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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 02-21-1997FEBRUARY 21, 1997 UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS 1. COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE: NOTE: Beginning March S, Ward 1 Councilmember Tim Bildsoe will begin holding sessions in the Administration Library, beginning at 6:00 p.m. before each Council meeting to meet with residents and receive their comments. i� 3. FEBRUARY 24 5:30 P.M. SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Maintenance Building tour and presentation on City snow and ice control operation 14900 23' Avenue N. MARCH 4 5:30 P.M. BOARD AND COMMISSION RECOGNITION RECEPTION Council Chambers MARCH 5 6:00 P.M. SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Discuss New Direction of I-494 Corridor Commission Medicine Lake Room MARCH 5 7:00 P.M. REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers COUNCIL SUB -COMMITTEE ON SENIOR CITIZEN NEEDS ASSESSMENT, MONDAY, FEBRUARY24, 7:00 P.M., Mooney Lake Room. PLANNING COMMISSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 7:00 P.M., Council Chambers. Agenda is attached. (M-3) 4. PACT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY26, 7:00 P.M., Hadley Lake Room. CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO February 21, 1997 Page 2 5. SUB -COMMITTEE ON STREET ASSESSMENTS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 7:00 P.M., Medicine Lake Room. 6. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 7:30 P.M., Medicine Lake Room. 7. MEETING CALENDARS — February and March meeting calendars are attached. (M-7) M 1. STAFFREPORTS a. Report from Communications Coordinator Helen LaFave on the planned contents of the forthcoming city guide book, with a request for suggestions. Helen can be reached at 509-5090. (I -1a) 2. AGENDAS a. Draft Agenda for Regular Council Meeting of March 5, 1997. (I -2a) 3. NERSARTICLES, RELEASES, PUBLICATIONS, ETC. a. Notice to the Mayorfrom the Government Finance Officers Association of Plymouth's qualification for a certificate of achievement for excellence for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1995. The certificate is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting. A place on a future council meeting will be set to give Finance Director Dale Hahn the certificate. (I -3a) b. Association of Metropolitan Municipalities fax newsletter with news of finance issues in the legislature. (I -3b) c. Star Tribune February 19 news story about Eagan's implementation of the new sex offender notification law. (I -3c) d. Notice of Hennepin County sponsored meeting on welfare reform, scheduled for Thursday, March 20, at 2540 Park Avenue S. (I -3d) e. District 281 Robbinsdale Schools newsletter story outlining the recently approved Armstrong High School gym expansion. (I -3e) f. Two community policing -related items from the February League of Minnesota Cities Board meeting, forwarded by Mayor Tierney. (I -3f) CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO February 21, 1997 Page 3 4. CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS POLICY- CORRESPONDENCE a. Letter to E. R. Kuehn from Public Safety Director Craig Gerdes responding to comments about the use of headlights by Public Safety vehicles in Plymouth. A copy of Kuehn's Customer Comment Card is attached. (I -4a) b. Letter to the City Council from Andrew Goodman with comments about the proposed East Medicine Lake Regional Trail. The letter has been forwarded to Park Director Eric Blank for a response. (I -4b) A status report on the most recent correspondence is attached. 5. CORRESPONDENCE a. Letter to the Mayor from Carol Bergenstal, new Development Director for Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners. (1--5a) b. Letter to Mona Domaas from Park Director Eric Blank responding to questions about the proposed park at Vicksburg Lane and Schmidt Lake Road. A copy of the Domaas original note is attached. (1-5b) c. Letter to Robert Melamed of The Four Seasons Estates from the Minnesota Pollution Control Board, with notice of closure of the file on a petroleum tank release at 9700 37`h Place North. (1--5c) d. Notice to area property owners from Planning Supervisor Barb Senness that the proposed Land Use Guide Plan Amendment to reclassify land at the southeast corner of Highway 55 and County Road 24 from commercial to commercial office will not be on the March 5 City Council meeting agenda. (I -5d) 6. FRIDAY FAX, the League of Minnesota City's weekly update on legislative activity. (1-6) ® PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1997 WHERE: Plymouth City Center 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1 `l —�) CONSENT AGENDA All items listed with an asterisk (*) are considered to be routine by the Planning Commission and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Commissioner, citizen or petitioner so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered in normal sequence on the agenda. 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:00 P.M. 2. PUBLIC FORUM 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 5. *CONSENT AGENDA 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. American Portable Telecom. Conditional Use Permit and Planned Unit Development Amendment to construct a Personal Communication Services wireless telephone antenna cell site the West Health Business Campus located at 2855 Campus Drive. (97002) 7. OLD BUSINESS 8. NEW BUSINESS A. 1996 Annual Report B. 1997 Planning Commission Annual Work Plan 9. ADJOURNMENT 00 .. ° N U Y � ow> N 00 '� N N A c� 414 \O C11y 3 -ate n oU !ou �i Ni NaoNo _ Lu b T , W iiE�il iS E ivyi�Y IFS N 0�7p �zll d Ff� SZ V.SL o Oz 11- ~ I� 0012 N OUB' 0 z IaOU�I U Z� IOOO p0O aa. '' z U N N iz�� p p W Q 0 °o y p E' : yA j ,n z Z U 2 a omaN O< N b, M 'r N m-7 n O N N O b V A C� 'd IC l� r 00 F o_A i - N N I' Cd z I=0.- aV jI xU 'ao icUl cul jC'�j U, W? 107 >, v ¢' ��ja m - j ' <- ='a _ f �aA Ob C �O_Ws ~ pg ,� °� OO L 3 '� N V Izzz c� z'� �� c,:!ZU �s z2: z0 E <- �U Inv'�s Nv m�0 m o. - �:s c al a0 ��u o.J0'o i2 g oz MUV 2 aa'O 811c10.uu 00 c Ou �g�= c� O N CN O I" LU i I C n O N N O b V A DATE: February 19, 1997 TO: Department Heads and City Councilmembers FROM: Helen LaFave SUBJECT: Development of City Guide for Residents I am preparing to reprint a guide book to City programs, policies and regulations for citizens. This project is being done in cooperation with Planet Publications. The guides will be distributed door-to-door in the month of June. The goal of the booklet is to highlight City information that is important for all citizens to know. I would like you to review the attached list of topics that I plan to include in the booklet. It would be helpful if you could let me know if there are other items that the booklet should address. Keep in mind that while we will not be able to detail all policies and programs, the booklet can alert citizens to their existence, give an overview and direct citizens to the appropriate department to obtain complete information. If you have suggestions for additional topics that should be covered, please have them to me by the end of the day on Friday, February 28. Thanks for your help! City Guide - Organization of Material Welcome to the City Guide • Purpose is to give an overview of city services/programs and where to call for more information • Looking for information on a specific topic, check the index Plymouth History • Brief description of Plymouth's beginning as a community • Establishing Plymouth as a city - date of incorporation/charter adoption, etc. • To learn more, Plymouth Historical Society - Gary Schiebe, President/473-4889 Plymouth Today • (Facts and figures about Plymouth) • Current population/major industries, etc. • Size • City services (list of services such as police/fire protection, street maintenance, development oversight, etc.) provided by your property tax dollars • Distribution of property tax dollars • Development of Plymouth City Center City Government • Description of Council/Manager form of government • Role of City Charter • List of Current Councilmembers with voice mail/phone numbers • Ward Map • Council/Planning meetings (when typically held/shown on cable television) • Plymouth Forum • Role of citizen advisory commissions • List of key city staff/phone numbers • List of departmental phone numbers/Employment and jobs line • 24 Hour Message Center Voting • Registration • Eligibility • Absentee Voting The Basics • General Nuisances • Sprinkling/Outdoor Water Use Restrictions • Snowplowing • Building Permits/Plumbing/Heating -ia • Maps - Types of city maps available - base map (with lots and lot lines and street maps) • Zoning questions - Flood zone questions, etc. - What department to call • Lot surveys available from building division - not engineering • Fence Permits • Sump Pump Discharge • Malfunctioning street lights • Phosphorus -free fertilizer ordinance • Noise ordinance • Homestead Filing - How and when to file • Malfunction on traffic lights - Public Works • Street sweeping done only in Spring • Flushing in April and October • Street cleaning in new construction areas • Parking Restrictions - Year-round and during snowplowing • Animal Control (Regulations/Lost pets) Keeping Informed • Plymouth Newsletter • Recreation Program Catalog • Cable Channel 37 • Cable Channel 12 (News and Northwest Cities program) • City Web Site Public Safety • Emergencies • Neighborhood Watch Program • Operation Identification • Police Reserves • McGruff Houses • Interested in becoming a firefighter? • Fire prevention workshops available to community organizations and neighborhood watch groups • Tours of Police Department/Fire Stations • Curfew hours • Burglar/Fire alarm permits • Snowmobiling regulations • Crime Tip Line • National Night Out • Traffic Enforcement line 509-5130 • School Liaison Program • Special Safety Workshops • Crime Free multi -housing program • Premise Surveys • Peddlers/Solicitors Opportunities • City Volunteer program • Call for list of clubs and organizations • Care for a park/trail • Places of Worship Licenses • Drivers Licenses (location of Registrars, County Service Centers, Emissions Testing) • Licenses issued by city • City does not issue general business license • Vehicle Transfers Library • Plymouth Library Location/Hours Parks and Recreation • Plymouth parks/trails • Park regulations • Recreation/Recreation Booklet • List park locations by type • Diseased Tree Regulations • French Regional Park (559-9000) • Facility Rental • Lake Regulations/Access (hours, motor size, etc.) • Plymouth Ice Center/LifeTime Fitness Recycling • Weekly curbside service • Recycling Drop -Off Center • Yard Waste Disposal • Recycling Information Line • Replacement bins available at City Hall Public Transit • Plymouth Metrolink/Connections with MCTO • Plymouth Dial -A -Ride • Senior/Disabled Transit • Plymouth Rider Circulator Service Utilities • List of who to call for electric service, gas service, telephone service, water and sewer, cable television • Note to call city for list of refuse haulers licensed in Plymouth T is • Discount water and sewer rates available to seniors • City Utility Billing Process - Frequency/Sewer Estimates • Utility Drop Box at City Hall • Post Office Locations School Districts • Division of population within school district • Map showing district boundaries • Phone Numbers for School District Offices Housing • Housing Maintenance Code • Rental Housing Licensing Ordinance • HRA • Low/moderate income homeowner rehab/loan/grant program • MHFA First Time Homebuyer Program • Section 8 Housing Certificate Program • Plymouth Towne Square Senior Citizen Apartments • CDBG Program DRAFT 02/21/97 9:50 AM CITY OF PLYMOUTH AGENDA REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 5, 1997 1. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 7:00 P.M. 2. ROLL CALL 3. PLYMOUTH FORUM - Individuals may address the Council about any item not contained on the regular agenda. A maximum of 15 minutes is allotted for the Forum. If the full 15 minutes are not needed for the Forum, the City Council will continue with the agenda. The City Council will take no official action on items discussed at the Forum, with the exception of referral to staff or Commission for future report. 4. PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION ANNOUNCEMENTS A. Proclaim- Volunteers of America Week in Plymouth, March 2-9 5. APPROVE AGENDA - Councilmembers may add items to the agenda including items contained in the Council Information Memorandum for discussion purposes or staff direction only. The Council will not normally take official action on items added to the agenda. 6. CONSENT AGENDA - These items are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Councilmember or citizen so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and placed elsewhere on the agenda. A. Approve City Council Minutes * Items require 5 affirmative votes of the City Council for approval. REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING March 5, 1997 Page 2 B. Approve Disbursements i; 25 C. Approve Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance for a gas/convenience store located at the southwest Corner of Cheshire Lane and Carlson Parkway. H.I. Enterprises, Inc. (96189) D. Approve a Conditional Use Permit renewal for the temporary daycare structure for property located at 13501 Sunset Trail. Christ Memorial Church (9700 1) E. Approve Final Plat for Plymouth Oaks 2' Addition. Dahlstrom, Peterson, Eiden Partnership (96173) F. Approve Cigarette License for Holiday Foods, 4445 Nathan Lane North G. Approve 1996 Planning Commission Annual Report and 1997 Work Program 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS *A. Approve $6,000,000 in Industrial Development Revenue Bonds for Progress Casting B. Approve vacation of Utility Easement on Former County Road 61/County road 15 in Carlson Center Addition C. Approve Vacation of County Road 24 and Dunkirk Lane in Proposed Seven Ponds 2' Addition D. Public Improvement Hearings: 1) 1997 Street Reconstruction Program, Project 7001 2) Ridgemount Avenue Reconstruction, Project 7004 * Items require 5 affirmative votes of the City Council for approval. REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING March 5, 1997 Page 3 8. GENERAL BUSINESS *A. Approve a Land Use Guide Plan Amendment to reguide property located in the northwest quadrant of Highway 55 and Dunkirk Lane. City of Plymouth. (96188) 9. REPORTS AND STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS A. Approve 1996 Unaudited Financial Statements and recommended year-end transfers of surplus funds 10. ADJOURNMENT * Items require 5 affirmative votes of the City Council for approval. GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION 180 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 800, Chicago, Illinois 60601 312/977-9700 - Fax: 312/977-4806 February 7, 1997 The Honorable Joy Tierney Mayor City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 Dear Mayor Tierney: We are pleased to notify you that your comprehensive annual finan- cial report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1995 qualifies for a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. When a Certificate of Achievement is awarded to a government, an Award of Financial Reporting Achievement is also presented to the individual designated by the government as primarily responsible for its having earned the certificate. Enclosed is an Award of Financial Reporting Achievement for: Dale E. Hahn, Finance Director. The Certificate of Achievement plaque will be shipped under sepa- rate cover in about eight weeks. We hope that you will arrange for a formal presentation of the Certificate and Award of Financial Reporting_Achievement, and that appropriate publicity will be given to this notable achievement. To assist with this, a sample news release and the 1995 Certificate Program results are enclosed. We hope that your example will encourage other government offi- cials in their efforts to achieve and maintain an appropriate standard of'excellence in financial reporting. Sincerely, GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION e-, 9. ZV), Stephen J. Gauthier Director/Technical Services Center SJG/kas Enclosures WASHINGTON OFFICE 1750 K Street, N.W., Suite 650, Washington, DC 20006 202/429-2750 - Fax: 202/429-2755 February 18, 1997 3:38 PM From: AMM Fax #: 281-1299 Page 2 of 3 AMM FAX NEWS AJ' # fax /ft A ArdpOdod* m d All dly.NAT r ant #oldtra in & l*NF- doffAira►fi*r he Ant wlthmalm, (oanlilfftrte�ortato�egvo�da�rase~irau olb�oottavrtmclta dryb�coa C 6ilp ltt ifflA ll i4f lh/iroWirme Hoyt It. Paul ArH;py-2cq ldgvhont z1Sg000 far.• 2&-nff &,;# AsaAAxg)#ahem February 17-21, 1997 `C - -3 6 C Association of Metropolitan Municipalities Page 1 of 2 TIF under attack -- Big Time! Based on numerous discussions with key legislators, there will be major attacks on the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) during this session. No bills have been intro- duced yet, but we expect several in the next few weeks. The focus of these bills will likely be pre -1990 districts and increments generated after the initial contractual obligations have been satisfied. At least one proposal will call for a state agency such as the Department of Trade and Economic Develop- ment (DTED) to approve all new TIF districts and amend- ments to existing districts. Other proposals would implement some of the restrictions suggested in the 1996 Legislative Auditor's TIF Report, such as prohibiting the use of TIF revenues to finance general public improvements, special projects, such as community centers, and prohibit TIF amendments for increased spending, etc. The major TIF critics are metro legislators (of both parties) and it is imperative that if TIF is to be preserved, you need to start educat- ing/discussing the impor- tance of TIF to your city with your legislators -- TODAY! Are levy limits looming??? ast week, a St. Paul Pioneer Press editorial describing the property tax reform meetings among leading tax reform legislators and Revenue Commissioner Girard sent a big Valen- tine message to cities and counties. In order to ensure that a state -reimbursed educa- tion property tax reduction was not eaten up by other local government units, a levy limit element was being considered. In addition, on Wednes- day, Rep. Dee Long (House Tax Committee chair) in a Levy Limits + Page 2 February 18, 1997 3:38 PM From: AMM Fax M 281-1299 Page 3 of 3 Z- 3 6 February 17-21, 1997 Page 2 of 2 First property tax reform bill is in the hopper Rep. Ann Rest has placed the first property tax reform bill in the legislative hopper. There are numerous components of HF 639. They include: ♦ Provides for state funding of basic education. ♦ Property tax is split into two parts: 1) a local services tax for city, town and county and 2) a state levied property tax for schools. ♦ Class rates are com- pressed significantly. [P/ease see graphic.] ♦ HACA is eliminated but county and town amounts are basically converted to LGA for those units while cities gain only $16 million in LGA to replace the $200 million HACA loss. ♦ LGA caps are elimi- nated and the grandfather amount significantly re- duced and overtime elimi- nated. ♦ TIF is protected through a state fund and F.D. contribution is reduced to 20% because of the Luca/ Services Rates ♦ 0.5% for agriculture ♦ 1.2% for agriculture, residential property greater than $115,000 MV ♦ 1.0%for residential ♦ 1.5% for apartments ♦ 2.0% for C/I and ♦ 2.4% for C/I over public utilities $60.000 MV significant class rate reduc- tion. ♦ An additional $10 million is provided for seven cities with a large amount of state-owned facilities. ♦ All current and future school referenda become income tax surcharges instead of property tax. ♦ The circuit breaker is increased by $174 million and qualifying income level raised to $100,000. ♦ State takeover of school operating costs and the other program increases are $2.122 billion, while state property tax and HACA are only $1.765 billion. An addi- tional $357 million per year must come from other sources as yet to be deter- mined. The reform in general is supposed to provide prop- erty tax relief for every area. However, a complete analy- sis of its impact has not yet been made. Stay tuned! Levy Limits/ City officials must educate their legislators From Page 1 speech to lobbyists indi- cated that to ensure no bounce -back of a property tax levy after education reductions, something Draconian might be consid- ered. In that instance she suggested a referendum for any levy increase. City officials must start NOW to educate their legislators that levies over past years have been rea- sonable, rational and within acceptable increase amounts. Cities are the smallest part of the levy pie and have been responsible. Levy limits, freezes and increase refer- enda are not needed. (�E1R0 EGIOII Published February 19, 1997C, F... Eagan faces meeting about sex offender moving into community StaffhbuneOnhne Anne O'Connor / Star Tribune Metra Eagan may be the first Minnesota city to hold a meeting about a sex offender moving into the neighborhood: A man with plans to move there is scheduled to be released from prison next month. The new sex offender community notification law requires police departments to hold a community meeting to notify neighbors when the most serious offenders are released. Anxiety is high in and around the 4500 block of Slater Rd., where the offender plans to live with family members. "We've had about 30 calls since Friday," said Eagan Police Chief Pat Geagan. "Some people I've talked to have said, 'Well, they should keep him locked up forever.' Well, that's not the way our system works. "The person served his time, and whether we think it's long enough or not, that's our system, and if we want to change the system we have to talk to our Legislature." The law went into effect Jan. 1. Authorities expect about 400 sex offenders to be released from state prisons this year, and the amount of notification and publicity will depend on how likely the offender is to reoffend. About 60 to 120 cases are expected to prompt a community meeting. If everything goes as planned, Eagan will have the first meeting. At it, residents will learn about the offender and how to be safe in day-to-day activities. Eagan police will distribute a flier with the offender's name, information about what his crime was, and his picture. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. March 7 at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 3930 Rahn Rd., Eagan. It will be broadcast live on Meredith Cable Television, Eagan Channel 16. Police will not release any information until the meeting. As neighbors learn about the meeting, They agree that while they want to learn about the offender, the news is unsettling. "I think I want to move, to tell you the truth," said William Tamlyn. "I don't have any children, but it makes me feel that my wife would be unsafe. I can't imagine being a parent, the kind of fear that would instill." Tamlyn, like some of his neighbors, acknowledges that the problem of sex offenders isn't easily solved. Even though the temptation is to T—�e, of sex offenders isn't easily solved. Even though the temptation is to keep the offender locked up, he said, that wouldn't be right either. "If this person is out there trying to make a new start, they deserve a break," he said. "But at the same time, it's a double-edged sword; they're out there with everybody." Other neighbors were angry at the thought of an offender living in a community with single women and families with small children. Chief Geagan said that sex offenders have always lived in the community and that people need to realize that the only thing new starlribuneonbe about this offender is that the community will be notified. He said Metro notification simply will help people be more aware. "People in this community are so surprised that an offender would be living here," Geagan said. "People don't realize that most of your victims are victimized by people that they know. It's not the stranger; it's usually the family members or the friend or an acquaintance. "This could be a good learning experience and a good reminder that these things are all over, not just in other places." Copyright 1997 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. BOARD OF HE Dear Community Member: COMMISSIONERS CENTER 55487-0240 February 14, 1997 .1 -3 �, While you are reading this, our statelegidatwe4fldebating the policies which will frame Minnesota's version of welfare reform. Soon, we will be faced with the challenges and opportunities of implementing these pblicies. Welfare Reform will require us to enhance our existing working relationships and forge new partnerships. Recognizing these implementation challenges and opportunities, Hennepin County is sponsoring a Welfare Reform meeting on March 20, 1997: CHANGING TIMES: MAKING WELFARE REFORM WORK At the meeting, we will be sharing information and discussing the changes needed to implement Welfare Reform. The changes outlined in Welfare Reform require cooperation and collaboration from all of us. The more partnerships we develop, the better the changes will work. Details are enclosed - we hope you can make it! Sincerely, Commission C-—ike p &.