Loading...
Admin Committee Minutes 2004 02-12-04 Page 1 of 7 I UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE APPROVED WITH ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE REVISION THURSDAY, FEBRURARY 12, 2004 4 -8 -04 6:30 P.M. In Attendance: Alderwoman Spears Alderwoman Burd Alderman James Mayor Prochaska (arrived 7:25) Administrator Graff Finance Director Pleckham Police Lieutenant Schwartzkopf Guests: Dan Waitt — Beacon News Peter Raphael — William Blair & Company Art Zwemke - MPI PRESENTATION GRANDE RESERVE SSA Peter Raphael with William Blair & Company gave an overview of the Special Service Area (SSA) Bonds that will be put in place for the Grande Reserve Project. The annexation agreement allows for $60 million of SSA bonds. Since the time of the annexation agreement, improvements in the amount of $65 million have been identified. The difference will come out of the developer's loan or equity. The goals for the SSA's are: o Stay within $60 million o Deep taxes in the Grande Reserve neighborhoods similar to those in the Raintree Village project. o Provide for upfront cost such as sewer and water. The cost of getting the full $60 million up front is prohibitive as is the ability of the bond market to absorb $60 million. Because of this, the money will be borrowed as neighborhoods are developed. The Grande Reserve development was divided into three parcels (north, south and central) and then the amount of bonds needed for each parcel was determined. The bonds will be phased in as the areas develop. The central parcel is the largest and can handle about $30 million worth of debt and still be similar to other developments in the city. It was decided to split the bonds for this area into two issues of $15 million each. The bond issue for the north parcel will be $17,400,000.00 and the issue for the south parcel will be $7,600,000.00. The total bond issue will be $55 million. In order to address the upfront costs, a different type of bond or Variable Rate SSA was developed that will be paid off by the developer prior to the time a homeowner ever moves into the development. This bond will fund the massive initial improvements needed. This fourth bond will be for approximately $10 million and some of these bonds will be converted to a fixed rate over time. The Council will be asked to approve four SSA's; north, central, south and one incorporating all areas. Mr. Raphael explained the approval process and the timetable for the SSAs. He noted that the ordinances for the SSA are general in nature because the specific dollars for each are not Page 2 of 7 known. They have overestimated so if the dollar amounts of each ordinance are added together it will be more than $60 million but no more than $60 million in bonds will be issued. Mr. Zwemke with MPI explained the water and sewer infrastructure needed for the development. The fourth SSA is to fund these projects. He further explained how the parcels were determined. There was also discussion on road construction and the improvement of existing roads which will be done before any homes are built. Mr. Zwemke stated that the water tower was estimated for completion in October 2004 with house construction beginning in July 2004. He estimated that 50 -75 homes would be completed in 2004. Alderman James asked what the City's liability was in the process. Mr. Raphael and Mr. Zwemke explained that there is no exposure to the City. Alderman James clarified that the funds from the bonds will come to the City which will hold the funds and release them as improvements are done. Mr. Raphael agreed. Alderman James asked if there were more costs involved by issuing four different SSAs. Mrs. Pleckham explained that there will be administrative cost for each bond issue. Mr. Raphael stated that the additional costs involved are minimal and he noted that it is safer to divide the SSA's into smaller bonds because there is less risks this way. Alderwoman Spears asked if the issue of the bonds would affect the City's credit rating. Mr. Raphael and Mr. Zwemke stated that it would not affect the City's rating. Mr. Graff stated that the SSA's do go against the City's bank qualifying for over $10 million. Mr. Zwemke complimented the City staff for their work with the SSAs. Administrator Graff complimented Mr. Raphael who represents the City in the bond negotiations. Alderwoman Spears asked if the City Attorney reviewed the documents and Mrs. Pleckham stated he did and the only thing Attorney Kramer noted was that legal descriptions were needed. The proposing ordinances were placed on the February 17, 2004 Committee of the Whole (COW) agenda. OLD BUSINESS MINUTES FOR APPROVAL None. MONTHLY UPDATES Planning Coordinator's Fees Spreadsheet There were no questions and/or comments on the sheets. Past Due Invoices Worksheets for January Alderwoman Spears compared December worksheets to January's. She noted that on the December report Ryan Company owed $425.00 but this amount was neither carried over to the January report nor shown on the payment