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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Meeting of the Ames City Council 02/02/2016MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA FEBRUARY 2, 2016 The Ames City Council met in special session at 5:15 p.m. on February 2, 2016, in the Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law with Mayor Ann Campbell presiding and the following Council members present: Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Chris Nelson, and Peter Orazem. Ex officio Member Sam Schulte arrived at 5:33 p.m. FY 2016/17 BUDGET PROPOSALS: Library Services. Library Director Lynne Carey presented the proposed budget for Library Operations, including Administration, Operations Services, Resource Services, Adult Services, Customer Account Services, and Information Services. Utility costs for the renewed building are much higher than anticipated. Another unbudgeted expense resulted from a serious issue with the sanitary sewer line in the 1940 building. Jerri Heid, Youth Services Manager, gave highlights of the Youth Services Division. Tracy Briseño, Customer Accounts Services Manager, provided information about the Technology and Self Service Division and the Mobile Branch (Bookmobile). Ex officio Member Sam Schulte arrived at 5:33 p.m. Water Operations. John Dunn, Water and Pollution Control Director, provided an overview of the service objectives of divisions and programs of the Water Department: Administration, Production, Treatment, and Pumping, W&PC Metering, and W&PC Laboratory. Under Administration, the budget shows a .25 increase in the Secretary position to make it full-time. Mr. Dunn reported that the Water Pollution Control Facility has completed 25 consecutive years of 100% compliance with its discharge Permit. There will not be a rate increase in the Water or Sewer Fund for the next two years. Public Works. Public Works Director John Joiner gave an overview of the major work activities for the Public Safety Program, which included Traffic Engineering, Traffic Operations, and Street Lights. Ms. Beatty-Hansen asked for information about improving safety for multi-modal traffic on Ontario. Director Joiner said that when traffic counts reached a certain level on Ontario, a turn lane would be added. Parking on both sides of Ontario would be impacted. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Nelson, to direct staff to add a traffic study to be done on Ontario to explore the possibility of adding a bicycle boulevard. Council Member Gartin said that he would uncomfortable adding this project at this point because he did not have enough information on it. Director Joiner said that it would not create a large burden on staff to add this study. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Nelson, to direct staff to add the Ontario traffic study to the traffic engineering studies page in the CIP. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Nelson, to request staff to look at the Clark intersection with 6th Street radar signal detection units for bikes. Mr. Joiner said that there are funds budgeted for the bike radar signal detection units. If Council desired, staff could prioritize the Clark/6th intersection to be done first. City Manager Schainker emphasized that there would not be any additional money added to this program. Council Member Gartin said that he did not want to micro-manage staff’s prioritization of projects under these programs. Director Joiner advised that staff had not yet prioritized the list. In this case, it did make sense to make the improvements at the Clark/6th Street intersection due to the improvements already being done on Clark. City Manager Schainker reviewed the Storm Water Utility Fee Increase (36%) to the current 4-Tier Structure adopted in FY 2012/13. Discussion ensued on how to make all customers aware well in advance of when the increase will take effect. Public Relations Officer Susan Gwiasda offered suggestions on how to notify residents. Also, there will be a probable fee increase in the fees at the Resource Recovery. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Budget highlights of the Utilities Program, which included Utility Maintenance, Storm Sewer Maintenance, and Resource Recovery were given. Key components of the Street System, Parking Operations, and Airport Operations were presented. Lastly, Mr. Joiner provided highlights of the budgets for the Cemetery, Administration, and Engineering. The Council was told that staff is analyzing an increase in fees for the cemetery. A cemetery rate comparison had been done. Even with fee increases, General Fund support in the amount of $39,273 will still be needed. Fleet Services. Director Corey Mellies provided details of the budget for Fleet Services. He said that approximately 80% of service is done in-house. Fuel prices are expected to continue to decrease. Seventeen percent of the Fleet is considered “green.” Facilities. Director Mellies advised that the Facilities budget provides for the routine operations and maintenance expenses at two facilities: City Hall (including