City Managers Report
The Honorable Mayor
and members of the City Council
City of Warrensburg, Missouri
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
SUBJECT: City Manager Report for the February 9, 2009 City Council Study Session
Council Letter No. 09-019
February 6, 2009
|
Howard Schultz -- Chairman of Starbucks |
Inspire a Shared Vision
Challenge the Process
Enable Others to Act
Encourage the Heart
Model the Way
The quotation for this City Manager Report centers on the leadership concept of
"Encourage the Heart.”
City Council Meetings, Study Sessions, and Executive Sessions
Our City Council Meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 9, 2009, and we plan to have a Study Session at 5:00 p.m. at the City Hall Annex to review and discuss with Ms. Lynda Higbee the City’s Wage and Benefit Study. We anticipate that the Agenda for the 7:00 p.m. regular February 9 City Council Meeting will include the following:
- Resolution to Pay Bills;
- Resolution Authorizing an Agreement for Network Cabling;
- Approval of the Disposal of Certain Capital Assets;
- Proclamation for American History Month;
- Mayoral Appointments to the Arts Commission and Recognition of New Members;
- Adoption of the City Wide Traffic Study;
- Discussion of 2009 Street Maintenance Program;
- Discussion of the Animal Shelter and Cemetery Maintenance Building;
- Ordinance to Allow the Annual Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday to Apply to the City of Warrensburg;
At this time we believe that the February 23, 2009 City Council Meeting Agenda at 7:00 p.m. will include the following items:
- Presentation of the 2007-08 Audit Report;
- Presentation by Anthony DeNicola on a Wildlife Management Study;
- Resolution Establishing a Contracting Policy;
- Resolution Authorizing a Task Force to Review Sports Tourism, Use of Joint Facilities and possible Sports Authority;
- Ordinance Authorizing an Agreement to provide an Emergency Access from the Cayhill Subdivision East to Enterprise Avenue;
- Ordinance Authorizing a Service Agreement with the Whiteman Area Leadership Council in the amount of $3,000.
Possible items for either the March 9 or the March 23, 2009 City Council Agendas include:
- Resolution to Pay Bills;
- Ordinance Establishing Procedures and Regulations for Ham Radio Towers;
- Ordinance Amending the Zoning Ordinance on the Definition of Principle Use Per Lot;
- Ordinance Authorizing a City/County Emergency Management Agreement;
- Ordinance Establishing a City Tree Board;
- Ordinance Approving a Contract for the Highway 13 Intersection Projects;
- Ordinance Approving a Contract for the Fire Station No. 2 Parking Lot;
- Ordinance Approving a Contract for Engineering of the Downtown Revitalization Phase III (Pine Street) Project.
Council Communication and Projects
You have communicated to City staff, as a group or individually, requests for information on certain issues. The following are some of those items:
City Manager and Director of Public Works Meet with Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) District Engineer Beth Wright
In the last City Manager Report, we communicated that on Thursday, January 15, 2009 we had very productive meeting with Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) District Engineer Beth Wright. Attached is a letter to Ms. Wright outlining several community transportation issues discussed.
Efforts to Obtain Global Strike Force Command at Whiteman
Weldon Brady was recently elected as Whiteman Area Leadership Council’s (WALC) President, and his first action was appointment of a special WALC Global Strike Command Response Committee. The purpose of this committee is to respond in short notice to any opportunity that might arise and to embrace the likelihood of the expansion of Whiteman Air Force Base for this new mission. Committee members are: Linda Christle, from Pettis County, Tammy Long, and Joe Scallorns from California, Missouri. They will be guided by the WALC staff, Tracy Brantner. Attached for your review is some information on the Global Strike Command that was prepared by Bill McCoy at the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
Possible Emergency Access from Cayhill East to Enterprise
I have received memos form the Police Chief and Fire Chief expressing there concern on having adequate emergency response time to the Cayhill subdivision during construction of the Highway 50 and East Loop intersection The 2008-2009 Budget included funds for engineering an emergency access from the Cayhill subdivision east to Veterans Road and Enterprise. Preliminary work has been completed and due to the concern over the temporary closure of Highway HH when the new intersection occurs with the East Loop project, and with the assistance of the Williams & Campo law firm we have begun an outline for a possible development agreement with Baldrich LLC (owners of Cayhill), the Baldwin landowners, the County and the City. A conflict of interest on this issue led to the selection of the Williams & Campo law firm. We will keep you informed as this project proceeds.