- st District,Vice Chair Commissioner Peter Attachment District 4th District Commissioner Ra4y Johnson, 5th District, Chair Commissi r Mary Tambornino, 6th District Commissioner envy Steele, 7th District we structure a program that can assist legal non -citizens who have recently lost their source of income and not create another lifetime dependency system? Eligibility for benefits will be based on nuances in Immigration Law that allow some people benefits for the first five years, others benefits only after the first five years, and still others benefits only after "deeming" their sponsor. This will result in a morass of paperwork as financial workers try to determine the exact immigration status !of clients. In addition, for most non -citizens, English is not their first language and rules become incomprehensible. How do we as a community assist non-English speaking residents in obtaining benefits they are legally entitled to? How do we assist non-residents in gaining U.S. citizenship? How do we assist families where family members have different immigration statuses, including some illegal aliens? Corrections Population Federal law allows states to deny TANF grants to anyone convicted of a felony -level drug offense. States can also opt to provide TANF benefits but put further restrictions on the grant, including compliance with probation or vendor -paid housing. If the state opts to deny benefits altogether, how does a women with children leaving prison make a plan for self-sufficiency if she can't rely on TANF until she finds a job? Many children on the caseloads of juvenile protection come from poor families. If parents in TANF families are required to work, regardless of the hours, many juveniles will be left home alone after school, in the evening, and on weekends. It will be difficult for parents to'supervise their children, resulting in greater pressure by probation for supervision, or less supervision and potentially more crime. How do we address this problem? Families Many families on TANF face emergencies and crises, such as sick children or breakdown of the family car. TANF requirements on work don't allow for many absences from the job. What kind of support can we provide families to handle these emergencies and still fulfill their work requirements? TANF grants are given to a family based on the status of the parent or care giver. Once a parent has received TANF for five years, the family can no longer receive benefits as long as that parent is the head of the household. What do we do to provide for the family, especially the children, without breaking up the family? RAwelfareVoundtab.dis Changing Times: Making Welfare Reform Work Thursday, March 20, 1997 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Zurah Shrine Center 2540 Park Avenue South Minneapolis (see enclosed map) AGENDA INFORMATION FAIR - Park Avenue Room, first floor 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. County personnel and community members will staff tables and provide information on the impacts and current initiatives in a variety of areas related to welfare reform including county service delivery, employment, partnership, non -citizens, minor parents, child care, housing, health care and others ------- -----18 TABLES TO VISIT! ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS - Second floor meeting rooms (Registration form enclosed) Interested in a more structured dialogue? Pre -register for a roundtable discussion. To maximize the number of participants, each registrant will be limited to participation in one roundtable discussion. Choose a topic that interests you and a time that fits your schedule. Each roundtable will involve a maximum of 15 people. The discussions will be co -facilitated by county staff and community members using the questions enclosed. Discussion Area # 1 - Creating employment and providing adequate supports AM Session: 8:30A - 10:00A - OR - PM session 12:30P - 2:OOP Choice of topics: Work Child Care Training Housing Transportation Health Care Discussion Area # 2 - Affected populations AM Session 10:30A - 12:OON - OR - PM session 2:30P - 4:OOP Choice of topics: Disabled Drug Abuse and Alcohol Population Minor Caretakers Relative Caretakers Corrections Non -citizens Families Remember: You must pre -register to attend one of these roundtable discussions. Ifyou need help to make itpossible for you to participate in this event (such as sign language interpreter or assisted hearing equipment) this help can be provided if you ask To ask for help, please call 348-3456 (voice) or 348-6646 (7TI9 and request the service you need. Round Table Discussions Round tables #1 Work (creating employment opportunities) There are 18,000 AFDC families in Hennepin County. Currently about 3,500 have jobs. Given the requirement that most TANF recipients must begin job searches within six months, that will put over 11,000 new applicants into the job market. In the Twin Cities, there are already 62,000 job seekers monthly for 28,600 job openings. Adding 11,000 new job seekers from Hennepin County alone will make competition worse. How do we match such a large number of people with jobs? How do we give our TANF recipients a competitive edge? Are we pushing other people out of the job market that will then be forced onto TANF? What incentives are needed to encourage the private sector to hire TANF recipients? To hire TANF recipients at higher wages? What services do we need to develop to support TANF recipients in jobs so that job turnover is low? The emphasis in federal welfare reform is not only on getting jobs but also on becoming financially self-sufficient in five years. How can we create or find jobs that are steppingstones to higher paying jobs that can support a family? Training There is a mismatch between the educational level of current AFDC recipients and what is required by projected job openings. 29 percent of the adults on AFDC in Hennepin County have less than a high school degree and only 25 percent of projected job openings are available to them. Another 48 percent of AFDC recipients have a high school degree or GED and only 31 percent of the projected job openings require a high school degree or GED. How can we provide training to the TANF population to assist them in getting the skills they need to get a job? Given the state proposals that emphasize immediately path to work, how can we provide training programs that are very short-term and raise the wage level of the recipient enough to justify their cost and time? This is an especially important question, given the five year time limit on TANF with the expectation of financial self-sufficiency at the end of five years. Assuming a tight training budget and over 10,000 TANF recipients being required to look for work immediately, how shall we decide who gets training assistance and who doesn't? Do we provide training to those with specific barriers to employment such as language, literacy, and disabilities, or do we provide training to those who can receive the greatest payoff for the shortest training programs? Transportation Given 18,000 AFDC families currently in Hennepin County and the need for 11,000 of them to begin job searches within six months, how do we meet the transportation needs of the job seeker and newly employed in such large numbers? RAwelfarekoundtab.dis Most of the TANF household heads live in Minneapolis and most of the newly created jobs are in the suburbs. Public transportation during commuting hours is currently geared to moving suburban people to jobs in the city's core. How do we reconfigure public transportation for "reverse commutes" and/or are there other ways to get TANF recipients to jobs (i.e., low cost car loan programs), private sector vans or buses? Child Care There are currently about 3,500 families on AFDC who receive child care assistance. Given an additional 14,500 AFDC families in Hennepin County and the need for most of them to begin job searches within 6 months, how do we create enough child care slots to meet their needs? What do we do if state money isn't enough to subsidize child care for all these families? There are roughly 3,400 families receiving Basic Sliding Fee child care assistance and another 3,700 families are on the waiting list. How do we balance the needs of these families against those on TANF who need child care in order to go to work? Do we create a revolving door if we don't provide child care assistance to these families who are at risk of becoming dependent on TANF? Housin The state plans that are currently being debated call for tough sanctions against TANF recipients who do not go to work. Sanctions of 25 and 35 percent are significant losses of income to these families. In Hennepin County, 60 percent of current AFDC recipients pay more than half of their income in rent and nearly one-third pay more than 80 percent of their income in rent. How do we create financial pressures for families to find work, yet not threaten their housing situation at the same time? Many legal non -citizens and drug addiction and alcoholism disabled people (DA&A) are losing their Supplementary Security Income (SSI). Some may be eligible for General Assistance or TANF, but many may not be eligible for any income supports at all. How do we provide permanent housing for people with no income? How do we adjust housing for people moving from SSI ($470/month) to GA ($203/month) when there are virtually no housing units available for someone with a monthly income of $203? Health Care Federal welfare reform restricts access to Medicaid for some legal non -citizens and illegal aliens. Although less comprehensive programs may be available (i.e., GAMC), there will be an increase in uncompensated care and some people may go without needed medical care. How can we ensure that people receive adequate health care, particularly pre -natal care? How do we expand and maintain health care coverage for people going to work? How do we as a community respond to outbreaks in communicable diseases when some people are denied access to affordable health insurance and therefore access to health care? RAwelfareVoundtab.dis Round tables #2 Disabled Changes in the definition of disability for SSI has resulted in several thousand Hennepin County residents losing their SSI income. Many of the adults may be eligible for GA and the children may be eligible for TANF, resulting in a net loss of income for the family. In most, if not all cases, the disability increases the family's living expenses, which may include specialized child care, equipment, structural modifications to the housing unit, or specialized diet or medications. What supports can we provide to these families to assist them in continuing to meet the needs of their children? Some disabled residents, previously considered to be marginally employable, will now be required to work. What can we do to enhance the skills of these residents and create additional opportunities for employment? DA&A Population There are roughly 1000 people formerly receiving SSI because of drug and alcohol dependency who lost benefits January 1 of this year. Many of these people may be eligible for General Assistance (a decrease from $470/month to $203/month). Others may not be eligible for any income support at all and still others may not be cognizant enough of their situation to apply for GA. How do we assist this population in retaining their housing and how do we assist them in getting food? Minor Caretakers Minor caretakers face greater problems than many other recipients on TANF. Given their youth, their educational levels are by definition low. Many have not .finished high school and will be required to do so as a condition of receiving TANF. In addition, if they are the head of their household, they will begin using up their five year lifetime benefit limit at an early age. What community supports can be provided to assist minor caretakers in completing their education? What can be done to create adult -supervised residential settings for minor caretakers? Relative Caretakers Any change or uncertainty about the financial supports available for children needing permanency causes relatives to be more hesitant to accept transfer of legal custody. TANF provisions that require work and limit benefits to a five year maximum will pose a real hardship on relatives taking legal custody, especially grandparents near retirement age or disabled. What steps can be taken to provide support for relative caretakers? Legal Non -citizens The federal changes for legal non -citizens are very complex. The net result, however, is that many legal non -citizens are losing their SSI, food stamps, and other federal benefits. How can R:\welfare\roundtab.dis we structure a program that can assist legal non -citizens who have recently lost their source of income and not create another lifetime dependency system? Eligibility for benefits will be based on nuances in Immigration Law that allow some people benefits for the first five years, others benefits only after the first five years, and still others benefits only after "deeming" their sponsor. This will result in a morass of paperwork as financial workers try to determine the exact immigration status 'of clients. In addition, for most non -citizens, English is not their first language and rules become incomprehensible. How do we as a community assist non-English speaking residents in obtaining benefits they are legally entitled to? How do we assist non-residents in gaining U.S. citizenship? How do we assist families where family members have different immigration statuses, including some illegal aliens? Corrections Population Federal law allows states to deny TANF grants to anyone convicted of a felony -level drug offense. States can also opt to provide TANF benefits but put further restrictions on the grant, including compliance with probation or vendor -paid housing. If the state opts to deny benefits altogether, how does a women with children leaving prison make a plan for self-sufficiency if she can't rely on TANF until she finds a job? Many children on the caseloads of juvenile protection come from poor families. If parents in TANF families are required to work, regardless of the hours, many juveniles will be left home alone after school, in the evening, and on weekends. It will be difficult for parents to'supervise their children, resulting in greater pressure by probation for supervision, or less supervision and potentially more crime. How do we address this problem? Families Many families on TANF face emergencies and crises, such as sick children or breakdown of the family car. TANF requirements on work don't allow for many absences from the job. What kind of support can we provide families to handle these emergencies and still fulfill their work requirements? TANF grants are given to a family based on the status of the parent or care giver. Once a parent has received TANF for five years, the family can no longer receive benefits as long as that parent is the head of the household. What do we do to provide for the family, especially the children, without breaking up the family? RAwelfareVoundtab.dis Registration Form for Roundtable Topics You must register to participate in a roundtable discussion. To maximize the number of participants, each registrant will be limited to participation in one roundtable discussion. Send in your registration form by March 6. Confirmation of your participation will be E-mailed, phoned or faxed to you by March 14. Return form via mail or fax to: Debora Miller Hennepin County Economic Assistance 300 South 6th Street - A10 mail code 100 Minneapolis, MN 55487 FAX 348-9908 Name: Organization: Complete Address: Phone: FAX: E-mail Address: * *Roundtable Topic Choice* * First choice Second choice AM Session ❑ AM Session ❑ PM Session O PM Session O Third choice AM Session ❑ PM Session O If you have questions, please call Jim Wescott at 348-3812 or Rex Holzemer at 348-3456. If you need help to make it possible for you to participate in this event (such as sign language interpreter or assisted hearing equipment) this help can be provided if you ask To ask for help, please call 348-3456 (voice) or 348-6646 (7T)q and request the service you need. Most of the TANF household heads live in Minneapolis and most of the newly created jobs are in the suburbs. Public transportation during commuting hours is currently geared to moving suburban people to jobs in the city's core. How do we reconfigure public transportation for "reverse commutes" and/or are there other ways to get TANF recipients to jobs (i.e., low cost car loan programs), private sector vans or buses? Child Care There are currently about 3,500 families on AFDC who receive child care assistance. Given an additional 14,500 AFDC families in Hennepin County and the need for most of them to begin job searches within 6 months, how do we create enough child care slots to meet their needs? What do we do if state money isn't enough to subsidize child care for all these families? There are roughly 3,400 families receiving Basic Sliding Fee child care assistance and another 3,700 families are on the waiting list. How do we balance the needs of these families against those on TANF who need child care in order to go to work? Do we create a revolving door if we don't provide child care assistance to these families who are at risk of becoming dependent on TANF? Housing The state plans that are currently being debated call for tough sanctions against TANF recipients who do not go to work. Sanctions of 25 and 35 percent are significant losses of income to these families. In Hennepin County, 60 percent of current AFDC recipients pay more than half of their income in rent and nearly one-third pay more than 80 percent of their income in rent. How do we create financial pressures for families to find work, yet not threaten their housing situation at the same time? Many legal non -citizens and drug addiction and alcoholism disabled people (DA&A) are losing their Supplementary Security Income (SSI). Some may be eligible for General Assistance or TANF, but many may not be eligible for any income supports at all. How do we provide permanent housing for people with no income? How do we adjust housing for people moving from SSI ($470/month) to GA ($203/month) when there are virtually no housing units available for someone with a monthly income of $203? Health Care Federal welfare reform restricts access to Medicaid for some legal non -citizens and illegal aliens. Although less comprehensive programs may be available (i.e., GAMC), there will be an increase in uncompensated care and some people may go without needed medical care. How can we ensure that people receive adequate health care, particularly pre -natal care? How do we expand and maintain health care coverage for people going to work? How do we as a community respond to outbreaks in communicable diseases when some people are denied access to affordable health insurance and therefore access to health care? RAwelfareVoundtab.dis February1997 _ ink Volume 12, Number 4 R03DIMALE W area schools City, School Collaborative deans New Gym for RAHS Students at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School and residents of the city of Plymouth will have new gym space just in time for next year's basketball season. The school board approved an agree- ment with the city of Plymouth to construct a 12,000 -square -foot gymna- sium facility at RAHS. The addition will be built near the existing gym on the east side of the high school. Construction is scheduled to begin the day after gradua- tion with a completion date in November. The city will contribute $1.3 million toward the $1.49 million construction. The district will pay about $190,000 for costs relating to health, safety and handicapped accessibility issues that are part of the district's 10 -year facilities repair plan. Following construction, Robbinsdale Area Schools will own and operate the gyms and will be responsible for the annual operating costs of the facility. New dope Elementary Principal Receives Appointment from Governor Carlson Bob Ziegler, principal of New Hope Elementary School, was appointed to the Minnesota Academic Excellence Founda- tion by Governor Arne Carlson in January. Ziegler and four others were appointed to the foundation, which advocates the promotion and recognition of academic excellence in students, schools and communities throughout Minnesota. Ziegler has been the principal at New Hope Elementary School for 10 years and is the president of the Minnesota Elemen- tary School Principals Association. Both the school district and the city will benefit from the new gym facility. The district will have additional space to accommodate physical education classes and the athletic program. The city will use the space at night and on weekends for recreation activities. "This project is another example of the wonderful cooperation that Robbinsdale Area Schools has with the cities in our district," said Superintendent Thomas Bollin. "This is a very efficient use of tax dollars and will provide benefits to our children and the residents of Plymouth." Robbinsdale Tale I Receives National Recognition Robbinsdale Area Schools Title I program received recognition from the U.S. Department of Education for its collaborative efforts with the Hennepin County Library system. As a result, Robbinsdale Area Schools was chosen as the first district in the county to be involved in a study of schools and libraries that work together for the benefit of their communities. As part of the project, a national research team visited the district in December. ' 1997-98 Kindergarten Registration Information Inside CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MN 55447 DATE: February 21, 1997 TO: The Plymouth City Council Members FROM: Mayor Joy Tierney �. RE: Action regarding Community Policing taken by the League of Minnesota Cities Board yesterday at their February meeting. Community Policing by definition involves and is important to us all. For that reason I have requested that the two agenda items acted on by the League of Minnesota Cities Board yesterday, while especially pertinent to the Community Policing Sub -committee, be Put in the information memo for the full council's benefit. 6.1 January 9, 1997 Agenda Item: #6 Resolution Supporting Community Oriented Policing Attachments: Resolution Supporting Community Oriented Policing Action Recommended: Prepared by: Sharon G. Klumpp A motion adopting a resolution supporting community oriented policing. Summary: By adopting a motion supporting community oriented policing, the League Board would send an important message to local government officials throughout the state promoting the positive outcomes that can be achieved through community policing. Discussion: The Minnesota Community Policing Institute (MCPI) was established in 1995 by the League with $350,000 in funding from the Minnesota Office of Drug Policy and Violence Prevention. Since its inception, MCPI has developed a program to provide technical assistance to communities interested in implementing or sustaining community policing programs and has provided conferences and training programs to law enforcement officers, local government officials and community leaders. Adopting a formal resolution supporting community oriented policing would be an effective way for the League to encourage local government officials such as elected officials and city managers/administrators to work with law enforcement officers and community leaders to implement community policing. While MCPI's training programs have reached many police chiefs and officers, few elected officials and city managers/administrators have attended. Yet we know from the experiences of cities that have successfully implemented community policing programs that the leadership and support of city councils and chief appointed officials is just as important as that of the police chief and law enforcement personnel. The MCPI Executive Committee requests the Board's adoption of this resolution. If adopted, the resolution will be published in an upcoming issue of Cities Bulletin. A RESOLUTION of the League of Minnesota Cities Adopting Community -Oriented Policing as a Philosophy for the Delivery of Law Enforcement Services Whereas: Every community is charged with providing law enforcement services that have a duty to assure the public sense of safety and security that, in turn, affects the quality of life of its citizenry; and Whereas: Embracing its role as an instrument of change in society, it is incumbent upon every municipal government to recognize and effectively and efficiently address the concerns of the community it serves; and Whereas: The very essence of the municipal government demands that practitioners at every rank strive to satisfy their constituents at the operational level; and Whereas: Community -Oriented Policing provides a viable framework for the delivery of police service that focuses limited resources on issues specific to individual communities; and Whereas: With its emphasis on initiative, ingenuity, and innovative approaches, Community - Oriented Policing encourages and empowers the individual law enforcement practitioner l to work with the community to jointly recognize and resolve issues by utilizing problem - solving strategies at the source of a community's concern; and Whereas: Community -Oriented Policing establishes an organizational framework and environment for individual development, job enrichment, and personal satisfaction for law enforcement practitioners at every level; Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of Directors of the League of Minnesota Cities that the League of Minnesota Cities encourages every community to examine Community -Oriented Policing and embrace it as an underlying philosophy for the creation of programs, operational strategies, and management methodologies for the delivery of police services and governmental services to the communities they serve. ADOPTED by the Board of Directors of the League of Minnesota Cities this day of .1997. President, League of Minnesota Cities 6.3 A RESOLUTION of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Adopting Community -Oriented Policing as a Philosophy for the Delivery of Law Enforcement Services Whereas: Every law enforcement agency is charged with the duty to assure the public sense of safety and security that, in turn, affects the quality of life of its citizenry; and '%N'hereas: Embracing its role as an instrument of change in society, it is incumbent upon every law enforcement agency to recognize and effectively and efficiently address the concerns of the community it serves; and «'hereas: The very essence of the law enforcement profession demands that practitioners of every rank strive to satisfy their constituents at the operational level; and «'hereas: Community -Oriented Policing pro%ides a viable framework for the delivery of police service that focuses limited resources on issues specific to individual communities; and Whereas: With its emphasis on initiative, ingenuity, and innovative approaches, Community - Oriented Policing encourages and empowers the individual law enforcement practitioner to work with the community to jointly recognize and resolve issues by utilizing problern- solving strategies at the source of a community's concern; and «'hereas: Community -Oriented Policing establishes an organizational framework and environment for individual development, job enrichment, and personal satisfaction for law enforcement practitioners at every level; Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association that the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association encourages every law enforcement executive to examine Community -Oriented Policing and embrace it as an underlying philosophy for the creation of programs, operational strategies, and management methodologies for the delivery of police services to the communities they serve. ADOPTED by the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association this day of , 1997. President, Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association 7.1 January 9, 1997 Agenda