The Honorable Mayor

and members of the City Council

City of Warrensburg, Missouri

Dear Mayor and Council Members:

SUBJECT: City Manager Report for the January 26, 2009 City Council Study Session

Council Letter No. 09-013

January 22, 2009

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

"Enable Others to Act.”

City Council Meetings, Study Sessions, and Executive Sessions

Our City Council Meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 26, 2009, and we plan to have an Executive Session at  6:00 p.m. at the City Hall Annex just prior to the 7:00 p.m. regular City Council Meeting. 

At this time we anticipated that the January 26, 2009 City Council Meeting Agenda at 7:00 p.m. will include the following items:

• Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Sign an Agreement in Support of Accreditation of Warrensburg Main Street;
• Ordinance Declaring the Results of the Canvass of Statements of Candidacy;

• Ordinance Amending Chapter 8 Concerning Court Costs;
• Ordinance Authorizing a Contract with GBA for the Animal Shelter;
• Review of Quarterly Financial Report and Status of 2008-2009 Budget.  

At this time we anticipate a Study Session at 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on February 9, 2009 to review and discuss with Ms. Higbee the City’s Wage and Benefit Study.

At this time we believe that the February 9, 2009 City Council Meeting Agenda at 7:00 p.m. will include the following items:

• Resolution to Pay Bills;
• Resolution Authorizing an Agreement for Network Cabling;
• Adoption of the City Wide Traffic Study;
• Discussion of 2009 Street Maintenance Program;
• Discussion of the Cemetery Maintenance Building.

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 to Develop Board and Commission Policies and Outline Training for New Members

I met with Kory Alfred, Director of Parks and Recreation, to outline and develop a preliminary list of joint policies for the City and Parks Board and Parks Department.  We also discussed an orientation program for new Park Board members.  Some of the preliminary policies that we plan to work on include:

• Finance and Audit;
• Contracts and Purchasing;
• Grants Administration;
• Debt Management;
• Capital Improvement and possible joint Capital Improvement Fund;
• Insurance;
• Joint Use of Equipment;
• Emergency Management.

While there be other policies, we will begin in February and hope to have the policies developed for consideration by the City Council and Parks Board in March or April of this year.  We will continue to work with other City staff contacts for City Boards and Commissions on training and orientation needs.

City Recruiting New Public Works Director

The advertisement for a new Public Works Director is now ongoing and after consultation with City staff and some local community leaders a recruitment profile has been developed by Slavin Management Consultants.  This profile is now available on the City’s web page.  I have reviewed approximately 18 resumes from Slavin and have elected to continue the recruitment process and not proceed with interviews. The schedule plan is as follows:

• Week of February 23 — Consultant will conduct phone interviews with semi-finalist candidates and prepare a written progress report for the City Manager’s review.
• Week of March 2 — Consultant and City Manager will meet either in person or on the phone to review the progress report and select the finalists to interview.
• Week of March 30 — hold interviews in Warrensburg.  This will give the consultant enough time to conduct site visits and background investigations of the finalists.

Mr. Crumb, if needed, has agreed to work up to 15 hours a week for two or even three months after his retirement.  These hours would be very flexible and he plans to be out of state from April 17 thru April 26. 

State of Missouri Initiates Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday

Previously we provided you a letter from the Missouri Department of Revenue concerning Section 144.526.1 of the Missouri State Statutes that creates a "Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday." Beginning in 2009, during a seven-day period starting on April 19 and ending April 25, sales of qualifying Energy Star certified new appliances will be exempt from state sales tax.  Local jurisdictions can choose to participate in the Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday.  As we received no comment on this issue, unless further directed by the City Council, we plan not to participate in this program.

City Manager and Director of Public Works Meet with Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) District Engineer Beth Wright Previously we provided you a letter sent to Beth Wright, MoDOT District Engineer, that outlined several issues that were discussed at a past Thursday, January 15, 2009 meeting.  The meeting was very productive.

Traffic Commission Minutes and Report

The January 22, 2009 Traffic Commission Report and Minutes are attached for your review.  They include discussion on the update of the Comprehensive City Traffic Study and the upcoming 2009 Street Maintenance Program.

Highway 13 East Loop Ground Breaking Moved to February 20

It is my understanding that due to the importance of having Senator Bond, a major supporter of the East Loop Project, that the Highway 13 East Loop Ground Breaking Ceremony has been moved from January 30 to February 20.  The time of the ceremony has not been finalized and we will keep you updated as information is received.  The location is still the same, which is the south side of the intersection of Highway HH and Highway 50. 

