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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 09-18-1989r CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BLVD., PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447 TELEPHONE (612) 559-2800 MEMO DATE: September 18, 1989 TO: Mayor & City Council FROM: James G. Willis, City Manager SUBJECT STATUS REPORT - 1990 CITY COU CIL BUDGET PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIVES The purpose of this memorandum is to update you on the status of the various elements of your 1990 Budget Priorities and Objectives. You may wish to bring this memo to the Budget Study Sessions, although a copy of the Council's Budget Priorities and Objectives is included in my budget message. Adopted 8/7/89 1990 CITY COUNCIL BUDGET PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIVES 1. RESPONSIBILITY ACCOUNTABILITY PRODUCTIVITY EFFICIENCY BALANCE AND Status 9/18/89 CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS This objective is ongoing. These six concepts should guide each department in their day-to-day activities toward accomplishing departmental and city objectives. II. PUBLIC SAFETY The City Council believes that the protection of the public health, welfare and safety is of primary importance. Accordingly, the following goals are established: 1. Or Awareness Education Efforts. Establish and support the Drug The Council has indicated its support of the DARE use esistance ducation (DARE) program effective January 1990. program. Public Safety Director Carlquist has This program is to be conducted in elementary schools within the selected four officers to undergo training for the community on an invitation basis insofar as our resources permit. program which will commence in January 1990. During 1990 the program is anticipated to be offered at four elemen $10,000 has been set aside for supplies for this Lary schools. program within the police budget for 1990; this amount could be reduced depending upon the success of Dick Carlquist's fundraising efforts. 2. Fire Station I. The Council has retained the architectural firm of We have had several meetinqs with the Trossen- rosse�ight to undertake a study to determine the City's needs Wright Architects and will present to the Council with respect to Fire Station I. Once this report has been received on October 6, their report and recommendations and reviewed by the Council, a decision will be made to either with respect to Fire Station 1. remodel and expand Fire Station I, or demolish it and construct a new one. 3. Public Safet Personnel. The City Council shall continue to give The Public Safety Director has recommended that gh pr ority to personnel requests for police officers in the two additional sworn personnel be added to his Public Safety Department. The Council is sensitive to the personnel staff in 1990. My budget incorporates that recom- implications associated with the continued development and matura mendation. The Public Safety Director is also tion of the community. It is recognized that this process will working on a longer range project dealing with the change resident service expectations to include protective inspec allocation of his manpower based upon the tion. geographic area of the community as well as frequencies of calls of service. 4. Police Accreditation Pro ram. The Council has directed the City The Police Accreditation Program is underway; the anager to proceed w th thePolice Accreditation Program on a timely Public Safety Director believes that during 1990 basis. It projected that the accreditation program will be good progress will be made towards developing many completed prior to the end of 1991. of the policies which are required for ultimate police accreditation. It is not anticipated that accreditation will be completed later in 1991, although this date could "slip" depending upon the manpower required to develop the various policies and procedures. 5. Police Reserve Program. This program is beginning to demonstrate At the current time there are seven police great potential. Additional reservists need to be recruited and reservists who have been fully trained. During trained so as to develop a cadre of persons available to serve the 1990, the Public Safety Director hopes to increase community in a variety of volunteer capacities. the reserve force by an additional four personnel. III. WATER SYSTEM The continuous availability of safe, potable water is essential to the development of the community and for public health and safety purposes. Accordingly, the Council establishes the following objectives. I. Production of Water - Ensure that future well construction is The proposed 1990-94 Capital Improvement Program completed before supply difficulties arise. Consider the acceleration (CIP) will be recommending the acceleration by one of the development of Wells 13 and 14 from 1991 and 1993 to 1990 and year, of Wells 13 and 14 in 1990 and 1992, and the 1992 as part of the 1990-1995 Capital Improvement Program review this addition of Well 15 in 1994. fall. 2. Water Towers and Water Distribution S stem. Ensure the timely The 1990 CIP will recommend substantial extensions completion o water trunkma ns as contemplated in the current of trunk watermain primarily for the purposes of construction season, as well as the five-year capital improvement strengthening the existing system as well as to program. The Council has awarded a contract for a new 3 million open new areas for development. The new 3 million gallon reservoir which is to be completed and in service by December gallon reservoir, currently under contract, is 1990. scheduled for completion p prior to December 1990. Wells 11 and 12 are currently under construction and will be in service in June 1990. 