The Honorable Mayor

and members of the City Council

City of Warrensburg, Missouri

Dear Mayor and Council Members:

SUBJECT: City Manager Report for the July 27, 2009 City Council Meeting

Council Letter No. 09-122

July 24, 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

The second July City Council Meeting is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Monday, July 27, 2009, at the City Hall Annex, 607 Burkarth Road.  We plan to have a Study Session at 6:00 p.m. just prior to the regular City Council Meeting to briefly discuss the City Council’s 2009-2010 City Strategic Plan (Goals, Objectives and Action Steps) and the 2009-2014 Five-Year Capital Improvements Program.  In addition, we plan to discuss the process for reviewing a potential City Smoking Ban Ordinance.  We anticipate that the Agenda for the 7:00 p.m. City Council Meeting will include the following:

Agenda Items anticipated for the July 27, 2009 City Council Agenda include:

• Presentation, Public Comment on the 2009-2010 City Strategic Plan (Goals, Objectives and Action Steps);
• Traffic Study Presentation for Gay Street, Burkarth Road and Mitchell Street Corridor by George Butler Associates;
• Resolution Setting the Fees for the Animal Shelter;

• Ordinance Clarifying the Application of Gross Receipts Tax;
• Ordinance Authorizing a Contract for Iron Horse Development Phase II.

Special City Council Meeting sometime during the week of August 3, 2009:

Preliminary Items for the August 10 City Council Meeting include:

• Presentation and Public Comment on the Proposed 2009-2014 Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan;
• Fire Department Report on Statistics and Procedure Changes;
• Approval of the 2009-2010 City Strategic Plan (Goals, Objectives and Action Steps);
• Ordinance Amending a Development Contract with Hawthorne, LLC;
• Ordinance Approving Neighborhood Improvement Notes for the Hawthorne Neighborhood District. 

• Ordinance Authorizing a Contract for Engineering for Hamilton Street;
• Discussion on a City Smoking Ban Ordinance;
• Submittal of the 2009-2010 Budget.

Preliminary Items for the August 24 City Council Meeting include:

• Presentation of Nancy Anderson Scholarship;
• Presentation of the City Trail Plan;
• Public Hearing on an Ordinance Fixing the Annual Rate of Levy for Taxes by the City of Warrensburg, County of Johnson, Missouri for the General Revenue Fund Purposes for the Year 2009 and Levying Said Taxes; and
• Public Hearing on an Ordinance Fixing the Annual Rate of Levy for Taxes by the City of Warrensburg, County of Johnson, Missouri, for Park Fund Purposes for the Year 2009 and Levying Said Taxes;
• Public Hearing on an Ordinance of the Council of the City of Warrensburg, Missouri, Changing a Schedule of Volume Charges for Sanitary Sewer Service Provided by the City of Warrensburg,
• Adoption of the 2009-2014 Five-Year Capital Improvements Program;
• First Reading of an Ordinance Revising the 2008-09 Budget and Approving the 2009-2010 budget;

Another Reminder - City of Warrensburg will Participate in Back to School Sales Tax Holiday August 7 through 9, 2009 

Census Information

An estimate was recently provided by the U.S. Census Bureau that indicates that the estimated population for the City of Warrensburg as of 2008 was 19,034.  That is 2,623 more or a 16% increase from the 2000 census population of 16,411.  2008 reports on surrounding communities indicate the following:

                                                2000                            2008   

Clinton                           9,356                           9,381

Harrisonville                   8.993                           9,749

Higginsville                     4,694                           4,571

Lee’s Summit               71,223                         84,208

Marshall                       12,703                         12,118

Pleasant Hill                   5,633                           7,178

Sedalia                         20,329                         20,990

Warsaw                         2,097                           2,222

County population comparison estimates are as follows:

                                                2000                            2008   

            Johnson                       48,475                         52,016

            Henry                          22,089                         22,179

            Lafayette                     33,013                         32,913

            Pettis                           39,434                         41,006

            Saline                          23,746                         22,505

Missouri Local Government Retirement System (LAGERS) Information

The Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System (LAGERS) is a non-profit public pension system that provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits to our local government employees.  Recently we received word that (due to market return decreases) their actuarial study indicated that our rates, while going down for this upcoming budget year, will increase in the 2010-2011 budget 1% for each employee group classification:  Here is a summary of past and the most recent rates:

           Fiscal Year                        2007-08     2008-09     2009-10   2010-11

            General                                7.70%        7.60%        7.30%        8.3%

            Police                                   8.20           7.70           7.00           8.0

            Fire                                      7.20           6.10           5.40           6.4

City to Establish a New Debt Service Fund  

With the large number of capital improvement projects that the City is managing and the corresponding debt, we are moving ahead to establish a separate debt service fund to more easily keep track and better communicate to you and the public our capital improvement projects and the associated debt with these projects.  This is common with larger cities and will correspond with better accounting and make it easier to meet our future financial statement requirements.  