parking, grounds, and the Veterans’ Memorial) located at 515 Clark Avenue and the Maintenance Facility (including associated parking lots) located at 2207 Edison Street. Major projects will include the City Hall Roof Replacement, West Parking Lot Reconstruction, and Space Needs. Finance Services. Finance Director Duane Pitcher presented the budgets for Economic Development and Financial Services, including Administration, Purchasing Services, Information Technology, Utility Customer Service, and Parking Violation Collection. Under Economic Development, the budget for FY 2016/17 is up due primarily to the first year of Kingland TIF pass- through and an increase in the Hotel/Motel pass-through. Lastly, City Council Contingency and Merit Adjustments were explained by Mr. Pitcher. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Gartin to adjourn at 7:23 p.m. **************************************************************************** MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA FEBRUARY 3, 2016 The Ames City Council met in special session at 5:18 p.m. on February 3, 2016, in the Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law with Mayor Ann Campbell presiding and the following Council members present: Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Chris Nelson, and Peter Orazem. Ex officio Member Sam Schulte was also present. 2 FY 2016/17 BUDGET PROPOSALS: Parks & Recreation. Director Keith Abraham gave highlights of Administration, and Instructional, Athletic, and Aquatics programs. Mr. Abraham noted that they are requesting to move the Auditorium and Bandshell Management position from half-time to full-time. A major focus of the new staff person’s time would be to bring in revenue-producing shows, maximize use of the Auditorium, lower the subsidy; and maintain, develop, and/or enhance relationships with existing and/or new users. Budget information for the Wellness program and Parks Maintenance, and the two enterprise funds (Homewood Golf Course and Ames/ISU Ice Arena) was given. The various groups with whom Parks and Recreation partners were listed. Some of the new programming was described. Mr. Abraham explained the offering of scholarships to residents who meet requirements set by Mid- Iowa Community Action. Council Member Gartin said he wants to ensure that there is enough money allocated to scholarship funding. Noting that the Ames Racquet and Fitness Center is going to close one of its locations, Council Member Orazem asked if the City would be interested in taking over that facility. Mr. Abraham advised that the Harvest Church will be purchasing the building. Harvest Church will be keeping two of the courts open to the public and has asked the City if it wants to manage those courts. Mr. Gartin noted that if those courts go away, there will be no indoor tennis courts. Mr. Abraham stated that the operational budget would be large if the City were to manage the courts. Lastly, Mr. Abraham told the Council that one of the Department’s goals to be accomplished by 2015 is to have no trimming in the Parks. Electric Services. Donald Kom, Director of Electric Services, highlighted the operations budgets for each division (Administration, Production, Fuel Purchases, Distribution, Technical Services, and Engineering). He announced that the large project of converting the Power Plant from coal to natural gas is currently underway. Under Administration, Demand Side Management has played a significant role in reducing peak; that program began in 2007. Last year, there were 15 solar projects completed; 111 new solar projects are projected for 2016/17. The pilot Industrial Interruptible/Off-Peak Rate project has proven to be very successful. Mr. Kom named the projects that are currently occurring. The Electric Peak occurred on July 17, 2015 at 122.4 MW. The all-time peak occurred on July 25, 2012 at 130.7 MW. The largest program in the budget is Fuel/Purchased Power at $33,167,839. Mr. Kom emphasized that it does cost more to burn gas than it does from coal. Renewal energy equates to approximately 15.3% of City usage (10.5% from wind and 4.8% from refuse-derived fuel). Law Enforcement. Details were given by Police Chief Chuck Cychosz of the budget for the Public Safety Program, which included Administration and Records, Crime Prevention and Police Services, General Investigation, Emergency Communications, Forfeiture/Grants, Animal Control, and Parking Enforcement. Chief Cychosz described some of the policing challenges. The Department attempts to meet those challenges through outreach, training, and commitment. The Law Enforcement budget is up 3.5%, which includes some enhancements (new police officer; .25 increase to the Mental Health Advocate position; body cameras). Fleet expenses are down a little, and retirement costs are down. The Chief shared that the Department receives 29,000 calls/year, which results in 2,000 cases. 