1990 CITY COUNCIL BUDGET PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIVES Page two CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS IV. STREETS AND UTILITIES The conveyance of people, public safety vehicles and products throughout the community is essential for community development and safety. The City Council promotes the following objectives in this regard: 1. Infrastruction Re lacement. The City commenced the infrastructure The first year of this program is nearing comple- rep aI cement program n1989. This program shall continue on an tion. The Council's Assessment Committee will be annual basis in accordance with the previously approved Short- meeting shortly to review the costs and make Elliot -Hendrickson (SEH) study. The Council will review the 1990 recommendations with respect to the special program as part of its review of the 1990-1994 CIP. The City assessments. The 1990-94 CIP will include our Council's Special Assessment Committee is to make specific recommen- annual recommendations for this ongoing program. dations regarding financing of the 1990 program prior to March, 31, 1990. 2. Infrastructure Reserve Fund. Place continuing emphasis upon build- The proposed budget contemplates the continuance Ing the funding necessary for infrastructure maintenance and of the Infrastructure Reserve Fund levy at replacement through annual levy. $862,000, this is consistent with the previous financing plan reviewed by the City Council. 3. Snow owing. Consider as part of the annual budget review the In the 1989-90 snowplowing season we will be posylbty of converting one or more private snowplowing routes to taking over one additional snowplowing route. The city crew responsibility to enhance service quality. Also evaluate: Public Works Director, Public Works Maintenance 1) methods to improve cul-de-sac plowing; 2) appropriateness of Superintendent, and Street Superintendent are shifting routes between contractor and city crews; and 3) expanding collectively reviewing means by which we might the sidewalk/trail snowplowing program. improve our snowplowing services on cul-de-sacs. Because of other budgetary priorities, I have not recommended that we assume additional snowplowing routes for the 1990-91 snowplowing season. My budget does contemplate expanding the existing program of snowplowing our sidewalks and trails. Attached as Exhibit A is a map illustrating the City's sidewalk/trail system and the sidewalks which we have been plowing this past year. We also indicated on that map the new trails which we propose to add. This addition does not contem- plate new personnel or equipment. Mark Peterson Is concerned that by undertaking this effort, we will pushing our equipment utilization, and if we have any equipment failure, we will fall behind not only plowing the trails, but also ice rinks. The manpower utilized for the snowplowing the additional trails will come from ice rink mainten- ance and the Council can expect to receive complaints that ice rinks are not plowed as rapidly as heretofore. That is the trade-off for undertaking efforts to plow additional trails. 4. Caital Im rovement Program. To effectively meet the City's growing The overall review of the Capital Improvement popu ation, it is imperative that the City's annual Capital Program this year has been delayed largely as a Improvement Program (CIP) be executed in a timely fashion. The result of the Metropolitan Council's review of our Council shall be committed to undertaking approved capital improvement request to expand our Urban Service Area through projects in a timely fashion, and thereafter, the City staff shall the decade of the 1990's. The Metropolitan work to ensure that the projects are promptly undertaken and completed Council has now approved an expansion which will in accordance with time schedules reviewed and approved by the permit the City to open up 1,800 acres during the Council. next several years. After 1990 census data are In, and assuming the census data confirms the growth of Plymouth is greater than presumed by the Metropolitan Council, we will again request an expansion of our development area out to the MUSA line. V. ENVIRONMENTAL The development of the community should not take place at the expense of the environment and the natural amenities of the community. The follow- ing objectives must be pursued: 1. Solid Waste Recycling. The voluntary solid waste recycling program We project no difficulty in the City's meeting the must continue and expand through 1990. The monthly recycling County's goals for recycling 8,658 tons, or in tonnage goal should average 721 tons (8,658 tons annually) in 1990, qualifying for the maximum County funding of 8C representing achievement of a 16 percent reduction in solid wastes percent of the total expenditures. If we recycle going to landfills. In 1990 the residential recycling goal shall be 29191 residential tons (183 tons/month) we will 2,191 tons. The City must continue to maximize its participation in qualify for maximum County funding. At the the Hennepin County recycling program, particularly working to current time we are recycling 250 tons monthly. ensure that we meet or exceed residential recycling goals. Dick Pouliot and Jerry Sisk have been working with Hennepin County to ensure that the present 80-2C funding ratio continues through the year. Our budget contemplates that continuation. 