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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2006-01-01CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Regular Meeting January 25, 2006 Members Present: Alderperson Korherr, Alderperson Coles, Alderperson Zumoff, Alderperson Townsend, Alderperson Cogan, Mayor Peterson Staff Present: Julie Holcomb (City Clerk), Duane Twardokus (IT Director), Tom Parsons (Asst Fire Chief), Patricia Dunn (Asst City Attorney), Khandikile Sokoni (Asst City Attorney), Andy Olmetti (Emp'ee Hlth & Safety Coordinator), Steve Thayer (Controller), Scott Andrew (Deputy Controller), Schelley Michell -Nunn (HR Director), Denise Malone (HR Executive Assistant) Others Present: Members of the Media Chairperson Coles called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. 1. Chairperson Greeting & Opening Statement Chairperson Coles welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained the evacuation procedures. Chairperson Coles acknowledged the members of the Committee and welcomed new Alderperson Robin Korherr. 2. Agenda Review and Amendments, Approval of Minutes & Announcements Chairperson Coles requested that the Electronic Mail Policy be added as agenda item 8. There were no announcements. Alderperson Zumoff made a motion to approve the minutes from the following City Administration Committee meetings: November 30, 2005 and December 21, 2005. Seconded by Alderperson Townsend. Motion carried 5 -0. 3. Statements from the Public. None. City Administration Committee January 25, 2006 Page 2 4. Employee Comments. None. 5. Common Council Response. None. 6. Workforce Diversity (WFD) Committee Update The WFD Committee changed the standard meeting time to the fourth Monday of the month. The meeting starts at 9:00 a.m. and is held in the Common Council Chambers. The WFD Committee is working on priorities for 2006 and on the process of determining the best way for them to serve as a resource to the department heads as the department heads work on their diversity and communication competency plans. 7. Safety Committee Update Chairperson Coles invited Health and Safety Coordinator Andy Olmetti to address the Committee. Chairperson Coles stated that a discussion took place with the Mayor, Mr. Olmetti and Ms. Michell -Nunn regarding finding a way to restructure the Safety Committee so that it would become more effective. They decided that the Safety Committee would become a standing Committee to the City Administration Committee. Chairperson Coles e- mailed department heads asking that names be submitted to the Mayor for the Safety Committee. The purpose is to have a Safety Committee that would be able to carry out its mission of keeping the City's workforce safe. Mr. Olmetti reported on the accident /injury losses and cost over a three -year period (2003- 2005). The City had a 76% reduction in overall incurred losses over the last three years. The reduction was attributed to, among other things, increased employee awareness, safety training, purchase of ergonomic friendly equipment, aggressive Return -To -Work program, and frequent inspections. Mr. Olmetti reviewed with the Committee graphs that showed total incurred losses depicted with outliers. These were cases which had losses of $20,000 or greater. In 2003, there were seven (7) cases representing 82% of the total incurred losses. In 2004, there were three (3) cases representing 66 %. In 2005, there were two (2) claims representing 50 %. On page 3 of the report, it showed an overview of the claims reports for 2003 -2005 by departments. All cases were reported regardless of the degree of injury or whether medical City Administration Committee January 25, 2006 Page 3 treatment was required or whether there was an associated cost. For example: In 2003, the Police Department reported 37 incidents. Of the 37 incidents, only 15 had any associated cost. Mr. Olmetti reported that a significant area of all the City's losses is in total incurred losses. The City experienced the highest lost time days or days with restriction in 2003. The years 2004 and 2005 had reductions. The Safety Committee is working toward a Return -To -Work program, which requires an agreement with the unions. The goal is that by reducing lost time and having the Return -To -Work program (modified or light duty), the City would regain some productivity from the employee. Ms. Michell -Nunn stated that organizations heavily utilize the Return to Work program, which is beneficial for the employees. When someone manages an employee's case, this keeps the employee in touch with his /her work environment and returns the employee to work sooner. Employee's morale is better and the workforce morale is better because they see that the City is trying to keep the employee within the organization. Mr. Olmetti stated that graph on page 5 showed that the most frequent causes of injuries were: falls /slips, strains, motor vehicle accident, repetitive motion, and miscellaneous (cuts, burns, inhalation, ingestion, punctures, etc.) The Committee thanked Mr. Olmetti for the presentation. 8. IT Department 1. Electronic Mail Policy Duane Twardokus, Julie Holcomb, and Patricia Dunn were invited to address the Committee. Chairperson Coles stated that in the latest draft of the Electronic Mail Policy, changes made were highlighted. These changes came about as a result of the individual conversations that Chairperson Coles had with members of the City Administration Committee. A summary of those conversations was reported to HR Director Michell -Nunn, City Clerk Holcomb, IT Director Twardokus, and Assistant City Attorney Dunn. City Administration Committee January 25, 2006 Page 4 The Committee discussed the policy. Concerns expressed about GroupWise being called the official e -mail system, the process for handling situations when users violate the policy, management and retention of e -mail, and e -mail etiquette were addressed by the staff present. HR Director Michell -Nunn stated that after the policy has been adopted that the communication and education piece must happen. After discussion, Alderperson Zumoff made a motion to approve the Electronic Mail Policy. Seconded by Alderperson Cogan. Motion carried 5 -0. 