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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 01/10/2015 CITY COUNCIL BUDGET PRESENTATION 10 JANUARY 2015 The South Burlington City Council held a budget presentation on Saturday, 10 January 2015, at 9:00 a.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. Members Present: P. Nowak, Chair; H. Riehle, C. Shaw, M. Emery, J. Simson Also Present: K. Dorn, City Manager; T. Hubbard, Deputy City Manager; D. Kinville, City Clerk; P. Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning; Chief D. Brent, Fire Department; Chief T. Whipple and other members of the Police Department; S. Dorey, Finance Officer; J. Rabideau, Director of Public Works; T. DiPietro, Stormwater Superintendent; J. Fay, J. Tymecki, CWD; B. Terry, Interim Recreation Director; J. Murray, Librarian; B. Finnegan, Library Board of Trustees; E. Fitzgerald, School Board, L. Michaels, L. Ventriss, A. Rose 1. Overview: .Mr. Hubbard thanked the Council for its guidance, which reflects the way the budget was put together. There are no new positions, and the budget is virtually level-funded. It results in a 3 cent tax increase. Mr. Hubbard then outlined what the budget does and does not do, as follows: a. Enables departments to provide the current level of service b. Establishes a $50,000 housing trust fund c. Provide a reasonable salary increase d. Addresses increased insurance costs e. Provides computer service upgrade f. Maintains services for all buildings with HVAC contracts g. Funds money to the CIP for City Center h. Provides 1 cent financing, outreach, etc., for City Center i. Funds social services as approved by the City Council j. Funds a new public safety tower k. Provides for an overhaul of the city website l. Does not bring forward the $350,000 as was done last year m. Won’t get the reserve accounts back to 2013 levels n. Doesn’t fund all capital requests o. Doesn’t provide for a stabilization fund p. Doesn’t fund Phase 2 of the facilities assessment (the plan is to have the city do its own assessment and next year come back with more money in that account and possible money to do some of the work that needs to be done) q. Doesn’t provide for any new staff positions r. Delays the renovation of Fire Station #2 (impact fees have been collected for this, and another year will provide more funding) Ms. Riehle noted that with the one cent for City Center, the budget increase is really about two cents. 2. Budget Presentations A. City Council, City Manager & Administration, Finance, Debt Service and CIP, Organization Requests & Assessment: Mr. Hubbard advised that the City Council budget includes the $50,000 for the affordable housing trust. There is also a significant increase in Worker’s Compensation (Mr. Hubbard noted that although incidents remain constant, overtime is driving the increase). Payment to the sick bank is heading back to 2014 levels. Pension funding is based on the recommendations of the actuary. There is a decrease in property insurance rates. The City Manager’s budget includes the transfer of a former employee position to consulting fees. Administrative services includes an increase in the contingency fund. Energy efficiency is reflected in some lower costs. The budget includes way-finding signs for Red Rocks and Wheeler Parks. The city is now part of Clerk Base at a cost of $10,000. $4000 of this comes from the general fund; the remainder is from funding received from the State. Debt service includes funding for the new fire truck which is currently being built. $153,000 a year for three years will be borrowed from the Sewer Fund toward payment for the fire truck. Money will also be borrowed from that fund for renovation of the second floor of the Police Station. This will be paid back by the lessee with no public tax money. Mr. Hubbard noted that the accountant is OK with this as long as the sewer fund is healthy. The Winooski Valley Park District is funded at full level this year. There is a 2.75% increase from CCTA. Ms. Nowak noted that the Winooski Valley Park District has estimated it will be about 2 years before any adjustment can be made to their formula for funding. B. Enterprise Finds: Sewer, Water, Stormwater: Mr. Rabidoux said the budget is 100% consistent with rate models established by the City Council over the years. The sewer budget meets the operation needs and puts the city in compliance. It also meets the financial obligation of the Airport Parkway upgrade and the need to upgrade the Bartlett Bay facility in the future. The proposed sewer rate is $37.50 per 1000 cubic feet. Mr. Rabidoux explained how the Sewer Fund is able to loan money within the city in order to save the city on interest it would otherwise have to pay for borrowing. The city will have to spend about $40,000,000 over a 20-40 year period to address stormwater issues. The proposed budget has a 2.4% increase ($1.80 a year to private home owners) to begin to address those issues. The rate for water in South Burlington will increase by 1.5% ($12.00 a year to the average homeowner). The total increase for all three services would be $21.00 a year to the homeowner. Mr. Rabidoux said the Stormwater Department would like to add a person to handle the permitting of projects. This is currently not in the budget. . Adding it would increase the 2.4% rate increase. Ms. Nowak asked if there are any foreseeable “big ticket items” looming in the near future. Mr. Rabidoux said there are not. Ms. Nowak asked how “mutual aid” and sharing of equipment works. Mr. Rabidoux explained how some street sweepers are