1990 CITY COUNCIL BUDGET PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIVES CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS Page three 2. Environmental Development Standards. The City is to consistently and This is an ongoing requirement. The budget aggressively enforce environmental standards for development, includng proposes an additional engineering technician erosion control, approved grading plans, landscaping, EIS and EAW whose work would include working with residents to criteria, and traffic analysis on a continuing basis. assist in solving an increasing number of drainage problems/complaints as well as helping to enforce the Council's erosion control policy. 3. Wetlands, Ponds and Lakes. Plymouth's storm drainage plan reorganize The legislature approved our bill to amend the the environmental value of wetlands, ponds and lakes, and the need to storm sewer improvement tax district law in order preserve them. These natural and/or manmade features assist in that our Capital Improvement Programs would not reducing urban water run-off rates, filter and trap sediments and sunset after seven years. We were not successful nutrients which are detrimental to water quality, provide habitat to though of reinstating the earlier provision that wildlife and aesthetically enhance the urban landscape. They are provided that the levy was outside of levy resources which must not only be preserved, but maintained. The limits. Nonetheless, my budget includes S388,870 Council intends to develop and fund programs in 1990 to: for the purposes of continuing to fund our four storm sewer Improvement districts. Our compre- a. Remove silt from water bodies serving as direct receivers of hensive storm water plan will also be updated in street and storm drainage. 1990. My budget also includes $5,000 in the Park Maintenance Budget for the purposes of seeking to b. Control of Purple Loosestrife, Eurasian Water Milfoil and other control Purple Loosestrife and Eurasian Water nuisance vegetation associated with water bodies over which the Millfoil and other nuisance vegetation on city City assumes moisture authority/responsibility. property adjacent to bodies of water. VI. PARK FACILITIES The City's park facilities are an important community resource and the The continued growth of our population is placing recreation program assists in improving the quality of living in pressure on our community playfields in parti- Plymouth. The Council establishes the following objectives with respect cular. We also need to continue to expand the to each: City's trail system particularly linking existing trail segments together as well as extending new I. Develo ment of New Facilities. Development of new park facilities trails along areas where particularly heavy use is shall cont nue to respond to the needs for those facilities and the expected. Monies for this work are planned to capacity of the community to pay for such facilities. Such develop- come exclusively from the City's Park Dedication ment must not be at the expense of existing programs and/or mainten- fund. A task force of several staff members is ance of existing facilities. Evaluate necessity of park currently finalizing a report on the needs for maintenance/storage facility for long-term needs. Provide infor- additional maintenance/storage facilities. A copy mation on both of the above topics to the City Council prior to of that report will be provided to the Council on budget cycle. September 22. 2. Plan and Initiate a Long Range Trail Overla /Seal Coatin Program. It I have included $60,000 within the proposed budget is deemed important to provide adequate unds to promote and extend to establish a fund to ensure that our City's the functional life of the City's trail system. It is also important parks and trails are not only maintained from a to maximize the opportunity for the public to safely use these preventive maintenance basis, but are also facilities on a year round basis. reconstructed when necessary. I anticipate this will be an ongoing fiscal requirement on much the same basis as the Infrastructure Replacement Reserve Fund provides funds for the replacement of our City streets. The Park Maintenance budget also includes $11,000 for routine trail maintenance. 3. Commmmit Center. Establish, administer, and monitor a process I anticipate that the Council will review the providin or the undertaking of this project in accordance with Community Center design/development drawings and approved plans and specifications, construction contracts, and budget, updated construction costs estimates at the with construction projected to be completed prior to the end of 1990. October 2 meeting. VII. STAFFING The business of the City is to deliver services. This is accomplished by people for people. Accordingly, the City Council has adopted the following positions: I. Staffing. Ensure the best value for the personnel dollar by compen- My proposed budget requests eight additional new sating employees appropriately relative to the market. Ensure that personnel for the City, six of whom are within the temporary, part-time or seasonal