sheet. Administrator Graff stated he would see why it was omitted and noted that it may have gone to collection. Alderwoman Spears noted on the Payments Received and Applied to Deposit Report that Dresden overpaid along with Menards. She asked why they overpaid and what this was doing to the bookkeeping. Administrator Graff stated that the payments could include an interest payment as noted in the comments on line 20 for the Menards payment. Mrs. Pleckham verified that 8% interest was added. Billing/Accounting Software Page 3 of 7 Mrs. Pleckham stated everything was working fine and there was nothing new to report. Website Status There were no questions and/or comments. Revised Project Financial Tracldng Worksheet Administrator Graff stated that there was a staff meeting to change the worksheet. Engineering will track the stages of projects and accounting will tracks the fees. The worksheet will be changed to reflect this. Mrs. Pleckham stated that they are trying to streamline the tracking which will be easier when the Building Department's permitting software is up and running. ADMINISTRATION STAFFING FY 04/05 BUDGET Administrator Graff stated that the staff did a "mini" survey of towns which have a growth pattern as United City of Yorkville (Plainfield, Plano, Oswego & Montgomery). Staff is proposing the following positions for the next fiscal year: o Full -time Facilities Foreman — This position is being proposed by City staff. Someone would be assigned out of Public Works to be responsible for all of the City's building maintenance (City Hall, Library, Beecher, etc.) o Full -time Janitorial Service — This position could be in -house or outsourced. Staff has received a cost from ServiceMaster for cleaning three days /week in addition to the current cleaning person. o Full -time Human Resource & Payroll Specialist — This would separate the HR duties from the Accounting Clerk. o Full -time Accounting/Deputy Treasurer — This was recommended by Treasurer Powell and would provide additional staff to the Accounting Department. Mayor Prochaska suggested that this position be filled with an accountant. o Full -time Community Development/Project Coordinator - This was recommended by City Engineer Joe Wywrot. This would free up Mr. Wywrot's time spent in meetings so that he would have more time for engineering. o Full -time Community Relations Manager — This position would work with the Mayor's office. o Full -time Office Assistant —This position would provide more help to the Clerk's Office and the general office staff. The Committee discussed the combining of job descriptions, the Deputy Treasurer, forecasting the number of new positions needed in the next budget year, an Administrative Assistant for the Council, an Assistant City Administrator, salary ranges and the upcoming Illinois Municipal League (IML) salary survey. The Committee asked Administrator Graff to develop a job description for an Assistant City Administrator position along with a salary range for the next Administration Committee meeting. Mr. Graff stated he would also get more information together for the Facility Foreman, HR Specialist, Deputy Treasurer and Janitorial positions. This was an "FYI" item and will return again at budget time. COMPENSATION TIME POLICY Mrs. Pleckham presented an Employee Compensation Time Survey as requested by the Committee. Twelve communities were surveyed and eight responded. Of the eight, seven offer comp time to their employees. The survey indicated that accrual methods and maximums varied between the seven. State statute sets a limit of 240 hours that can be accrued. Mrs. Pleckham Page 4 of 7 reported that since employees were encouraged to get paid overtime rather than accrue comp time last year, no one has gone over the 240 hours. However, two employees that were over the 240 hours at that time, still remain slightly over the 240 hour limit. The Committee suggested that these employees either be paid for the hours over the maximum or take some time off so they can be in compliance. No action was taken on this item. HANDICAPPED ACCESS TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS (COSTS) The Committee went over Office Assistant Lisa Pickering's February 10, 2004 memo regarding the cost ($10,547.00) for automatic handicap accessible doors. The Committee discussed the type of doors that could be installed; sliding door versus one that opens out. Administrator Graff stated that he sent the quote from Accessible Living, Inc. to Building Inspector Bill Dettmer for his review and the Building Department will be giving the Council a report. REVIEW CITY NEXTEIL PHONE USAGE Alderwoman Spears distributed a summary of a two month billing cycle of the Nextel phone usage that she developed. Please see attached. She explained how she formulated the summary: • Everyone who has a City phone was included • Calls over ten minutes were targeted • Comparison of calls during nonworking hours to those during working hours were made • Directory assistance Galls were noted • Long distance calls were noted • Calls to LaGrange, Illinois were noted (Mayor Prochaska clarified that calls to this number are those to retrieve voice mail) The following items were discussed: o The total number of phones and the cost. o The Police Department and Public Works conscientious use of the phones o Providing radio phones instead of the cell phones. o Paying for employees to be on call instead of providing them with a phone. o City employees using their office phones instead of the Nextel when in the building o Reimbursing the City for telephone use over 300 hours and for non - business related long distance calls o Obtaining estimates from Verizon and Nextel for radio phones o Showing the employees the summary and letting them know the bills are being reviewed o Amount of time per call and toll -free calls After much discussion, Mayor Prochaska stated that he would address telephone usage with the department heads at their next meeting. It was also decided to develop a policy that would create a monitoring system, steps for disciplining misuse and a reimbursement program for calls over the allowable amount. Mrs. Pleckham stated that when the representatives come in to discuss the City's plan, she will go over the packages, find out which is less expensive - land lines or mobile lines for long distance calls and investigate radio only services. RFQ FOR FACILITIES MASTER PLAN Administrator Graff stated that the City received three Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the facilities master plan. They were from Williams Architect, Burnidge Cassell & Assoc. and Yas/Fischel Partnership. All three met the criteria of the RFQ and Administrator Graff stated that the RFQ information was available for the Council to review. All the firms based the cost of the Page 5 of 7 master plan on an hourly rate however none gave a total and all estimated the time the plan would take to develop. Administrator Graff noted that the City did not ask for cost just qualifications. The firms are scheduled to give presentations at the March 16, 2004 COW meeting and Administrator Graff stated that he would ask them to supply cost summaries to review before the meeting. NEW BUSINESS OFFICE ASSISTANT — REVISED JOB DESCRIPTION Administrator Graff reported that he sat with Office Assistant Lisa Pickering to review the tasks she is focusing on. He stated that an addition was made to the old description regarding participating in cross training. Alderwoman Spears asked that in the future that the old description be included in the packets for comparison purposes. Mr. Graff stated that he emailed the description to the labor attorney but hadn't received a response yet. This item was placed on the February 17, 2004 COW meeting agenda. PARK & RECREATION GROWTH EXPECTATIONS Administrator Graff stated that the Park Board approved Executive Director of Parks & Recreation Laura Brown's January 15, 2004 recommendations for staffmg needs in the upcoming fiscal year. This is an "FYI" item. STATUS OF FILED COMPLAINTS — LAST QUARTER OF 2003 Administrator Graff reported that Director of Public Works Eric Dhuse has taken over the handling of property complaints. All complaints called into City Hall are forwarded to Public Works. The Committee stated that it was previously discussed that this report would be reviewed by the Public Works Committee. TAX ABATEMENT ORDINANCE — FOX INDUSTRIAL Mrs. Pleckham reported that this is the annual ordinance abating the tax levied for 2002 to pay the debt service on the bonds for the Fox Industrial area. This item was placed on the February 17, 2004 COW meeting agenda. $3.5 MILLION COUNTRYSIDE INTERCEPTOR — ALTERNATE REVENUE BOND ORDINANCE Mrs. Pleckham stated that this ordinance is the final step in the issuance of the Alternate Revenue Bond which will be sold on February 23, 2004. She indicated that Attorney Dan Kramer has the documents for review however she has not heard from him. Mrs. Pleckham explained that the bonds will be sold in the morning so she will have the rates by the City Council meeting that evening. Administrator Graff stated that this is a six year callable bond so that if enough funds are paid to the Yorkville - Bristol Sanitary District (YBSD) by developers it could be paid off early with no penalties. Administrator Graff noted that the pump project will be going to bid in the next 90 days and the interceptor project will be going to bid in the fall of 2004. i Page 6 of 7 This item was placed on the February 17, 2004 COW meeting agenda as a "FYI" item and on the February 24, 2004 City Council meeting agenda for a vote. $1.6 MILLION COM ED SEWER DEBT CERTIFICATE Mrs. Pleckham reported that this bond is for the ComEd/Hydraulic Sewer project. It is a ten year bond with rates currently under 4 %. Mr. Graff noted that this project will be going to bid in March 2004 This item was placed on the February 17, 2004 COW meeting agenda as a "FYI" item and on the February 24, 2004 City Council meeting agenda for a vote. i DEVELOPING PROCEDURES Alderwoman Spears distributed information on