Item: T-3� Prepared by: Sharon G. Klumpp #7 Ratification of the Executive Committee's decision to apply for a Community Policing Grant Attachments: Grant Project Summary Collaboration Agreement Letter to St. Paul Police Chief William Finney Action Recommended: A motion ratifying the Executive Committee's decision to authorize the League's submission of a grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Justice for up to $1,057,761 to provide training and technical assistance on behalf of the Minnesota Community Policing Institute and its partners. Summary: A new round of funding through the U.S. Department of Justice is now available to regional community policing institutes to advance community policing training and technical assistance. To be eligible for this funding. community policing institutes must engage in a partnership with a local law enforcement agency, a university or community organization that can assist the lead agency in developing its community policing training potential. The Minnesota Community Policing Institute has expanded its partnership to include the St. Paul Police Department, the Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Board, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Metro State University, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the West Side (St. Paul) Safe Neighborhood Council and the Center for Reducing Rural Violence/Minnesota Citizens Council. Up to $1 million of grant money is available in the first year of the project with the opportunity to renew grant funding for an additional two years for maximum funding of $3 million. The Executive Committee of the League Board approved submission of the grant proposal on January 31. Action by the full League Board is requested. More detailed consideration of the grant will come before the Board if and when we are selected to receive funding. Discussion: The Minnesota Community Policing Institute (MCPI) was established in 1995 by the League with $350,000 in funding from the Minnesota Office of Drug Policy and Violence Prevention. Since its inception, MCPI hasdeveloped a program to provide technical assistance to communities interested in implementing or sustaining community policing programs and has c-3 provided conferences and training programs to law enforcement officers, local government officials and community leaders. Although the original funding for the Institute expires in September 1997, funding for continued operation is available through the Minnesota Office of Drug Policy and Violence Prevention. On January 31, the Executive Committee of the League Board received a recommendation from the MCPI Executive Committee urging the League Board to authorize the submission of a training and technical assistance grant in an amount of up to $1 million. The grant proposal, summarized in the attached project summary, will make it possible for MCPI and its partners to have a major impact on advancing the principles and philosophy of community policing through the development of training curricula designed to support its implementation and sustain it into the future. Under this grant proposal, the Institute will be able to continue and expand its on-site technical assistance program. The Institute will also increase the number and location of regional conferences it provides to law enforcement officers, city officials and members of the community. In addition, the Center for Reducing Rural Violence will provide intensive technical assistance to facilitate community partnership building in up to ten rural communities. As part of the grant, MCPI will be required to develop a specialty area and to share information created in the specialty area with other regional community policing institutes around the country. MCPI is proposing to develop a specialty around the implementation of community policing in areas experiencing rapid demographic changes since this phenomenon is occurring in greater Minnesota as well as in the state's metropolitan areas. As part of its involvement in the partnership, the St. Paul Police Department, working in conjunction with the West Side Safe Neighborhood Council, will serve as an urban laboratory to evaluate the impact of community policing and its effectiveness in reducing crime. Professor David Cooperman with the University of Minnesota Sociology Department is a nationally recognized authority in community policing who will play an integral role in developing and implementing a research approach to study and draw findings from the urban laboratory. With his help, a Greater Minnesota law enforcement agency will be selected in which to create a similar laboratory. The collaborators hope to not only develop findings about the impact of community policing in areas experiencing changing demographics but also to learn the most effective ways to share and replicate what we learn. The U.S. Department of Justice is in the early stages of reviewing grant proposals. Our proposal was submitted with a budget slightly higher than the $1 million cap. Because of a pressing grant deadline, grant specialists working with us recommended that we submit the grant over budget with the full knowledge that our budget will need to be modified. The award of grants is scheduled to take place within the next four to five months. If selected to receive a grant, it would be necessary for the Board to enter into a grant agreement since the League of Minnesota Cities is the primary grant applicant. If MCPI and its partners are successful in obtaining additional resources to provide community policing training and technical assistance, we will have a significant impact on improving public safety services by integrating community policing's focus on problem solving and increased community involvement with traditional law enforcement practices. 7.3 PROJECT SUMMARY The Minnesota Community Policing Institute was created more than two years ago to provide training and technical assistance in community policing principles to peace officers, government officials and community leaders across the state of Minnesota. With this application, the Institute will continue, expand and enhance its statewide training and technical assistance program. Our strategies include but are not limited to: ✓Enhancing our clearing house by adding a "distance learning component" */Continuation and expansion of our successful on-site technical assistance program with priority to be given to COPS grantees; ✓Expansion of our train'ng_p�gram to include: Three day cluster conferences to be held twice during the year in eight regions of the state. The focus of these conferences will be basic community policing and problem solving. Six 3 -day field training officer workshops Six 2- day first line supervisors training sessions Team training for 10 city teams Community policing training for investigators ✓Partnering with the Center for Reducing Rural Violence to identify. 10 rural communities who require intensive technical assistance. The Center, a project of the Minnesota Citizens' Council on Crime and Justice, is committed to creating effective responses to the causes of crime and violence in rural Minnesota by facilitating community partnership building. Key stakeholders in these communities will be convened to diagnose issues impeding the implementation of community policing. This is the first step in identifying a rural site for our identified specialty. The Institute's speciality will be the development of specific strategies to engage and maintain community participation in problem solving within communities marked by 7.4 f changing demographics, changing migration patterns and changes in population composition. The State of Minnesota and select cities and neighborhoods within the state, have experienced tremendous population growth within the last decade. Communities are, for the first time in the history of the state, being defined by their ethnic composition, income status and crime rates. We are no longer defined by our homogenous roots. Community policing principles and strategies used within the state are based upon time-honored and tested theories and practices, and results have been impressive. We have, however, been ill-prepared to predict and fully respond to the needs of communities experiencing changes in population composition due to changing demographics, increased mobility and new migration patterns. Communities are insisting on engagement from government leaders, law enforcement and service providers. The need for this specialty area has been identified by communities and participants in Institute programs. Successful approaches used to address this issue are not readily available, not well documented or not applicable to the Minnesota experience. Our systematic approach to develop this specialty area will be: ✓RESEARCH Existing innovative community organizing strategies Predictive factors in communities, e.g., community characteristics' correlation to crime rates Barrier identification (focus groups) ✓TRA KING Elected officials, city managers, public safety executives Community leaders and community members Police Officers Service providers. ✓ SERVICE~PROVISION Services to address identified barriers, e.g., transportation, child care, translation I • J Demonstration sit&Llrban laboratory ✓REPLICABILITY Internship program Continuing partnership with the Center for Reducing Rural Violence ✓EVALUATION AND DOCUMENTATION Evaluate results Document findings Incorporate findings into training materials and Institute activities The undersigned certify that the information provided on this form is true to the best of our knowledge. The undersigned understand that all applicants must comply with all application and program requirements of the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Act of 1994 and other requirements of Federal law. The undersigned will certify that all partners listed in any Collaboration Agreements will comply with appli- cation and program requirements as well. /-\ Primary Applicant Executive's Law Enforcement Agency Executive's Signature: Notice: If your state participates in the Executive Order 12372 Intergovernmental l da, • which you made a copy of this application available to the Single Point of Sta. .pplication Identifier: (For St CFDA No. 16.710 Date: / 3/- 91 V Date: 1I Ta4.4 (see Appendix A), please fill in the for review:_ _ SPDC Use Only) Application Foran: Regional Community Policing Institutes (This page must be returned to the COPS Office.) 3 7.6 -L^ Collaboration Agreement This Collaboration Agreement is an agreement among: • the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) • Minnesota Community Policing Institute (MCPI) • the Saint Paul Police Department (SPPD) • Metro State University, School of Law Enforcement (METRO) • University of Minnesota (UM) • the West Side Safe Neighborhood Council (West Side) • The POST Board (POST) • the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) • the US Attorney's Office (USAO) • and the Center for Reducing Rural Violence (CRRV) The Collaborators are committed to working cooperatively to identify and respond to the community policing training and technical assistance needs of law enforcement personnel, city officials, and community groups. This agreement sets forth our shared Mission, Goals, and Strategies, and defines the programmatic responsibilities and administrative roles of each collaborator. MISSION In joining with the Minnesota Community Policing Institute, the collaborators agree to promote the philosophy and values of community -oriented policing and to assist communities in strengthening problem solving through partnership building. GOALS A. To expand the availability of community policing training and technical assistance, resources and research to COPS grantees, other law enforcement personnel, city officials and community groups throughout Minnesota. B. To develop expertise in a specialty area that supports and strengthens the application of community policing strategies in urban and rural communities experiencing transition resulting from such things as changing populations, changing migration patterns and changing demographics. C. To create healthier communities by building the capacity to identify and solve problems. D. To continually expand outreach efforts to new partners and communities throughout Minnesota. E. To maintain and expand the clearinghouse for research and resources for community policing. OBJECTIVES 1. To continue and expand the Institute's regional and on-site training programs to communities and agencies in order to increase their knowledge of community policing and to strengthen their commitment to collaborative solutions. 1 of 4 2. To continue providing technical assistance through the institute to local law enforcement agencics, appointed government bodies, elected officials, and community groups with information, technical assistance and training, networking and services tailored to individual needs and priorities. 3. To explore the use of distance learning technologies to provide pre -service and in-service peace officer training throughout the state. 4. In the specialty area, to build on successful community -policing partnerships by creating an urban laboratory to explore new community engagement and problem -solving strategies. 5. In the specialty area, to identify a rural Minnesota laboratory partner lo join the collaboration and assist in identification of community engagement and problem -solving strategies that are transferrable between metropolitan and rural communities. 6. To create mechanisms for sharing lessons learned associated with the specialty area as well as general community policing. 7. To identify and empower non-traditional community leaders. 8. To conduct research for evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of community policing strategies as they relate to changing demographics. 9. To integrate community policing philosophy into learning objectives and courses currently being offered in Minnesota. ADMUGSTRATIVE ROLES: The League of Minnesota Cities, the legal entity that established and houses the MCPI, shall be the designated Lead Agency for the MCPI collaboration. All new collaborators shall appoint a designee to serve on the existing Executive Committee of the MCPI. They shall be voting members along with the pre-existing twelve members of the MCPI Executive Committee. Decisions of the MCPI Executive Committee shall require 2/3 plus 1 vote. This higher threshold vote ensures consensus building. All matters of dispute shall be subject to a vote of the MCPI Executive Committee. A decision by the MCPI's Executive Committee shall be considered final for that issue, except that any decisions that could result in a violation of the grant agreement would be directed to the LMC Board of Directors with a recommendation from the MCPI Executive Committee. The MCPI executive committee will meet monthly to assess project progress. LMC shall be the fiscal agent for the MCPI. In this capacity it shall receive and disburse federal funds for the MCPI through contracts to the other collaborators, as outlined in this grant proposal. MCPI shall be responsible for filing quarterly progress and financial reports associated with the grant. 2 of 4 IT 3 C V Each MCPI partner, other than MCPI, shall be responsible for hiring staff for their component of the MCPI program. These staff appear in the budget under Section F as consultants/contracts. The hiring and supervision of MCPI staff, other than the director, shall be done by the director in conjunction with LMC. The hiring and supervision of the director shall be done by the MCPI Executive Committee in conjunction with the LMC. PROGRAMMATIC RESPONSIBILITIES USAO will advise the MCPI on Department of Justice Activities in Minnesota and link MCPI programs to COPS grantees. It shall receive no financial benefit through this grant. It will serve as a non-voting member of the Executive Committee (ex -officio). MCPI shall continue to provide and expand community policing training, resources, and technical assistance throughout Minnesota. METRO shall seek to provide current community policing courses through electronic linkages to the fifty state-wide campuses of the Minnesota State College and University System (MNSCU) for purposes of greater access through distance learning. SPPD and West Side shall serve as an "urban laboratory" to explore new community engagement and problem solving strategies, to identify processes to empower non-traditional community leaders and to transfer lessons learned to other communities. METRO shall provide law enforcement students to serve as interns in the specialty area. UM shall provide research to evaluate the effectiveness of new and existing community policing strategies in communities, paying particular attention to communities with changing populations and will also assist in the incorporation of these findings into the MCPI's training and technical assistance program and clearinghouse. POST shall work with the MCPI to implement its legislative mandate to establish learning objectives to integrate community policing principles and practices into all approved training. BCA shall attempt to integrate community policing principles into their curricula. CRRV shall facilitate workshops on rural violence issues and provide consultation services with MCPI clients and partners. J 3 of 4 7.9 MINNESOTA COMMUNITY POLICING INSTITUTE SIGNATURES United States Attorney's Office Title Date League of Minnesota Cities Title Date Minnesota Community Policing Institute Title Saint Paul Police Department Title Date Date Metro State University, Title Date School of Law Enforcement Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Title Date Senior Professor David Cooperman Title Date University of Minnesota, Dept. Of Sociology Minnesota POST Board Title Date West Side Safe Neighborhood Council Title Date Center for Reducing Rural Violence/ Title Date Minnesota Citizens Council 4 of 4 LMC League of Minnesota Cities Cities promoting exaelfenee February 4, 1997 Chief William Finney St. Paul Police Department 100 East Eleventh Street St. Paul, MN 55101 Dear Chief Finney: 7.10 145 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55103-204 Phone: (612) 281-1200 e (800) 925-1122 Fax: (612) 281-1299 • TDD (612) 281-1290 Enclosed is a complete copy of the grant proposal developed by the Minnesota Community Policing Institute and our collaborators. The Executive Committee of the LMC Board of Directors authorized the submission of the grant proposal during a conference call meeting last Friday. They were very supportive of the grant proposal. Board members were particularly interested in the specialty area we selected to study and the opportunities we will have to share what we learn with others throughout the state, assuming we receive the grant. On behalf of the League of Minnesota Cities, I want to thank you personally and the St. Paul Police Department for your commitment to working with the Minnesota Community Policing Institute to fin-ther the principles of community policing. We appreciate your willingness to serve as an urban laboratory, if we are awarded a federal grant. Linda Miller will keep you and all of the organizations participating in this collaboration apprised of the proposal's status as we receive information or have contact with the U.S. Department of Justice. The League is looking forward to working with you and,111 of the other collaborators on this project. Sincerely, r Sharon G. Klumpp Associate Executive Director cc. League Board of Directors Minnesota Community Policing Institute Executive Committee AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATTVF: A(-rioN F.MPT.C1vFR CITY OF PLYMOUTFF February 12, 1997 Mr. E. R. Kuehn 16521 - 19`" Avenue North Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mr. Kuehn: Thank you for taking the time to complete a customer service card. The Public Safety Department does use headlights whenever on an emergency run. The headlights come on automatically, along with the emergency lights, so that officers and firefighters cannot forget to turn them on. When on routine patrol and assignments, police officers may have the need to be inconspicuous and not draw additional attention to their vehicle, which the headlights may do. We do appreciate you taking the time to give us your suggestion. Sincerely, ra' C. erdes Di ector of Public Safety PLYMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT be PLYMOUTH A'Beautif ufTface To Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 tBI A LL LL cl— W c .. N v 0 ai 0 c ,o 0' C o C- ai E E o c N m c� .o O O O V OCL ` V O 0 0 3 OO� %-Icc a) m O O 'C m a) a) cm C 0 a) a) Eca ai N - N x 0 'a) c N 0 0 o 0 �� 0 a) m X QO °'� o. m 0W y\ Q a. O z Q N aU)°m N ° CU (D m .0-0 ODN ¢(L) - o•m O :3 ).� 2 0-m�> c E 0'51 aDca:o0"= OEa0 som �- 0 o0>.>o a3.c0 o+o caE '5 O a) C 7 y O 0 N C N` .0 E O �'• 0 N L J O � •C L >' 0 O ( N O N N C O O i O O O O 0 0 0• i C C N ,_ O > � o �C L O 0 U 3 W E .� N •� °rn — �0 U 0- C 0 CD co oCU:3 o �3o��aNi oM:3 -o DU `g o a a O p� LL LL cl— W c .. N v 0 ai 0 c ,o 0' C o C- ai E E o c N m c� .o O O O V OCL ` V O 0 0 3 OO� %-Icc a) m O O 'C m a) a) cm C 0 a) a) Eca ai N - N x 0 'a) c N 0 0 o 0 �� 0 a) m X QO °'� o. m 0W y\ Q a. O z Q N aU)°m N ° CU (D m .0-0 ODN ¢(L) - o•m O :3 ).� 2 0-m�> c E 0'51 aDca:o0"= OEa0 som �- 0 o0>.>o a3.c0 o+o caE '5 O a) C 7 y O 0 N C N` .0 E O �'• 0 N L J O � •C L >' 0 O ( N O N N C O O i O O O O 0 0 0• i C C N ,_ O > � o �C L O 0 U 3 W E .� N •� °rn — �0 U 0- C 0 CD co oCU:3 o �3o��aNi oM:3 -o DU Andrew J. Goodman Y Esta G. Goodman 10225 28th Avenue North -, w ;•'_� „ ,�Plymouth, MN 55441 February 17, 1997 Plymouth City Council 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Re: Proposed East Medicine Lake Regional Trail Dear Council: I I am writing this letter concerning the issue of the regional trail currently being proposed on East Medicine Lake Boulevard between 36th Avenue and Medicine Ridge Road. As an avid bike rider who lives in the area I would love to have a bike trail. However, while my desire to have a bike trail is a preference, I would strongly urge the council to consider what I believe is a necessity and that has to do with SAFETY. Most of the area between 32nd Avenue North and Medicine Ridge Road does not even have a shoulder to walk on and there is barely enough width in the street for two oncoming vehicles to pass each other. I have witnessed several near tragedies while walking or biking along this route involving other bike riders or pedestrians. In fact, one evening I had to jump out of the way of a vehicle and ended up rolling down a hill towards the lake. Unless something is done concerning these safety issues, it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed. While the aesthetics and recreational value of a bike trail would undoubtedly serve the community well, if such a plan will take several years to complete, the council should consider doing something immediately with respect to the safety issues. Very truly yours, Andrew J. Goodman AJG/pjb 0 z aU 0. F F rA W 0-4 D a w a z w N E4 wo U n r, ON l.-\--r I,-\� (-\---�i •.l\ --r+ .l\----�� M---� .-r .--i O.-,+ C.--lyl O, N�Ni NO� NN N N - -1. C� O� N N N N M 01 O� 01 O� C1 01 O� O� C3 M N r N C1 N N "d EFI' i -i U N as ON ON as ON '0 '0 19-4 IcNi --kT,6 ,6 A 00 O .N� n r, ON l.-\--r I,-\� (-\---�i •.l\ --r+ .l\----�� M---� .-r .--i O.-,+ C.