loaned to the City of Burlington for special occasions and how the city borrows message boards from Williston. There are discussions that would raise some of this to a “fee for services” level. There is a “fee for services” agreement with the State of Vermont. Mr. Shaw asked about the “professional services under CWD. Mr. Rabidoux explained that this year CWD will pay the city to do some special work involving GIS mapping. Mr. Fay then explained the city’s relationship with CWD including costs for the purchase of water and labor costs on a time/materials cost basis. C. Public Works - Highway and Parks Mr. Rabidoux said there is a 7.5% decrease in the Highway budget and a .64% increase in Park Maintenance. One exception to the “level budget” is an item for Consulting Services ($20,000). $10,000 of that is for expansion of the salt shed. $10,000 is to address public requests regarding signalized intersections. Mr. Rabidoux said the city can handle about 2 or 3 such requests a year. Mr. Rabidoux stressed that they are at the point of not being able to level fund. There are a lot of new streets, and they will have a problem plowing at a rate that makes the public happy. Ms. Nowak asked what the need would be to come back to 100% service. Mr. Rabidoux said 2 new people plus equipment. He felt this could be done incrementally beginning with one new person and some equipment. Mr. Rabidoux noted that for the first time this winter he was out plowing. Ms. Nowak asked if it would be feasible to bring on someone on a season basis. Mr. Rabidoux said not in winter, but OK in summer. There is a specialization in plowing, knowing the routes, etc., and it is hard to find a qualified person. Mr. Simson asked the process for the city taking over roads. Mr. Rabidoux explained that there are both a legal process and an infrastructure assessment process. Public Works does a visual inspection (including using underground cameras for piping) and lists any repairs that are needed. Nothing that gets to the City Council for approval should ever circumvent that review. Mr. Dorn added that people living on those roads pay taxes, so they should get the same level of service as everyone else. D. City Clerk: Ms. Kinville said there is a slight increase in the budget to address the on-going effort to make records more accessible. Election expenses are down. Ms. Nowak asked about Animal Control. Ms. Kinville said this is a big asset to the city. The Animal Control Officer is in the Police budget. The City Clerk’s budget covers dog park expenses, advertisement, etc. Mr. Shaw asked about the possibility of an “announcement board” in front of City Hall. Ms. Kinville said there is no state grant money for that, and there is a question of driver distraction. She said she would talk to Chief Whipple about it. E. Fire and Ambulance: Chief Whipple thanked the Council for such things as the CIP, which enable them to plan for future expenses. He also noted the importance of having a City Attorney on board as well as an IT person. The budget maintains current services. The Chief noted they have had a tough year trying to get up to the level of services. One firefighter went to the military and 2 left under voluntary terminations. They now have a full staff with a floater person helping to reduce overtime. The Chief stressed that it is hard to be both “cost effective and spectacular” but they do it all the time. The budget includes $155,000 toward the antenna/communications tower replacement as well as final payment for the Quint. It also includes $7500 for floor drains in Station #1. There are also 2-year certification costs. They continue to work on joint purchasing, where possible. The Department has 2 major sources of income: ambulance transport and fire code enforcement. Chief Brent stressed the importance of thinking of the impact of things such as new streets on the Fire Department. Ms. Nowak asked about cooperation with the National Guard and where this occurs. Chief Brent said it is a 24/7 service with no fee and covers the Country Club Estates area all the way to Pizza Putt. Ms. Nowak noted that for 2 years, overtime costs have been significantly over budget, which puts the city in a difficult position. She asked if the Chief felt the can hold to the $50,000 budget this year. The Chief said they look forward to a 12‐month period when they have full staffing in place, which hasn’t happened in that 2-year period. Mr. Simson asked if there is any cost to the delays in renovations to Fire Station #2. Chief Brent said the second floor of the station was never completed. The only cost of the delay is potential increases in contractor costs. There would be no operational differences. In response to a question from Mr. Shaw, Chief Brent said that last year they had 3050 calls, an average of 9 per day. He noted that they had 68 runs in the 4 days just following Christmas. Mr. Shaw asked about any plans for energy efficiency. The Chief said not in this budget, but there will be a cost savings from the current budget because of the new, more energy efficient furnace in Station #2. Ms. Emery asked about the use of the Wellness/Fitness budget. The Chief said this is contractual. There is a requirement for newer employees to pass an annual fitness test. Mr. Dorn thanked the Chief for mentioning the Tech Support and Legal services. He said the savings from these are incalculable and thanked the Council for these appointments. F. Planning & Zoning: Ms. Nowak thanked Mr. Conner, Mr. Dorn and Ilona Blanchard for their presentation regarding City Center at the Master