Missouri Municipal League Legislative Conference
The Missouri Municipal League’s Legislative Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18 and Thursday, February 19. On the evening of February 18 we are attempting to arrange a dinner with Senator Pearce, all of the State Representatives and representatives from certain communities in his district. I plan to attend and will be staying at my sister’s house. Please inform Cindy if you wish to attend as she has reserved some rooms at the Capital Plaza.
Retail and Marketing
I am planning to provide a report and plan on retail recruitment and City wide marketing in the near future for you. In the meantime, I received the attached Retail Trade Analysis report for the West Central Workforce Investment Area from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. In the report it notes that Johnson County in 2007 had a retail pull factor of .67 and that the pull factor for Henry County was .92 and 1.07 for Pettis County. Pettis County displayed a net gain in the commuting pattern for retail shopping, while Johnson County had an estimated negative figure representing an estimated 17,588 retail customers that migrated outside the County to purchase goods and services. These figures stress to me the need to enhance our community marketing, continue to recruit retail so as to provide the goods and services for our citizens, and continue to stress the importance to our citizens to shop local. While Pettis County is estimated to have had retail sales in 2007 of $337,894,469, Johnson County had estimated retail sales of $267,864,071. If my estimates are correct, if our pull factor in Johnson County raised to 1.00, our increase in retail sales would increase a third or over $1.3 million. A one cent sales tax on this increase in retail sales would generate approximated $1.3 million in local government revenue.
City to Provide 2008 Annual Report
The annual 2008 City Report will be presented to you at the City Council meeting Monday, February 9, 2009. This report provides not only useful data and statistics; it highlights the many successful projects that were completed in 2008 by a very talented and creative City staff. I am very proud to be associated with such a very fine and professional group of associates.
Recent City Manager Activities, Meetings and Events
Since our last City Council meeting, your City Manager attended the annual meeting of the Whiteman Area Leadership Council, a Military Affairs Chamber meeting, a Missouri
Transportation Conference in Jefferson City, and an excellent Economic Coordinating Board legislation reception.
In addition, this week I met with the Executive staff and Department Directors, met with Ben Jones of Union Pacific on AMTRAK, attended a local administrator’s breakfast at Selmo Park, attended the monthly Base Community Council luncheon, attended a Department of Natural Resources Advisory Committee meeting in Jefferson City and attend a Whiteman Area Leadership Council social for selected Whiteman Air Force Base officers.
Upcoming City Manager Activities, Meetings and Events
Next week I plan to attend the new Police Department’s Groundbreaking and the Fire Department’s open house of their remodeled facilities. In addition, I plan to attend a Lexington Highway 13 groundbreaking ceremony, meet with the Wage and Benefit Committee, attend a Friends of Music reception, a Whiteman Area Leadership Council meeting, a Warrensburg Area Partners in Prevention meeting, meet with Tracy Brantner, attend a Chamber networking breakfast at Warrensburg Chrysler Dodge and attend a Marketing Branding meeting.
The week after, on President’s Day I plan to appear on our monthly radio show with Marion Woods, on Tuesday attend a Compressive Economic Development Strategy meeting and Board meeting at the Regional Planning Commission facilities. On Wednesday and Thursday I will attend the annual Missouri Municipal League’s Legislative Conference. I also plan to meet next week with Department Directors on their budgets.
Economic Partnership Activities
As is our custom, attached are the monthly reports from Warrensburg Main Street, Inc., the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center and Johnson County Economic Development Corporation. The reports from these Warrensburg Economic Partners are not only being provided to keep you informed, but are also available for interested citizens.
As always, if there are any questions on any matter, or if you need additional information on this report, please contact either myself or any of the Department Heads noted in this report. You may always contact me on any subject at any time by e-mail or mobile phone or leave a voice mail message at (660) 747-9180.
PUBLIC WORKS
Bob Crumb, Director of Public Works
Street Department Activities
The Street crew put in extra hours this past week with snow removal. Several phone calls have come into City Hall regarding the great job the crew has done this winter with the snow removal.
Annual Street Maintenance Program Ready to Begin
Marvin Coleman will present this program at the February 9 Council meeting.
Annual Curb and Sidewalk Program Announced
Megan Douglas and Larry Nichols will be working with the program and getting notification out to the public this week.
Wastewater Department
The collection crew has been walking the sewer lines to each plant to insure manholes are covered and everything is working. They are also marking lines with markers that will be more visible during the spring and summer to avoid the manholes from being damaged by farming operations.
Wastewater Plant Expansion Project
A meeting will be held with the David Ross Construction Company in the near future to start the sewer plant expansion project. They will be moving equipment in over the next few weeks.