--lyl O, N�Ni NO� NN N N - -1. C� O� N N N N M 01 O� 01 O� C1 01 O� O� C3 M N r N C1 N N C3 "d EFI' i -i U N 0 O 0 C '0 '0 19-4 IcNi --kT,6 February 11, 1997 The Honorable Joy Tierney Mayor of the City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Joy: As I begin my new position as Development Director at Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners, my first job is to catch up on the thank you notes! It is an honor and a joy to have the privilege of thanking my own city for authorizing a 1997 Outreach Program Grant in the amount of $15,000 to Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners. We are indeed grateful! The year ahead brings many challenges to IOCP, but there are many opportunities, as well. We look forward to working with the City of Plymouth as we seek ways to remove the chronic barriers to independent living for families in need in our community. Again, many thanks. Sincerely, e-6t Carol Bergenstal, Development Director Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners IOCP did not provide any goods or services in consideration of this gift. 110 Grand Avenue South, Wayzata, Minnesota 55391-1872 612/473-2436 Fax 612/473-4337 February 18, 1997 Mona Domaas 15910 46th Avenue N Plymouth, MN 55446 Dear Mona: Gry OF PLYMOUTR Thank you for your recent letter with regard to the park at Vicksburg Lane and Schmidt Lake Road. The Park and Recreation Advisory Commission asked me to write and let you know the status of that park situation. As you aware, at your urging, the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission and the City did proceed with the acquisition of the corner of Schmidt Lake Road and Vicksburg Lane for city park. This past summer, we also began work on extending the bike trail on the west side of Vicksburg Lane to this new park area. That trail will be completed early in the spring. With regard to development of the park, there is nothing scheduled at this time. The Commission is not developing any neighborhood parks in 1997, however, the 1998 Capital Improvements Program does set aside money for a neighborhood park improvement project. Currently, there are three undeveloped park sites within the community. The Park Commission will make a recommendation early in 1998 on which of these sites will be chosen for development. Any communication or input you would care to have with the Park Commission would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and interest in this matter. Sincerely, Eric J. Blank, Director Parks and Recreation EB/np cc: PRAC C/6ity Council PLYMOUTH :I Beuutilulllace'To Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 Dear Park Advisory Committee: Hello! My name is Mona Domaas, and our neighborhood group petitioned for a neighborhood park which was approved by your committee and the City Council. I would like to follow up on when funding is going to be approved for this park? This park is to be located on the Southwest Comer of Schmidt Lake Road and Vicksburg Lane. I have had many inquiries from my neighbors. I am sure as Spring fast approaches the inquiries will increase. I would like them you to know I am following up on this, and would like to be able to tell my neighbors something — any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! ;!,,k Mona Domaas cc: Eric Blank February 19, 1997 Z s� Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Mr. Robert Melamed The Four Season Estates 1212 East Wayzata Boulevard Plymouth, Minnesota 55305 RE: Petroleum Tank Release Site File Closure Site: Four Seasons Estates, 9700 37th Place North, Plymouth Site ID#: LEAK00009136 Dear Mr. Melamed: We are pleased to let you know that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Tanks and Emergency Response Section (TERS) staff has determined that your investigation and/or cleanup has adequately addressed the petroleum tank release at the site listed above. Based on the information provided, the TERS staff has closed the release site file. Closure of the file means that the TERS staff does not require any additional investigation and/or cleanup work at this time or in the foreseeable future. Please be aware that file closure does not necessarily mean that all petroleum contamination has been removed from this site. However, the TERS staff has concluded that any remaining contamination, if present, does not appear to pose a threat to public health or the environment. The MPCA reserves the right to reopen this file and to require additional investigation and/or cleanup work if new information or changing regulatory requirements make additional work necessary. If you or other parties discover additional contamination (either petroleum or nonpetroleum) that was not previously reported to the MPCA, Minnesota law requires that the MPCA be immediately notified. You should understand that this letter does not release any party from liability for the petroleum contamination under Minn. Stat. ch. I I 5 (Supp 1995) or any other applicable state or federal law. In addition, this letter does not release any party from liability for nonpetroleum contamination, if present, under Minn. Stat. ch. 115B (1994), the Minnesota Superfund Law. 520 Lafayette Rd. N.; St. Paul, MN 55155-4194; (612) 296-6300 (Voice); (612) 282-5332 (TTY) Regional Offices: Duluth • Brainerd • Detroit Lakes • Marshall • Rochester Equal Opportunity Employer • Printed on recycled paper containing at least 20% fibers from paper recycled by consumers. Mr. Robert Melamed February 19, 1997 Page 2 Because you performed the requested work, the state may reimburse you for a major portion of your costs. The Petroleum Tank Release Cleanup Act establishes a fund which may provide partial reimbursement for petroleum tank release cleanup costs. This fund is administered by the Department of Commerce Petro Board. Specific eligibility rules are available from the Petro Board at 612/297-1119 or 612/297-4203. If future development of this property or the surrounding area is planned, it should be assumed that petroleum contamination may still be present. If petroleum contamination is encountered during future development work, the MPCA staff should be notified immediately. For specific information regarding petroleum contamination that may remain at this leak site, please call the TERS File Request Program at 612/297-8499. The MPCA fact sheet #3.35 Leak/Spill and Underground Storage Tank File Request Form (April 1996) must be completed prior to arranging a time for file review. Thank you for your response to this petroleum tank release and for your cooperation with the MPCA to protect public health and the environment. If you have any questions regarding this letter, please call the project manager, Jelil Abdella, at 612/297-8589 or the site hydrogeologist, David Scheer, at 612/297-8601. Sincerely, .AAW� M Jelil Abdella �! Project Manager Cleanup Unit II Tanks and Emergency Response Section JA:DAS:smm J41 OC1',4-Lft) favid Scheer Hydrogeologist Cleanup Unit I Tanks and Emergency Response Section cc: Laurie Ahrens, Plymouth City Clerk Richard Kline, Plymouth Fire Chief Greg Lie, Hennepin County Solid Waste Officer Robert Rykken, Nova Environmental Minnesota Department of Commerce Petrofund Staff February 21, 1997 Dear Property Owner: 4 ti y r�. k CITY OF PLYMOUTR The Plymouth City Council will not consider the proposed Land Use Guide Plan Amendment to reclassify 26.1 acres of land at the southeast corner of Highway 55 and County Road 24 from C (Commercial) to CO (Commercial Office) at their March 5, 1997 meeting. Because access to the site and related traffic levels were raised as key issues at the Planning Commission Public Hearing, staff has directed the City's traffic consultant to expand the traffic study to look at alternative designs for access at County Road 24 and consider whether or not the Garland Lane intersection could be eliminated as an access point to the commercial site. We anticipate that the additional traffic information will be available to prepare a staff report for the April 2, 1997 Council meeting. If that is not the case and we need to schedule the amendment for a later Council meeting, we will contact you again. If you have any questions on this matter, please contact me 509-5452. Sincerely, Barbara G. Senness, AICP Planning Supervisor PLYMOUTH A Beautifu(Pface To Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 D 14 '97 64:27PM LEAGUE OF MN CITIES P.1 I - C. FRIDAYFAx vol. 2. No. 5 A weekly legislative update from the league of Minnesota Cities February 14, 1997 Levy limits on the horizon? Property tax reform discus- sions are heating up at the legisla- ture. With those discussions comes the inevitable talk of impos- ing a property tax freeze or rein- stating levy limits. At a recent Minnesota Government Relations Council conference, House Tax Chair Dee Long mentioned that the legislature may need to con- sider levy limits as part of tax reform. Many legislators appear to support reform principles consis- tent with certain aspects of the League's policy -increasing the state's share of school funding, simplifying the classification system, compressing the class rates without shifting burden to lower -rate classes. Many legisla- tors share our concern that there is an over -reliance on the property tax. Increasing state funding of schools would grant property tax relief statewide. Yet the legislature seems unwilling to offer property tax relief without some guarantee that property taxes will remain lower. We have heard many legislators state that they believe any property tax relief will be erased within a few years through increased city and county levies. The only way they feel that they can ensure lower property taxes is to impose levy limits or a freeze, or to require voter referenda for increases in city and county levies. Ironically, it has been school levies which have shown the greatest growth. In 1990 almost $85 million of city aid was shifted into the school formula to keep school levies down. But from 1990 to 1996, school levies increased by 51.1 percent. Over the some period, city levies increased 29.1 percent. Even if the legislature does not pass meaningful reform this session, there will surely be a push for some form of levy con- straint on cities and counties by many legislators and other inter- ested parties. Legislators need to get the message that cities are not the main driver in increased property taxes. They need to understand the real-life impact of levy limits when unique circumstances arise like the disastrous weather of the past few months. They need to know that city officials want property tax reform, but also need to be able to raise sufficient revenues to fund city services. League staff has been spreading these messages at the Capitol and will continue to do so, but the message hits home all the more strongly when it comes from city officials like you. House Tex committee to look at TIF and intrastate competition On Tuesday, February 18 the House tax committee will discuss the state auditor's findings on TIF enforcement and also the issue of intrastate competition among cities for development. This hearing represents another in a long list of recent legislative hearings focused on tax increment financing and may be another indicator that TIF will erupt as a major legislative reform initiative in 1997. The State Auditor's office will present to the committee findings related to its new TIF enforcement responsibilities. We expect the report to highlight provisions in the TIF statutes that have been interpreted differently by different groups. The second topic of the hearing will involve a discussion of intrastate competition among cities for development. Several recent news stories have sug- gested that TIF is being used to lure businesses from one city to another. These stories have provided additional ammunition to TIF critics. The hearing will include a panel of city and TIF representatives to discuss intrast- ate competition and the merits of TIF as a economic development and redevelopment tool. FEB 21 '97 04:08PM LEAGUE OF MN CITIES _...... P.1 � C M"' I,.yo..W.CW" FRIDAYFAx Vol. 2, No, 7 A weekly legislative update from the League of Minnesota Cities February 21, 1997 Action Alert Costly insurance mandate moving quickly Local personnel decisions should remain a matter for local public officials The House Local Government Committee yesterday passed and referred to the floor H.F. 333, a bill which would require all public employers to continue to pay the employer's share of health insur- ance coverage for any peace officer disabled or killed in the line of duty. The obligation would extend to all dependents of the officer as long as they remained dependents (until the spouse is remarried or until the children become adults). While the details of the bill are complicated (such as eligibility determinations and coverage requirements), the underlying principle is simple: once again, legislators who profess support for local control and opposition to unfunded mandates are bending before the force of a powerful interest group. A League -proposed amend- ment to require state funding for the mandated benefit failed 7-14. Your prompt action is nec- essary. Please contact your legislator today and express your opposition to this bill. Under current law, officers and/or their dependents may continue their insurance coverage but are required to pay the full premium costs unless a person- nel policy or collective bargaining agreement states otherwise. A simple example shows how the cost of this mandate can add up. If your city contributes $300 for family coverage for an officer who becomes disabled at age 30, your city's financial liability would be about $90,000 ($300 X 12 months X 25 years until retire- ment=$90,000). This calculation is extremely fact specific -- costs could range anywhere from nothing to $250,000. The bill covers all full-time peace officers, and is supported by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers' Association (MPPOA). Part-time officers and reservists, who generally are not MPPOA members, are not cov- ered under the proposal. All on - duty disabilities would be covered, ranging from criminal assaults to bar fights to slip and falls. Law enforcement agencies affected include the State Patrol, BCA, Gambling Enforcement, DNR Conservation Officers, Metropolitan Council Transit Operations, Metropolitan Airports Commission, all County Sheriff Departments, and all City Police Departments. This is a difficult issue if it remains focused, as the MPPOA wishes, on officers killed or dis- abled on duty. That focus, com- bined with the lack of prior warning and complexity of the issue may explain why the League was the only employer representative to offer testimony on the bill. We will continue to argue for state funding for state determined benefits, the preparation of a fiscal note, and further legislative study. This bill is on a very fast track for passage, perhaps with the intent of rushing it through before local governments can organize opposition. The Senate is ex- pected to hear the companion bill, S.F. 233, sometime soon. The League's Personnel Task Force is scheduled to meet Friday, February 28 from 3 to 4:30 at the League office to discuss this and other personnel issues. TIF Task Force will look at recent developments Tax Increment Financing has received a significant amount of legislative attention recently, and the League's TIF Task Force will meet on Friday, February 28, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the League office to discuss the latest developments at the legislature. Various proposals are on the horizon that will require individual analysis and attention. If tax increment financing is important to your city, please plan to attend this meeting. Anyone who is inter- ested is welcome regardless of whether you have participated in task force meetings in the past. DATE: February 21, 1997 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager SUBJECT: Summary of Events Field House. Recently, a private firm approached the City about building a domed facility that would serve the purposes of an indoor field house. The firm would like to build for soccer and tennis use. They found out the City had similar plans, and we have met with them several times. While we had planned to consider a field house in 1998 according to our Capital Improvements Plan, the opportunity to have some or all of this financed privately has caused us to accelerate our research and thinking on this issue. Eric and I have toured several air dome facilities recently and gathered some information. Some early conclusions are apparent. A true field house with permanent walls and a roof would likely cost more than $5,000,000. Our CIP only showed $2.2 million. Costs of air domed fields vary from $1.2 to 2.0 million, depending on the size and features. Our finances almost certainly dictate looking at an air dome facility. Second, air domes in residential areas are controversial. The one at Holy Angels School in Richfield is under a law suit by the neighbors, and one for golf in Maplewood was bitterly opposed by neighbors. The only public location that might not bother neighbors may be at the new Wayzata High School, where a site was specifically considered for a new field house. We will be talking with Superintendent Bielfuss next week about the whole concept. The private interests want to build this summer, so we may have to decide soon whether or not we wish to own one ourselves. There are reasons why we should want to own and control a domed field for our own programs, but we are weighing this against the capital costs. In a few weeks, we may have more information and alternatives to consider. Ameridata. A letter was received from GE with good news and bad news. It says they will go up to $30,000 on the cost, but there are a number of strings. The main strings are that they want a complete legal release of claim from the neighbors and they want the City to own and eventually replace the wall, even though it will be on GE's land. We continue to try to bring the parties together on this. Traffic Study, SE of Highway 55 and County Road 24 -Hans Hagen Development. Staff met with Hennepin County Public Works officials this week. They gave us the green light to have our consultants consider options for a full intersection for the development on County Road 24. It may be another week before we know if this is engineeringly feasible. We interpret that that are at least open to the idea of a full intersection, although they are not approving one at this point. A full intersection could take a considerable traffic burden off of Medina Road adjacent to the residents. Minnesota Police Recruiting System (MFRS) lawsuit. As many of you know, the 34 cities that were a part of the MPRS several years ago were sued by two people charging that the police test was discriminatory. They won in court. 30 of the 34 cities recently voted to appeal. Plymouth and Bloomington and two smaller cities voted not to appeal. Craig Gerdes, Jeanette Sobania, Roger Knutson, and I have discussed this and feel that some of the questions on the 1950's era test were very offensive and should not be defended at further expense to the taxpayers. We also agree that the judges remedies designed to have more minorities hired in suburban police departments are good goals and not unreasonable. This will be presented to you officially at a future council meeting. East Medicine Lake Trail. The Hennepin County Parks Board met Thursday evening and voted to approve the plan by a 7-0 vote. Several residents talked, including one with a question, one very much in favor, and Mr. Tysdale, who objected to "those people" coming out from Minneapolis on the trail link to Theodore Wirth park, but seemed to approve of the fact that the plan no longer requires condemnation of his house at the narrowest portion of the road. DATE: February 20, 1997 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager SUBJECT: List of 1996 Accomplishments The attached list was presented Tuesday evening at the Goals and Objectives meeting. Council members requested a copy of it in writing. One thing I know that was forgotten was the Senior Citizens Needs Analysis. If you have any questions, please call. 1996 ACCOMPLISHMENTS Voters approved capital spending for ice and swimming facilities by 76%. An agreement was reached with LifeTime Fitness and the Wayzata School District, providing public access to a state of the art fitness and recreation facility while saving the City millions. Major acquisition of open spaces and construction of trails occurred pursuant to the 1995 bond referendum approved by 85 % of the voters. The new amphitheater was opened in time for Music in Plymouth. Major construction occurred on the Elm Creek play field and West Medicine Lake Park. A plan has been developed for the completion of the East Medicine Lake Trail which has been proposed for over 20 years. The City launched a major upgrade in its information technology (the most comprehensive upgrade in 10 years), developed a web site, acquired new park and rec software, and new police software. The City Center planning was completed and major pieces of City Center development put in place with the Mann Theater approval and the City/LifeTime project. The first major upgrade to the zoning ordinance in 15 years was completed. The City Hall renovation project was completed, including the Council Chambers. An agreement with the Robbinsdale School District for a gym addition to serve both the community and Armstrong High School was approved. Significant work has occurred on the City's Surface Water Management Plan. A new tobacco ordinance was approved and laws relating to access to alcohol by minors were strictly enforced. County Road 9 was completed before Winter set in and the Peony Lane bridge project was planned and initiated. r IN Funding for Metro Mobility was solved and a new circulator transit service was initiated. The City lowered its tax rate for the fourth consecutive year, maintained its AAA bond rating, had a clean audit and finished 1996 with a sizable surplus again. Financial planning for the possible loss of state aid was also initiated. A majority of the sump pump inspections were completed, saving the City several hundred thousand dollars per year in the future. Long time community problems such as traffic on South Shore Drive and issues with the West Medicine Lake Community Club were addressed. Some facts from everyday operations: • Violent crime down 4% in 1996 • Personal injuries sharply reduced with new traffic unit. • Record number of fire calls answered (1,294 in 1996) • Maintenance crews maintained services in some of the worst winter weather in past 15 years, with about twice as many street clearing operations as normal. • There were more building permits and more inspections than any year on record. • City staff answered an estimated 238,000 phone calls or counter visits in 1996, not counting police. 1997-1998 Goals and Objectives Who? 1 Votes Item Goal ! Category Submitted Level of Staff Effort TB,SS,CP, JT,GB,TW, JJ 12 40 Conduct process (like city center) for NW Plymouth; conduct survey NWPPP JT, GB,CP, ! JJ, TB, AH H TB,JJ,CP, GB,JT 11 37 Financial Analysis (budgeting) - Look at reserve accounts, long-term planning F TB M JT,JJ,TB, CP,TW 9 8 City/Business Relationships CR TB, CP M JJ,JT,SS, TB,GB 1 9 ! 10 Improve community involvement in local government, develop ideas or strategies to better interact with public & high schools, encourage participation; better utilize Channel 37. CR I JJ, TB M JT,TB,TW, JJ,CP 1 91 IRecognition 21 Enhance Employee Training and Development; Employee CE TB, TW M TB,JT,CP,JJ ,SS,GB 91 55 Crime Prevention Activities; proactive service & crime (watch; Elevate role of Public Safety Committee. PS TB M TW,SS,JT, 81 JJ 48 !Activity Center P & R I JT, TW, JJ, EB 1 H CP,GB,SS, JT,JJ,TB f 8 56 Strengthen community policing efforts PS JJ, CG H JJ,SS,TB, GB,JT,CP 1 8 69 Develop greater transit opportunities/transit hub T JT H j JJ,CP,SS, TB,JT 7 17 Continue to plan downtown Plymouth and strengthen sense of community as a gathering place for citizens DR JJ, CP M CP,GB,TW, JJ,JT 6 33 Complete surface water management plan/Study Sessions E JT, GB H JJ,TW,GB 5 27 Landscaping Ordinance E GB M CP,TB,SS 5 39 Present to voters the supermajority tax rate option F CP M TW,JJ,TB 5 54 Bike Patrol/Industrial Security PS I TB, CP, TW M TW,JT,SS 5 49 Skateboard park P & R JT, TW M GB,SS 4 13 Implementation of Housing Plan goals DR AH M CP,TW,JJ 4 23 Consider means of retaining and attracting quality employees; avoid burnout among council and staff. CE CP M GB,SS,JJ 4 29 Establish a natural vegetation demonstration area E GB M TW,GB 4 63 Install Opticon system (semaphore control); convert signals. PS CG M CP,SS,TB 3 44 Update Comprehensive Plan NWPPP TB, AH H TW,JT 3 51 Plan, finance, and build the field house P & R TW, EB H JT,JJ,SS 3 1 Town Forums/Ward Meetings CR JT, JJ M SS,CP,JT 3 52 Get East Medicine Lake Trail started P & R EB M TW,SS,GB 3' Reduce Fire Department response time PS JJ,SS 2 6 New Plymouth Community Guide and Comprehensive Plan booklet CR JT I H JT,GB GB 212, 2' 15, Update flood plain regulations Explore methods of greater input from residents on in -fill development oR AH DR�— GB ! L L 9798rank Page 1 9798rank Page 2 1997-1998 Goals and Objectives Who? Votes i Item Goal I Category i Submitted Level of Staff Effort ss j 2 lAdd students to Human Rights Commission CR ss M JT,SS 21 111 Subdivision Regulations DR AH M CP,JT 2 201 Improve Ferndale North DR CP M 2 30 Enhance enforcement efforts for erosion control rqmts. E GB M JJ,JT 2 32 Comprehensive look at Plymouth Creek E JT M CP 2, 38 Keep taxes down, lower if possible F CP M TW 2 62 Continue computer enhancements for Police department Ps CG M JT 1 421 Prepare fiscal anaylsis for NW Plymouth NWPPP I DH H JT 1 47 Explore preserving horse ownership/stables in NW Plymouth i NWPPP JT L TB 1 j 53 Traffic Enforcement PS TB L TB 1 2 Business Forums (2) CR JT M JT 1' 4 Address Oakwood School "hangout" problem CR JT M ss j 1 14 Noise Ordinance DR GB M GB 1 61 Maintain/increase patrol and fire staffing to keep up lw/growth Ps CG M JT 1 Sign Ordinance DR j I 1 01 60 Citizen's academy PS CG H 1 01 3 Explore Kids Plus Conflict Resolution Project CR JT L 0 28 Establish council subcommittee on drainage issues E GB L 0 36 Monitor trends in salaries, etc. as percent of total budget F JT L 0 64 Ensure proper replacement of existing fire equipment PS CG L 0 65 Continue to evaluate new fire equipment PS CG L 0 67 Use employees with expertise as instructors. Ps CG 1 L 0 68 Evaluate existing and new opportunities for assignments. Ps CG j L 0 70 Transit Issues T TB L 01 5 Joint meetings with school boards and cities, counties CR JT, CP, GB M 0' 7 Economic Development Initiatives CR TB M 0 16 Road Alignment of Peony Lane from HS to CR 47 DR JT M 0 19 Monitor new zoning ordinance for effectiveness, improvements DR CP, AH M 0 22 Enhance programs for safety training/personal fitness CE TW, DH M 0 241 Maintain good working environment, morale on staff. CE CP M 0 31 Study revisions to dev. contracts to enhance env. protection. E GB M 0 34 Begin roadway design projects for safety and beautification E JT I I M 0 35 Address water quality and water run-off into Med Lake E JJ M 0; 59 Continue participation in NWHHS Cadet program PS CG M 0! 66 Increase individual responsibility for training PS CG j M 0 50, Explore shelter for amphitheater P & R JT M 0; !Special assessment districts for developments F Complete implementation of SFG, Parks, Police software SP DH H 9798rank Page 2 1997-1998 Goals and Objectives Who? Votes Item Level of Staff i Goal Category Submitted Effort j Complete sump pump review program I SP DH L Evaluate issuing special asssessment bonds for dev. projects SP DH L Reevaluate TIF plan for projects and available funds SP DH L 43 Survey NW Plymouth landowners/residents about MUSA NWPPP Tw M Evaluate hand-held meter reading devices/other technologies SP DH M .Complete utility rate study after sump pump program SP I DH j M 9798rank Page 3 DATE: February 21, 1997 TO: Mayor Joy Tierney and City Council Members FROM: Fred G. Moore, P.E. , Director of Public Works SUBJECT: VISIT OF MAINTENANCE BUILDING AND PRESENTATION ON SNOW AND ICE CONTROL OPERATION A meeting has been established for Monday, February 24 at 5:30 p.m. at the Maintenance Building, 14900 - 23' Avenue for a tour of the Maintenance Facility and a brief presentation on snow and ice control operation. For council information, attached is material on our snow and ice control operation which can be reviewed previous to the meeting. If there are any questions ahead of the meeting, please do not hesitate to contact me (509-5501) in order that we can have the necessary information. attachment cc: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager Kathy Lueckert, Assistant City Manager Tom Vetsch, Public Works Superintendent G:XiG%GF.NERAUMEMOWRED\SNOW-ICE.DOC 1996-1997 SNOW/ICE SEASON Number of Miles of Streets Number of Cul -de -Sacs (We may be the metro leader in Cul-de-sacs) Number of times plowed entire City this season Number of times plow the entire City average winter Number of Snow/Ice events this year (see attached) Number of Plow units with contractors (Includes Cul-de-sac plowers) Number and type of City equipment Graders with wings 2 Wheeled Loaders with plow and wing 2 Tandem Axel trucks with plow and wing 4 Single Axel Trucks with plow and wing 9 One Ton/ % ton Pick ups 3 Total 20 Otte spare Single Axel to cover for serious breakdown Number of employees utilized for total snow removal operation: This is started after a 2" plus snowfall. 