3 Council Member Orazem asked if it was time to revisit the issue of cameras in Campustown. Chief Cychosz advised that staff has been getting feedback from the Campustown Action Association. Additional public discussion will ensue and information will be brought back to the City Council. Council Member Gartin would like to have conversations about the usage of body cameras before the Department moves forward. Chief Cychosz advised that the Department is having those conversations. Procedures and policies need to be in place. City Manager Schainker advised that if the Council supports funding body cameras, policies and procedures will be brought to the City Council for review. The cameras will not be purchased until the Council approves the policies and procedures. Accident data from 2011 (1,303 accidents) to 2015 (1,676 accidents) were given; that is a 29% increase. Council Member Gartin would like those numbers expressed in per capita terms. Noise complaints were down even through apartment complexes increased by 23%. There were 54 Nuisance Party citations issued. Chief Cychosz emphasized the important role social media plays for the Police Department. The Mental Health Advocate program was explained. They are requesting a .25 increase to the position. Highlights of the Animal Control budget were given. There were 2,304 calls last fiscal year. The meeting recessed at 7:40 p.m. and reconvened at 7:48 p.m. Fire Department. Chief Shawn Bayouth detailed the budgets for Fire Safety, Administration and Support, Suppression and Emergency Action, and Building Safety. The 9.2% increase in Administration and Support is due to the addition of a new full-time-equivalent Training Chief position. Mr. Bayouth highlighted some of the benefits of mutual aid partnerships. Pictures of different fire scenes from incidents that had occurred during 2015 were shown. Chief Bayouth recognized Iowa State University for its contribution (25%) to the Fire Department’s operation budget. Public education events attended by fire fighters were up in 2015. Highlights of the Building Safety/Inspections Division were given by Chief Bayouth. The 2017 National Electrical Code will be adopted this fiscal year. Rental Housing fees will increase from 3.3% to 3.5% in 2016/17. As a reminder to the Council, Chief Bayouth noted that they are coming up to the final extension for the requirement for sprinklers to be installed in Greek Houses. That requirement was directed by the City Council years ago. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Beatty-Hansen to adjourn the meeting at 8:19 p.m. ****************************************************************************** 4 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA FEBRUARY 4, 2016 The Ames City Council met in special session at 5:17 p.m. on February 4, 2016, in the Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law. The following Council members were present: Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, and Chris Nelson. Mayor Ann Campbell, Council Member Peter Orazem, and Ex officio Member Sam Schulte were absent. City Attorney Judy Parks called the meeting to order and announced that Mayor Campbell is ill and Mayor Pro Tem Orazem would also be absent. Therefore, the first thing that the Council members needed to do was to elect a Temporary Chair to preside over this meeting. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to name Council Member Chris Nelson as the Temporary Chairperson to preside over this meeting. Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Temporary Chairperson Nelson began presiding over the meeting. FY 2016/17 BUDGET PROPOSALS: Transit System. Transit Director Sheri Kyras gave highlights of the budgets for Administration and Support. She reviewed revenues and expenses. The big change to expenses was the decrease in fuel costs. There will be an increase of $6.75 in the student fee, which equates to $73.10/semester. Next year, off-site storage of buses will occur for the first time; there is $50,000 budgeted to cover that expense. In order to address driver hiring challenges, there is a new Trainer position in the budget as well as incentivizing bonuses for new drivers. There are currently 145 drivers. Ms. Kyras reviewed new and major projects that will be initiated in the next fiscal year. She also explained major projects for the Fixed Route Service program and detailed the budget for the Dial-a- Ride program. City Council. Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips provided the Council with a summary of tasks and objectives they had set for FY 2014/15. He highlighted annual activities attended by the Mayor and City Council. City Manager. Highlights of the major projects supported by the City Manager’s Office were given by Mr. Phillips. City Clerk. Diane Voss, City Clerk, presented the City Clerk’s Division budget. Many of the services provided by the City Clerk’s Office were summarized. Major sources of revenue and the largest expenses were highlighted. Public Relations. Susan Gwiasda, Public Relations Officer, listed ways that the City communicates internally and externally. She specifically highlighted press releases (169 in FY 2014/15), newsletters, the newly designed Web site, social media (17 Facebook pages and seven Twitter accounts), brochures, and community branding. Ms. Gwiasda listed many of the events that the City will be hosting during the next four months. 