9. Fire Department 1. Permit Fee Schedule Section 181 -9 F(1) of the Code of the City of Ithaca states the Fire Chief shall promulgate a fee schedule applicable to the permits authorized under such code. The permit fee schedule is based on the labor costs of performing the inspections and processing the permits. The last time the fees were changed was January 1, 2003. Due to increases in salary and fringe benefits, the current fees do not reflect the actual costs of the services being provided. The Fire Department requested an increase in fees from $35 /hour to $40 /hour, from $53 /hour to $60 /hour for work performed during non - business hours, and from $10 /hour to $11 /hour for the monthly processing fee for continuing permits. The Board of Fire Commissioners considered and approved this proposal at their regular meeting of January 10, 2006. After discussion, Alderperson Korherr made a motion to approve the request. Seconded by Alderperson Cogan. Motion carried 5 -0. 10. Department of Public Works 1. Amendment to Personnel Roster - Forestry Technician The Department of Public Works requested to amend the 2006 Personnel Roster of the Streets & Facilities Division by adding one (1) Forestry Technician position. The position would be assigned to the CSEA Administrative Unit at salary grade 12. After discussion, Alderperson Cogan made a motion to approve the request. Seconded by Alderperson Korherr. Motion carried 5 -0. City Administration Committee January 25, 2006 Page 5 2. Amendment to Personnel Roster --Environmental En__ gineer The Department of Public Works requested to amend the 2006 Personnel Roster of the Water & Sewer Division by adding one (1) Environmental Engineer position. The position would be assigned to the City Executive Association at salary grade 3. After discussion, Alderperson Cogan made a motion to approve the request. Seconded by Alderperson Korherr. Motion carried 5 -0. 11. Attorney's Office 1. Waiver of Residency Requirement The Assistant City Attorney Khandikile Sokoni requested a waiver of the residency requirement for that position. Prior to her recent promotion to Assistant City Attorney, Ms. Sokoni invested a substantial amount of time and resources in her search for a home to purchase in her current neighborhood, which would be completed in the coming months. The City Attorney supports this request. After discussion, Alderperson Zumoff made a motion to approve the request. Seconded by Alderperson Korherr. Motion carried 5 -0. 12. Human Resources (HR) bepartment 1. Transfer of One Custodial Worker Position from DPW S &F to IPD A vacancy exists in a Custodial Worker position at the Ithaca Police Department. Currently, this position is supervised by the Department of Public Works. It is preferable to have this position supervised and employed by the Ithaca Police Department. The City has been consistently transferring vacant custodial and maintenance positions to the departments at whose worksite the work is performed. The Human Resources Department requested to amend the Personnel Rosters of the Department of Public Works (S &F) by deleting one (1) Working Supervisor - Buildings and Grounds (40 hours) and to amend the Personnel Roster of the Police Department by adding one (1) Custodial Worker (40 hrs). After discussion, Alderperson Cogan made a motion to approve the request. Seconded by Alderperson Korherr. Motion carried 5 -0. City Administration Committee January 25, 2006 Page 6 2. Establishment of Standard Workday - Fiscal Manager The New York State Retirement System requires that the standard workday be established for all positions in City government for the purpose of determining reportable days worked. The standard workday, for the purpose of retirement system credit, varies by bargaining unit. The Human Resources Department requested that the standard workdays for the sole purpose of determining days worked reportable to the New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System be established for the following positions: City Executive Association - Eight (8) hour workday; Forty (40) hour workweek: Fiscal Manager I City Executive Association - Seven- and - one -half (7.5) hour workday; Thirty seven - and - one -half (37.5) hour workweek: Fiscal Manager II After discussion, Alderperson Cogan made a motion to approve the request. Seconded by Alderperson Korherr. Motion carried 5 -0. 3. Reassignment of Employee Health and Safety Coordinator Position The position of Employee Health and Safety Coordinator was created in 2001 and assigned to the Managerial Compensation Plan based on an outline of the position's anticipated duties and responsibilities. The position has evolved into more than originally anticipated, particularly in areas such as grant acquisition and administration. It is desirable to have the position of Employee Health and Safety Coordinator continue to function at this higher level, due to both the significant cost savings it has brought to the City and the additional funding it has obtained through grants. Funding for the requested reallocation was approved in the 2006 Human Resources Department budget. The Human Resources Director requested that the position of Employee Health and Safety Coordinator be reallocated from Grade 2 to Grade 3 of the City of Ithaca Managerial Compensation Plan. After discussion, Alderperson Zumoff made a motion to approve the request. Seconded by Alderperson Cogan. Motion carried 5 -0. City Administration Committee January 25, 2006 Page 7 4. Director's Report. HR Director Michell -Nunn reported on the following: Quarterly Recognition Awards: There are two (2) Quarterly Recognition Awards this month for Common Council. One (1) award would to an individual and one (1) award would go to a team of employees. Staff Development: HR Director Michell -Nunn thanked Common Council for increasing money for training /staff development. The HR Department is working on putting together the supervisory development program. The supervisory development program would be a two -prong program. There