13 Street Division Sewer and Water Division 6 Park Division 1 Mechanics 2 There are 17 city routes and the contractor divides his area up into routes also. Number of employees utilized for less than a 2" snowfall. (8 person routing) Street Division Ce/misc\council 280 692 12 8 32 50 Amount of time needed to plow entire city 21'4" snow 7-9 hours 4"-8" snow 8-12 hours 819- plus snow 10-? Hours The weight of the snow and temperature has a big impact on time. This includes all streets plowed curb to curb and cul-de-sacs cleaned. Sand Salt mixture is 2 parts sand, l part salt Salt Cost $31.00 per ton delivered Sand Cost $3.25 per ton, City Hauls Amount of Sand/Salt mixture used to date Amount of Sand/Salt used in typical winter 8000 tons 6000 tons Contractual Plowing Budget $76,000.00 each year (1996 and 1997) Contractual Plowing Service used this season $162,000.00 The preferred time to start a total snow removal operation is at midnight. The crews are far more effective when they do not have to contend with traffic and parked cars. This also allows the crews to be 80 to 90 percent complete before the morning rush hour traffic. When we are in our 118 person routing" (primarily sanding) the work begins at 4 A.M. We have our major roadways sanded by 6 A.M. and this continues until 10 A.M. in the residential streets. After a total snow removal operation our work is not done after the plowing is complete. We need to work on damaged signs, snow relocation, additional sanding, scraping of some streets, haul and mix sand, and get the equipment ready for the next snow event. A 2" plus snowfall is a three day event for plowing crews before we are back to normal. Ce/misc\council MEMO CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MN 5.5447 DATE: February 21, 1997 TO: Mayor Tierney and Plymouth City Council FROM: Roger Wenner, Street Supervisor SUBJECT: STREET DEPARTMENT WINTER DUTIES I thought that the Mayor and City Council would like to know what the Street Department does to get ready for the winter months and what we do throughout the winter. In the later weeks of October, we start installing the wings and sanders on the equipment. We make sure the cutting edges on the plows and wings are ready to go for the first snow. At the same time we are trying to get the roads ready for the winter months. In November we continue to work with the mechanics on the equipment. The Street Department is responsible for delivering and setting up the Voter Registration Booths. We were lucky this year, it did not snow on the 4`h or Oh. We haul sand to mix with salt so we have a large inventory to start with. If there is snow in the forecast, and it comes during the day on a week day the employees are here so we will put on as many trucks as needed to sand or plow the main roads. Most of the time we will keep trucks on the roads through rush hour or 6:00 p.m. By this time we may know if we are going to plow the whole City with the rest of the City people and contractors. If we know that we are going to plow the whole City at midnight we will have two employees that are not regular plowers work from 6:00 p.m. to midnight to help out Public Safety with emergency calls. Everyone else will be back at midnight to start their routes. It all depends on how much snow and if it is heavy or light snow to push. We would like to have the citizen's road in front of their home, or a road close by them, plowed so they can get to work or school. It is up to myself to get up several times during the night to check if it has started to snow and how much and to call employees in to start plowing and sanding. The Police will also call me. After we have plowed the City we keep three to four employees to sand ' for three hours after everyone else has gone home. Part of the Street Department will be up at midnight the next night to sand and clean up. The next three or four days we'll be sanding and making room for the next snow fall. This year we didn't get a chance to do this, we were lucky to be able to haul sand and mix to keep our stockpile up. There are many other things we have to do, so please feel free to ask any questions on Monday. DATE CONDITIONS NOVEMBER 15TH SNOW, RAIN, SLEET NOVEMBER 16TH 2" TO 3" SNOW, HEAVY NOVEMBER 17TH RAIN, FREEZING, SLIPPERY NOVEMBER 20'h SNOW NOVEMBER 215' 5" TO 7" NOVEMBER 22ND NOVEMBER 23RD SNOW NOVEMBER 24'h 3" TO 6" NOVEMBER 30TH LIGHT SNOW NOVEMBER 31ST LIGHT SNOW DECEMBER 5TH LIGHT SNOW DECEMBER 6T" 5" TO 6" DECEMBER 10TH 1" TO 1'14" DECEMBER 14TH LIGHT SNOW DECEMBER 15T" LIGHT SNOW DECEMBER 16TH 14" EQUIPMENT USED Started at 3:00 a.m., had 8 men sanding, then changed over to plowing and sanding mains until 6:00 p.m. One truck stayed until Midnight. Started to plow City at midnight. Contractors were called also. Eight trucks to sand. Started mid-afternoon, six trucks until 6:00 p.m. Started at midnight, Plowed City. Contractors called. Clean up after Nov. 21 storm. Started after 3:00 p.m., kept 6 men on until 6:00 p.m., 2 men on until midnight. Plowed City with contractors. Ten Street men plowed. Eight Street men plowed. Everyone in Street Dept. cleaned up. Plowed City with contractors. Six plowed. Nine men started at midnight. Plowed City with contractors. \\City_ply\vol 1 \MAINT\PUB WKS\STREETS\SNOW\SNOW-EVE.DOC DECEMBER 22ND 1 '/:" DECEMBER 23 3" TO 4" DECEMBER 24TH 6" TO 8" JANUARY 4TH RAINED 1 '/2" , THEN SNOWED 1 '/2 TO 2" JANUARY 5TH 8" TO 9" JANUARY 6T`1 8" TO 9" JANUARY 23RD 3" T06" JANUARY 27T" 2" TO 3" JANUARY 31ST LIGHT SNOW FEBRUARY 11TH LIGHT SNOW 1" TO 1 1/4" FEBRUARY 13TH LIGHT SNOW 1" Plowed City Plowed City Plowed City Plowed City \\City_ply\vol l \MAINT\PUB W KS\STREETS\SN O W\SNO W -EVE. DOC 1995 - 1996 Snow Events November 1 `' Had 3"-4" of snow. Six trucks out, most of the snow melted. November 251 Had 1/2" of snow. Three people sanding. November 27'h Had 3"-5" of snow. Plowed the City with contractors. December 8'h & 91' Had 8"40" of snow, with 35-50mph winds. Plowed the whole City. December 11'" Had 1 1/2" of snow during the day. Sanded until 6:00 p.m., came back at 3:00 a.m. December 121" Eight People in at 4:00 a.m., light snow. December 13'h 3"-4" of snow. Started at midnight, rained, hard to push. Plowed with contractor. January 1`' 1/2 "-1" of snow. Two people came in from 7:00p.m. to midnight. January 2"° Eight people came in at 3:30 a.m. to 11:30. Sanded. January 11'" 7"-8" of snow during the day. Plowed City with everyone. January 18'" Rained all night, very little snow. January 29' 2"-3" of snow. Started at 3:00 a.m.. Plowed whole City. High winds. March 4' Started snowing about 8:00 a.m., snow until 1:30 p.m. March 50 Snowed 1119 about midnight. Six sanders in about 4:00 a.m. Sanded most of the day. March 18"' Snowed 1/211. Two trucks sanding. March 19' 1" of snow. Eight trucks sanding. March 23" 2" of snow. Started to plow mains at 3:00 a.m. on the 24', with Street People. March 24' 10 1/2" of snow. Started four people at 4:00 p.m.. Everybody else at midnight. Plowed the City with contractors. Because of blizzard winds, hand to pull trucks off at 2:30 a.m., didn't start again until 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. 1994 - 1995 SNOW SEASON 11-27 7 Trucks 8:00 a.m. to 9 p.m. Started everybody to plow City - Worked all nite. 5 - 7" Snow Fall. 11-28 Street Dept. started at midnight doing cleanups. 12-8 6 Trucks worked to 6:30 sanding. 12-9 Started 3:00 a.m. All City. Units plowed City. Contractors plowed cul-de- sacs. 12-15 Started 8 Street Trucks about 4:00 a.m. Started to plow whole City with contractor at 7:00 a.m.. 2 - 4 in. 12-16 Started to snow 8:30 a.m. Snowed until about 11:00. 1 1/2 inches. 12-30 Snowed about 1/2 to 1" Sanded all day. 1-2-95 Light snow 2 men in to sand from 12:00 noon to 4 p.m. 1-6-95 Light rain and snow starting 5 a.m. 1-2-95 Light snow. 1-9-95 Light snow 1" 2' 6 men stay until 6 p.m. 1-10-95 Start at 4 a.m. Nine people clean up from 1-9-95. 1-11-95 3 Sand light rain. 1-12-95 6 Sand light rain. 1-17-95 6 Sand start at 3 a.m. at 6:30 10 trucks plowed and sanded slush at 1:30 turned real icy. 10 Trucks worked until 6 p.m. 1-18-95 Started 8 trucks at 4 a.m. worked most of the day from ice storm from 1-17- 95. 1-23-95 1/2" snow 2 trucks sanded. 2-3-95 1/2" snow but wind blew lots of drifts. 4 people started 3:00 am. All Street Dept. plowed and sanded all day. 2-15-95 1 1/2" snow. 3 Trucks at 3:00 a.m. All City trucks plowed and sanded from 4:30 to 2 pm. 3-4-95 5" to 6" snow. Started two trucks at midnight. 10 at 4 a.m. Plowing 8 a.m. Plowed whole City. 3-6 & 7 5" 6" snow. Plowed all day on the 6 until 6 p.m. Then came back at midnight. Plowed whole City most routes done at 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Kept 3 people to sand until noon. cc co to to d 7s � N V O ; C Ln V O 0 -ti W Obp Q� �0000,ULt� �•+ w to w A 4.. w tL t. WOKE>yo V CAE .t O . :1. CO • O . d c • N .. ... to to�Er«+ �d-..w cu co: ;; a >,0 3� � � � otos �'b��•�•►• �,� � � 0 N y N N •I:. � to N ca 0 N u CX .'.� „y Nda, >„atoc W 030` tip M. o oEo�v,'_ crs 4 m '0. O M 0 V E i W Y 1% •.^. E ao=00�y��o�E -+ E 03�•y[dW t�o�oa�yo 1J Wp y N f�i O �L' 0 7 ,C 0 U O V T��c°yCd cz MoaaoEN 0 4A G `.' u Ah N N d.0 — roc toa... = 2 ;;a>ENaead..oE�E 0 'a 'O r.y O V- td w .0 •;r H O ca cc +'' � r" N l0 3.O tV * N= O ■� CD bO0IVW Ld 0 Cn y U y E Nye cu cu •A C A♦ .14 O ~ O Gi O Ky'"� W 00UN q>W E Oto uiy �:=:EcU��a � v to d ❑.�d�3�3��o•Ccn O O J D �t°ne>o��yO.Gto 0Uh • .., .. o p,•a = to a mcn 63•C. N,O 0NN d u SNOW from 131 Methods of snow removal as different as sand and salt - "Every city has the same goal _to clear the streets of snow. But -'not every city does it the same way." Sand vs. salt :Although sand is considerably cheaper than salt — the Minne- sola. Department of Transporta- tioa; pays between $2 and $2.50 foi,h ton of sand and $28 per ton of'sjilt — many communities pre- fef -salt. Others swear by sand. Atla:some use calcium chloride, but"sparingly at $200 per ton. •$rooklyn Park, fearing clogged storm sewer pipes, uses an aver- age of 3,500 tons of salt per year but very little sand. Eagan, by contrast, uses be- tween 3,000 and 5,000 tons of sand each year, but only 1,200 to 1,600 tons of salt. 'Because sand must be swept away after the snow melts, salt maybe more cost effective, said Gordon Surges, Brooklyn Park's 'treat superintendent. ' Bjrt communities on heavy salt ft!$ may pay in other ways this year, Due to the unusually high amount of snow, many commu- niFtris have surpassed their sea- sonal allotment of salt. ,through the first week of Jan- uu'y, Brooklyn Park already had useif . 3,000 tons of salt, and Surges anticipated that he would bdforced to order more. :*-The problem Is waiting for it.l'Z-he said. "There's salt to be had but you have to hope it ar- rivei before we get hit with an- other big storm." Jtt'least one community adds sarid to its salt mix for cosmetic reasons. .The salt does the work," said Phil' Hals, Elk River streets and parks superintendent. "But if the drivers can't see the brown color on the street, they're not satis- fied. They need some visual as- surance that something's down there." N or not TV Some communities, like Edina, relyprimarily on cable TV reports and =predict predict the weather. [But 19 metro communities, in- cl Sing Minneapolis, pay $150 pdrmonth to a small local service called Weather Watch, which u es computer or fax to send de- talred reports and often alerts crefvs about storms in the middle oGthe night through pagers and wi-mai. 'pe y Rolando, a former W.CCO-Tv meteorologist and founder of Weather Watch, said, 6g: offering a very detailed breakdown of the day, in three- hour segments, the users know what kinds of materials to use." I The Minnesota Department of Transportation, responsible for plowing state and interstate high- wltys, uses the Burnsville -based K3vouras Inc. weather service, which issues forecasts for Rights wprldwide and does a tailored forecast for the metro area. ,The department also has its o4in radar and its own weather information service and monitors five local TV channels. -"Weather is not an exact sci. ence," said Norm Ashfeld, the de. partment's highway superinten- dent for the metro area. "We can use all the help we can get." Some communities get extra help by supplementing crews and machinery through contracts with private companies. Minnetonka uses contractors to plow out four of its fire sta- tions. Elk River uses privately owned plows for cul-de-sacs, while Chaska hires outsiders to plow rural areas. Other communities prefer to avoid contractors. "With contractors. the service level decreased ...,"said Brook- lyn Park's Surges. "They don't know the area the way our people do — and the public is not shy about letting us know it." Meltdown As snow levels rise and blood pressures reach boiling points, a blizzard of desperate and highly creative telephone calls to com- munity snow -removal units often results. For example: An Elk River woman asked that her street be plowed so she could get to the grocery store because "her dog was tired of eating scrambled eggs; Hals recalled. Surges said: "They tell us, 'You've got to plow my street first because I'm handicapped. I'm sick, I've got to get to the hospi- tal, I'm late.' One person called to complain that we knocked down a mailbox and then called back an hour later to complain that we didn't plow close enough to the mailbox. Some complainers should save their frosted breath; they're call- ing the wrong offices. Municipal, county and state, plowing units have responsibility for different roadways in many communities. Struve. Eagan's streets opera- tions manager, said that commu- nities dealing with parked cars have difficulty doing efficient jobs. The perception Is that there's a fertile crescent in the western and southern suburbs,* Struve said. "It's not the Isnow-removall budgets that are so different. it's the number of two. and three -car garages, which mean very little on -street parking." But officials say no matter what they do, residents are more likely to complain than compliment. "Everyone wants to be the first to be shoveled out," Surges said. "There are 62,000 people living in Brooklyn Park, and each one gets more snow than anybody else." Getting rid of snow Here Is a list of some of the resources cities In the metropolitan area used In 1996 for sraw removal Number of uww{emovd city vow" Chaska 12 Budget for snow removal $54DW Tons of uk 350 ' Tons of sand 1.600 Ntnnber of idles plowed• 76 Hastngs 11 $230DW 350 3.000 78 Brooklyn Park 29 $687,235 6,000 400 to 500 214 MPIS. 90 $6.4 million 20DW to 22DW 18.000 to 20.000 1,000 Deephaven 6 $20.000 120 480 50 . SL Paul 75 $45 million 21DW 35DW 800 Savage 14 $100,690 550 800 ' 75 Forest Lake 6 $25.000 75 700800 30 Vftwl ixArde cNCe-sacs and public bts. Star Trb r,- g/= u cd ca do= -d CL :40, 2�2>.dC0.° 5' - C_S�.yd 'MA -0 n70ad 0 �N• Cy pwN 'Cto Q C?fiLr NN_ C13 1r �'• aV H•b -0 80ocaU•a ..vrutooto E.d uuO >.Z: 33 Ctatad ~03 O C ° y a7 Od'n New N Oe N t'GQ7 wL C�nO•d --r. o tOi C o C aD ° ^ 3� C U t d % Q U Q•L w d W ~ >+O CJ Q d GL d Q~ N N C b CONCwg. 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In bda ��?@:Cr!2'or- a�ccnC,000u, ~va000�Cccc�waiO,;CddCo�a+E'ooY~aao •_='=•or•.N--,w aEi om ,C,?_s GLC 3 E > ° E - aCi. aNi= C _ ��u3a1Oir. °gEou=-caorca3Eo= a;°v ie y Cmc ° °Cp Ow v' a r�C�OC�NCt.°ac upN oo° p,o eoC u arox 7 O ou 'c >.CDy C �c d " w�a°ub'd'cE,r!i! * fn Q d &C0 4� ° u ~ c 2`� r a. N C. 7. G EO uda�ii�~r-- 3C�A oc o• dA t3 u3_O•:,CQddd� H = 3C Cc.daQuuo.E � Q d 0 3w� -0 ':':'v 0 0 uEito a9~a°oo.o_.,dw C O4-4 dOocdico=°dE t. w ■ �� F� y ,fJ• E= y o o c a C C a W -cd p t; p Q C� N a~ o o~�i'7 a' 6a -v p; id`vQi' -mti ..cooEH 03 t�a:a�+ DATE: February 26, 1997 TO: Members of the City Council Subcommittee FROM: John Sweeney, Transit Administrator SUBJECT: MARCH 3 MEETING The City Council Subcommittee on Transit is scheduled to hold its organizational meeting on Monday, March 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the Engineering Conference Room (Hadley Lake Room) on the lower level of Plymouth City Hall. The agenda for the meeting is as follows: Please note some materials will be distributed at the meeting. I. Call meeting to order - Mayor Joy Tierney. II. Selection of a chairperson to preside over this meeting and all subsequent meetings. III. Explanation of the City's current Transit Program, including historical background and funding mechanism - John Sweeney. IV. Review of ridership statistics 1992 - 1996 (enclosed). • . Dial -A -Ride • Plymouth Rider • Plymouth Metrolink - Route 91 • Plymouth Metrolink - Route 92 • Plymouth Metrolink - Route 93 V. Detailed explanation of the Dial -A -Ride system, including customer surveys from 1994 and 1996 (enclosed). VI. Discussion regarding recent complaints pertaining to Dial -A -Ride service (see enclosed letter from John Sweeney dated February 26, 1997.) VII. Status Report Re: Park and Ride site at Four Seasons Mall Shopping Center. G:ENG\TRANSnVAC *(EMOSUgaw1ub Agenda for Transit Subcommittee Meeting Page 2 VIII. Discussion regarding Job Fair known as "Commute West" planned for Thursday, March 13, 1997, at the Plymouth Radisson. IX. Brief introduction and comments re: Public Transit Facilities Study prepared by LSA Design, Inc. (draft report will be distributed at the meeting). X. Discussion Re: Transit Winter Weather Plan. XI. Discussion Re: Section 5310 Grant Program Vehicle (15 passenger lift -equipped bus obtained with Federal Capital Assistance for elderly and disabled service). XII. Discussion Re: Transit Capital Grant Awards during 1996 for two park and ride lots. • Four Seasons Mall Shopping Center - $ 53,344. • County Road 73/Highway 55 - $311,458. XIII. Discussion Re: Future Transit Subcommittee agenda items. • Contract with MCTO for large bus service. • Service Monitoring Program. • Revisions to Service Plans. • Addition of vehicles to the Metrolink System. • Capital Grant Application for 1997. • Review/recommendations regarding the Local Levy Option for Transit Taxes in 1998: Final decision must be made by June 30, 1997. • Review/implementation of LSA Design Public Facility Transit Study. XIV. Set future meeting times and dates. XV. Other comments. XVI. Adjourn cc: Paul Colton, Metropolitan Council S.F. March 3, 1997 G:ENG\TRANSrAPACTNo EMOMagendwb .s I DATE: February 26, 1997 TO: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager through Fred G. Moore, Director of Public Works FROM: John R. Sweeney, Transit Administrator SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO RECENT CONCERNS OPRESSED TO ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS BY A DISGRUNTLED INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS USED THE CITY'S DIAL -A -RIDE SYSTEM FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS Apparently each member of the City Council has been contacted by a dissatisfied customer and she has voiced several concerns to each member. She has even contacted some members more than once. Basically, her concerns are summarized and highlighted as follows and after each concern is my response: • System keeps losing good drivers due to better pay and management problems. A research of personnel records indicate that the turnover rate in the Plymouth system is actually less than any other system. Her comments about better pay in other systems are somewhat misleading. The hourly pay may be higher, but in the Plymouth system employees are normally able to work a minimum of an eight hour workday. In the systems that pay a higher hourly rate the employees must work a split four hour shift i.e.: two hours in the a.m. and two hours in the p.m. • Dispatchers do not plan routes very well causing undue delays. Records verify that the dispatchers are doing an excellent job in the planning area. All of the dispatchers have previous driving experience and are very familiar with the Plymouth system. In fact, our average of 3.6 rides per hour exceed what is being accomplished in any other shared ride system, including those that use a totally computerized system. SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO RECENT CONCERNS EXPRESSED TO ALL COUNCIL :. MEMBERS BY A DISGRUNTLED INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS USED THE CITY'S DIAL -A -RIDE SYSTEM FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS Page 2 • Inferences that Dave Johnson, the Operations Supervisor for Laidlaw Transit Services, is a "liar". It has been my personal experience, from working very closely with Dave, that he is an individual who takes great pride in his work and I personally do not believe that Dave would lie to anyone. • Afraid to speak her mind because she feels she might put drivers jobs in jeopardy. She apparently is not afraid to speak her mind due to the individual calls that all of the Council Members have received, however, in most cases she did not identify herself. She does not have to worry about drivers jobs being in jeopardy due to anything she says, as long as they continue to meet the performance guidelines established by Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. they will have a job. In fact, two drivers recently resigned to try other employment opportunities and both cases decided after a short time that they would prefer to work for Laidlaw and in fact in the Plymouth system. • Riders were not honest on a recent survey about the service because they did not want to get any good drivers in trouble. I do not understand how she can question everyone's honesty and integrity. • Accusation that our system pays $2.00 per hour less than other systems This has actually been addressed in the response to her first concern about system losing good drivers due to better pay elsewhere. • Inference that we have eliminated one Dial -A -Ride vehicle and have gone from four to three. This statement is totally inaccurate. We have four vehicles dedicated to the system, but in an ongoing effort to meet the regional performance guidelines of rides per hour and subsidy per passenger Laidlaw has the flexibility during the day that if (based on demand) one of the four vehicles is not necessary for a period of time it is then taken out of service. This would happen on an infrequent basis, perhaps in inclement weather, when schools or businesses are closed. It is important to note that the Dial -A -Ride system is a shared ride service and as such there is a fifteen minute window of time before and after the scheduled pick-up for the vehicle to arrive. \\Ciryyly\wl l\ENO\TRANSMMEMOS\COMPLT. DOC h ' SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO RECENT CONCERNS EXPRESSED TO ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS BY A DISGRUNTLED INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS USED THE CITY'S DIAL -A -RIDE SYSTEM FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS Page 3 The following items are available to all Council Members upon request and will be provided to the Transit Subcommittee members: 1. Plymouth Metrolink and Dial -A -Ride customer survey results from May, 1996. 2. A copy of a Plymouth Dial -A -Ride survey from February, 1994. 3. Ridership statistics for 1992-1996. 4. Letter of Commendation dated February 18, 1997. 5. Letter to Ms. Shirley Hendricks dated February 21, 1997. 6. Response from Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. dated February 21, 1997. Highlights of the 1996 Survey are as follows: Summary of Results • Forty seven people responded to the Dial -A -Ride customer survey. Based on an average daily ridership of 142 one way trips that is a response rate of approximately 65%. • Only one third of Dial -A -Ride respondents had a car available. • For Dial -A -Ride respondents, thirty five percent would not make the trip. • Dial -A -Ride respondents showed that one quarter had a household income of less than $20,000. • Dial -A -Ride riders cited convenience and did not drive as main reasons for using the service. Service Characteristics • Dial -A -Ride riders would have a somewhat longer ride (15-20 minutes longer) than if they drove. GAENMTRANSInMEMOS\COM PLT. DOC SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO RECENT CONCERNS EXPRESSED TO ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS BY A DISGRUNTLED INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS USED THE CITY'S DIAL -A -RIDE SYSTEM FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS Page 4 Service QuaW • National's overall rating was less than a B. • Dial -A -Ride respondents gave the service itself a mid A -B rating. • Responses for ride requests was frequently mentioned as a problem for Dial -A -Ride users. Less than half those calling for a ride said their call was answered promptly. The small buses drew some negative response. National was rated between a B and a C for bus cleanliness and mechanical condition (since the survey we have integrated four new lift equipped vehicles into our system for the Dial -A -Ride service). Customer survey results for Dial -A -Ride are on Pages 21-30 of the enclosed report dated May, 1996. The attached ridership report from December, 1996 shows average per day for 1995 at 142.87, 1996 at 141.75. • Ridership data 1992-1996 shows 34,335 to 43,386 riders annually. A 1994 Dial -A -Ride Survey indicated the following: 0 National received favorable responses for their service. For example, 88% of the respondents rated National average. In summary, based on the data as well as everyday experience in operating the system, it is my personal opinion that the Dial -A -Ride service is performing as well as can be expected within the parameters established for us by the Metropolitan Council. I believe that Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. is doing a very good job for the City of Plymouth and am pleased that we have a contract with them for continued service through March 27, 2000. If you have any concerns after going through this information, please contact me and I would be happy to meet with you or set up a meeting with all interested parties including representatives from Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. \\City_ply\vol l \ENG\TRANS rnMEMOS\COMPLT. DOC SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO RECENT CONCERNS EXPRESSED TO ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS BY A DISGRUNTLED INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS USED THE CITY'S DIAL -A -RIDE SYSTEM FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS Page 5 It is somewhat ironic that in the course of preparing this information, we received a letter of commendation dated February 18, 1997, and I also might note, that we receive almost as many written letters of commendation as we do written criticisms. enclosures cc: Mayor and City Council Members Kathy Lueckert \\City_ply\vol I\ENG\TRANSM MEMOS\COMPLT. DOC QS b o. -WrnT- m 8 i7S m .- rn r- V- I": cq ccm 004 co MM M Q MMt0M cN ci p2�ppp 0 c? It V et it vC�iMMIVM tv�VO—r Q M co) et M tM M co 0 (7) 0 It N I- 0 0 C-,cCCfc r co Z co) c9 N M M 0) M V- N �+ MMe�MNV) HNt000Wr- 00i r 0cococd) Met a OcoN�p�AtA co)w O O� O V ", W 0 cl' nNNr- W C) N 00 M MI 0 = 'It NNact N QNNcocmm Q J Q 1l-00 V -0a - I%C)I'N Q cV N N N cM Y Z 0) N W 0 OCM�stN� 'NMMMM Q' H 03 W) Cf g cq C6 --i et M D O 0 M O i 000 0 J a0NO0Cf d QNcoetco) M OO to M C) 0 ico) N8�to CD fI M It �p V- r- O 00 C) IV 00 V - NM � Octt► t% O00 IL N M M eM 0)00NO)��of) pp �cI1OCI �NMMetM CM in to O) O) O) M q) moMmO) W, I- r r- r" QS b �7S 8 i7S .