personnel arrangements are General Fund. One of these positions is a periodically analyzed to determine that such arrangements are more personnel coordinator. With the advent of cost effective than adding full-time employees. comparable worth, we have made diligent and good faith efforts to comply with the spirit as well as the intent of the new state law. It has created some difficulties, particularly because of the current conflict between comparable worth and the existing market rates for some positions. During this year, we have had to make some adjustments in our compensation rates (not the compensation plan) due to market factors in several positions most notably building inspectors and appraisers. With regard to seasonal, temporary and part time positions, we seek to maintain good data on the market. It is getting particularly difficult to hire longer term "temporary" or "seasonal" workers, largely because so few people look for such employment. 1990 CITY COUNCIL BUDGET PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIVES Page four CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS 2. Recruitment. Efforts to hire personnel required to accomplish City Recruitment of new employees takes longer than any responsibilities are to be promptly undertaken and swiftly concluded of us desire. The new personnel position will so as to minimize position vacancies. assist us in reducing the time this requires. However, in recruiting new personnel, we do seek • to take a very deliberate approach to ensure that the person ultimately selected is best suited for his/her position. The costs and problems assoc- iated with "dehiring" a person are becoming very substantial. 3. Service Priorities. As the community matures, different service Increasing personnel responsibilities, which are levels and priorities can be expected which may require redirection of spelled out in more detail in my budget message, staff resources to ensure that the new service is effectively clearly indicate the time has come to add a delivered. The addition of a Human Resources Specialist is to be personnel professional to our staff. I recognize investigated for addition in 1990. this is a "overhead" position in the sense it is not directed to deliver service to the citizens but is, I believe, essential to ensure that we have the staffing necessary to deliver those VIII. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT services. The Comprehensive Plan for Plymouth has been adopted to provide the framework for ongoing development within the community. The continuing implementation of the various planning elements is a high priority of this Council. 1. Developer Interface. The City staff is expected to work effectively The City staff has continued to meet periodically and cooperatively with all persons seeking to develop in Plymouth. with the Development Council as well as special The Development Review Committee (DRC) has been established to committees of the Development Council to facili- coordinate the various city departments as the main interface with tate better working relationships and procedures. developers. The Planning Division shall inform all developers of I believe the process continues to be beneficial city development requirements and status of applications, and shall for all parties and participants. The Community process applications in an expeditious manner. Development staff has also developed and continues to update handouts and data to persons seeking to develop in the community in order that they may be more fully informed of our requirements. 2. Interface With Homeowners. The Building Inspection Division is The 1990 budget also includes a plans examiner for increasingly called upon to provide advice and assistance to home- the Community Development Department. This owners seeking information regarding construction procedures, design position will provide additional resources criteria, and code requirements for building modifications and addi- necessary to assist in the review of homeowner tions. These contacts create a significant demand on available time submitted building/planning applications which of personnel within the division and especially upon non-technical continue to increase. personnel in the office since technical staff are often in the field. Reasonable assistance to citizens 13 deemed to be a service to be provided, and it will be within the capabilities of available resources. 3. Marketin of P1 mouth Downtown Area - Consider strategies the City Ongoing. There have been some indications that could take to encourage deve opment of downtown Plymouth, recogniz- Super Valu and Trammel Crow have interest in ing that the property is privately owned and controlled. developing within the downtown Plymouth area. I have also had a contact from a real estate broker who is seeking to incorporate the Cavanaugh parcel Into a development which could also include the Super Valu and other parcels south of 36th and west of Plymouth Boulevard. The Super Valu parcel, in my view, is the key piece in the development of downtown Plymouth. 