Utility Inspection Monthly Report
See Attached Report
Highway 13 Intersection Project
The Highway 13 Intersection Project includes intersections of Grover Street, North Street, and Gay Street. Bid Opening is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., February 18, 2009 and will be presented to Council in March.
Fire Station No. 2 Parking Lot
The Fire Station No. 2 parking lot is scheduled for bid opening on February 20, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. and will be presented to Council in March. This project will replace the asphalt in the parking lot with concrete.
Bike Lane Project
The project will begin in March or when the weather is warm enough to start marking streets.
Downtown Revitalization Phase III
Downtown Revitalization Phase III engineering Request for Qualifications been reviewed by a committee of Councilmember Arwood, Jessica Rhodes from Main Street, Tracy Brantner from the Johnson County Economic Corp and City staff members. The selection will be completed and a proposed agreement will be presented to Council in March.
City Wide Traffic Study
The City Wide Traffic Study will be presented to Council February 9, 2009.
New Public Works Maintenance Building
The new Public Works building is nearly “dried in” as of the end of January 2009. Mechanical and electrical rough-ins has begun inside the building. The design effort for the old Public Works building remodel continues.
Police Building
The new Police Building contract with Straub Construction was approved by City Council January 12, 2009. Straub Construction is currently in the process of securing bonding and insurance so that we can execute the contract by February 16. The groundbreaking event is scheduled for noon on February 9. The plan for notice to proceed is now scheduled for February 17, 2009. Preliminary work has already begun with the recent relocation and upgrade of the gas utility on the project site.
City Hall Remodel-Fire Department
The Fire Department staff moved into their new facilities January 7, 2009. There remains a handful of punch list items which we are coordinating to completion with the applicable vendors and contractors.
City Hall Remodel-Programming Phase
The City Hall programming effort resumed on January 16 in a meeting with the GBA designers. The Public Works Director and Project Management team are currently working on conceptual floor plan layouts for the building. Once GBA receives our input they will complete their programming design concepts and will prepare a design proposal for the entire City Hall Remodel project.
Animal Shelter
The Animal Shelter design contract with GBA was approved at the January 23 Council meeting. We have received the first design submittal and are currently reviewing the document with the Police Chief and Animal Shelter Director. The building plans will be presented to the City Council on February 9. We are currently preparing a separate request for proposal document to bring a 2” water line from the water main on West Pine along the east side of the ball fields to the Animal Shelter so that we can convert the existing building over to much higher quality water and have the connection in place for the new building. The existing well will remain in service and feed a yard hydrant. In addition, the Public Works Department has provided considerable support by clearing the project site which will result in significant cost savings to the project. Further, the Public Works Department is providing significant technical support by shooting grades and preparing on-site measurements in order to save additional funds associated with preparing the site.
Cemetery Maintenance Building
The new Cemetery Maintenance building design is approximately 100% complete. The building plans will be presented to the City Council on February 9. We expect the bid package advertisement to begin February 11, 2009, and have scheduled a tentative bid opening date of March 12.
Activities and Meetings of the Director of Public Works
Megan Douglas, Bill Graves and I met with MoDOT on January 28, 2009 regarding possible use of a $200,000 allocation towards the Hamilton Street Extension project. I will be in Jefferson City on Tuesday, February 9, 2009 to meet on the MoDOT Stimulus package representing the Regional Planning Commission Transportation Advisory Council and the City of Warrensburg. I will be meeting with MoDOT regarding the construction phasing and access to MO Route HH in the near future.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Bruce Howey, Chief
New Officers Hired
We have hired Pedro Gonzalez and Jacob Wise as new Patrol Officers to fill vacancies in our Department. Both are Fall 2008 graduates of the University of Central Missouri Police Academy. They have been sworn in and have started their three months of Field Training.
Groundbreaking Reminder
We anxiously await the groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the construction of the new Police Department headquarters building. The event takes place at Noon on Monday, February 9 at the southwest corner of City Hall. City Council Members will receive their ceremonial hard hats with their City Council packets. We will then enjoy a chili luncheon afterwards in the bay of Fire Station 1 and tours of the newly remodeled Fire Station will be given.
New Police Cars in Service
The new police cars are in service. This is thanks to Police Department Lt. Asher Snook and Fire Department Captain Dale Parsons. Both Snook and Parsons took on the additional responsibility of installing the equipment in the cars. This saves the City literally thousands of dollars in installation fees. The digitalburg will run a feature article on the new cars and Dale and Asher’s role in getting them on the road.