Steve Mohler, Citizens for Environmental Action, Future Events

I met with Steve Mohler of the local Citizens for Environmental Action and he informed me that they were scheduling a kickoff the week of August 23 through September 9 to communicate the environmental events and actions that have been taken.  They are now pretty firm on holding the "Kick-off" announcement on August 28 at 11 a.m. and their present location choice is the Johnson County Courthouse.  The City might want to communicate the energy and environmental new building items that have occurred at that event.  Mr. Mohler also submitted the attached copy of a possible City Resolution on 350.org along with the wording that they will be using on their petition.  He also provided the attached "information about 350.org" piece for your review.  Please contact Steve or me if you would like any other information, or if you have any questions.

Annual Review of Existing Fees and Rates 

As reported in the last City Manager Report and as called upon in your adopted financial management policies, City staff has reviewed all user fees and rates.  The following are the rates and fees that we will recommend to be modified:

• Animal Shelter Fees
• Sewer Rates
• Building Permit Fee Modifier 

At the last City Council meeting, we provided you with a report from the Animal Shelter on proposed fee modifications.  We plan to seek a resolution changing these fees at this City Council meeting and will report on the other fee modifications as we move closer to the 2009-2010 budget presentation.

I have also enclosed a letter for your review from HDR/Archer concerning this year’s annual sewer rate review.  This information will be discussed in more detail within the City budget submittal presentation on August 10, 2009. 

Concerning, building permit fee modifications, I have directed staff to review other cities and their building permit fees.  Generally we review these fees and make permit modifications through an expense/revenue analysis each year in January however, with the state of the economy this review and a discussion with the City Council may be incorporated within this year’s 2009-2010 budget approval process.  

Economic Indicators for Johnson County and the City of Warrensburg

The latest unemployment figures for Johnson County for May 2009 that are not seasonally adjusted are as follows: 

January 2009 =                       7.4%

February 2009 =                     8.2%

March 2009 =                         8.4%

April 2009=                             6.3%

Most Current – May 2009 =   7.5 %

Enclosed is a recent portion of an article that was included in the July 2009 Site Selection Magazine that I thought you might find interesting. In addition, we are enclosing the Whiteman Area Leadership Council report. 

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:

Process for Reviewing a Potential City Smoking Ban Ordinance

Attached is a possible outline that we have prepared with topics for discussion by Council prior to City staff working on a draft ordinance.  We plan to briefly discuss this outline at your upcoming Study Session at 6:00 p.m., just prior to the upcoming July 27 City Council meeting.  A more formal City Council discussion with direction to City staff could occur at your August 10 City Council Meeting.  Prior to that anticipated discussion, we plan to provide you copies of the Kansas City ordinance, the model ordinance, the Lee's Summit ordinance and the Columbia ordinance for you during your deliberations on possible options. 

Citywide Trails Plan Ready for Consideration by Parks Board and City 

City Staff have made their final comments on BWR’s citywide trails plan and the Parks Director has indicated that he is planning on the Park Board reviewing and adopting the plan at the August 26 Board meeting.  Because this plan has City Policy issues for future direction on the City’s Trails System, the City Council should also review the plan and, if it meets with your approval, adopt said document.  We would anticipate that the City Council will be able to consider the plan at either your first or second Council meeting in September.

New Convention Center Possibilities Continue

Recent news articles have indicated that the City is reviewing with a local developer the possibility of a public/private partnership of a new convention center.  Before any financial private/public considerations take place, the first step will be an examination of the traffic considerations at proposed location at the northeast intersection of Russell and Maguire.  We have required the developer to provide a traffic study and this is being reviewed by our traffic consultants.  A first meeting with both the developers and the City’s engineers took place on Wednesday, July 22.  We will keep the City Council informed as we move through the process.

