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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2008-11-01CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Regular Meeting November 24, 2008 Members Present: Alderperson Coles, Alderperson Zumoff, Alderperson Clairborne, Alderperson Korherr, Alderperson Schuler, Mayor Peterson Staff Present: Brian Wilbur (Fire Chief), Tom Parsons (Deputy Fire Chief), Steve Thayer (Controller), Scott Andrew (Deputy Controller), Schelley Michell -Nunn (HR Director), Denise Malone (HR Executive Assistant) Others Present: Members of the Public, Members of the Media Chairperson Coles called the meeting to order at 8:13 p.m. 1. Chairperson Greeting & Opening Statement Chairperson Coles welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained the evacuation procedures. 2. Announcements. None. 3. Agenda Review and Amendments. None. 4. Approval of Minutes Alderperson Zumoff made a motion to approve the minutes, with the corrections, of the October 29, 2008 City Administration Committee meeting. Seconded by Alderperson Schuler. Motion carried 5 -0. 5. Statements from the Public. None. 6. Employee Comments. None. 7. Common Council Response. None. City Administration Committee Meeting November 24, 2008 Page 2 8. Workforce Diversity (WFD) Committee Update Alderperson Clairborne reported that the WFD Committee met today. Department heads from the Fire Department and the Department of Public Works attended the meeting to discuss their progress and better ways to recruit, hire and retain employees. The WFD Committee made suggestions on how to prepare the workforce to understand that diversifying the workforce will continue. 9. Safety Committee Update. None. 10. Communication Committee Update. None. 11. Regular Reports from Departments Reporting to CA. None. 12. Fire Department 1. Authorization for Temporary Fire Lieutenant Position Moved by Alderperson Korherr. Seconded by Alderperson Schuler. WHEREAS, a current Ithaca Fire Department (IFD) Fire Lieutenant is a member of the New York National Guard, has been serving on active duty since January 2008, and is currently deployed in Afghanistan; and WHEREAS, it is anticipated the Fire Lieutenant will be required to continue on active duty with the military during early 2009; and WHEREAS, the current temporary Fire Lieutenant position that was created to provide staff coverage during the absence of the permanent incumbent is scheduled to expire on January 9, 2009, and WHEREAS, the Fire Chief is requesting that Common Council and the Civil Service Commission authorize the extension of the temporary Fire Lieutenant position to allow for continued staff coverage until the return of the permanent incumbent; now, therefore be it City Administration Committee Meeting November 24, 2008 Page 3 RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby authorizes the creation of a temporary fire lieutenant position in the Ithaca Fire Department, effective January 9, 2009, and to continue for a period of 90 days to insure adequate availability; and, be it further RESOLVED, That funds necessary to accomplish this in 2009 will be derived from existing appropriations in the 2009 budget. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 13. Human Resources Department 1. Approval of Employee Standards of Conduct Moved by Alderperson Zumoff. Seconded by Alderperson Schuler. WHEREAS, in an effort to clearly communicate expectations and standardize practices across the City of Ithaca organization, the Senior Staff (Department Heads and Deputies) identified several organizational policies in need of documentation, and WHEREAS, a list of the organizational polices were distributed to the workforce for prioritization and based on the feedback, Senior Staff and the appropriate stake holders are in the process of documenting these policies, and WHEREAS, the workforce identified the Employee Standards of Conduct as a top priority for creating a culture that is welcoming for all individuals who work for the City or receive services from the City, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Ithaca Common Council approves the Summary of Standards of Conduct for City of Ithaca Employees, and be it further RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby directs each Department Head and Division Head be responsible for communicating and enforcing said policy. City Administration Committee Meeting November 24, 2008 Page 4 A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2. Request Increase for Employee Medical Flexible Spending Account Moved by Alderperson Zumoff. Seconded by Alderperson Clairborne. WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca instituted a Flexible Spending Account for unreimbursed medical expenses in April 2002, and WHEREAS, the City originally established a two thousand dollar ($2,000) before tax limit for employee deductions, and WHEREAS, the Flexible Spending Account for unreimbursed medical expenses has been in effect for several years without incident, and WHEREAS, the current maximum amount for the Flexible Spending Account for unreimbursed medical expenses is $2500; and WHEREAS, the City Controller and the Human Resources Director are therefore recommending that the amount be raised from $2500 to $3000, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby authorizes a $500 increase for the Flexible Spending Account, from $2500 to $3000 for unreimbursed medical expenses. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3. Director's Report. HR Director Michell -Nunn reported on the following: Flu Shot Clinic: The Flu Shot Clinic was held on November 13, 2008. Over 90 employees participated in the clinic. City Administration Committee Meeting November 24, 2008 Page 5 Department Head Searches: HR Director Schelley Michell -Nunn thanked her staff HR Office Assistant Jennifer Cahill and HR Executive Assistant Denise Malone for their work on the searches. Vacancy Review Committee (VRC): The Vacancy Review Committee has met twice to hear vacancy requests. One more meeting is scheduled. Decisions will be made after all requests have been heard by the VRC. 14. Finance /Controller's Office 1. Request Authorization to Cover Red Accounts Moved by Alderperson Korherr. Seconded by Alderperson Zumoff. RESOLVED, That the City Controller be empowered to make transfers within the 2008 Budget appropriations, as needed, for the remainder of the 2008 Fiscal year. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2. Request to Amend 2008 Authorized Budget Moved by Alderperson Clairborne. Seconded by Alderperson Schuler. WHEREAS, over the past few months various departments have received several revenue amounts with related expenditures from various sources that were unanticipated and need to be accounted for, and WHEREAS, the revenue sources are various and include a New York State Department of Education Archive and Records Administration Grant, Police Department Insurance reimbursement and tree removal work reimbursements that total $65,442, now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends the 2008 authorized budget for the purposes of accounting for various revenues and related expenses as follows: Increase Revenue Accounts: City Administration Committee Meeting November 24, 2008 Page 6 A1460 -3060 State Aid Records Management 30,886 A3120 -2680 Insurance Recoveries 7,631 A7111 -2705 Gifts and Donations - Forestry 600 A7111 -1710 Public Works Services - Forestry 26,325 Workers' Comp. 744 $65,442 Increase Appropriation Accounts: A1460 -5120 Hourly P/T Records Management 28,000 A1460 -9030 FICA 2,142 A1460 -9040 Workers' Comp. 744 A3120- 5476 -5001 Police Equipment Maintenance 7,631 A7111 -5485 Trees - parks & Forestry 26,925 $65,442 A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3. Bond Resolution Moved by Alderperson Zumoff. Seconded by Alderperson Korherr. The City normally borrows funds twice a year, January and then again in August. To borrow funds Council must first authorize the issuance of bonds. This request is to approve the authorization of Capital Projects approved by Council since the last authorization in July 2008. The projects needed for authorization include projects approved as part of the 2009 Budget and any Council authorized projects from August. In addition, there are two projects, Green Street Parking Garage Reconstruction and Southwest Urban Neighborhood Planning /Design, that need funding. Attached to this resolution are the projects needed for authorization in the amount of $2,852,000. The Controller's concerns for a HEAVY City debt load continue and the City needs to find ways to reduce its high amount of debt. Going forward the high annual debt costs will restrict use of City funds for other uses. City Administration Committee Meeting November 24, 2008 Page 7 The Controller has not yet received the resolutions from the bonding attorney. They will be arriving in time for the Council meeting next week. A two thirds vote of the entire voting strength of Common Council is needed for approval in December. The total issuance for January 2009 will be $2,852,000 plus renewal of the Bonds Anticipation Notes (BANS) coming due. $2,852,000 of the new money is General Fund bonds. Interest rates have actually lowered since August. The rate in August was 3.00% for the August Issue. The market is currently in a very volatile condition. We expect to borrow these funds through BANS at interest rates between 2.00% and 3.00 %. The investment rate is also decreasing and is currently around 2.00 %. Rates are changing daily. The Controller is also concerned about the possibility of restricted market. This means the possibility of fewer bids on our BANS. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 4. Controller's Report. Controller Thayer reported on the following: Hiring /Purchasing Freeze: Due to the uncertain times, the hiring and purchasing freeze remain in effect. The City is waiting to hear the status of the State's budget. State Aid: The City will receive the majority of the State Aid payments at the end of December. Sales Taxes: The 2008 sales tax budget was $11,415,000. Currently, we have collected 86% of that amount or $9,800,000. Gas Prices: Gas prices have been going down. If decreases in gas prices continue in 2009, the City can use this savings to offset some of the overruns in other areas. Fine Revenue: Fine revenue collections are expected to be ahead of budget estimates. City Administration Committee Meeting November 24, 2008 Page 8 Parking Revenue: Parking revenue collections will be about $100,000 over the budgeted amount of $1,570,000. Overtime: The overtime budget will be about $150,000 over the budgeted amount of $814,000. Retirement: If the cash flow and budgets allow, the 2008 retirement payment of $2,410,000 will be made on December 15. Paying early will save the City about $23,000. Auditors: Auditors are here working on 2007 financials. Health Insurance Cost: The expenses for health insurance remain at very high levels and will cause the City to be over the budgeted amount of $5,246,000. There were several high cases and the 2009 renewal reflects this. The Controller continues to work with the Consortium for health insurance benefits. A meeting will be scheduled to get an update from the consultant. 15. Reports 1. Mayor's Report. None. 2. Sub- Committee Updates. None. 3. Council Members' Announcements Alderpersons Coles, Rosario and Clairborne met with City Chamberlain Debra Parsons to discuss what could be done to make more discounts available to senior citizens and people with disabilities. Alderperson Coles met with City Clerk Julie Holcomb to talk about revising both committee and board structures. They will meet with committee chairs regarding changes to their structure. Alderperson Coles invited other Common Council members to participate in the meetings. 4. Next Month's Meeting: December 29, 2008. City Administration Committee Meeting November 24, 2008 Page 9 16. Adjournment With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Clairborne, the meeting was adjourned at 9:18 p.m.