Animal Shelter
New Shelter Building Preparation
City Street crews have been busy working at the shelter clearing brush and trees so that elevation shots can be taken to figure the placement of our new building. We are excited that this is just one step closer to getting our new building and we look forward to it.
Shelter Donation
The Animal Shelter received a donation of $700 from the First Presbyterian Church in Warrensburg. The money was raised by the sales of homemade dog treats and cat toys.
Adoption Day in Holden
The shelter has been invited to participate at Orchlean’s Farm & Home in Holden for an adoption event on February 7. We plan to take a few of our adoptable animals and place them into homes.
CITY CLERK
Cindy Gabel
- Monday, February 9, 2009, is the groundbreaking for the new Police Department Building, a Chili luncheon in the Fire Station Bay, and a tour of the newly remodeled Fire Department beginning at 12:00 p.m. There will be a City Council Study Session at 5:00 p.m. and a City Council meeting is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.;
- Friday, February 13, 2009, is the networking breakfast at Warrensburg Chrysler Dodge, 329 E. Young, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.;
- Monday, February 16, 2009, City Hall will be closed for President’s Day;
- Wednesday, February 18 through February 19, 2009, is the 39th annual MML Legislative Conference at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City. There are still rooms available at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. Let Cindy know if you would like to attend;
- Friday, February 20, 2009, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. is Women In Networking at Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio, 540 E. Young, Suite H. MoDOT will hold their groundbreaking at Highway 50 and HH at 3:00 p.m.;
- Monday, February 23, 2009, there will be a City Council meeting.
The Old Drum Bus Transportation has been in existence for residents needing transportation within the City limits for at least the past five years. The past several months have shown a continued increase and today I am happy to report a new record was set with 63 passengers!
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
Chris Lowe
Finance
Tracy Martens, our Accountant, has moved into Phil Johnston’s old office, but will probably not be in there long before her baby decides to join us. We are very happy for Tracy and her family and wish her the best. The Finance staff attended a Missouri Government Finance Officers’ Association Winter Conference to learn about the current challenges in the municipal bond market. We also covered property and sales tax calculation and information as well as a presentation by an auditing firm on internal controls.
Information Technology
IT is developing a short and long term training strategy which will be tailored to individual department needs. The ITT team is in the process of collecting input from their departments to begin this process. We have upgraded our capacity for server support of end users to 105 from the previous amount of 75. We have also upgraded our ability to test applications on a test server without interrupting service to those end users on other servers. Feedback has been very positive from this increased capacity. The telephone committee is meeting since all the vendors have made their presentations. We will be meeting soon to discuss those presentations.
Support Services
The Council recently heard and commented on a request from a local business to ban smoking in restaurants and bars. Staff has budgeted funds for preliminary research, but has taken no action as of yet, into this issue as it received a downgraded importance form High to Low on the Council Goals and Objectives. Upon further direction from Council, staff could proceed to develop some kind of smoking ban survey. Currently, the issue is rated as a low priority item with a mid-range time frame of 3-5 years.
Wildlife management received a Medium priority on the Council’s Goals and Objectives. In furtherance of this objective, staff has engaged a consultant to study our community and make some broad recommendations on wildlife management. Dr. DeNicola from White Buffalo, Inc., a non-profit organization, will be here on February 23. We plan on having him share his thoughts with you during the Council meeting that night.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Barbara Carroll, Director of Community Development
December 2008 Community Development Activity Report
The Community Development Report for the month of January is attached. Please ask if you have any questions regarding this information.
Economic Coordinating Board Activities
The Economic Coordinating Board held their regular meeting on January 15, 2009. The group discussed the final plans for the Legislative Reception on January 30. The Legislative Reception was held the morning of January 30 at EnerSys. Thirty-four area leaders attended, including Senator David Pearce, Representative Denny Hoskins and Representative Scott Largent.
Local Census Office
As a result of the efforts of the 2010 Census Committee, City staff learned on January 23 that Warrensburg is in the running as a location for a Local Census Office. Census Bureau representatives visited Warrensburg on January 26 to look at possible spaces for the office. If Warrensburg is selected it would be one of 24 similar offices in a six state region and would employ about 50 people in the office. Additional census takers would use the office as a base of operations for their field work in the area also.