Wildlife Management Action Plan Report

Both this year’s and the proposed City Strategic Plan contains within it an Action Step for the City to “Develop a wildlife management ordinance.”  The priority for this Action Step was ranked “medium” and the time frame to accomplish this task was “Medium Term” within 3 to 5 years.  Under a separate cover I have provided to the City Council for review a Wildlife Management Action Plan that was prepared and submitted to me on July 22 by Assistant City Manager Chris Lowe on his last day with the City.  

Missouri Municipal League (MML) Annual Conference October 4 – 7

The 2009 MML Annual Conference will be held at Tan-Tar-A Resort on October 4-7.  The City Council will receive registration material in the July Newsletter, but be sure to mark those dates on your calendar and plan to attend.  The MML room block will open on July 10 and City has made reservations that could be changed if you decide not to attend.  This will be the MML’s 75th Anniversary celebration!

Recent City Manager Activities, Meetings and Events

Since our last City Council meeting on July 13, 2009, I attended a Census Committee Breakfast to seek funding for our census marketing campaign, attended an easement signing meeting, met on capital improvement projects, attended a Warrensburg Economic Coordinating Board Meeting, met with the Department Directors to hear an ICMA Audio Conference on cost cutting measures.  In addition, I attended the Carmike Cinema Grand Opening and a ribbon cutting for the Italian Gardens, the new restaurant in Warrensburg.  I also met with a representative of the local Citizens for Environmental Action, Mr. Steve Mohler.

During the week of July 20, I participated in our monthly KOKO radio discussion with Marion Woods, met with our Emergency Preparedness Director, attended a Regional Planning Commission Board Meeting, met with engineers, Mike Batie, Jerry Franklin, and Barbara Carroll to review and discuss traffic studies for a potential convention, hotel, and retail site, and attended a Tourism and Visitors Advisory Committee Meeting.

Upcoming City Manager Activities, Meetings and Events

During the upcoming weeks I will be continuing to work on the 2009-2010 City operating budget.  Next week however, I will plan to attend another ICMA Audio Conference on cost cutting measures and meet with University representatives.   

During the week of August 3, I plan to meet with our Emergency Preparedness Director, attend a Base Community Luncheon, and meet with Department Directors.

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 Directors noted in this report. 

PUBLIC WORKS

Mike Batie, Director of Public Works

Street Department Activities

The crew continues to work on patching of City streets and working on storm drainage projects along with doing some minor moving into the new building as time permits.

Street Maintenance Program

Asphalt overlay was completed last week throughout the community. Rain hindered startup on some mornings but work proceeded at a fast pace. The crew was able to get the new Cemetery Building parking lot paved by the contractor while they were in town. With the crew doing the grading and gravel base work on the lot to prepare it for asphalt, the lot was constructed for 1/3 the cost. Many thanks go out to the motoring public for their patience and cooperation during the process.

Curb and Sidewalk Program

The contractor continues to work this week and hopes to be completed by the end of this week.

Wastewater Plant Expansion Project

The reed beds are under construction at both East and West Wastewater Plants. Concrete containment structures are being poured and work is progressing very well.

Highway 13 Intersection Project

North Street and Maguire Street Intersections are under construction at this time.  J.C. Myers Construction is planning to have the Grover Street intersection completed by August 1. 

Fire Station No. 2 Parking Lot

The contractor has completed pouring concrete for the parking lot.

Johnson County Historical Courthouse

MoDOT is working on approval for the ADA alternative methods required for this project and will address the issue during final approval.

Public Works Maintenance Building

Staff is preparing for an Open House, Friday the 24, from 10 a.m. to Noon. This will give members of the community an opportunity to view the new building and meet our new Public Works Director, Mike Batie. 

Police Building

The building construction is underway with Madison Street and parking in front of City Hall complete.

City Hall Renovation

Nothing at this time

Animal Shelter

Bidding information is currently available for the construction of the new Animal Shelter. 

Cemetery Maintenance Building

The building is nearing completion.

Activities and Meetings of the Director of Public Works

Mike Batie joined Richard Pember and Slim Coleman in the weekly building projects update meeting.

Mike Batie and Slim Coleman represented Warrensburg at the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee in Concordia, MO.

Mike Batie and Kory Alfred met to begin further action on Lions Lake.  Troy Bowers of Bowers Engineering, Inc. presented previous studies and project costs.

Jeff, Barbara and Mike met with the waste haulers and wood waste haulers to discuss Solid Waste Collection.  Jeff explained that it was projected that the City would bid-out areas of the City to individual firms or group of firms, or the entire City to a single firm or consortium of firms.  The waste haulers would be responsible for residential, commercial, recycling, and possible composting and/or yard waste.