will be a supervisory orientation, which would be conducted by internal staff. This orientation would focus on things supervisors would need to know about internal City operations and about being a supervisor. The second prong is around supervisory development. The HR Department is working with an outside entity to bring this training. The supervisory development component has two components, the basic level supervision component that every supervisor should know and the leadership component. Training for Senior Staff: In May 2006, there would be a two -day Project Management Training for Senior Staff. Department heads identified this topic, as a high need. The project management skills would enhance department heads' abilities to better coordinate and operate with each other. CSEA Classification Study: The HR Department is in communications with the State. The State has completed the aligning or point factoring of all of the job positions. 13. Finance /Controller 1. Controller's Report. Controller Thayer reported on the following: Account Activity- 2005: The Controller's Office should have the final account activity for 2005 by March. Sales Tax Revenue: The City is waiting on a payment from Tompkins County for December activity. The City is above budget of about 15% or $550,000 over 2004. During the months of January and February, the economy slows down overall City Administration Committee January 25, 2006 Page 8 because of the increased activity during the holiday season. The economy picks up after tax return money comes back. As far as sales tax revenue, the Controller's Office increased the budget about 6% for 2006. Overtime - 2005: The City budgeted $1,045,000 for overtime but came in about $443,000 over budget. Utility Budget: The utility budget came in about budget - $590,000. No changes expected. Fuel Cost: Fuel cost came in over budget about $75,000. Total general fund fuel cost was about $206,000. Health Insurance Cost: The City budgeted, and came in about, $5,900,000. 2005 was the first year that employees contributed to the health insurance, which lowered the cost. Building Department: The Building Department brought in over $1,000,000 in permits and other fees. Parking Rate: Early returns for 2006 parking meters and hourly rate collections are slightly up. The City changed the two -hour free parking to one -hour free parking, which should increase the City's revenue. Parking Garage Equipment: New equipment for the Dryden Road Garage and the Seneca Street Garage has been ordered. The equipment should be installed and operating by the end of February 2006. The new equipment would be similar to the equipment in the Cayuga Street Garage. Should the Green Street Garage be renovated, the new equipment would be installed in this garage. Workers' Comp: Travelers Insurance has the Workers' Comp policy and took over all insurance needs in 2006. This is more efficient for the City and lowered the premium amount and cost overall. The City will make some minor changes to, and is moving toward a more self- insured, Workers' Comp policy. Insurance: The insurance for the City is in place for 2006. Some reductions in the overall cost and deductibles were made. City Administration Committee January 25, 2006 Page 9 State Budget (2006- 2007): The governor released his final proposed budget for 2006 -2007. The following items affect the City: Funding The City has a proposed increase in the State funding. The proposed funding is for an increase of 11% or $209,000. Early Retirement Incentive Program: This has to be approved through the NYS budget process and, then, the City would have to approve it. Shared Municipal Service Programs: Funding is available for shared municipal service programs. This goes with the current discussions the City is having with local municipalities. Expansion of Empire Zones: The City hopes to be included in the Expansion of Empire Zones. 14. Reports 1. Mayor's Report. The Mayor reported on the following: Police Officer: The Mayor swore in a Police Officer today. Executive Session: The Mayor requested an Executive Session at the Common Council meeting to discuss the parking agreement and issues surrounding the Green Garage construction. Cornell University: Cornell University would be welcoming a new President and the Mayor looks forward to the working relationship. IURA: Last week, the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) had initial hearings for the allocation of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding on process. There were about 29 proposals submitted. The next set of meetings would be used to analyze the proposals more carefully. Fire & Police: The Mayor discussed with the Police Chief and the Fire Chief concerns with the 911 dispatch center and issues surrounding the 911 service. The Mayor will meet with the Police Chief, Fire Chief and City Attorney to discuss more City Administration Committee January 25, 2006 Page 10 concrete suggestions from the City. The Mayor would write a letter detailing the City's expectations for the 911 dispatch center. Health Insurance: As the City prepares for the 2007 budget, this would be the year to move forward toward other incentives for a fit workforce. The HR Department distributed a survey to all employees asking questions about what they would like to see come out of the 2006 Labor Management Health Insurance Committee meetings. Shared Municipal Services: The City and Town of Ithaca met with Community Dispute Resolution Center to discuss whether it would be profitable to share or consolidate services. They Mayor and Cathy Valentino would draft a resolution detailing the next step. The resolution would need to be adopted by both legislative bodies. Energy Savings: The Mayor's intern is preparing an action plan for energy savings for the next ten (10) years. Common Council would adopt the energy savings policy. 2. Sub- Committee Updates: None. 3. Council Members' Announcements: None. 4. Next Month's Meeting: February 21, 2006. 15. Adjournment With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Cogan, the meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.