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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2010-01-01CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Regular Meeting January 27, 2010 Members Present: Alderperson Coles, Alderperson Zumoff, Alderperson Mohlenhoff, Alderperson Rooker, Alderperson Clairborne, Mayor Peterson Council Members Present: Alderperson Dotson Staff Present: Ray Benjamin (Acting Asst Supt), JoAnn Cornish (Planning Director), Bob Adams (HEO), Nancy Perry (Financial Mgmt Asst), Terry Henry (Admin Asst), Jody Dort (DPW Unit President), Brian Carman (Admin Unit President), Hank Spencer (WWTPO Trainee), Bill Epthmiatos (Sr. Code Inspector), Philly Desorno (Deputy Economic Development Director), Tom West (Asst City Engineer), Kent Johnston (Jr. Transportation Engineer), Steve Thayer (Controller), Scott Andrew (Deputy Controller), Schelley Michell -Nunn (HR Director), Denise Malone (HR Executive Assistant) Others Present: Patrick Cornwall, Lew Ward, Members of the Public, Members of the Media Chairperson Coles called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 1. Chairperson Greeting & Opening Statement Chairperson Coles welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained the evacuation procedures. Chairperson Coles explained that the makeup of the Committee has changed. In addition to Alderpersons Coles and Zumoff, Alderpersons Rooker, Mohlenhoff and Clairborne have joined the Committee. Alderperson Clairborne is the new Vice - Chair. City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 2 2. Announcements Chairperson Coles reported that she has been working with the Clerk's Office on the potential reorganization of advisory boards and commissions. A cover letter and questionnaire was sent to the chairs of the commissions and boards regarding whether the attendance at their committee meetings has been sufficient for quorums and whether there has been sufficient communication between those boards and commissions and the Mayor and Common Council. Ms. Coles stated that only about one third of the chairs responded to the questionnaire. Chairperson Coles will report back to this Committee once she has had a discussion with the Mayor about the next step. Chairperson Coles stated that the Mayor requested that a discussion take place at this meeting about the Workforce Diversity Plan and the starting time of Common Council meetings. These items will be discussed later in this meeting. Chairperson Coles stated that at next month's meeting the Committee will review and discuss a policy from the Information Technology Department about the appropriate use of City computers, network and phone resources. Chairperson Coles reported that she will remain as the liaison to the Workplace Violence Prevention Team. At some point a report will be given by the Health & Safety Coordinator Andy Olmetti or HR Director Michell -Nunn about the work of this team. Chairperson Coles mentioned the national effort in progress for trying to move a comprehensive immigration reform legislation. In an effort to do this in New York State there is going to be a caravan leaving New York City, traveling through various cities and arriving in Ithaca on February 18, 2010. Community organizers have put together a meeting to discuss the issue of immigration and what should be done to address the legal matters associated with it as well as addressing the conditions in which immigrants live. Additional information can be obtained from Chairperson Coles. 3. Agenda Review and Amendments Chairperson Coles reported that Agenda Item 13.1 - CSEA Classification and Compensation Study will be an update only. Since the person who has worked the most on the Comp Study was not able to attend the meeting, HR Director Michell -Nunn will give a brief history to the Committee. City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 3 4. Approval of Minutes After discussion, Alderperson Zumoff made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 19, 2009 and the December 22, 2009 meetings of the City Administration Committee. Seconded by Alderperson Coles. Motion carried 5 -0. 5. Statements from the Public. None. 6. Employee Comments Brian Carman, Stock Manager and C5EA Admin Unit President, acknowledged the employees in attendance at the meeting and spoke about the C5EA Comp Study and the frustration employees are having with the study not being implemented. This study was conducted about 10 years ago, the second in the last 20 years. The results of this study have been out for about two years with still nothing being done to implement the recommendations. The feeling at this point is that there needs to be movement, which is up to Common Council. The employees and the union are opened to any and all suggestions on how to move forward. The level of frustration with the employees stems from not one but two studies being conducted and saying that the City's pay scale is less than our peers in Tompkins County and should be adjusted accordingly. Mr. Carman stated that employees will be back next month to hear the discussion on the study. JoAnn Cornish, Planning Director, spoke about Agenda Item 13.4 - Discussion on When Common Council Meetings Should Begin. When having this discussion, please take into consideration that often times staff is here until very late. Meetings lasting late into the evenings does not negate what needs to be done the next day, which is to get up and be at work on time. This takes a toll on the staff. Employees are tired and not at their best after working twelve hours the previous day. Ms. Cornish asked the Committee to consider some reformatting of the Common Council meetings that may get staff home earlier but not at the expense of the public when they come to the meeting because this is a very important part of the City process. 