5 Cable TV. Ms. Gwiasda highlighted the programming awards earned by Derek Crisler, Cable Coordinator, during the past year. Mr. Crisler continues to make improvements to the City’s programming. The City is now broadcasting in HD. It will begin HD streaming simulcast this fall. Legal Services. City Attorney Judy Parks summarized the services provided by the Legal Department. Ms. Parks noted that there is one Assistant City Attorney position vacant. She said that in beginning the recruitment for that position, she is keeping in mind the importance of stability in staffing. City Attorney Parks showed the Department’s funding sources and how they are allocated. Major projects accomplished during the past fiscal year and those continuing into this fiscal year were listed. Another major task of this Department is Property Assessment Appeals. Civil litigation requiring City Attorney representation was noted. Human Resources. Director Kaila Kenjar summarized the initiatives for the Human Resources Department. During the past fiscal year, new individuals have or will have filled the Director, both Human Resource Officers, and Human Resources Analyst positions. Ms. Kenjar noted that the City is undergoing bargaining efforts with all five of the Unions. She also showed information on employee and leadership development. The Council was told that there had been 45 recruitments initiated in 2015/16 with 2,000 applications received. Risk Management. Human Resources Director Kenjar highlighted the main risk management initiatives and activities. She noted the largest expenses were Property and Liability Premiums. Dave Eaton, Risk Manager, said he had completed the OSHA Authorized Trainer Program. He said the City will continue implementation of Functional Job Assessments (FJA). Health Insurance Management. Human Resources Director Kenjar presented highlights for the Health Insurance Management program. Health insurance rate increases from FY 2011-12 to the current year were shown. A Service Objective is to keep yearly rate increases below 10%. Health Promotion Program. Ms. Kenjar reviewed key services and programs that are offered to employees. She summarized the wellness and health care service delivery initiatives. Some of the services and programs were highlighted. It was noted that many of the Council members were participating in the Live Healthy Iowa initiative. Long-Range Planning and Current Planning. Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann stated that the budget now reflects one program of planning services, merging the Current Planning program and Long-Range Planning program. He presented a pie chart of the planning activities and how much time they take. The Department has one vacant Planner position; that position should be filled by Spring 2016. Highlights of the Long-Range Planning activities were given. A summary of Planning Division priorities as set by the City Council was distributed to the Mayor and City Council. Current Planning highlights were provided. A map of likely development areas (2016/17) were shown. City-Wide Affordable Housing. Vanessa Baker-Latimer, Housing Coordinator, noted the city- wide housing activities for 2015/16 and 2016/17. She said that program accounts for expenses incurred by the City’s Housing Division that are not eligible for reimbursement under the federal government’s Community Development Block Grant program to assist low- and moderate-income households. For 2015/16 and 2016/17, staff will continue to host community forums and events to train, educate, and engage the public regarding various housing topics/awareness. 6 Community Development Block Grant. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) activities accomplished and those that will be occurring were highlighted for 2015/16. Ms. Baker- latimer advised that the 2016/17 CDBG allocation for the City has not yet been announced. The City’s CDBG allocation was $484,297 in FY 2015/16. Funds from this account were used to purchase the ten-plus acre parcel at 321 State Avenue (former Ames Middle School site). That land will be made available for future redevelopment into affordable housing. In 2016/17, staff will begin the process for determining the type and number of lots to be developed for affordable housing for 321 State Avenue. Conclusion. Finance Director Duane Pitcher provided a summary of the budget decisions pending for the Budget Wrap-Up session to be held on February 9, 2016. He brought the Council’s attention to a memo pertaining to the Impact of East Industrial Area Utility Extension on Utility Rates. That memo was in response to a Council directive made at its January 26, 2016, meeting to add a project to the CIP in FY 2016/17 to extend water and sewer utilities to the eastern limits of a proposed East Industrial Annexation Area. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Gartin to adjourn at 7:47 p.m. ________________________________________________________________________ Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor 7