2008 Annual Report Nearing Completion

City staff is finalizing the 2008 Annual Report for your review.  We anticipate that it will be completed for presentation at the February 9 City Council Meeting.

Recent City Manager Activities, Meetings and Events

Since our last City Council meeting, I attended a 2010 Census meeting, gave a State of the City presentation at the noon Rotary, attended a Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Commission meeting, the Chamber of Commerce Martin Luther King recognition luncheon, met with Darin Baldwin on the Veterans Road project, met with the high school leadership class students, met the District Engineer from the Missouri Department of Transportation and the architects on the Police and City Hall remodel.

The week after, I was on holiday in Branson on Monday and Tuesday.  Tuesday evening, I attended the Martin Luther King Banquet, a Johnson County Economic Development Corporation Board meeting, a Tourism and Visitors Center meeting and met with the City Council for a quarterly evaluation.

Upcoming City Manager Activities, Meetings and Events

Next week I plan to attend the annual meeting of the Whiteman Area Leadership Council, a Military Affairs Chamber meeting, attend a Missouri Transportation Conference in Jefferson City, and attend the Economic Coordinating Board’s Legislation reception.

The week after, I plan to meet with Department Directors, attend a local administrator’s breakfast at Selmo Park, and attend a Department of Natural Resources Advisory Committee meeting in Jefferson City and/or a Historic Preservation seminar in Warrensburg.

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.  

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Bruce Howey, Chief

Groundbreaking Ceremony New Police Building Reminder on February 9

This is a reminder of the new Police Building groundbreaking set for noon on February 9.  After the groundbreaking, we will eat chili in the fire bay of Station 1 and have a tour of the remodeled Fire Station.

Three New Patrol Cars Picked Up in St. Louis

This past Friday, Lt. Asher Snook, Lt. Cindy Jones, Detective Donna Bartlett and I traveled to St. Louis to pick up the three new Chevrolet Impala police cars.  We anticipate that there will be a substantial savings in fuel usage by transitioning to the Impalas from the Crown Victorias.

Request for Funding of Generator Denied Through RHSOC Grant

On January 20 I presented the request for funding the generator that will be installed in the new Police Building to the Show Me Regional RHSOC.  I knew it was a stretch to have this request meet the funding criteria.  After consideration by the RHSOC committee, the generator will not be funded.

Meeting with Judge and Prosecutor on Fee for Live Scan

I met last week with Municipal Judge James Hall and City Prosecutor Doug Harris to discuss their support of a fee added to tickets for funding the Police Department use of the Live Scan fingerprint system.  Sheriff Chuck Heiss, whose department houses the Live Scan equipment, has asked that we consider partially funding the equipment and maintenance.  After discussion with the amount of $.50 per court ticket was agreed upon.  This will generate approximately $2,000 per year.  An ordinance has been prepared and will be presented to the City Council at the January 26 meeting. 

CITY CLERK

Cindy Gabel

• Monday, January 26, 2009, is an executive session at 6:00 p.m. followed by a regular City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m.,

• Friday, January 30, 2009, is the EnerSys and Economic Coordinating Board Reception at EnerSys from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.;

• Monday, February 9, 2009, is the chili luncheon, tour of the remodeled Fire Department and the ground-breaking of the new Police Department building.  There will be a City Council Work Session at 5:00 p.m. and a City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m.

ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER

Chris Lowe

Support Services

Chris Lowe and Sean Douglas attended a seminar put on by the Missouri Municipal League on Labor Relations in a municipal setting.  The Labor Management Committee created in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement has met several times and the members have talked about what a positive experience it has been so far. 

The consultant for wildlife management was contacted and is happy to help provide some guidance.  He is planning on traveling to Warrensburg to get a closer look at the community and to provide professional recommendations on how to proceed.  Funds were budgeted for this purpose in the current City budget.  We have again requested Department of Conservation assistance with spotlight counts before the winter is over by letter on January 14.

We are proceeding with a comprehensive review of our Personnel manual which was last updated in 2000.  We are sorely in need of a significant overhaul of this manual to assist our employees and provide guidance for situations that arise. 

Information Technology Upgrades Continue

The Telephone committee participated in a presentation from one vendor and has 3 more scheduled in the next week or so to narrow down a choice for a new city wide phone system.  The increased functionality in today’s technology will significantly upgrade our system and should increase productivity with several features that will be provided in the new system.  The IT Team is pursuing new education strategies to increase the quality of computer education provided to all staff.  We installed a new Citrix server to help with the demand on our system.  However, there is no redundancy in our current capacity, so some problems occurred when the new server was installed.  Terry Carr and Penny Harris worked very hard to communicate this possibility to all users prior to the rollout of the new server.  All departments were notified prior to that day to minimize disruption.  The glitches were worked out quickly and the disruption was minimal for most users.