7. Common Council Response Mayor Peterson thanked the employees who spoke and acknowledged the employees who were in attendance. City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 4 8. Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee (WDAC) Update HR Director Michell -Nunn reported that Superintendent Bill Gray attended the Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee and requested assistance to operationalize his diversity plan. Mr. Gray will be working with a WDAC member to enhance his existing Diversity Plan. 9. Safety Committee Update. None. 10. Communication Committee Update. None. 11. Regular Reports from Departments Reporting to CA. None. There will be no reports from department heads until the Mayor has made a decision on what Committee departments will make their report. 12. Department of Public Works 1. Request to Amend Personnel Roster at Streets and Facilities Moved by Alderperson Rooker. Seconded by Alderperson Clairborne. WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works (DPW) management has reevaluated the Streets and Facilities operational needs and determined that a roster change is needed at this time to improve office efficiency; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Personnel Roster of the Streets and Facilities Division of the Department of Public Works be amended as follows: Delete: one (1) Part Time Office Manager (Grade 11) Add: one (1) Full Time Financial Management Assistant (Grade 9) and be it further RESOLVED, That the Financial Clerk position currently authorized on the Streets and Facilities Division Personnel Roster be retained in a vacant, unfunded capacity until such time as the civil service examination process for the Financial Management Assistant vacancy has been successfully completed, and be it further City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 5 RESOLVED, That funds necessary for said roster change shall be derived from existing authorized DPW budgets. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2. Request to Amend Budget for Spencer Street Slope Stabilization Moved by Alderperson Zumoff. Seconded by Alderperson Mohlenhoff. WHEREAS, as part of the Six Point Traffic Plan the City undertook traffic improvements to Spencer Street which included modification of lands owned by Dominion Transmission, Inc. adjacent to the traffic circle, and WHEREAS, the City agreed to remediate lands adjacent to and impacted by the construction of the traffic circle, and modified by construction of these traffic improvements, and WHEREAS, bids were received on January 19, 2010 for stabilization of lands adjacent to the traffic circle, and WHEREAS, total costs for stabilizing the lands adjacent to the traffic circle will exceed the remaining budget of $276,741 by $59,774.00; now therefore be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends Capital Project # 746 Spencer Street Slope Stabilization by an amount not to exceed $59,774 for a total project authorization of $345,774, and be it further RESOLVED, That the funds necessary for said project amendment shall be derived from the issuance of Serial Bonds. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 6 13. Common Council 1. CSEA Classification and Compensation Study Chairperson Coles asked HR Director Schelley Michell -Nunn to give a brief introduction to the CSEA Classification and Compensation Study. Ms. Michell -Nunn stated that in 1998 the City had a compensation plan that had been in existence at least for 8 years. There had not been a negotiated agreement to increase the starting salaries. So, at least 8 years passed where the starting salaries did not move in accordance with the market rate. At that time, an agreement was negotiated to increase the starting salaries consistent with the negotiated increase by z percent less. This allowed some movements in the starting salaries. Unfortunately, because of those 8 years that had gone by with no movement, the employees that were represented by that compensation plan had fallen significantly behind the market. And once you fall behind it is very difficult to recover. Nine years ago, State Civil Service Commission agreed to conduct a classification and compensation study for C5EA and the confidential employees at no cost to the City. This study conducted an analysis of work actually performed by these employees and their job descriptions to see if they were classified accordingly. Employees participated in interviews with the State as well as department heads, supervisors, and staff spending many hours in reviewing the analysis. Every step of the way the City worked in conjunction with the Union. The Union was involved in the analysis process and the appeals process in determining the actual compensation plan and how it was to be laid out. The City's starting salaries are significantly different from Tompkins County. Ms. Michell -Nunn gave the example of when Police Dispatchers were transferred to Tompkins