4. Senior Housin . In 1990 the City Council will resolve the Senior I plan to have a report to the City Council at the using ssue either to develop market rate and/or subsidized housing October 16 meeting dealing with senior housing. and to dispose or use the senior site accordingly. At that time, I anticipate having a recommendation prepared on a means for proceeding with one or more developers to provide for the development of senior housing on the site currently owned by the City. 1990 CITY COUNCIL BUDGET PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIVES ' Page five CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS 5. CJprehensive Plan Update. The City staff and Council are presently The Metropolitan Council has ,fust approved an working to update t eity's Comprehensive Plans. One element of this amendment to the City's Comprehensive Plan provid- involves the resolution of the current MUSA dipute with the Ing for the addition of 1,800 acres for develop - Metropolitan Council. Other features deal with the adjustment of the ment. This step was required in order that we can City's Land Use Guide Plan and the reconciliation of that plan to the move forward to continue the further updating of other Comprehensive Plan elements. These efforts are to be a major our City's comprehensive plans. The Council has priority to meet the anticipated growth of the 1990's. already spent a considerable amount of time reviewing Planning Commission's recommendation on the Land Use Guide Plan, and these taken in conjunction with the other elements of the Compre- hensive Plan, will provide us with the tools to develop strategies for development through the early 19901s. IX. CITY FACILITIES City facilities, including parks, buildings and equipment, represent an investment of public funds. The city, as steward of such assets, must continually maintain satisfactory maintenance levels to extend the useful life of such investments, maximize usability for the purpose for which intended and minimize liability exposure. To accomplish this objective the staff will: 1. Facilities Magna emenntt. The City has a growing number of buildings My proposed budget contemplates the hiring of a o�hich itresponsible. These facilities represent a substan- property management coordinator. This person will tial public investment and the maintenance and preservation of these be responsible for all duties associated with the assets requires focused attention. A single individual should be physical maintenance and preservation of our considered whose responsibility will be to oversee the physical buildings. maintenance and preservation of all City buildings. 2. Annual Inspection Efforts -- Utilize the services available through The City's Safety Committee has previously city insurance companies/administrators to inspect all city -owned organized Inspections on an annual basis for all parks, buildings and installations at least once per year to Iden- city owned properties and facilities. These tify appropriate repairs or steps to minimize liability exposure. inspections involve the appropriate City staff and maintenance personnel, risk management professionals, as well as our risk manager. 3. Ongoing Efforts. At least monthly, high usage areas such as parks City maintenance staff personnel, particularly N22be inspected to identify and correct deficiencies. A record within the Parks Department, record on a monthly shall be maintained of such repairs and inspections. The community basis the results of their inspections all parks. improvement reminder card program will supplement these efforts. These inspections also provide the division with a better means to forecast maintenance requirements which are reflected in their operating budget requests. Community reminder cards which are submitted by other city personnel as well as Council members provide us with an ongoing means of trying to correct and keep on top of potential safety problems throughout the community. These efforts will be ongoing. 4. Community Safety Efforts. Develop a means to ensure that all Our new risk manager is currently becoming identified community safety issues are systematically considered and acquainted with our operations as well as the appropriately resolved. The existing Safety Committee shall serve as scope of all our activities. He will be meeting the primary body to achieve this objective. The issue shall be with the Safety Committee and becoming familiar studied to determine if new members should be added to the existing with its work. To date no progress has been made committee or if another committee should be established. as to whether or not additional members should be added to the existing Safety Committee or whether or not another committee should be established. X. PROPERTY TAXES The City Council is responsible for about 15 percent of local residents' The proposed 1990 City budgets project that the property tax bill. For taxes payable in 1989, the City Council was able City's tax capacity rate will decrease for the to adopt property tax levies which resulted in a very modest decrease in second year in a row. While these decreases have residential property taxes used for city purposes. The City o- unc�T is been modest, they do recognize the fact that the committed to developing a budget resulting In 1990 residental property City's tax capacity has increased more rapidly taxes which will not increase taxes for city purposes on Individual than the combination of both growth and Infla- property taxpayers; providing the legislature does not alter presently tionary pressures on the budget. existing tax laws. The City Council has no voice in establishing the property taxes collected by other governmental units such as school districts and Hennepin County.