- M C t r 0) 0 a RIDERSHIP STATISTICS I- w mwn w OR �Np O N N 6+ N r' t0 (` cl .- <0 O N ab Z r' r U; u vi M WO c") W) N� r ISL a v,M� LO 0 0 00 q 0 lV W L _ tD cq W ' t in 9.- N z r.. '_ jiC4 0 II y ' N N Z J .— �. r-� M ��W) L _ sr.NW) CL i o to cf) co r LL co co V— .— C Lq '? t0M N A co W) T- V- U) ob 0to V- V- i s i ........................ F _... ............... ................. j........................ . ........................ i.................. _....................... ........ : i • ................ .. v-•.........-._._.._: .................. i....... ...._....._».i........................1_ .... _......_...... .................. __..1 .... .................. 3...................... . ...... ................. ................... �................ ... J........ __........»..j.. ._...._.._...» __..._....... _ ........_.._... ._.......»..... .y_. _.j . _.j_ •� i Q ........................ F --------- "-._....q............... ....j._._._..._i..___......_.......1..._...__........._.{_._......_..... _... _............. ........................ }...... _............... ............... . i......_..:........_..i....... _...... _.._..i..._........_...y_............... _..j...._.__....._._...i....................... . i ...... ..........j...... ........ --- _.._-------------- i................... -... ......... .... ........ j....... _............. {... _...... _........... ---------------- ..-_ ..--------- ...- ---............................. +--------- ----------- ._._.._._-....__ . __ _..._._ .... _................. `m a Li i i e �o 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 8 S 9 R RIDERSHIP STATISTICS 2-27—'997 12.03PM FROP SPP: NG ST O1SP. L -S 6126231©3' P.2 February 18, 1997 Laid Law Transportation 3300 Spring Street NE IViinneapolis, MN $5413 Attention: Mr. David Johnson Dear Mr. Johnson. On Saturday, February 8, 1997,1 received a call from your company dispatcher. He inibrmed me that my standard time of 7:40 a.m. would be changed, starting Monday, to 7:00 a, an, from now on for my pick up to work, 1 only live about 2 1/2 miles from work and the direct route takes about five minutes. 1 was extremely upset about being at work an hour early and having to be there 9 U2 hours and only paid for eight hours. My time is valuable to me. especially in the mornings. l called you aqui registered a _ complaint about the shuadon: --- Your excellent employee, by Ute name of Eamon, who is a dispatcher there, figured out a way to get me picked up by the Metro Link bus at the time it was prcfcrmd by nae. Hopefully, you value him as a fine employee, who under stress can come ep with a Solution to a dilrcult problem. Thank you both so touch, it was really appreciated. While I am at it. 1 want to thank the men of the road who'are the backbone of this company. and have shuffled me to work, social engagements and shopping throughout the years. Wayne. Deana and Gary work long hours and sometimes under str= but they have always been courteous, friendly and made the trips er>joyable. They work so hard and represent the company so well, f hope that this letter gets into their personnel file also. Souactimcs they work under extenuating circumstances. but always do their best to get the to my destination on time. I hope the company appreciates these: tine men, I sure do. Sincerely, . Diane L. Barrie Steady Customer of Laid Law Transportation cc: John Matthews LETTER OF COMMENDATION ��PLfh10U1H�19ffB4!//I�iY February 21, 1997 Ms Shirley Hendricks 14310 - 14' Avenue North Plymouth, MN 55447 SUBJECT: CONCERNS REGARDING THE PLYMOUTH DIAL -A -RIDE SYSTEM Dear Ms Hendricks: Recently, you have made telephone calls to the Mayor of Plymouth as well as all of the. Council Members. Each of those calls have been forwarded to me for review and response. It is most unfortunate that you are so dissatisfied with the service provided by the City and I am sorry that you do not feel it is meeting your transportation needs. Fortunately, from the City's perspective, the service does meet the needs of upwards of 43,000 riders per year. Plymouth Metrolink has distributed customer surveys for the Metrolink system as well as the Dial -A -Ride system in 1994 and in May of 1996. The responses to these surveys indicate that - the majority of the riders are more than satisfied with the service provided. It concerns me that you indicated, on more than one of your calls, that you felt the respondents to the survey were not being truthful. You also indicated that; Dave Johnson, the Operations Supervisor for Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc., was a "liar I work very closely with Dave, in the operation' of the Plymouth service, and have no reason to believe that he has ever lied to me or for that matter to anyone. Additionally, it is very difficult for me to believe that people responding of their own free will to a survey would be less than truthful. Therefore, I have to take the results of the survey at face value and assume that the majority of the users of the service are very satisfied. When evaluating the system, it is important to keep in mind that it is a shared ride service, which of course functions much differently than a taxi cab service. As a shared ride service, it is necessary for the City to meet certain performance criteria to continue receiving funding from the Metropolitan Council for that particular service. I think it is noteworthy that the Plymouth Dial -A -Ride service is probably the most efficient service in the entire region in the state of Minnesota and yet we still have difficulty meeting the performance criteria established by the region. The Dial -A -Ride service averages 3.6 riders per hour with an average trip of 5.7 miles and for last three years has provided an average of 43,701 rides annually. Plvmouth Metrolink: Peak Express, Reverse Commute, and Dial -A -Ride - 3400 Plymouth Boulevard -Plymouth, MK 55447-1482 -Phone 612.509-5521- Fax 612.)09-5060 0 Printed on recycled paper containing at least 15% post -consumer fiber. SUBJECT: CONCERNS REGARDING THE PLYMOUTH DIAL -A -RIDE SYSTEM Page 2 You indicated that on occasion that your ride has been ten minutes late from your appointed time, but I think you are also aware of the fact that there is a fifteen minute window of time both before and after your appointment for arrival and or departure. I know that in the past, Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc., their dispatchers and Dave Johnson, in particular, have made every effort to try and accommodate your particular needs, but it is necessary to keep in mind that is not always possible with a shared ride system. You also indicated based on hearsay, that the drivers are paid less in the Metrolink system than in some other systems. It should be understood that these are all union drivers and they are reimbursed in accordance with terms of their specific contracts. In general, it is my understanding, that even though the Plymouth drivers may be paid somewhat less of an hourly rate they are able to work eight hours or more each day. In some of the other services you are referring to, with higher hourly pay rates, the drivers in fact work a split shift and probably work no more than five hours per day (two and one-half in the a.m. and two and one-half in the p.m.). So it is a fact that most drivers, by choice, prefer to the work in the Plymouth system. You have been very critical of driver turnover. I have obtained records from Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. indicating, in fact, that there is very low turnover in our system and two employees that resigned recently have in fact returned to Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. and will be coming back into our system because they were not happy with the employment choices ` they made that took them to others areas of employment. Again, I would like to say I am sorry you are displeased with the service, but as the Transit Administrator, I believe we are putting the best service possible for the money onto the streets - of Plymouth daily. On an annual basis, the Metrolink system is providing over 271,000 rides for Plymouth.residents and workers in the Plymouth area. We are doing this, while meeting all of the required subsidies established by the Metropolitan Council. The City does have a Providers Advisory Committee on Transit (PACT) made up of riders in the system as well as project managers that meet on a monthly basis to discuss problems as . they arise. These meetings are always open to the public and are held the fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Hadley Lake Conference Room at Plymouth City Hall. You are welcome to attend and perhaps learn more about the operations of the entire system while sharing concerns with that group. Additionally, it should be noted that the City Council has recently established a new subcommittee on transit which will be reviewing all major aspects of the City's Transit System. I have talked with Dave Johnson regarding your concerns, as well as other Laidlaw employees and Dave and I hereby offer to meet you at your convenience, perhaps for lunch someday, or %%City_ply%vol l\ENG%TRANSITILTRS%HENDRICK. DOC SUBJECT: CONCERNS REGARDING THE PLYMOUTH DIAL -A -RIDE SYSTEM Page 3 any other time to discuss your concerns personally. I do believe every effort has been made to work with you in the past and we will continue to do so. But please keep in mind that with a shared ride system we have to operate within the established time frame parameters and cannot guarantee pick-ups at an exact time. If you have any additional questions, or would like to set up a personal meeting, please contact me at 509-5521. i�crciy , i John R. Sween Transit Ad strator cc: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager Fred G. Moore; Director of Public Works Kathy Lueckert, Assistant City Manager Mayor Joy Tierney. City Council Members John Mathews, Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. Dave Johnson, Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. Mityply\volt%ENGITRANSMLT MENDRICK.DOC 2-21-1997 4:54PM FROM SPRING ST DISP. LTS 6126231031 P.1 i'{ ,�. '•�.i L i .. � � 7 . is _ .. !•: �: February 21, 1997 John sweeney Plymouth Dial a Ride 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447-1482 Dear Mr. Sweeney, I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to the concerns expressed by our customer Shirley Hendricks. Ms. Hendricks has expressed that her ride is continually late and that her ride is altogether too long. Ms Hendricks stated that she is picked up 10-15 minutes late for her 4:35 PM standing ride on an ongoing basis. As you know, Dial a Ride is a shared ride service. Our ride "window" for on time pick ups is 15 minutes before and after the scheduled pick up time. Ms. Hendricks Is usually picked up around 4:45 PM for her 4:35 trip. This is well within the "window". As for the circuitous ride that Ms. Hendricks refers to, the Dial a Ride service IS a shared ride system. The drivers and dispatchers route the individual rides to maximize the efficiency of the system. As much as we endeavor to address the needs of individual passengers, we also attempt to balance this with the productivity of the system. Ms. Hendricks also seemed concerned about the driver pay and treatment. We do, in fact, have routes and service contracts which pay on average $2.00 more per hour. These are primarily contracts which have been won recently through competitive bidding. The work is primarily done in medium to large city style coaches. It is also worth noting that much of this work is "split shift, paying on average five hours total per day. All of the Dial a Ride drivers have had an opportunity to bid onto these services. some have elected to do this. For the drivers operating the Dial a Ride system, the average length of service Is four years. Turnover among this group of drivers has not been a large issue. Drivers are not leaving the system "left and right" as alleged by Ms Hendriks In her February 18 communication to Council member Preus. 2-21-197 4:55PM FROM SPRING ST DISP. LTS 6126231031 P.2 .john Sweeney February 21, 1997 Page 2 I have met with the drivers as I had promised to do, I will continue to do so to insure that the staff of Plymouth Dial a Ride understand the expectations of both the City and the Company. This also gives the drivers an opportunity to voice their concerns. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. I would be pleased to meet with you, your City Council or Ms. Hendricks to further discuss these concerns. sincerely, David Johnson Project Manager •owe• NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SERVICE, INC. 1090 NORTH SNELLING AVENUE • ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 55108 • 612/645-1959 FAX 612/645-0324 February 22, 1994 John Sweeney City Of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN. 55447 Re: Plymouth Dial -A -Ride Results Dear John, I have comppiled the results of our recent passenger survey. Althou� the number of responses received is not as great as we had hoped, the service is rated very highly by those that did choose to share their opinion. Some of the highlights of the survey are as follows: * We had a total of 45 returned surveys, which is 63 % of the average adult daily ridership. Note that many of the rides are a return trip by the same passenger. * National received favorable responses for our service. For example, 88 % of our respondents rated National above average. * Most of the adult riders surveyed used the service five days a week. Attached are the complete results of the survey for your records and examination. This shows that our customers continue to be satisfied by the quality of service that you have come to expect from National. As we have hoped, this survey also shows the areas that can be improved. National is determined to be the highest quality provider of localized contract transportation services. Our focus is on customers who value excellence and our success depends on long term relationships with them. Sincerely, �.-R .�\a a -, � John R. Mathews AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 1994 SURVEY PLYMOUTH DIAL -A -RIDE RIDER SURVEY Please take a moment right now to give us a report card on our service. Please return the completed survey to your driver today. We will share the results with you. 1. Where did you hear about Plymouth Dial A -Ride (check all that apply)? City Town Meeting Metrolink Schedule City Newsletter Local Newspaper Coworker/Neighbor Other: 2. When you recently called for service, were you (check all that apply): Placed on hold Phone was answered promptly Line was busy Treated professionally and courteously Other 3. Where do you normally begin your trip? Location Name Address 4. What is your usual destination? Location Name Address 5. Were you able to travel when you wanted to? Yes No 6. Dial -A -Ride presently serves the City of Plymouth, Ridgedale, downtown Wayzata, and Golden Valley Civic Center. To improve the service, what other locations should be served: The next section is a Dial -A -Ride service report card. Circle a grade for each question: A = Excellent F = Fail 7. The van normally arrives .10 minutes A B C D F before or after the agreed upon time. 8. Bus comfort A B C D F 9. Bus cleanliness A- B C D F 10. Bus mechanical condition A B C D F 11. Driver courtesy A B C D F 12. Driver safety (driving) A B C D F 13. Driver competence (]mows .the area) A. B C D F 14. Ease of usage A B C D F 15. Price A B C D F 16.- All in all, I rate the service as follows: A B C D F If you could make changes to improve Plymouth Dial A -Ride, please write them below. PLEASE RETURN THE COMPLETED SURVEY TO YOUR DRIVER. THANK YOU FOR USING PLYMOUTH DIAL -A-RIDE. C0 H J D CO W cc C0 w in J Q 0 M O J < LL, 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (� GC O (� M •-- M O M M M F- Z M W O ch T co r c0 r c0 OD c0 T N r c0 T w J J w Q N N N N M M M N N N O I— cl U FQ— O LL Q t1J OC Q WF JLLQ=F- m0 F-UUg0QO:5 JJJJCC.iicr0 U 22==»>�U w »»oo0w0.0 - U w ZV} —ZfA U w Z O —J LuDU2co U w Uc�U w aC w oC w Z W wIL W OC � LL Q W oC C!) Z Q W w Cf) Q W > PLYMOUTH DIAL A RIDE SURVEY PASSENGER COMMENTS 6 COMMENTS TO IMPROVE PHONES(SPEED UP ORDER CONFIRMATION AND NOT BE PUT ON HOLD). 1 HAVE SATURDAY STANDING ORDERS. 1 DEDICATE DRIVERS TO ROUTES. 1 EXPAND SATURDAY SERVICE HOURS. CURRENT 8:00 AM TO 18:00 PM, SHOULD START EARLIER. 1 STOP TRANSPORTING SCHOOL KIDS. 1 MAKE EVERY DRIVER LIKE JERRY (THORNE), HE'S THE BEST. 1 MORE VANS, SHORTER RIDING TIMES. 1 NEW DRIVERS SHOULD PRACTICE ROUTES SO THAT THEY KNOW WHERE THEY ARE GOING. 1 DRIVERS SHOULD TRY TO DRIVE AS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE. SOME DRIVERS DRIVE VAN LIKE A RACE CAR, OR DIRT BIKE. REAL JERKY WITH SUDDEN STOPS AND STARTS. 1 MTC TRANSFER SLIPS SHOULD BE ACCEPTED UNTIL AT LEAST 6:00 PM. 1 IF YOU COULD IMPROVE YOUR SATURDAY SERVICE TO CONNECT WITH MTC AT RIDGEDALE. SOMETIMES ON SATURDAY I WAIT UP TO AN HOUR TO CONNECT ON AND OFF MTC. 1 SHOULD BE ABLE TO CALL ONCE A WEEK TO SCHEDULE RIDES FOR THE WEEK. 1 MORE THAN ONE PICK UP TIME PER HOUR (Ridgedale). 1 SERVICE ON WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS. 1 BETTER CLEANING. 1 FIRST TIME USER, AM VERY IMPRESSED WITH SERVICE. 1 LATER HOURS, HAVE BUSES RUN UNTIL 10.00 PM. 1 SOMEONE SHOULD PROVIDE A SHUTTLE BETWEEN RIDGEDALE AND RIDGEHAVEN FOR SENIORS LIKE MYSELF WHO DON'T DRIVE. 1 MORE PICK-UP TIMES. 1 EVERYTHING IS. FINE. 1 RADIO'S ON ALL BUSES. 3 EXTEND CALLING HOURS. I BE ABLE TO BUY WEEKLY OR MONTHLY PUNCH CARDS. 1 WOULD LIKE ORDER TAKING TIME CHANGED TO 6:00 OR 7:00 AM. 1 THE BUSES SHOULD HAVE AIR CONDITIONING IN THE SUMMER. 1 NEWER AND NICER BUSES LIKE THE METRO -LINK WOULD BE NICE. 1 MUSIC IS VERY SOOTHING TO HEAR, MAYBE INSTALLED RADIOS WOULD RELAX CUSTOMERS AND DRIVERS. 1 NEED MORE BUSES AND DRIVERS. 1 ADVERTISING BETTER WOULD INCREASE CUSTOMERS. DIAL -A -RIDE BUS CLEANLINESS 70 60 - - ------- . . . .. . .. . ...................... . . . .. . ........ . ........................... . ............. ... ... . ............... . . . .. . . w . . .... . ..................................... . . . ..... . ...... u) 50 ....... z 0401 ---- - - . ..... . ..... . .. . . ...... co w30 - - ----- - 20 ...... . . . . . . .............. .... 10 0 A B c D F GRADE DRIVER, COURTESY 120 U) 100 . ..................... . . . . . . . . ... . ... . .... . .. . . . . . .......... . ........ ........... . . . ...... . ... w ZU) 80 ..... . .. . ........ . . . . ... . . ................... . ........ . .... . 0 60 cn w O Z20 ...... . ....... . . . ... . . ..................................... ol A B C D F GRADE DRIVER KNOWLEDGE 100 U) 80 ...... . . . . . ... ... . ...... . .......... . ....................... . . . ..... . . ... . w U) . ................ 0 60 ..... Cl - w 40 0 z 20 0- A B C D F GRADE 100 CO w 80 co p 60 CL Lu . 40 O z 20 E DRIVER SAFETY Ila! A B C D F GRADE MECHANICAL CONDITION 70 60 ....... . . ............ . ............ . ......... . .... . ...... . ...... . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . ............................... w . . . ................................... . . ... .... . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . ....................... . ... . . . ------- z 040 ...... - - - - ----------- w 30 - - ------ . .. . .. . .... . . . .............. . ... Cj 20 ....... z 10 . ....... .... . 0 A B c D - F GRADE SERVICE RELIABILITY 80 60 . . ....... . ....... 40 ------- 0 - A B C D F GRADE ON TIME PERFORMANCE wt W80 - - ------ ............... . ..... . . . ....... . ... .......................................... . ... . . ....... . ... . ..... . .. . .... . ... w cf) z .. . . . . .. . ....... . . ................ . . . ...... 0 60 cn w40---- . .... . ......... . ............ d z20 - - ------ . . ....... . . . . . . . ............ .................... . ........... . ...... .0 •A B c D F GRADE POCKET SCHEDULES 80 w60 .. . . .. . . . ........... . ...... . . . ... . . . ............ .............. ......... . .......... ..... ... z 0 C0 -D 40 . . ......... . . . .. .... Lu b20 . ....... . . ....... . . . . ..... z 0 A B c D F GRADE w UJ 60 U) - z 0 0-40 cn w oc 020 z 111 OVERALL . . ....... . . ........ .............. . ....... . ... mom A B c D F GRADE or , MAY 1996 1996 SURVEY PLYMOUTH METROLINK AND DIAL -A -RIDE CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Summary of Results Overall Results............................................................ iii Regular Route Results............................................................ 1 Reverse Commute Results............................................................ 14 Dial -A -Ride Results............................................................ 21 APPENDIX A: Survey Forms YD _y N & CO PLYMOUTH METROLINK AND DIAL -A -RIDE CUSTOMER SURVEY: Summary of Results The surveys of Metrolink and Dial -A -Ride customers were spilt into three groups: regular route, reverse commute and dial -a -ride. There were 168 regular route surveys collected, 44 reverse commute, and 47 dial -a -ride. The results were tabulated individually, and collectively when common questions occurred on all three surveys. The following is a summary of the survey results. It is organized into specific areas when appropriate, and attempts to highlight the most significant results of the survey. Results for all questions on each survey follow this summary. RIDER CHARACTERISTICS • Most respondents ride five days per week. Overall, more than two-thirds ride five days per week, and 83 percent ride four or more days. • Overall, two-thirds of the respondents have an auto available. Only one-third of dial -a -ride respondents had a car available. Seventy-seven percent of the regular route respondents had a vehicle available. • If a bus was not available, over half would drive alone, while twenty-five percent would carpool. Sixteen percent would not make the trip without an available bus. For Dial -A -Ride respondents, thirty-five percent would not make the trip. • Two-thirds of those surveyed were women. • The average age was 36-40. • Household income was spread fairly evenly. Forty-one percent of regular route users earned more than $50,000 in household income. DAR respondents showed that one-quarter had a household income of less than $20,000. Almost one quarter • of those surveyed did not respond to this question. • The main reasons given by respondents for using Metrolink service were convenience and costs savings (including downtown parking costs). DAR riders cited convenience and do not drive as the main reasons. SERVICE CHARACTERISTICS • The survey results appear to show that Metrolink riders have a somewhat longer ride than they would if they drove (about 10 minutes). This was especially true with DAR riders (15-20 minutes longer). • Most riders appear to have heard about Metrolink and DAR by word of mouth and the schedules. Very few heard about the service through the paper or mail (five and two percent respectively). Plymouth Metrolink & DAR Survey Thirty percent of those surveyed need to be downtown before 8:OOam and over 90 percent by 9:OOam. Over half want to leave downtown no earlier than 4:OOpm. A fare increase will not cause many respondents to stop riding. Only three percent of regular route riders and no reverse commute riders said they would stop riding altogether. Roughly two-thirds said that a fare -increase would not affect the number of times they ride. SERVICE QUALITY • Respondents to the survey rated most of the aspects of Plymouth service fairly positively. For those that rated both National and MCTO buses, there was a distinct difference in bus ratings. National's overall rating was less than a B, while MCTO received a mid A -B range. • DAR respondents gave the service a mid A -B rating as well. • Responses for ride requests was frequently mentioned as a problem for DAR users. Less than half of those calling for a ride said that their call was answered promptly. • The small buses drew some negative response. National was rated between a B and C for bus cleanliness and mechanical condition. Written comments mostly focused on the buses themselves. Climate control seems to be a major concern, as does the cleanliness and condition of the buses. SERVICE CHANGES • Metrolink riders appear to want more choices. When asked how often they would use a midday bus, nearly 70 percent of regular route users said they would take a trip once or more per month. Sixty percent of reverse commute users stated they would use such a service. There were also several written comments on returned surveys which emphasized adding midday service. • Adding a trip later in the evening also appears to have some support. Regular route respondents indicated that 25 percent would use such a service once a week or more, and more than half stated they would use it once or more a month. Comments received on the survey mentioned this idea several times. • New weekend trips are also desired by passengers, based on written comments. • Many respondents had comments regarding new areas of service, but no one area was frequently mentioned. • Several passengers suggested using the highway shoulders to save time. Plymouth Metrolink & DAR Survey ii PLYMOUTH METROLINK CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS Overall These results are totals only for similar questions asked on all three surveys. Total Returned Surveys = 259 (Percentages rounded up. Total may not equal 100%) How many days each week do you usually ride at least one way? 1 2 3 4 5 6 Other. .:Wo Answer TOTAL 5 7 23 36 177 3 2 5 259 2% 3% 9% 14% 68% 1% 1% 2% --- Is an automobile available to make your trip? Yes No Other No Answer TOTAL 172 75 18 4 259 66% 30% 3% 2% ---- How would you make this trip if the bus were not available? (Respondents could check multiple answers; does not add up to 100%) Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey I Are you: What is your age? Male Female No Answer 85 158 16 33% 61% 6% Under 18. 11 4% 18-24 17 7% 25-30 37 14% 31-35 .......................... 29 11% 36-40 47 18% 41=4535 ............... ..... 25 14% 46-50 24 9% 51-55 20 8% 56-60 14 5% 61-65 ............ ......... 9 4% Over 65 1 1% No answer. ` 20 8% What is your approximate total household income? Under'$2%000 29 11% $20 000 .29 999 28 11% $30 000 - 39,999 22 9% $40 000 - 491,999 24 9% $50,000'.