Planning/Visioning meeting. Mr. Conner noted that the team atmosphere in the past year has resulted in a good working environment for all. He cited the value of volunteers and of collaboration between departments. He noted that development applicants now meet with department heads before going to the DRB. In addition, new standards for smaller turn-arounds are being worked on with the Public Works Department. Mr. Conner then outlined some of the things that Planning & Zoning are currently working on or have completed this year including: completion of Form Based Codes, new stormwater regulations, kick-off of the Chamberlin/Airport project, UVM Medical Center plans/needs (including transportation), Comprehensive Plan, conversations with CCTA, Regional Planning Commission, Local Motion and developers regarding transportation needs. Mr. Conner thanked the Council for the recent City Hall upgrades. He said it is important for the city to hold itself to the same standards it holds developers. He specifically cited the stormwater improvements and the now screened dumpster. Ms. Nowak asked about future staffing needs. Mr. Conner said the most significant change in the next few years will relate to City Center. Attention to detail will be more important in a compact environment, including the balancing of Fire, Police, commercial, etc. On the long-range planning side, to be able to do all the projects residents want requires a significant investment. Mr. Conner noted that for sudden needs, the city can get help from the Regional Planning Commission. Mr. Shaw asked about the new stormwater regulations. Mr. Conner said they better address stormwater concerns and mirror state standards. There is a requirement for water to be infiltrated on site, except where this is not physically possible. Mr. Shaw asked how the Council can help plan energy efficiency. Mr. Conner said the city sets the conditions for future actions. He noted that as new streets come on line, they now require LED street lights. The Planning Commission is working with the Energy Committee regarding various tools (e.g., solar ready roofs). There is now an early-on review with developers as to what energy efficiencies are possible. On a bigger scale, creating a more pedestrian friendly environment will be very important. Mr. Simson applauded the on-site stormwater mitigation and asked if this was required at Trader Joe’s. Mr. Conner said this is a good example of collaboration. The city “encouraged” it, but did not require it. Mr. Simson asked if that could be a model for any parking lot. Mr. Conner said that is what the new rules attempt to do. They don’t say how to do it, but they set the standard. G. Recreation and Parks: Ms. Terry thanked the city for the new space and noted that the multi-use room is used 6 days a week. The proposed budget maintains guidelines for level program funding. Ms. Terry noted that recreation programs are self-supporting by user fees. She also noted the use of seasonal staff for such things as the summer camp program. She stressed that the flexibility and variety of programs is exceptional. The Department is collaborating with businesses to offer some programs at their facilities. There is also the use of high school volunteers to help at some programs. Ms. Terry cited the importance of regular funding for capital repairs. She noted the recent replacement of non-compliant playground equipment. Funding for repairs will address access issues, drainage issues, lighting upgrades, etc. In the past, park maintenance has been shared with Public Works. The Recreation/Parks Department is working to centralize this. Specifically, they are working to identify projects at Red Rocks Park which were outlined in the recent needs survey. Ms. Terry also noted that the Underwood Task Force will be holding a public meeting to select a design option. The Recreation and Leisure Arts Committee is working on the use of space at the Baycrest Neighborhood and will be doing a survey of all residents. Ms. Terry noted there is $3500 in the proposed budget for a printer/copier lease. Ms. Nowak asked about the $3000 school use charge. Mr. Hubbard said he and John Stewart have worked to combine custodian and school bus use, etc., into one category. The Recreation department uses the schools extensively, and this is the only charge other than the facility space for the Community Library. Mr. Shaw asked about the pre-K program. Ms. Terry said they are working on that. H. Police Department: Chief Whipple said they are looking to scale back overtime, but stressed they can’t have shifts go empty. Opiate addiction continues to drive what the department does, though the numbers are down a bit due to hard work in that area. There is a new focus in human trafficking/prostitution. The department is now back to 2010 staffing levels, and there are no requests in this budget for additional staffing. But, Chief Whipple stressed, the need is there. They are at a level where, when someone is out sick, it requires overtime to fill the position. Chief Whipple noted that “community justice” is not taxpayer funded; it is funded by the Department of Corrections. They fund 2 years at a time, and each year they add a year, which allows planning for at least a year. The Chief noted the efficiency of their building which is not costing what was projected. The Chief expressed concern with taking 2 of the proposed vehicle replacements out of the budget. He said this will create problems down the line and may require a significant increase to get back to where we were last year. They will be replacing 