Municipal Court

Judge Hall may be unavailable for a court day in January.  He will be asking the Presiding Judge of the 17^th Circuit to appoint someone in his absence since Mr. Miller cannot serve because of the ethics opinion he recently discovered.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Barbara Carroll, Director of Community Development

Optimist Presentation

Community Development Director Barbara Carroll made a presentation to the Optimist Club on January 8, 2009.  Carroll discussed current construction projects in Warrensburg including the capital construction projects the City has underway and the DREAM and Community Development Block Grant projects.

National Register Workshop Held

Tiffany Patterson, National Register Coordinator for the Missouri State Historic Preservation, conducted a workshop on January 15 regarding applying to the National Register of Historic Places.  The material presented was very informative and was well received by the approximate ten individuals in attendance.

Historic Preservation Workshop Scheduled

The Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation will be conducting a day long workshop on February 6, 2009.  The work-shop will cover topics such as the National Register of Historic Places, Federal and State Historic Preservation Tax Credits, the Main Street approach to downtown revitalization, the Missouri Community Betterment program and the Certified Local Government program.  This workshop is open to persons from the surrounding counties as well.  The workshop fee is $50, however the first 15 Warrensburg residents to register will get in free because the City of Warrensburg is helping host the workshop.  The work-shop will be held at the Warrensburg Community Center in Multi-Room C.

Local 2010 Census Committee Meets to Prepare for April 2010 Census

The 2010 Census Committee met on January 8, 2009.  The group discussed the current effort by the Census Bureau to hire census takers.  The bureau will be hiring a significant number of employees in February to begin working this spring and summer to verify addresses prior to mailing census forms out in 2010.  More information about the position is available in the attached Census Bureau article.  The group will also be organizing a breakfast April 1 for representatives from area media outlets to let them know about the importance of an accurate census locally and what activities are planned for the next year.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Phil Johnston, Fire Chief

2008 Annual Report Data Submitted

The Fire Department’s contribution to the City’s 2008 Annual Report has been submitted to the City Manager.  The information summarizes the achievements of WFD personnel and the new programs and actions undertaken during 2008.

Firefighter Recruitment Update

The initial screening oral interviews that took place on January 14 and 15 produced a firefighter candidate eligibility list with the names of 14 applicants.  These individuals will soon receive further consideration in their quests to become part-time or student-resident firefighters with the City of Warrensburg.  Pre-employment interviews for these individuals will occur as soon as possible.  Those candidates who pass the pre-employment interview will be referred to the background check phase, and those candidates who pass that will be provided 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

On January 21, 2009, the installation of beds and lockers for the dormitory at Fire Station 1 began.  Since moving back to the fire station last week, fire crews have used conventional beds because the new beds had not yet been shipped to Warrensburg.  The new beds may be stored in an upright position when not in use.  This feature means the dormitory is usable for training purposes when a larger floor area is needed.  New lockers for use by fire crews are also being installed.  Acquisition and installation of these items lagged behind other aspects of the project because the factory was closed in December.  An open house of the remodeled fire station is scheduled for February 9, 2009, to coincide with the groundbreaking for the new Police Department headquarters.

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.  Three of these vehicles are now in service.  The fourth one will be placed in service soon.  Battalion Chief Dale Parsons has done a commendable job installing radios, warning equipment and other components needed to place these vehicles into service.  Initial feedback from the public regarding the appearance and the feasibility of using smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles has been very favorable.

Special Thanks to Johnson County Fire Protection District

We have turned the JCFPD’s former fire station at 410 N. Holden St. back to them. Following our use of the building during the Station 1 remodeling project, the building was cleaned, small repairs were made, and our thanks were offered to the JCFPD for their generous use of the facility.  I hope we can recognize their cooperation in an appropriate manner in the near future.  We are fortunate to have such a close geographical and working relationship with the JCFPD.

Annual Weather Spotter Presentation for Warrensburg Residents

On Monday, February 2, 2009, the National Weather Service will offer its annual weather spotter training course in Warrensburg.  The course will take place at the Wood Building on the UCM campus.  The presentation will begin at 7:00 pm.  In past years, the training has occurred during Spring break and was held in the Morris Building’s auditorium.  This event is open to the public, and there is no charge to attend.  The speakers are members of the National Weather Service staff at the Pleasant Hill facility.  If you attend, you should not be disappointed.