procedures she is suggesting be developed. The Committee discussed the following: • Administration Committee Meeting Procedures — The January 5, 2004 memo (see attached) from Alderwoman Spears to the Administration Committee was discussed. Alderwoman Spears stated that the information in the memo was discussed by the Committee in "bits and pieces ". She put everything together and had the Committee sign it. This is to establish procedures for their committee. Administrator Graff noted that the memo states that agenda items must be submitted to the Administration Committee chairman at least five days in advance of the meeting in order to allow ample time for review. He stated that this time frame is tight. He recommended that staff be given notice five days before packets are created to gather information needed for the meeting. Alderwoman Spears stated that the Committee is asking that they have information from staff five days before the meeting to review. Mayor Prochaska noted that the department head meeting is the first Friday of the month and this is within the five days requested. Items for the Administration Committee meeting agenda might not be ready until the following Monday. Alderwoman Spears stated that as long as it is reasonable, that would be allowable. • Document Revision Procedure - It was suggested that a master copy of all documents given to the Council to review be kept available for the Council at City Hall. Council members could then make revisions and/or suggestions on the master copy or leave their copy with revisions with it so that all comments are kept together. One staff member would then be responsible for incorporating the comments /revisions into a revised document. The Council would then get the revised document along with the master copy with everyone's comments for review. Administrator Graff stated that he would set -up a master copy policy. • Personnel & City/Labor Attorney Review of Documents Procedure — (see attached). Alderwoman Spears suggested that all documents presented to the City Council must be reviewed by the City Attorney/Labor Attorney before final submittal to the Council for a vote. A routing form with sign -offs was discussed. Administrator Graff stated he would discuss routing forms with the staff and bring it back to the Administration Committee. • Review of Closed Session Minutes Policy — (see attached). Alderwoman Spears suggested a policy of reviewing executive session minutes every six month, the first week of June and the first week of December. Mayor Prochaska suggested that they be reviewed in April and October. Alderman James suggested that a reminder list of annual events be developed for the Council and staff. Mayor Prochaska stated that he and Clerk Milschewski have discussed this. Alderwoman Spears noted that the Illinois Municipal Page 7 of 7 League (RvlL) had a suggested list and she would try to find it and bring it to the next meeting. o Committee of the Whole /City Council Meeting Agendas — (see attached). Alderwoman Spears proposed a new sequence for the meeting agendas for City Council meetings and COW meetings. The Committee discussed the order of items on the agendas. Mayor Prochaska noted that he is working on streamlining the COW agenda in an effort to reduce the time spent at the meetings. Alderwoman Spears asked if the Administration Committee meeting report could be earlier in the meeting. Administrator Graff stated that the way the Committees are set up, two reports can be discussed at one COW meeting and the other two can be at the next. The Committee discussed a new format for the COW meeting agendas and splitting the Committee information between the two meetings starting in March 2004. o Developer Minimum Fee Balance Procedure - Alderwoman Spears stated that Attorney Kramer was going to develop this procedure and she asked if he had. Administrator Graff stated that the ordinance applying to this needs to be updated and he gave Attorney Kramer the information he needed to do this on February 4, 2004 but he has not heard back from him yet. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS Employee Manual Alderwoman Burd noted that one of the ordinances that is being repealed by the new Employee Manual is part of the City Code. She stated that she did not feel right using the Employee Manual to repeal City codes. She felt that there are a few key codes that need to be amended, repealed or cleaned up. Alderman James suggested that the ordinances affected be identified and brought back to the Committee to address. Mayor Prochaska asked Alderwoman Burd to give the information to Administrator Graff so he could give it to the attorneys for their input. Time Study Summary Chart Mrs. Pleckham noted that she prepared the time study and had it in the packets for the Committee's review. It will be discussed further at the March 2004 Administration Committee meeting. There was no further additional business. The meeting was adjourned at 9:55 P.M. Minutes respectfully submitted by: Jackie Milschewski, City Clerk