- 591,999 16 6% 3601,000:'- 6%959 25 10% $701,000:- 79999 15 6% 380 0001- $91,999 10 4% Over $90,000 23 9% No Answer 67 1 26% Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey v PLYMOUTH METROLINK CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS Regular Route Portion Total Returned Surveys =168 1. Please check the route you use to/from downtown. 93 91C 91A 92 91B No Answer TOTAL 91 39 19 12 6 4 171 54.0% 23.2% 11.3% 7.1% 3.6% 2.4% (% based on 168 returned surveys; do not add up to 100%) 2. How many days each week do you usually ride at least one way? 1 2 3 4; S No.Answer. !Other. TOTAL AVG. 1 1 13 31 118 3 1 168 4.63 0.6% 0.6% 7.7% 18.5% 70.2% 1.8% 0.6% ---- ---- 3. h an automobile available to make your trip? yes No Other, TOT.AI 130 30 8 168 77.4% 17.9% 4.8% "Other" comments: • Used to have car before • Sometimes, not always. -2 4. How would you make this trip if the bus were not available? Drive Alone Carpool;; Would npt make thisitip O#her No Answer TOTAL 104 35 14 26 3 182 61.9% 20.8% 8.3% 15.5% 1.8% (% based on 168 returned surveys; do not add up to 100%) "Other " comments: • Maple Grove Transit • Ride with others if available- I don't drive. • Might have to have husband take me to work so I could have transportation/ Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 1 • Both drive alone or carpool: • Find another bus route. • Wayzata Park and Ride or drive. • no car • Drive to park and ride. • Medicine Lake Lines • If carpool not an option, drive alone. • Other bus route • Drive over to Medicine Lake Lines • Drive to Crystal and catch U of M bus. • Ride my bike in. • Drive to another park and ride. • Walk. • Take 55B to 16A or 16U. • Take another bus if available. • Take a cab. • Drive to another park and ride • Possibly relocate my job closer and purchase a car. • Walk to Boone and 36th to catch #55 • Do not know • Shuttle bus • I go one way only. • Arrange for drop off at Louisiana Transit Center. However, I have to do this at 6 a.m and don't work until 8:30 a.m. 5. About how long will your total bus trip take today? (minutes 40 20-30>. ;1-45 46-60 b0< ATo Answer , TOTAL 4 48 80 26 6 4 168 2.4% 28.6% 47.6% 15.4% 3.6% 2.4% --- 6. If you were to take the same trip by car, how long would it take? ninutes <20 2040 31-45 46-60 OX Other No Answer 'TOTAL 10 61 68 14 5 3 7 168 5.9% 36.3% 40.5% 8.3% 3.0% 1.8% 4.2% ---- "Other" comments: • no car • Carpool, 20-30 minutes. Drive alone, 31-45 minutes. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 2 7. Why do you use Metrolink service? i/0 Convenience 110 65.5% Downtown;parldne costs 107 63.7% Cost'savM* s 99 58.9% Don't like to drive in traffic 79 47.0% Environmental reasons 42 25.0% Comfort 39 23.2% Time savings 33 19.6% Other 17 10.1% Don't drive 16 19.5% No Answer 1 10.59% TOTAL 543 --- hased on 168 returned survevr do not add un to 1 nil %) "Other" comments: • It's nice to see people on the bus. • Less stressful. • Cost savings? Yeah right!. I have no car to drive. • Discount through employer. • In winter I don't like to drive. • Don't have a car. • Nice to have some time to read/relax. • Only means of transportation( I don't drive) • It gives me time to meditate. • We have one car for two people. • Don't have a car. • It relieves stress. My car is too old to drive downtown. • I have to. • I don't have another choice if I can't get up early enough to catch a ride to the transit center. • No stress, no weather worry • An opportunity to relax • No car • I get to read the paper. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 3 I 8. How did you hear about the Metrolink service? Word of -Mouth Schedules Local Newspaper Direct Mail Other 'No Answer TOTAL 62 66 6 2 23 9 168 36.9% 39.3% 3.6% 1.2% 13.7% 5.4% ---- "Other" comments: • I took Medicine Lake Lines -2 • When I moved to Plymouth I made sure we were on the bus line. • Been riding since it started • Employment office • Work • I asked about bus service when I moved here. • Stop is in front of my house • Seeing the buses around • Downtown MCTO office -2 • Sign on the street. • Drives past my house • Realtor • Visibility of park and ride. • Saw the bus in the neighborhood. • Signs on the road • I've used bus for 5 years • checked in MCTO-2 • called bus line service • called MCTO-2 • called bus company • called MTC station • MCTO • on bus route • Commuter Link Office, Pillsbury Building • employer -3 • I see the bus stop near my apartment. • Girlfriend • called • MTC person came to work • called the MCTO when I moved out here. • have been using it for years. • called the MTC to find out about bus -2 Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 4 9. Service Report Card - Circle a grade for each question Comments: • Driver competence on full size: grade c, new or replacements are totally unaware -they ASK US WHERE TO GO! • It all depends on the driver! • New buses with velour seats get rain and show inside and on. need to figure out different schedule in winter. Catching the 5:10 bus downtown when it was snowy always meant a delay of when bus would show up (30-45 minutes late. • Sometimes we have a different driver every day, which changes the( MCTO full size) service dramatically. • Dial a Ride very poor on cleanliness and promptness. • Middle door air leaks (rating d) and mini coach is usually early (rating d) • Used mini coach only during the strike ... THEY WERE GREAT • 5 from downtown to Brookdale is terrible for on time. • It depends on driver. Regular driver gets an A for on time performance. • Most drivers are c's, with a few exceptions that are a's There is never a 91 c schedule on the bus. • Temp in bus is too hot or cold in winter. Never just right. Driver courtesy varies. • Sometimes they don't know the shortcut route on the 93A bus: 169 to Betty Crocker to General Mills to 394. • Arrive down town 5 minutes earlier. • Shuttle vehicle condition rating is F: poor condition. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 5 Full Size MCTO Mini Coach National (Avg. Grade based on A=1, B=2, etc)Responses Avg. Grade Total Avg. Grade Total Responses Bus Cleanliness ` - 1.98 166 2.86 35 Driver Courtesy 1.59 168 1.89 35 Driver Appearance 1.57 168 2.32 34 Driver Competence 1.75 167 1.79 34 Driver. Safe '1.69 168 1.89 35 Bus Mechanical Condition 1.92 168 12.84 32 Service Reliability 1.60 168 2.15 34 OwTintel Performance 1.69 167 2.11 35 Pocket Schedules and Info 1.9 159 2.14 30 All in all I rate the Service 1.68 168 2.26 34 Comments: • Driver competence on full size: grade c, new or replacements are totally unaware -they ASK US WHERE TO GO! • It all depends on the driver! • New buses with velour seats get rain and show inside and on. need to figure out different schedule in winter. Catching the 5:10 bus downtown when it was snowy always meant a delay of when bus would show up (30-45 minutes late. • Sometimes we have a different driver every day, which changes the( MCTO full size) service dramatically. • Dial a Ride very poor on cleanliness and promptness. • Middle door air leaks (rating d) and mini coach is usually early (rating d) • Used mini coach only during the strike ... THEY WERE GREAT • 5 from downtown to Brookdale is terrible for on time. • It depends on driver. Regular driver gets an A for on time performance. • Most drivers are c's, with a few exceptions that are a's There is never a 91 c schedule on the bus. • Temp in bus is too hot or cold in winter. Never just right. Driver courtesy varies. • Sometimes they don't know the shortcut route on the 93A bus: 169 to Betty Crocker to General Mills to 394. • Arrive down town 5 minutes earlier. • Shuttle vehicle condition rating is F: poor condition. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 5 10. Please indicate if July 1 fare increase will: Cause you'to ride less 51 30.4% Cause you to stop riding all together 6 3.6% Not affect the number of timesou;: ride 103 61.3% No Answer 8 4.8% TOTAL 168 ---- Comments: • At this time I will not change usage, but cost of bus is very high and in the future I might look at other options. • I think it costs too much. • It will not affect how much I ride because I have to- but I am upset about the prices! $4.00 a day. You can park at Target for $30/month. You are already $62 per month.!! • It depends. I want to form a carpool. If that didn't happen, I might drive alone more. • Will not affect, but I don't like it. • It's the only way I have to go. • Won't affect, but still don't approve of the increase • It is still cheaper than parking. 11. What time do you usually board the bus in the am? Before 5:30 1 0.6% 5:30 - 5:59 9 5.4% 6:00 - 6:29 ..................... ........ ... ....... .. . .. ... . 23 13.7% 6:30 - 6:59 28 16.7% 7:00 - 7:29 65 38.7% 7:30:_.7.i59, 32 19.0% 8:00 and later 6 3.6% No Answer. 4 2.4% Comments: • Sometimes 12:00, but your earliest is 3:45! • 4:10 is ok if I need it. • Would like more earlier p.m times. L Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 6 i 12. What is the latest time you need to arrive downtown in the am? Before 6:30 6 3.6% 6:30 - 6:59 10 5.9% 7:00-7:29 17 10.1% 7:30 - 7:59 31 18.5% 8:00 - 8:29 43 25.6% 8:30 -8:59 34 20.2% 9:00 - 9:29 -' 12 7.2% 9:30 andlater 2 1.2% No Answer 1 13 17.7% 13. What time do you usually board the bus in the pm? Before 4:00 18 10.7% 4:00 - 4;29 36 21.4% 4:30 - 4:59 48 28.6% 5:00 - 5:29 42 25.0% 5:30 - 5:59 17 10.1% 6:00 andlater '.' 3 1.8% No Answer 4 2.4% Comments: • I take the 63 to the Louisiana Transit Center (10 minute ride as opposed to 1 hour) 14. What is the earliest time you want to leave downtown in the pm? 12:00 Noon 4 2.4% 12:00 -2:S9 20 11.8% 3:00 - 3:29 18 10.7% 3:30 -31159: 28 16.7% 4:00 - 4:29 44 26.2% 4:30 - 4:59 22 13.0% 5:00 - 5:29 26 15.5% 5:30 zn& later' ' 2 1.2% I.No..Answ.er 3 1.8% Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 7 15. How often would you need a later bus from downtown, say one that left about 7:00pm? Unce or more a week 42 25.0% Once 'or more a month 56 33.3% Probably never 63 37.5% 11Io answer 7 4.2% TOTAL 168 ---- Comments: • That would be great! • Need this to Plymouth. • At this time, I use the 55 bus for these needs. • During August through November, almost every day! • Yes Please! 16. How often would you use a midday bus (10:00am to 3.zWpm) to/from downtown. Once or more a week 28 16.6% Once<or more:a month 89 53.0% Probably never " 43 25.6% No answer 8 4.8% TOTAL 168 ---- Comments: • Around the holidays we get off at noon. • Once every three months. • It would be nice- in case of sickness or other emergencies. • Once a month or more in December through July. • It would be nice if I wanted to go home sick or leave early. 17. If you could make any changes to the service or add service to new areas, what or where would it be? Ninety-nine (or fifty-nine percent) responses. Organized by type of change desired. New Areas • More concentration on North East quadrant • I live in the Camelot Estate area and there is no place to park in the winter, so I drive 5 miles to Four Seasons. I'd like a more convenient pick up spot. • I like being picked up in the neighborhoods rather than driving to Park and Ride. • Have a park and ride lot near Plymouth City Hall for the 91. Mini bus service North of Cty Rd 9 along Fernbrook. T Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 8 • I would have it so the bus would pick me up in the p.m near where it drops me off in the a.m...2nd avenue. • I understand the 93A was supposed to be re-routed to down Northwest Boulevard once the bridge just North of Schmidt Lake Road was completed. The bus is currently going down Pineview. I could walk to the bus if it went down Northwest. I also have a neighbor who would take the bus if it went down Northwest. PLEASE begin running the 93A down Northwest. Thank you. • Get closer (if not on) Schmidt Lake Road and Trenton Lane. • Along Brookdale drive in Brooklyn Park, need bus to run straight down Brookdale (from 94 to 252 to Zane) express from downtown. Brookdale Drive is a high populated area. I have many coworkers who live in Brooklyn Park that carpool because there is no bus route that runs along Brookdale Drive. They complain that they have to walk to Humboldt or Noble. They live at least 6 to 7 blocks away, and would catch the metro if a bus route was available on Brookdale Drive. • Have a better park and ride location. The park and ride on highway 55 and CR 73 can be very difficult to get in and out of when traffic is heavy. Also, it would be nice to be able to ride the shoulder on Highway 55. • I would have the minibus driver take people to their homes in the evening instead of just following the route. There are few enough riders so this wouldn't take too much time. Alot of times I end up driving to the park and ride because I live 3 blocks from the minibus route. I only walk when I am sure the weather will be nice. • Rockford needs public transportation. • Pick up along 4th (Lutheran Brotherhood Building) • Go out west farther. More frequent buses and midday buses. • Service past County Road 9 North on Fernbrook • Have a mini -bus route that goes north of County Road 9 Schedule Changes • Weekend service would be nice. A later bus leaving downtown would be nice, too. • A bus at 11:30 -midnight for those times I work at night and need a ride home. • Have buses later than 7 pm. • Add two buses to 92D- one that goes earlier to Plymouth and one that leaves later. Extend service - more available and a Saturday service. • More buses available throughout the, day and weekends for those who have no other means of transportation, for doctors appointments, etc. Paying higher fares should give us more options. • Flexibility in times, and run bus more frequently. (91c) • 2 p.m from downtown. • I would like a route in the morning about halfway between the 7:05 and 7:40 so I could get to work by 8 not 8:15. • Add more buses during the day and at night. • It will be cheaper to park downtown than take the bus. I can park for 2.50. The bus will cost $4.I ride from downtown to Plymouth: the last bus to leave downtown is at 7:00 a.m. The last bus to leave Plymouth is at 4:30 pm in the afternoon. It would be nice to have a run about a half hour later both directions, example, leave downtown at 7:30 a.m/ leave Plymouth at 5:00 pm. This would better fit a normal 8-5 work day. David Pomije (home: 813-1765, work: 542-9442 • More trips in p.m. from downtown. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 9 • Bus service in the afternoon would be great, as I hate to drive in traffic downtown. • Late express (through 7:30 pm) bus to Cty Rd 73 or Plymouth Rd/394 that does not stop at Louisiana and wind through Shelard. • Have Metrolink buses running more often. Sometimes I get off early and can't catch a bus until 3:30. • Add a shuttle service to the Louisiana Transit Center, or have Metrolink avoid the 169 (too slow) and no stops after Four Seasons. • More midday routes, less expensive! ! ! $4.00 per day is too much! ! ! • Would be nice to have 2-4 midday (noon -3 pm) buses coming out (Route 93). Maybe just I to begin with? • More trips home in the evening. Right now the 91c has a 5:10 and 5:45 bus. A 5:30 p.m would be nice. • Add a later bus in the pm and am • Would like one later bus in the a.m. • There should be a later bus which goes from downtown to Plymouth in the morning (around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m.). Also, there should be a later bus in the aftemoon from Plymouth to downtown (around 5 or 5:30 p.m). • Add a later route, somewhere around 6:30 or 7:00 pm Bus 93. • Express bus run until 6:30 pm • Later and midday travel needed. • A 91 that left downtown at 6:15 or 6:30. • Our 7 a.m RT 93 female driver is great. All winter she made sure to stop the bus downtown where we did not have to step down onto an icy or snowy bank. Great for passengers safety on exit! • Add more buses to this route (93A). Frequent service throughout the day, not just peak hours. • I would introduce 1 or 2 more bus services between 6 and 7:30 a.m morning schedule. Earlier morning bus FROM downtown. • Probably midday service from downtown. • Have the bus arrive downtown at 8:20 for people who work at 8:30. • Have minicoach arrive LESS early at park and ride ( wait approximately 8-10 minutes) • Have a bus leaving downtown in the pm a little earlier. Possibly more a.m buses after the 8:15 (at CR 73 and 55) in case people are running late, or miss an earlier bus. • Definitely more buses later, after 7 pm, to the Plymouth area. • A more "express" ride- I leave work at 4 and don't get home till 5pm. In the morning I leave at 6:25. It makes for a very long day. PLEASE do not discontinue bus service. Maybe you could drop 73 Park and ride and just get on 494 to 394 • Add a 7:15 or 7:20 a.m bus and a 5:00 p.m bus. Several times during the winter, the bus was very cold. • Mid-day service, service TO downtown in afternoon, service on County Road 101 • Need service on weekend so we can go to work. Sometimes on weekend. • If the morning bus could leave 5 minutes earlier so that it arrives at all stops by 7:30 a.m. • I would like to see an earlier route, say 2:30 or 3:00 so I can leave early. Also, I would love a route around 6:40 or 7:00. This way I could go to the bar after work and take the bus instead of driving. There are many times throughout the year I need a bus later than the last one currently. available. I did take the 75 route ONCE and NEVER AGAIN. It took me almost an hour to get home. It was Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 10 just so pokey and then I didn't like the fact that the shuttle bus serviced all of Plymouth and not just route 93. • Increase number of scheduled connections at Louisiana Transit Center other than the midday trip. Say, one at about 2 pm and maybe add on at 7 or 7:30 pm. I haven't ridden the shuttle that connects with the #55 at 4:00 for awhile because I found it highly unreliable. Sometimes it would be 20 to 30 minutes late. Also, the driver Kevin on the 93C in the a.m was very reliable. What happened to him? • One or two buses during the day. • We need a bus that leaves around 7:15 to be at work at 8:00. The 7:00 a.m bus gets me there too early and the 7:30 bus gets me there at 8:10. • Add a midday service perhaps even a couple of days per week, like Monday, Wednesday, Friday. • Would appreciate a 93A route (same as am and pm) to go downtown and a return around noon or 1:00. • Later bus service in the pm and midday service. • More reverse commute buses after 7 a.m • Instead of 2 buses at 7:00 have 1 at 7:00 and 1 at 7:20. Instead of 2 buses at 4:40 have 1 at 4:00, 1 at 4:30 and 1 at 5:00. • Bus/ shuttle bus to service Northwest Boulevard north of Rockford Road. More frequency. • Make the 93AB more available. The mini never stops when I am standing and waiting. • Later buses in a.m., earlier in p.m. • I would like a 6:15 bus. Twice a week I work till 6p.m and have to take a 55 and get a ride. • Have at least one more bus later in the evening from downtown -approximately 6:15 or 6:30. • Living far out in the suburbs I would like to catch a bus on the weekend and enjoy downtown. I do have a 7 year old child and I do have concerns to if he got sick in school, and me not being able to ride the bus in the afternoon to see about him. And to my job, it is the type where I can do flex hours and get off early, but I have no way to get home. Service Quality • I frost bit my feet this winter waiting for the bus. Maybe you should improve the bus stops. • Also, teach your drivers about temperature control on their buses. Just because they are comfortable with their heaters and fans doesn't mean the rest of the bus is. It's ALWAYS too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. Last summer, we had to BEG for the AC to be turned on, because the driver complained they couldn't get enough power with it on. NI am paying close to $2.00 a ride, I want comfort and a driver who is going to ensure that! • Add some more routes during the day. Otherwise service has been very good. When drivers are new to route, they don't get enough route training and often make wrong turns. Other than that, your drivers are GREAT!! Customer service phone #... no human ever answers. When I leave a message with a concern or complaint, no one ever calls back or responds in any way. The new buses are great. The old buses are in terrible shape and sometimes dangerous. I frost -bit my feet on a bus with no heat this winter. Called and complained, but no one ever returned my call. I spent an hour on a bus with NO HEAT and WINDOWS THAT WOULDN'T CLOSE! • The 4:15 bus has two different drivers, and thus, two different time tables. You never know when the bus will come. Should have only 1 driver. • Bring back previous drivers, or make these new ones nicer. Cleaner buses needed. Add more routes, 7:15 perhaps. Send an accordion bus for the 6:59 bus. It is always crowded. Fix the back Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 11 door of one of the buses, it is quite drafty. Monthly newsletters would be nice. ON TIME SERVICE. • Pick drivers based on their skills not race. For example, 4:45 pm route guy is a bad driver. • Improve heating/air conditioning -4 times this winter in January there was NO heat at all (#1240). In the summer it can be sweltering in the afternoon. • The morning buses are old and crappy. In the winter, the draft from the buses makes it three times as cold as it was outside. • The 91 C route works excellent for me. Route and times are convenient. Drivers are always courteous. • Keep the reliability of present schedules and I'll be happy. • Buses need better mechanical service. Too many breakdowns, especially no air conditioning in summer. Frequent changes in drivers is disruptive. • I would like to have the same driver instead of constant rotation. Price • We're paying an express fare and it should have ONE pick up sport, not three in less than a mile. • None, except do not raise the fare. • Bus fares should be low to attract more ridership and attract more riders. • Keep bus fare. Operational Issues • I would like more times available to the current a.m and p.m. Every 1/2 hour isn't frequent enough. • Have a bus lane on 169. Get off at Betty Crocker to go to 394 so we don't have to sit at the light on 394 before getting on it. ( I read a sign on the bus one day that said "Ride the bus and don't get caught in traffic"). These are two ways that would speed up my bus travel time. Thanks. • Let drivers use shoulder on 169. All drivers should be aware of alternate routes to save time on 169/394 entrance ramp to 394. • I would like to have the route shorter so I wouldn't be on the bus so long. • Tell the driver: if heavy traffic to use shoulder going East in p.m. on 394. Arrive downtown 5 minutes earlier. • The driver of 93 at 7:39 a.m should take General Mills Blvd ,instead of 55, to 394. • Make sure the last bus from downtown does not leave early. It has happened. Other • Just keep them running, as it is the only transportation I have. • None, my current service is very convenient. • I'm very pleased that we have so many choices when we live so far out in Plymouth. • No changes needed for me. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 12 18. Are you: 19. What is your age? Male Female No Answer 52 105 11 31.0% 62.5% 6.5% Under 18 3 1.8% 18-24. _ 10 6.0% 25-30 31 18.5% 31-35 21 12.5% 36-40 25 14.8% 41-45 31 18.5% 46-50 15 8.9% 51-55 11 6.5% 56=60 9 5.4% 61-65 3 1.8% Over 65, 0 0 No answer ` 9 5.4% 20. What is your approximate total household income? Under $20000 10 6.0% 320000 - 2%999: 19 11.3% $30,000- 3%999 15 8.9% $40 000;'- 49,999 23 13.7% $50,000 - 59,999 13 7.7% $60 000'- 691999.::,:::: 20 12.0% $'10^..- 79,999 12 7.1% 480,000:-B99,999 9 5.4% Over $90,000 15 18.9% No Answer 32 1 19.0% Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 13 PLYMOUTH METROLINK CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS Reverse Commuter Portion Total Returned Surveys = 44 (Percentages rounded up. Total may not equal 100%) 1. Please check the route you use to/from downtown. 93 91 71 92AC 92D 92B No Answer TOTAL 9 6 3 20 3 2 1 44 21% 14% 7% 46% 7% 5% 2% ---- 2. How many days each week do you usually ride at least one way? 1 2 3 4; 5 No Answer TOTAL AVG. 0 3 6 1 32 2 44 4.37 0% 7% 14% 2% 73% 5% ---- ---- Comments: • Work only the first week of the month 3. Is an automobile available to make your trip? Yes :No No Answer 'TOTAL 27 16 1 44 61% 37% 2% ---- 4. How would you make this trip if the bus were not available? Drive Alone Carpool Would not make this trip Other No Answer TOTAL 19 20 11 8 3 44 43% 45% 25% 18% 7% ---- (Respondents could check multiple answers; does not add up to 100%) "Other" comments: • Carpool, wife and myself • Would have to buy a car. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 14 • Drive to Wayzata Park and Ride of MTC • I'd have to buy a car. • Have someone drive me to other bus line or route, park and ride. • Drive to other bus line. • Get another job. 5. About how long will your total bus trip take today? (minutes 6. 7. <20 20-30 31-45 46-60 60< No Answer TOTAL 0 7 16 14 6 1 44 0% 16% 36% 31% 14% 2% ---- If you were to take the same trip by car, how long would it take? <20 20-30 31-45 46-60 60< No Answer TOTAL 4 122 115 12 10 1 44 9% 50% 34% 5% 0% 2% --= Why do you use Metrolink service? (Respondents could check multiple answers; does not add up to 100%) "Other" comments: • Only time to read. • I don't have a car • Wear and tear on car. • Gives me time to read and unwind. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 15 8. How did you hear about the Metrolink service? Word of Mouth Schedules Local Newspaper Direct MAD 'Other No Answer 17 16 3 2 5 6 39% 36% 7% 5% 11% 14% (Respondents could check multiple answers; does not add up to 100%) "Other" comments: • Used MTC before moving here • Realtor • MCTO • Saw it drive by. • Drove past home. 9. Service Report Card - Circle a grade for each question Comments: • Bus lacked air most of the summer. Mini coach subs often rely on passengers, and have been too early. • For AM route, Tim is EXCELLENT! PM route is not as good. Bus is dirty. Drivers are not as good. They jerk to a stop and start. The busses rattle so bad and the ride is EXTREMELY bumpy. I can not read because of it. Hopefully the new ones will be better. Do they have to have the intercom radio on full blast? This is very aggravating. The jerky bumpy rides sometimes make me sick. If the park and ride lots were not always full, I'd drive. How about more parking places? I am on the bus 20 minutes for a 5 minute ride. How about more buses with shorter routes? r Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 16 Full Size MCTO Mini Coach National (Avg. Grade based on A=1, B=2, etc.) Avg. Grade Total Responses Avg. Grade Total Responses Bus Cleanliness 1.95 40 2.25 40 Driver Courtesy. 