for establishing the MPO, and provides the traffic models and data
that allow the MOP staff to develop the required plans and documents.
The PTOE would be responsible for the geometric studies necessary to prevent
and/or correct issues such as the head to head left turn lanes on Highway 281 that
contribute to collisions.
Once these basic skill sets have been acquired the City will have to decide whether the
Engineering Division should remain a managing group with some production capability,
or if it should be expanded to handle the majority of the design and/or construction
projects typically needed by the City.
If the City decides to continue with a managing group, these three positions will be all
that is needed for many years until the City grows to the point of needing more focused
experts in areas such as structures or drainage.
If the City decides to expand the Engineering Division to optimize expenses, some
additional engineers and support staff may be needed. The number depends on the
number of projects desired and funded by the City. The goal will be to have sufficient
staff with skill sets to handle the minimum work load, and to contract the remaining
work. Properly managed, this will maximize the quality and minimize cost.
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Adding positions to an engineering group creates a great deal of overhead. Salaries are
such that it is always very difficult and often impossible to higher experts with the desires
skills, making it necessary to train new staff. Training takes time from key staff,
reducing productivity. We cannot expand engineering to the proper staffing immediately;
several years are needed to complete this process. The savings trend will continue to rise,
but may drop for a time after each new hire.
Note that this chart only reflects City funding, and is not inflation adjusted; it should only
be used to illustrate the volatility of funding and productivity.
John Collins, P.E., Grand Island Public Works Director/City Engineer
Parks
Heartland Public Shooting Park (HPSP) has outgrown its staffing limitations. We are
requesting to add one full-time office manager position. To add the new position we ask
to add 0.50 FTEs to the budget. The new FTEs will be added to 0.50 existing part time
FTEs to create the position. Considering wage and benefits the additional staff member
would add approximately $40,000 to the existing budget.
HPSP has become one of central Nebraska’s premier recreational attractions hosting
numerous regional and national events such as the Rim Fire Championship, Zombies in
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the Heartland (The Pandemic) of 2012, Glock Shooting Sports Foundation Shoot,
USPSA Area 3 Pistol Championship, National 4H Open Youth Invitational, Platte River
Charity Shoot to name a few. HPSP also hosts a number of local charity events that
include Hope Harbor, Big Brother Big Sisters, and local school organizations. HPSP
supports area youth by hosting events like Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge
University, Hunters Education Classes, and local high school trap teams.
Recent financial data shows that the HSPS staff has made significant progress in growing
the customer base and bringing new events to the area. HPSP budgets have trended
positively in recent years. HPSP staff has overreached their capacity to facilitate further
growth and keep up with the demands of the facility.
Adding a full-time office manager will enhance customer service, improve administrative
responsibilities, and most importantly allow the other two full time staff members to
focus on shooting sport venues and foster future growth.
Todd McCoy, Parks Director
Utilities
The Engineering Division currently has 28 electric and 22 water distribution projects in
progress. The Division does not currently have a licensed engineer on staff for
engineering oversight for these projects. This function is supported by licenses engineers
from other divisions or by outside engineering firms and approximately $238,000 was
spent in 2012-13 for outside consulting services for projects. In addition, Division
assignments for maintaining and developing GIS infrastructure and web information
systems for the City is increasing and will continue to increase with acquisition of new
software management systems. The new engineering position would provide oversight of
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the current engineering technician staff work activities, develop and manage new
computer and web based engineering and information systems, and provide associated
staff training. If this new position is not available, outside consultants will continue to be
utilized.
Currently, the Production Division has one Utilities Electrician on staff. This position
was created in 1982 at the time of the PGS initial operation. The plant management work
scheduling system indicates approximately an 840 man-hour backlog for electrician work
assignments, with additional electrical and emission monitoring equipment testing to be
required by regulatory requirements. Other staff positions that have been used to assist
the electrician work activities in the past are developing similar work backlogs and will
not be available for future support. If additional staff is not available, the Production
Division will need to hire outside contractors to perform work at an estimated annual cost
of approximately $220,000 based on quotations received by the suppliers of these
systems.
Tim Luchsinger, Utilities Director
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Approved as to Form ¤ ___________
August 23, 2013 ¤ City Attorney
R E S O L U T I O N 2013-293
WHEREAS, the 2013-2014 budget process requires a projection of personnel
costs; and
WHEREAS, city administration recommends facilitating more efficiencies and
continued growth of each department; and
WHEREAS, the net result includes an increase of 12.5 Full Time Equivalent
Employees (FTE) and $936,000 city wide.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA, that the 2013-2014 proposed budget be
prepared to include the additional 12.5 Full Time Equivalent Employees (FTE).
- - -
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Grand Island, Nebraska, August 27, 2013.
_______________________________________
Jay Vavricek, Mayor
Attest:
_______________________________________
RaNae Edwards, City Clerk
Grand Island Special Meeting - 8/27/2013 Page 17 / 18
City of Grand Island
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Special Meeting
Item X-1
Review of Proposed FY 2013-2014 City Single Budget and
Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA) Budgets
Staff Contact: Jaye Monter
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