PARKS and RECREATION

Kory Alfred, Director

Aquatic Center Project

Staff and Pember Construction met with M. Scott Contracting about reducing the cost of the site plan portion of the project.   A total of $42,000 in credits was found as a result of the meeting.  Construction of the bath house has begun and development of the aquatic features is on schedule to this point in the project.  The weather this winter will determine if the facility will be ready to open by Memorial Day.

Lions Lake Revitalization Plan

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.  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.

PUBLIC WORKS

Bob Crumb, Director of Public Works

Street Department Activities

The crew has been busy this week clearing brush around the Animal Shelter and at the old East Wastewater Plant.  The Animal Shelter area is being cleared for construction of the addition to the existing building. As this building was the old West Wastewater plant at one time, the old basins and drainage areas will need to be filled in to meet Department of Natural Resources (DNR) standards before construction can begin on the building.

Christmas Tree Disposal

The Street Department chipped the Christmas trees that were left for disposal.  Many trees were picked up by the public for various uses.  The disposal site will close this week.

Street Maintenance Program

Marvin Coleman has been working on identifying the streets that need to be included in the program this year.  This will be presented to the City Council on February 9, 2009. 

Curb and Sidewalk Program

In previous years, Larry Nichols managed the Curb and Sidewalk program, this year Megan Douglas will be working with the program along with working with Marvin on the Street Maintenance Program.  Larry will be busy managing the new DNR regulations on the Inflow & Infiltration study and program.

Wastewater Department

The collection crew has been short on personnel at the West Plant.  Larry and Stephen have been busy keeping the lift stations running and daily checks along with any call-outs.

The collection crew has been busy during the cold weather straightening out the Public Works files in the MGE building and getting the boxes ready to be moved to the new storage area when it is available.

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.

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.  This project will replace the asphalt in the parking lot with concrete.

Bike Lane Project

The Bike Lanes Project has been awarded and Notice to Proceed has been issued.  Weather permitting, this project should begin soon.

Downtown Revitalization Phase III

Downtown Revitalization Phase III engineering Request For Quotation’s are currently being reviewed by a committee of City personnel and Main Street members.  The selection will be completed and taken to Council in February or March.

City Wide Traffic Study

The City Wide Traffic Study will be presented to Traffic Commission in January and plan to be present to the City Council on February 9.

New Public Works Maintenance Building

Substantial Completion date for the building is January 16, 2009.  The project is about two months behind schedule.  The contractor has been notified of the schedule issues.

Old Public Works Maintenance Building

Design is underway for remodeling the old Public Works building.  The project will include energy efficiencies to lower utility bills.  We are also reviewing the floor plan to make the building more usable for the sewer collection crew’s operations.

Police Building

City staff is developing a staff parking plan during construction of the new Police Department building.  The plan will be presented to each department.  Since parking will be reduced, alternate parking locations and operations are being considered.

City Hall Remodel-Programming Phase

A meeting with George Butler Associates (GBA) was held on Friday, January 16, 2009 to discuss the programming phase of City Hall remodel.  This includes the future phases of remodeling City Hall.

Animal Shelter

The design contract with GBA will be presented to Council at the January 26, 2008 meeting.

Cemetery Maintenance Building

The plans for the new building and site work are currently in plan review.

Activities and Meetings of the Director of Public Works

On Thursday, January 15, 2009, Beth Wright, District 4 Chief Engineer, was in Warrensburg to make a presentation at the Early Bird Rotary Club, and then meet with the City Manager and me to discuss a variety of issues.

The City Manager and I met the Warrensburg R-VI School District Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent regarding the Hamilton Street extension project.  Marvin Coleman, Assistant Director of Public Works, and I attended the pre-construction meeting for the Highway 13 East Loop project on January 9, 2009 in Lee’s Summit.  I attended the Clean Water Commission meeting in Jefferson City on January 7, 2009 regarding the State Revolving Fund financing of the sewer improvement projects.

Transportation Advisory Council

I chaired the Transportation Advisory Council (TAC) meeting on January 8, 2009 in Concordia.  Missouri Department of Transportation made a presentation on Phase I and Phase II Stimulus Package project.  If the Stimulus Package is approved as presented in the attached, the Highway 13 East Loop, North Section (Veterans Road to Highway 13) will be included and moved up in schedule to start construction in 2010.

I also met with the Highway 13 Corridor Committee on Monday, January 12, 2009.  The TAC requested that they prioritize the section of Highway 13 to be next on the list of projects for consideration for funding.  The section from Clinton to Warrensburg was the determined to be the highest priority.  See attached.

City Managers Report available in .pdf