County, the employees who transferred received anywhere from $10,000 - $20,000 increase to their salary. This is a dilemma and everyone recognizes the need to address the dilemma by implementing the compensation study. The question is how the City can afford to do it. buring the classification study the State had some restructuring of its department and stopped the study because of no longer providing this service. City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 7 After some assistance from the Mayor, the State finished the classification study. The City had to contract with a consultant to do the compensation piece. The compensation piece looks at comparable positions in comparable locals and sets up the parameters for pay. So, what is before the Committee is the recommended compensation plan. The HR Department recommends that the City adopt the comp plan. Not the full plan, which is about $1.4 million dollars, but a part of it to allow everyone to move to their first increase on the plan. Everyone would then be on the plan and the City could then begin to recruit and hire based upon the plan. Ms. Michell -Nunn asked that a discussion take place about how the City could adopt the full plan, which right now would be about $776,000. This recommendation would gradually phase in over a 5 year period. Chairperson Coles asked that when the study was done, did the study calculate the significantly better health insurance that employees have. Ms. Michell -Nunn responded that the study only looked at actual salaries. The Committee discussed the affect the adoption of the plan would have on the 2010 budget. Controller Thayer explained that the recommendation is to look at and discuss strategies on how to implement the plan. Currently, Common Council has set aside $325,000 for this item. The cost would be put into next year's budget. The starting date would be later in the year and would be a phased in approach. How the City pays for it should be discussed in Executive Session. The Committee thanked the HR Director for her report. 2. Green Policy for the City of Ithaca Fleet Moved by Alderperson Rooker. Seconded by Alderperson Zumoff. WHEREAS, a subcommittee of the Local Action Plan Steering Committee, along with representatives from the Attorney's Office, the Building Dept., the Controller's Office, the Fire Dept., the Human Resources Dept., the Police Dept., and Common Council, has convened on numerous occasions to develop suitable policies and procedures intended to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions and fuel costs related to City fleet vehicles and equipment, and City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 8 WHEREAS, the subcommittee is satisfied that the resultant proposed policy titled "Green Policy for the City of Ithaca Fleet" sets realistic and feasible goals, strategies and evaluation criteria; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the City Administration Committee endorses the proposed "Green Policy for the City of Ithaca Fleet" and recommends that Common Council adopts said policy. After discussion, Alderperson Zumoff made a motion to amend the Resolved as follows: Resolved, That Common Council hereby adopts the "Green Policy for the City of Ithaca Fleet" dated January 27, 2010. Seconded by Alderperson Clairborne. Motion carried 5 -0. A vote on the resolution as amended resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3. Review and Discussion of the Workforce Diversity Plan Attributes The Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee (WDAC) created the Workforce Diversity (WD) Plan Attributes. Prior to this document the City had an Affirmative Action (AA) Plan. There were legal conversations around the appropriateness or the need for an actual AA Plan. At that point it was determined that the City would move toward developing a WD Plan. The WD Plan is supposed to be a guide for the City as an organization. It expresses the City's commitment to diversity and inclusion. It was adopted by Common Council in 2004. The purpose of the plan was to give the City guidance in terms of what the priorities are and how the City would move forward. There are 14 attributes, identified as the ingredients necessary to achieve the overall goal when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Alderperson Clairborne talked about how department heads would incorporate their diversity plan in their reports and how Common Council could educate them so that when department heads are giving their reports Common Council would know what the department head was talking about and how they could listen actively and give constructive feedback. Ms. Michell -Nunn stated that Common Council would need to know what their comfort level is as it relates to their knowledge about City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 9 diversity and inclusion. Would they feel confident that they could truly evaluate the departments on diversity and inclusion? If not, there might have to be some education and training for Common Council during this process. Mayor Peterson stated that after each attribute, it is very clear what was adopted and what the roles are of the Mayor, department heads and Common Council. The WD Plan was passed in 2004. A lot has changed since the adoption of the plan. It is important that the City and the WDAC look at and update the plan. Chairperson Coles mentioned