 PARKS and RECREATION

Kory Alfred, Director

Recreation Trails Plan

Staff is working with consultants from BWR on the final draft of the Recreation Trails Plan.  I anticipate presenting the plan to the Parks and Recreation Board in July and have it adopted by the Board no later than the end of August.

Lions Lake Update

Terra Technologies has completed the study on the basin west of Lions Lake and determined that it is not spring fed.  It is now possible to use the basin to hold dredge material from Lions Lake.  Staff is still investigating renting hydraulic dredging equipment and completing the project in-house.  This would significantly reduce the cost of the project. 

Nassif Aquatic Center

As of July 19, 2009, Nassif Aquatic Center had 28,632 patrons visit the facility.  I am happy to report this generated $163,728 in revenue.  Staff is planning to use zip codes for a week to determine how many visitors are coming from outside Warrensburg.  I will pass this information on to the Mayor and Council after the data is collected.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Bruce Howey, Police Chief

New City Logo and Proposed City Hall Building on Procurement Card

I have been working with Lonna Mayes of our City Finance Department to design a new City of Warrensburg procurement card that utilizes our brand and has a picture of the proposed City Hall remodel in the background.  This card will replace the older silver background with the former “W” logo.  I will bring a copy of the new prototype to the July 27 City Council Meeting.

Impala Police Cars Not as Fuel Efficient as Originally Thought, Other Challenges Remain

The three Chevrolet Impala police packaged cars we purchased this past year are not proving to be as energy efficient as originally believed.  We are running fuel comparisons on them compared to the Ford Crown Victoria’s.  All three of them have had brake replacements at close to the 8,000 mile mark; two of the three cost right at $300 to replace rotors and brake shoes.  On the Crown Victoria’s we usually do not replace the first set of brakes until 12,000 to 15,000 miles and at a cost of approximately $130.  If a Crown Victoria needs brakes before 12,000 it is covered under Ford’s warranty.  The Chevrolet Impala’s warranty does not cover brake repair.  Our officers indicate with the smaller passenger compartment and having Mobile Data Terminals it is impossible to have two officers in the front seat for an extended period of time.  We are strongly considering returning to the Crown Victoria for as long as they are available.  More information will come in the near future on this issue.

Traffic Fatality Proves Our Agencies Work Well Together  

This past Wednesday, we had a traffic fatality at Russell and Maguire.  Both Lt. Asher Snook and Sgt. Scott Munsterman were out of town at Traffic Training.  They are our two most senior accident re-constructionists.  Due to their absence, the extremely high-speed impact, extensive damage, large debris field and the quick availability of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Major Crash Team, I asked that the MOSHP’s Crash Team work the accident scene.  We as a community can be proud at how all emergency services worked so closely together to bring this situation under control and bring the scene back to normalcy quickly. 

Animal Shelter

Kitten Season is Here!

Kitten season has flooded the Animal Shelter with many wonderful kittens needing homes.  In an effort to adopt them into homes quickly, the shelter has reduced the adoption fee on cats and kittens to $20 and is offering select kittens for free with the paid adoption of a second kitten.

Donations to the Animal Shelter

The shelter received a donation of 11 cases of Pet Quenchers Portable Drinking Water for Pets from Allen Ranch Products.  We will be distributing the Pet Quenchers with our adoption package while supplies last.  We also received a donation of dog food and treats from Ace Hardware this week, which we will be using for the shelter animals.

Pre-bid Meeting Held for New Animal Shelter Construction

The pre-bid meeting for the new Animal Shelter was held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday July 21 at the West Side Community Center Building.  We have tentatively set groundbreaking for August 24.

CITY CLERK

Cindy Gabel

• Monday, July 27 is a City Council meeting with an executive session beginning at 6:00 p.m.;
• Wednesday, July 29 is a FREE Sunshine Law Workshop at the Johnson County Fairgrounds beginning at 2:00 p.m.;
• Thursday, August 6 is a Base Community Council luncheon;
• Monday, August 10 is a regular City Council meeting;
• Monday, August 17 is Jeff and Cindy’s quarterly evaluations beginning at 11:30 a.m.;
• Thursday, August 27 is the United Way Kickoff;
• Thursday, September 24 is a reception to honor members of the various boards and commissions.  It will be held at Players from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.;
• Sunday, October 4 thru Wednesday, October 7 is the MML Annual Conference to be held at Tan-Tar-A.
  