Publicizing Code Enforcement Efforts
Ray Almaguer, Code Enforcement Inspector, and I have finished drafting a door hanger that explains the various different types of nuisance violations and encourages people to “keep the ‘Burg clean.” Currently, we are soliciting bids for printing the door hangers from three area vendors. Once printed, Ray will begin using these door hangers as a pre-cursor to patrolling neighborhoods for violations. Additionally, Ray had developed the first in a monthly series of press releases regarding code enforcement. Each month a type of violation will be discussed in depth and information given on how to make a citizen complaint. Staff anticipates submitting the press release during the first week of each month.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Phil Johnston, Fire Chief
Firefighter Recruitment Update
We are midway through the pre-employment interviews with the 14 persons whose names are on the current part-time firefighter eligibility list. Background checks and reference checks are underway, and we should soon begin providing conditional offers of employment subject to passing medical evaluations, drug and alcohol testing, and receipt of final clearance following fingerprint analysis.
Fire Station 1 Remodeling Project Update
Lockers and beds were installed in the dormitory on January 21 and 22. We are waiting for additional items before the bed and lockers can be installed in the battalion chief’s area. You will recall that the beds are the type that may be stored in an upright “against the wall” position when not in use. This feature means the dormitory is usable for training purposes when a larger floor area is needed. We are waiting for window coverings, repairs to a door, and the completion of other items before the project will be 100% complete. An open house of the Fire Station is scheduled for February 9, 2009, to coincide with the groundbreaking for the new Police Department headquarters. We will have additional firefighters available to help with the open house and to show the apparatus and equipment to anyone who would like to see it.
New Fire Department Vehicles
The Fire Department acquired four 2009 Ford Escape vehicles for use by the Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, Fire and Emergency Prevention Officer, and Administrative Officer. All four of these vehicles are now in service. I have been particularly pleased with the way the vehicle handles, and the comments that I am receiving from other Fire Department and City personnel who have driven or traveled in the Escapes has been very positive. Feedback from the public regarding their appearance and the use of smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles continues to be very favorable. Several people have asked me if we are going to replace the Battalion Chief’s emergency response vehicle with an Escape, and I’ve explained to them the Battalion Chief’s unit needs a much larger carrying capacity and a heavy duty electrical system in order to operate several radios and scene lighting and warning equipment at the same time. However, I have also indicated the Escapes, given proper care and maintenance, should last many years. The Fire Department’s transition from Ford Crown Victoria “police package” automobiles to the Ford Escape mini-SUV no doubt was one of the best such decisions that I’ve seen with regard to Fire Department fleet vehicle acquisitions and assignments.
Annual Weather Spotter Presentation for Warrensburg Residents
On Monday, February 2, 2009, the National Weather Service presented its annual Weather Spotter Training course in Warrensburg. The course took place in the auditorium of UCM’s Morris Building. The program was attended by between 120 and 140 people. A front page story in the February 3, 2009, edition of the Daily Star-Journal provided an excellent overview of the presentation given by Andy Bailey, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, from the Pleasant Hill Office of the National Weather Service. Additional similar courses will be held in Higginsville, Knob Noster and Clinton in the coming weeks. For specific information, please go to: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/eax/?n=outreach-schedule .
PARKS and RECREATION
Kory Alfred, Director
January 28, 2009 Parks & Recreation Board meeting
Below is a summary of the last Parks and Recreation Board meeting.
- Staff made a presentation regarding the progress of restoring Lions Lake
- The Board awarded the annual mower contract
- Discussed smoking policy for all WPR outdoor activities and events
Lions Lake Public Input Meeting – January 22, 2009
Landplan Engineering conducted a public input meeting on Thursday, January 22, 2009, to gather input for creating a long-range plan for Lions Lake Park. Consultants from Landplan will incorporate this information into renderings of future upgrades at the park. Due to low attendance at the public input meeting, the information presented at the meeting will be posted on the Parks and Recreation website and citizens will have an opportunity to submit feedback via e-mail until February 20, 2009.
The consultant will also provide cost-estimates for implementing the plan. I anticipate the Parks and Recreation Board adopting the plan at the February or March board meeting.
Community Center Hot Water Heater Replacement
The hot water heater at the Community Center needs replaced. The cost for replacing the water heater will be between $25,000 and $30,000. The current water heater has lasted since the facility opened in 1997.
Collen Hurd Wins Missouri Parks and Recreation Association Citation Award
Colleen Hurd will receive a citation award from the Missouri Parks and Recreation Association for volunteer efforts in constructing the Grover Park Skate Park. Mrs. Hurd will be recognized at the upcoming MPRA Conference in Kansas City the second week of March.
City Managers Report available in .pdf
Visitor Center Advisory Board Minutes 12/19/08