4 servers which is expensive ($129,000). Ms. Nowak expressed a concern with overtime and wanted the proposed figure to be “as real as possible.” She noted that if this is a trend, it will be difficult to sustain. Chief Whipple said when he wrote the budget everything was great, but in the last 2 weeks. There has been a departure. These shifts have to be filled. Ms. Nowak noted the city growth has put extra burdens on safety personnel. She asked that in the future both Police and Fire Chiefs come to the Council with an idea of what increases will mean and how the city can better prepare. Ms. Emery asked about taser replacement. Chief Whipple said tasers are on the street 7 years. It is important to be sure they work. He noted that next year there will be a need for forearms replacement. Ms. Emery asked about accreditation. The Chief said they have done that in recent years and he would support it again, when possible. The Chief noted that calls were down from 18,000 in 2013 to 15,000 in 2014. Mr. Shaw asked about cooperation with the Air Guard. Chief Whipple said there is a memorandum of understanding where the Guard assigns a person to the city. Currently, this person is doing evidence analysis, especially with regard to human trafficking. There is no additional cost to the community. Mr. Shaw noted the reduction in traffic ticket fines. The Chief explained the frustration with the court hearing officer who is regularly reducing fines. I. Community Library: Ms. Murray noted that in surveys done over the year, collections are rated very high, but technology could use improvement. So they are doing some upgrading and having some instruction classes. They also have a free consultant from the State Library regarding a visioning plan. This will include user and community input. There will be new marketing efforts for Library programs. Ms. Murray noted that 50% of South Burlington residents have library cards. The budget includes the purchase of a piece of furniture for e-book collections. With gift funds, they will purchase more e-books and e-magazines. These have shown a 35% increase. Ms. Murray said they would like more money for the Bookmobile as the amount provided by the Rotary is going down. Ms. Nowak asked who keeps the “Friends of the Library” money. Ms. Murray said the Friends do, and the Library can petition for funding. Ms. Nowak then asked for public comment. Ms. Ventriss said she would like the Council to consider supporting a staff increase for public safety and for equipment that is being delayed. Mr. Michaels echoed Ms. Ventriss’ comments. He wanted to be sure the Police had adequate vehicles and staffing. He also asked if businesses could be asked to underwrite the bookmobile. Mr. Dorn noted that Mr. Michaels personally replaced the tattered City Hall American flag. Ms. Fitzgerald, representing the School Board, also spoke to public safety issues and noted the need to consider the changing demographics in the school system with more ESL and poverty level students. She also complimented the work done by Tom Hubbard with John Stewart and the time spent by Ms. Nowak and Mr. Dorn with school people. Ms. Nowak stressed the fact that the Council understands the challenges the Police and Fire Chiefs have and noted this was a difficult budget to put together. She said it is important for both chiefs to come to the Council regarding future needs so they can be staffed and equipped properly. 3. Budget Review and Summary: Mr. Hubbard acknowledged the efforts of Sue Dorey and department heads in bringing the budget together. The budget represents a 2.95 cent increase, or 6.88%. The impact of this on a typical single family home is $97.35 for the year ($8.11 a month) and on a second $66.67 (5.56 a month). Ms. Riehle said she was struck by the public concern with safety and by troubling events around the country and world. She asked if there could be a special budget item to fund more public service. Members felt they would like to think about this until Monday evening’s meeting (6:30 p.m.). 4. Executive Session: Ms. Emery moved the Council meet in executive session to discuss legal issues, premature disclosure of which could put the city at a disadvantage. The executive session will include the City Manager, Deputy City Manager and City Attorney. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Following the executive session, Ms. Emery moved to adjourn. Mr. Shaw seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 2;15 p.m. Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works. Schedule for FY16 Budget Presentations  Saturday, January 10  City Hall Conference Room    9:00‐9:10 am                      Budget Overview‐ Tom  9:10‐9:30 am                      Council, Manager & Administrative Budgets, Finance, Debt Service &       CIP, Organization Requests & Assessments‐ Tom  9:30‐10:00 am                    Enterprise Funds‐ Sewer, Water, Stormwater‐ Justin  10:00‐12:15              Department Presentations       (about 15 minutes each including special funds and revenues)  10:00‐10:15       Public Works‐ Justin  10:15‐10:30    City Clerk‐ Donna   10:30‐11:00    Fire & Ambulance‐ Doug  11:00‐11:15    Planning & Zoning‐ Paul  11:15‐11:30    Recreation & Parks‐ Betsy  11:30‐12:00    Police‐ Trevor  12:00‐12:15              Community Library‐ Jennifer  12:15‐12:20              Budget Review & Summary‐ Tom  12:20‐                                 Open for discussion and comments from the public‐ Council  Possible Adoption of FY16 Budget or continuation of discussion set               for Monday Jan. 12 Special mtg.