  Monday, July 27 the Old Drum Bus will offer bus rides for one half the normal charge.  We are hoping to make this “Customer Appreciation Day” an annual event!

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Barbara Carroll, Director of Community Development

Director Attends DREAM Training on Retail Recruitment

I attended a DREAM training opportunity in Jefferson City on July 15 that was very useful.  The DREAM consultants presented a day-long training on retail recruitment strategies, window displays, product placement and store displays, and general downtown concerns.  It was well attended by DREAM communities throughout the state.

Census Breakfast held

The 2010 Census Committee hosted a partnership breakfast on July 13 for business leaders to learn more about the 2010 Census, its importance to Warrensburg, and how they can help support the local efforts.  Eighteen people were in attendance.  Committee members will also be passing out information about the Census in the City’s suite at the Chamber Cruise Night on July 24.

Carmike Theater Grand Opening

The Community Development staff congratulates Carmike Theater for their grand opening on July 16.  The theater is a great addition to the community and the opening was well attended by the public.  Between August 20, 2008 and the opening on July 16, 2009, the building division staff completed 42 separate inspections at the site, representing over 1,470 man hours of staff time.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Phil Johnston, Fire Chief

Portable Fire Trainer

The portable fire trainer has been ordered and should arrive by August 30.  Once it is in place, our personnel will be trained on its use.  Then, we will begin using it to provide realistic training to all Fire Department personnel.  Even experienced firefighters will benefit from the training opportunities that we will have.  The unit will be installed at the rear of Fire Station 2.

Fire Station 1 Asphalt Paving and Ramp Project Completed

The new asphalt paving and concrete ramp at Fire Station 1 are big improvements for the Fire Department.  The paving was completed on Friday, July 17.  Our concerns about damaging fire apparatus tires are behind us, now that the cracked and broken concrete ramp has been replaced.  We are thankful that funding for the new Police Department HQ included money to replace the ramp and paving in front of the fire station.

Fire Department Review of Juvenile Justice Center

Fire and Emergency Prevention Officer Justin O’Neal and I evaluated the fire safety and emergency planning aspects of the Johnson County Juvenile Justice Center on Friday, July 17.  Our visit was at the invitation of the facility’s superintendent.  The evaluation was in connection with a periodic survey that the facility is required to complete in order to meet their required standards.  We are preparing a written report that will be delivered this week to the facility.  We do not perform inspections of this facility or provide other code enforcement services at the Center as it is a state facility.  Although this visit was what we call a “courtesy inspection,” we appreciated the opportunity to perform a review and discuss ways of enhancing fire safety and emergency preparedness at the facility.

Fire Station 2 Parking Lot Completed

The concrete work at Fire Station 2 has been completed.  The concrete will be tested one week after the last pour has been made.  If test results are favorable, small vehicles will be able to drive on the concrete.  Larger vehicles will need to wait 28 days from the date of the last pour.

Automobile Collision at Maguire and Russell Streets

On Wednesday, July 15, Fire Department personnel from the “B” shift responded to a motor vehicle collision at Maguire and Russell Streets.  What they did not realize at the time of the dispatch was that they were being sent to an incredibly tragic and complex vehicle collision.  The on-duty crews, augmented by off-duty personnel recalled to help cover the fire stations, were at the scene almost six hours.  Their duties included the extrication of one of the drivers, the coordination of two helicopter air ambulances, the complicated recovery of the remains of the other driver, the various scene challenges associated with a high-speed vehicle collision, and the myriad of tasks that needed to be performed in order to accomplish their objectives.

Fire at UCM Administration Building

On Friday, July 10, Fire Department personnel – supplemented by two fire engines and crews from the Johnson County Fire Protection District – responded to a fire in the UCM Administration Building.   The fire began when workers using cutting torches to disassemble air handling equipment ignited dust within equipment and associated duct work.  Although fire damage was minimal since equipment burned was destined for salvage, the smoke produced by the fire spread throughout the building.  Fire Department personnel used large fans to remove the majority of the smoke.  Some smoke was evacuated by the air handling components that were not destined for removal.  UCM public safety officers and firefighters searched the building to ensure occupants were all accounted for and able to evacuate.

City Managers Report available in .pdf

If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the City Managers Report send an email to:

CMmailing@warrensburg-mo.com