1.65 40 1.39 41 Driver Appearance 1.65 40 1.77 39 Driver'Com etence 2.10 39 1.60 40 Driver Safety 1.67 39 1.75 40 Bus Mechanical Condition 2.24 38 2.55 38 Service Reliability 1.84 38 1.78 41 On Time Performance 1.79 39 1.66 41 Pocket>«Schedules and Info 1.79 38 2.18 39 All in allI rate the Service 1.74 39 1.78 40 Comments: • Bus lacked air most of the summer. Mini coach subs often rely on passengers, and have been too early. • For AM route, Tim is EXCELLENT! PM route is not as good. Bus is dirty. Drivers are not as good. They jerk to a stop and start. The busses rattle so bad and the ride is EXTREMELY bumpy. I can not read because of it. Hopefully the new ones will be better. Do they have to have the intercom radio on full blast? This is very aggravating. The jerky bumpy rides sometimes make me sick. If the park and ride lots were not always full, I'd drive. How about more parking places? I am on the bus 20 minutes for a 5 minute ride. How about more buses with shorter routes? r Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 16 10. Please indicate if July 1 fare increase will: Cause you;;to ride less 11 25% Cause you to stop riding All together 0 0% Not affect the number of times you. ride 27 61% No Auswer 16 13 14% . TOTAL 144 5 ---- Comments: • It will piss me oB? • I park for 1.50. I ride bus for 3.50. 11. What time do you usually board the bus in the am? Before 6:00 9 21% 6:00 - 6:29, 6 14% 6:30 - 6:59 8 18% <7:00-- 7:29:. 13 30% 1:30-7i59 5 11% iMter8:00 1 2% Wo Answer 2 5% 12. What is the latest time you need to arrive downtown in the am? Before 6:00'' 3 7% 6:00 - 6:29 2 5% 6:30 -'6.59 ; 3 7% :7:00-7:29'' S 11 7:30 -:7:59 ' 4 9% 14 35% After:9:00 6 14% 1N6 Answer .. _ 13 30% Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 17 13. What time do you usually board the bus in the pm? Before 4:00 3 7% 4:29 16 36% 4:30 - 4:59 10 23% 5:00 and later 8 18% No Answer 7 1 16% Comments: • I use other transportation. 14. What is the earliest time you want to leave downtown in the pm? Before 4:00 15 34% 4:00 - 4:29 8 18% 4:30 -*.59 4 9% 5,600 and.later 6 14% No Answer :' 11 125% 15. How often would you need a later bus from downtown, say one that left about 7:00pm? Once or more a week 7 16% Once or more a month 12 27% Pr bably never 21 48% No Answer'' 4 9% 16. How often would you use a midday bus (10:00am to 3:00pm) to/from downtown. Once or more aweek 8 18% Once or more a month 18 41% Probably never' ` 12 27% No answer 6 14% Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 18 17. If you could make any changes to the service or add service to new areas, what or where would it be? Twenty-one (or forty-eight percent) responses. Organized by type of change desired New Areas • Expand routes, or create routes for suburbs. Raising fares and cutting routes isn't fair to consumers! As Plymouth is growing very fast, there is need to cover more areas and location. This will increase ridership. Better service in the Plymouth area, like at CR 6, Feinbrook Lane, Niagara Lane. Schedule Changes • Start run earlier in afternoon, i.e. once an hour from noon to 3:00. Then every half hour. • Midday route leaving Minneapolis around 2:00 • Would have the shuttle buses run until 5:30 PM. Alot of us work until then with no way to get to the major bus routes. • It would be nice to have a midday route. • Additional runs later in Am and p.m • Would love to have a bus (93a) that would leave Four Seasons for downtown and return, each around noon time. • Have a 92c bus leave PDQ at a few minutes past 5 PM. • Later Am routes and earlier p.m routes. • Have a bus that reaches downtown by 8:00, but doesn't come as early as 7:00. • Have buses arrive downtown before the hour. • At least one bus between noon and 4:10 from downtown. • Adding midday and later bus service. Service QRality • More comfortable seats. • New buses • I have to walk .3 of a miles to get to the shuttle. It would be nice if it could be shorter. I would like more of the newer, high -seated buses. • When are we getting new buses? Also, I thought there was going to be a free ride day in April? Operational Issues • Make the bus with Route number- on PM routes. Provide more survey forms (quarterly), provide comment forms on buses. Respond to rider comments in writing. Drivers are to serve the customers, not a schedule. If a bus does not arrive when scheduled pick up the route- do not say you are a later route time. • The shuttle should stick to the routes as outlined in schedule. Often when I take the 3:30 bus home, catch the shuttle, the shuttle is redirected. Instead of going up West Medicine Lake drive, he drives Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 19 IW on 55 and turns off to drop people off in aPt/townhomes. Is this part of the route? Stay on track please! Other • The service is fine! • I am not a reverse commuter. 18. Are you: 19. What is your age? Male Female No Answer 18 26 0 41% 59% 0% Under 18. 0 0% 18-24 1 2% 25-30 1 2% 31-35 6 14% 36-40 15 34% 41-45 2 5% 4640 5 11% 51=55 8 18% 56-60 2 5% 61-65 4 9% Over 65 , 0 0% No answer 5 11% 20. What is your approximate total household income? :Under $20,000 7 16% $20,000 - 29,999 5 11% $309000 - 399,999 5 11% $40,000 - 49 999 1 2% $50,000 -59,999, 1 2% $60,000 - 69,999 3 7% $70,000 - 79,999 3 7% $80,000 = 89,999 1 2% Over $90,000 5 11% No Answer 13 30% Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 20 PLYMOUTH METROLINK CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS Dial -A -Ride Portion Total Returned Surveys = 47 (Percentages rounded up. Total may not equal 100%) 1. Where do you normally begin your trip? • 4215 Plymouth Lane • Wayzata East Jr. High • 9625 27th Ave N Plymouth • 9700 37th PI N, Four Seasons Estates • 10520 S Shore Drive • Wayzata High School, 305 Vicksburg • 4025 Lancaster Lane North • 13300 32nd Ave N Plymouth • 15700 Rockford Road • Ridgedale • at home • 12455 54th Ave N • 1300 W Medicine Lake Drive • Plymouth Colony 17605 19th N Plymouth • 17210 Co Rd 6 Plymouth • Kennys Market, Nathan Lane • 4405 Norwood Lane • 15700 Rockford Road • 206 Union Terrace N Plymouth • 35 N Nathan Lane • 3930 Lancaster Lane • Plymouth Transit Center • Radisson Hotel, Plymouth • 35 Nathan Lane • 2100 Fernbrook Lane, Plymouth • 9610 37th PI N, Plymouth, MN 55441 • 4210 Revere Lane • Wayzata East Junior High • Wayzata East, Ridgemount Ave • 5825 Teakwood Lane North • 5430 Sycamore Lane, Plymouth • 135 N Nathan Lane, Plymouth • Ridgedale • Plymouth Colony, 1803 Hwy 101 Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 21 • 1200 Ives Lane, Plymouth • 12270 24th Ave • 12620 52nd Ave N Plymouth • 3473 Pilgrim Lane, N • 3610 Lancaster Lane • I usually begin my trip at home and then to work • Wayzata • 36th Lancaster, Plymouth 3305 Harbor Lane 2. What is your usual destination? • Holy Name of Jesus School • 10310 28th Ave N Plymouth • Ridgedale, Lancaster Lane • Upsher-Smith Labs, 14905 23rd Ave N • Wayzata Community Church • Ridgedale • Ridgedale YMCA • Toys R Us • Plymouth Road Transit Center • Ridgedale • Watertower Circle, Plymouth • Ridgedale Drive, work • New Hope K -Mart • 2100 Xenium Lane • Ridgedale YMCA • 14755 27th Ave N Plymouth • Norstan, 6900 Wedgewood • Holy Name School 155 Cty Road 24 • Plymouth Cub • ridgedale • Ridgedale • Holy Name School • 6150 Trenton Lane • 48th Avenue N • 2324 Jonquil Ln, Plymouth • 1035 Nathan Lane • 4525 Nathan Lane #209, Plymouth • Ridgedale/Plymouth Transit Center • Various • Holy Name • 1405 Olive Lane N, Plymouth • Kimberly Lane Elementary School • Bass Lake Road and 169 Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 22 • Holy Name of Jesus School • K Mart New Hope • Fingerhut • ridgedale mall • Transit Center • 15600 28th Avenue N • Beacon Heights Academy, 12325 Hwy 55 • work at 505 Hwy 169 • Fingerhut, 1405 Xenium Lane • Steve Tschimperle, 1803 State Hwy 101 N • Nathan Lane, Plymouth • Ridgedale, Plymouth • Ridgedale 3. How many days each week do you usually ride at least one way? 1 2 3 4 S «6 Other TOTAL AVG. 4 3 4 4 27 3 2 47 4.26 9% 6% 9% 9% 57% 6% 4% ---- ---- 4. Is an automobile available to make your trip? Yes No No Answer TOTAL 15 29 3 47 32% 62% 6% ---- 5. How would you make this trip if the bus were not available? Drive Alone IC Would not make thistrip OtherNo Answer.:' TOTAL 6 8 16 19 2 47 12% 18% 35% 40% 4% --- (rcesponaents could check multiple answers; does not add up to 100%) "Other" comments: • Parents drive me. • A parent would drive me • Would have to find another way there. • I wouldn't be able to get to work ... cab too expensive. • Walk • Would try and find someone else to pick me up Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 23 • Several neighbor families go to Holy Name as well. I • Not known, can't drive. • Friend • Someone from work • Take a cab or ride from a friend • Be picked up • Taxi i Get my license. • I'll let someone from work pick me up. • Metro Mobility. • Cab - 6. About how long will your total bus trip take today? (minutes) <20 20-30 31-45 46-60 60< No Answer TOTAL 6 17 17 3 3 .1 47 12% 39% 39% 6% 6% 2% --- 7. If you were to take the same trip by car, how long would it take? ,ninutes <20 20-30 3145 46=60 60< No Answer' TOTAL 12 26 0 2 1 4 47 26% 55% 0% 4% 2% 8% ---- Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 24 8. Why do you use Dial -A -Ride service? .Convenience 26 55% I'DW drive 26 55% ;Cost savings 15 32% Other 10 21% Time :'savings 6 12% Comfort . 5 10% -Don't: like to drive in traffic 2 4% >"Environ mental 'reasons 2 4% No Answer 2 4% (Respondents could check multiple answers; does not add up to 100%) "Other" comments: • Don't have a ride; and live out of the district. • Knee Injury • Don't like winter driving • I drive, but don't own a car. • It is the only way I can get to school • One car only in our family • School • I don't have a car • Single parent- need to get to work so kids ride Dial A Ride • No bus service • I don't know how I would get there. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 25 9. Service Report Card - Circle a grade for each question (Avg. Grade based on A=1, B=2, etc. Avg. Grade Total Res onses Bus Cleanliness 1.96 46 Driver Courtesy 1.37 46 Driver Appearance 1.43 46 Driver Competence 1.31 44 Driver Safity 1.18 45 Bus Mechanical Condition 1.98 41 Service4leliability 1.78 45 On Time Performance 2.00 46 Pocket Schedules and Info 1.86 36 All `in all >Irate the Service 1.57 44 Price of ride 1.40 145 Comments: • Driver competence: Am. driver rates A, PM driver rates D. Price of ride rates D ... too high a price for a group all going to the same destination. • Dean is great! Very nice, polite, considerate- knows my schedule and is always flexible. • Afternoon driver (KEN) gets an F for driver courtesy, and C for on time performance. Ken gets here at 2:10 10. How did you hear about the Metrolink service? Word of Mouth Schedules Local Mews a er Direct'Mail Other No;Answer 24 5 4 1 11 3 51% 11% 4% 2% 23% 6% (Respondents could check multiple answers; does not add up to 100%) "Other" comments: • From work • I rode the MTC and called the bus company to se what bus I should ride and they told me. • Phone book/saw bus • Called Plymouth Center • MTC • from school • phone book Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 26 11. When you usually call for service, was the: Call placed on: hold 27 57% Phone answered rom tl 21 45% Line bus ` 13 28% Other 2 4% No Answer 12 14% (Respondents could check multiple answers; does not add up to 100%) Comments: • Service is prearranged. • Recorded cancellation line is very nice, although several times driver has not gotten message that we are canceled. 12. U you could make any changes to the service, what would it be? Twenty-seven (or fifty-seven percent) responses. Organized by type of change desired. New Areas • Direct rides to North Memorial Hospital where I need to go frequently • Maybe should have later runs to Ridgedale, example, till 7:30 or 8:00 PM. Schedule Changes • Another Saturday bus. • Need more buses on Saturdays. • Have a couple more buses so that we can schedule more rides. • More than one bus on Saturday -when I book a ride for Saturday the bus is usually 1/2 hour late at least. • Extend the hours from 8-6 to 9 PM seven days a week, also add Sundays • Local bus to be on time to meet with dial a ride bus. The difference is 45 minutes. • The timing, because there are some people who have to go to work. Service Quality • I feel there should be stricter rules for the children riding the bus. (Noise, staying seated, open windows). Holy Name does not feel they have any jurisdiction on a public bus. I feel the bus could be a little more controlled on the route home at 3:00 PM. • To have a guarantee the children are asked and enforced to wear safety belts. • I would like to see major changes in on-time performance. 'We are given a pick up time before school starts in August but driver only adheres to it for about a month. through the year, he comes earlier every day, so by January the kids are being picked up 25 minutes earlier. If pick up time is going to change, I would appreciate being told of the change and given an explanation why. I've also been very clear to Dial A Ride the kids cannot arrive at school before 8a.m (they have a 30 minute window for arrival). Some days they drop the kids off 7:40 and they are unsupervised until 8!! Now he picks the kids up at 7:30 (we're the last stop and live 10 minutes from school). They Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 27 sit on dial a ride until 8:00. Why can't he come later? I've contacted Dial A Ride through calls and letters, they change things for about 5 days and then go back to the old ways. They also threaten to stop serving us. I appreciate the service very much, just wish this BIG PROBLEM could be taken care of. • more buses • Add more phone lines to answer calls and another receptionist, and add another bus or two. • Give more times available • I would like to call cancellations in ahead of time, the morning of the cancellation instead. Usually the wrong day gets changed, so I call in the morning. This happens lately now, compared to 11/2-2 years ago. • Clean up bus interior. • I would like better buses, but that's already happening. • Open more telephone lines for calling Dial A Ride • Less wait from operator to dispatcher • Faster phone service. Buses on time. • Faster access to phone answerer • Sometimes it's hard to get a ride at the time needed if the schedule is full. Also, I think people who are trying to get work should always get priority -somehow get fit into the schedule no matter how busy! Getting to work is more important than going shopping! • Answer the phones more promptly and watch scheduling of rides, and to probably have back-up in case of any problems. • Have different kinds of buses, more buses, make sure your ride doesn't take longer than twice the amount of time it would take when going there directly. Possibly not be so strict about no-shows. Other • It was nice that regular drivers picked up and delivered students (familiar face- student only 5.) • Maintain the excellent service. 13. Are there any areas, currently not being served, that you would like to see service added to? Fourteen responses (Thirty percent of respondents) • Maple Grove South of Weaver Lake Road, more of Minnetonka by Ridgedale • To Robbinsdale- North Memorial Hospital • Would like it to expand route service for certain places in Mpls. • More of Minnetonka and Hopkins • Minneapolis service to St. Louis Park and Bloomington area • Wayzata Boulevard • Appreciate very much that Dial A Ride goes to Holy Name • Like to go to Ridgedale and Target on the same trip. • Maple Grove, especially the mall • Hamel, Maple Grove, Golden Valley • Yes, Hwy. 100 and 36th Ave • Golden Valley, New Hope Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 28 • more connecting routes to Maple Grove, Minnetonka, and other areas to broaden. • West Metro- Orono, Long Lake, Maple Plain • It would be nice if you could go to other cities of the Metro area (possibly more expensive though). • New Hope, Edina 14. Are you: 15. What is your age? Male Female No Answer 15 27 5 32% 57% 11% Under 18 8 16% 18-24 _ 6 12% 25-30 5 11% 31-35 3 6% :36-40 7 15% 41-45 2 4% 46-50 4 8% 51-55: 3 6% .5 6-60 3 6% 61-65 _ > _ ....................... 2 4% Over 65 1 2% No answer 6 12% 16. What is your approximate total household income? Vader:$20 000 12 26% $20,000 - 29,999 4 8% $30 000 39,99 ` 2 4% .:'$40,Q00: -A%999. 0 0% $50,000 59999 2 4% $60,000 -:6%999 2 4% 570,000 - 79,999 0 0% $809000 891999 0 0% Over $901,000 3 6% No Answer 122 1 47% Comments: • On welfare and food stamps Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 29 EXTRA COMMENTS • This is for a student who was delivered to our school, so we received and returned the student ... we did not contract for bus service from school. The drivers treated student well and became very nice friends with him After some schedule changes, bus delivered and arrived for return trip appropriately. THANK YOU to drivers for walking student inside! ! ! • The service has been very good about accommodations and my children have a good comfort level with riding Dial A Ride. Thank you. The regular drivers are knowledgeable about the routes, but whenever there is a substitute driver, they seem pretty clueless. I'd like to see more and better trained back-up drivers. Also, would like air conditioning on the buses. Overall, my ride is on time and when I need to change my scheduled ride, the change is handled accurately and courteously by the dispatch. My one big complaint is that Gary (rt. 72) arrived early to pick me up one day, and then, when I didn't come out immediately, he LEFT me -even though it was before my schedule pick up time. Plymouth Metrolink Customer Survey 30 APPENDIX A SURVEY FORMS r 3-96 PLYMOUTH METROLINK CUSTOMER SURVEY Your comments are very important to us. Please take a few minutes of your bus ride to assist the City of Plymouth in answering a few questions regarding the Metrolink service. When you have completed the survey form, please place it in the box located behind the driver or hand it to the survey administrator. Results will be shared in a future news letter. Thank you. 1. Please check the route you use to/from downtown. 91A 91B . 92 93 2. How many days each week do you usually ride at least one way? 1_ 2_ 3_ 4_ 5_ 3. Is an automobile available to make your commute trip? Yes_ No 4. How would you make this trip if the bus were not available? Drive alone Carpool_ Would not make this trip ' -Other (please elaborate on line below) 5. About how long will your total bus trip take today (include all time from when you left your residence) Under 20 Min 20-30 Min 3145 Min 46-60 Min Over 60 Min 6. If you were to make the same trip by car, how long wood it take? Under 20 Min 20-30 Min 31-45 Min 46-60 Min Over 60 Min 7. Why do you use the Metrolink service (Please circle all the reasons that apply)?.: A. Cost savings B. Time savings . C. Convenience >. -D. D. Comfort E. Don't drive F. Don't like to drive in traffic .:G. Downtown parking costs ' H. Environmental reasons I., Other (please elaborate) ' 8. How did you hear about the Metrolink service? Word of mouth_ Local newspaper_ Direct mail Schedules_ Other (please elaborate)_' 9. The next section is a service report card. Circle a grade for each question. A-4xcellent, B=good, C --fair, D=poor, and F=very poor. Full Size-MCTO `" Mini Coach -National Bus Cleanliness A B C D F :.: A B C D F Driver Courtesy A B C D F A B C D F Driver Appearance A B C D F A B C D F Driver Competence (knowledge of route) A B C D F A B C D F Driver Safety A B C D F A B C D F Bus Mechanical Condition A B C D F _ A B C D F Service Reliability ABCDF A B C D F On Time Performance A B C D F A B C D F Pocket Schedules and other Information A B C D F A 9'C D F All in all I rate the Service A B C D F A B C D F (OVER) 10. The Metropolitan Council has approved higher bus fares effective July 1, 1996. The peak hour express fare will go from $1.75 to $2.00. Please indicate if this will: A. Cause you to ride less B. Cause you to stop riding all together C. Not affect the number of times you ride 11. What time do you usually board the bus in the am? 12. What is the latest time you need to be downtown in the am? 13. What time do you usually board the bus in the pm? 14. What is the earliest time you want to leave downtown in the pm? 15. How often would you need a later bus from downtown, say one that left about 7:00 pm? Once or more a week Once or more a month Probably never 16. How often would you use a midday (10:00 am to 3:00 pm) bus to/from downtown? Once or more a week Once or more a month Probably never 17. If you could make any changes to the service or add service to new areas, what or where would it be?(use bottom of page if necessary) 3-96 PLYMOUTH METROLINK REVERSE COMMUTER CUSTOMER SUR VEY Your comments are very important to us. Please take a few minutes of your bus ride to assist the City of Plymouth in answering a few questions regarding the Metrolink service. When you have completed the survey form, please place it in the box located behind the driver or hand it to the survey administrator. Results will be shared in a future news letter. Thank you. Please check the route you use to/from downtown. 92AC_ 92D_ 2. How many days each week do you usually ride at least one way? 1_ 2_ 3_ 4_ 5- 3. Is an automobile available to make your commute trip? Yes No_ 4. How would you make this trip if the bus were not available? Drive alone_ Carpool_ Would not make this trip_ Other (please elaborate on line below) 5. About how long will your total bus trip take today (include all time from when you left your residence) Under 20 Min_ 20-30 Min_ 31-45 Min_ 46-60 Min Over 60 Min_ 6. If you were to make the same trip by car, how long would it take? Under 20 Min_ 20-30 Min_ 31-45 Min 46-60 Min Over 60 Min_ 7. Why do you use the Metrolink service (Please circle all the reasons that apply)? A. Cost savings B. Time savings C. Convenience D. Comfort E. Don't drive F. Don't like to drive in traffic G. Downtown parking costs H. Environmental reasons 1. Other (please elaborate) 8. How did you hear about the Metrolink service? Word of mouth Local newspaper Direct mail_ Schedules Other (please elaborate) 9. The next section is a service report card. Circle a grade for each question. A=excellent, B=good, C --fair, . D=poor, and F=very poor. Bus Cleanliness A B C D F A B C D F Driver Courtesy A B C D F A B C D F Driver Appearance A B C D F A B C D F Driver Competence (knowledge of route) A B C D F A B C D F Driver Safety A B C D F A B C D F Bus Mechanical Condition A B C D F A B C D F Service Reliability A B C D F A B C D F On Time Performance A B C D F A B C D F Pocket Schedules and other Information A B C D F A B C D F All in all I rate the Service A B C D F A B C D F (OVER) 10. The Metropolitan Council has approved higher bus fares effective July 1, 1996. The peak hour express fare will go from $1.75 to $2.00. Please indicate if this will: A. Cause you to ride less_ B. Cause you to stop riding all together C. Not affect the number of times you ride_ 11. What time do you usually board the bus in the am? 12. What is the latest time you nded to be downtown in the am? 13. What time do you usually board the bus in the pm? 14. What is the earliest time you want to leave downtown in the pm? 15. How often would you need a later bus from downtown, say one that left about 7:00 pm? Once or more a week_ Once or more a month_ Probably never 16. How often would you use a midday (10:00 am to 3:00 pm) bus to/from downtown? Once or more a week_ Once or more a month_ Probably never 17. If you could make any changes to the service or add service to new areas, what or where would it be?(use bottom of page if necessary) The following information Is optional However, It provides us with better understanding of our customers. 18. Are you? Male_ Female_ 19. What is your age? Under 18_ 18-24_ 25-30 31-35 36-40_ 41-45 46-50_ 51-55 56-60 61-65_ Over 65 20. What is your approximate total household income? Under $20,000_ $20,000-29,999_ $30,000-39,999_ $40,000-49,999 $50,000-59,999_ $60,000-69,999_ 570,000-79,000 $80,000-89,999 Over $90,000 3-96 PLYMOUTH DIAL A -RIDE CUSTOMER SURVEY Your comments are very important to us. Please take a few minutes of your bus ride to assist the City of Plymouth in answering a few questions regarding the Dial -A-Ride service. When you have completed the survey form, please place it in the box located behind the driver. Results will be shared in a future news letter. Thank you. 1. Where do you normally begin your trip? Location name (if applicable) Location Address 2. What is your usual destination? Location name (if applicable) Location Address 3. How many days each week do you usually ride? 1 2 3 4 5 6 4. Is an automobile available to make your trip? Yes No 5. How would you make this trip if the bus were not available? Drive alone_ Carpool_ Would not make this trip_ Other (please elaborate on line below) 6. About how long will your total bus trip take today (include all time from when you left your residence) Under 10 Min_ 10-20 Min_ 21-30 Min_ 31-45 Min_ Over 45 Min_ 7. If you were to make the same trip by car, how long would it take? Under 10 Min 10-20 Min 21-30 Min 3145 Min_ Over 45 Min_ 8. Why do you use the Dial -A -Ride service (Please circle all the reasons that apply)? A. Cost savings B. Time savings C. Convenience D. Comfort E. Don't drive F. Don't like to drive in traffic G. Environmental reasons H. Other (please elaborate) The next section is a service report card. Circle a grade for each question. A=excellent, B=good, C=fair, D=poor, and F=very poor. Bus Cleanliness A B C D F Driver Courtesy _ A B C D F Driver Appearance A B C D F Driver Competence (knowledge of route) A B C D F Driver Safety A B C D F Bus Mechanical Condition A B C D F Service Reliability A B C D F On Time Performance A B C D F Pocket Schedules and other Information A B C D F All in all I rate the Service A B C D F Price (of ride) A B C D F (OVER) 10. How did you hear about the Dial -A -Ride service? Word of mouth_ Local newspaper_ Direct mail_ Schedules_ Other (please elaborate) 11. When you usually call for service, was the (check all that apply): _Phone answered promptly _Call placed on hold _Line busy _Other (elaborate) 12. If you could make any changes to the service, what would it be? (use bottom of page if necessary) 13. Are there any areas currently not being served, that you would like to see service added to? Please elaborate. The following information is optionaC However, it provides us with better understanding of our customers. 14. Are you? Male Female_ 15. What is your age? Under 18_ 18-24 25-30_ 31-35 3640_ 4145_ 46-50 51-55 56-60 61-65_ Over 65 16. What is your approximate total household income? Under $20,000_ $20,000-29,999 $30,000-39,999_ $40,000-49,999_ $50,000-59,999 $60,000-69,999 $70,000-79,000_ $80,000-89,999_ Over $90,000_