some topic areas covered by the Workforce Diversity Plan such as Established Foundation for Diversity & inclusiveness; Demonstrated Commitment to Diversity and Inclusiveness, Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities, Access to Opportunity /Succession Planning, etc. Ms. Coles suggested taking and considering one attribute at each meeting, looking to see what needs to be updated, updating definitions as needed and working with the Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee in updating this plan. Ms. Michell -Nunn stated that the role of Common Council is not passive in this process. Common Council could discuss how to monitor the progress and achieve the goal for each of the attributes. Alderperson Clairborne mentioned that some people are watching this meeting without the closed caption and are not able to understand what is being said. Alderperson Clairborne suggested making sure to consider ways to accommodate the hard of hearing. The Committee discussed ways to address the Workforce Diversity Plan attributes as well as include all members of Common Council in the discussions. Chairperson Coles stated that she will talk to the Mayor and the HR Director and get feedback from Common Council on how to proceed with the discussion. 4. Discussion on When Council Meeting Should Begin Alderperson Mohlenhoff distributed information regarding possible options for adjusting the Common Council meeting. Option A: Start meeting earlier. Option B: Split the meeting into two meetings; one meeting on Tuesday and one meeting on Wednesday. Option C: Place specific time restrictions on agenda items and City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 10 restrict public comments to only those who register before a certain time or all public comment to a certain time. The Committee discussed some conflicts or issues related to each option such as: Would starting the meeting earlier conflict with the Board of Public Works (BPW) meeting or other regularly scheduled meetings? Could the BPW meeting be moved to another room or day? Could the BPW meetings be reduced to twice per month? Could the end time of the BPW meetings be changed to 6:00 p.m.? What happens when the first Tuesday is after the first Wednesday? Would changing the Common Council meeting day or time conflict with other City, County or School District meetings? How would the change to the Common Council meeting affect the standing Committee structure, the Charter or the City's agreement with Pegasys Access Center? If meetings started earlier, how will Common Council ensure that they do not end late? What should be the cut off time for the public to submit cards to address the Committee? Can the time limit for public comments be changed to 2 minutes? This may disgruntle a few people at first but they will adjust to the new process. Alderperson Rooker stated that staff time should be used efficiently. This may mean limiting the time of the discussion on agenda items or Common Council comments. HR Director Michell -Nunn suggested that time could also be saved if questions about agenda items could be handled prior to the meeting so that discussion on the floor is just to allow the public to know what is happening. Alderperson Mohlenhoff asked the Committee that when making their decision about changes to Common Council meetings to please think about the technology that will be put in place to allow Common Council minutes to be viewed on line and to allow people to obtain documents and agendas from the website. Chairperson Coles thanked Alderperson Mohlenhoff for the work done and stated that the information gathered at tonight's meeting will be put into a letter to Common Council and the Mayor. Chairperson Coles asked if the Committee is interested in examining the possibility of moving the meetings to an earlier time. If so, some preliminary work could be done by the next meeting such as talking with the BPW and talking with City Clerk Holcomb about this discussion. The Mayor suggested getting feedback from department heads and Common Council about the intent coming out of tonight's meeting. City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 11 14. Human Resources (HR) Department 1. Director's Report. HR Director Michell -Nunn reported on the following: Monthly Report: Ms. Michell -Nunn highlighted the last three years analysis for workers' comp. The losses in 2007 we were at $239,000, in 2008 it decreased to $215,000 and in 2009 the year ended at $89,000. The results are attributed to the organization being trained and educated on safety issues. Common Council Orientation: The orientation for Common Council will be on February 8th and February 18th. Another date will be scheduled for March. Fire Fighter Exam: Today was the deadline to submit applications for the Fire Fighter Exam. To promote this exam, Fire Personnel attended the Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast. Police Officer Exam: The Police Officer exam will be in May 2010. The Police Department and Fire Department are working together to get people to apply for these exams. Ms. Michell -Nunn commended the departments for working together and doing their own outreach. Because of this initiative, they will be able to enjoy their results. Flu Shots: The City has not been able to schedule a flu shot clinic. Twenty -five (25) employees did participate in a flu shot clinic sponsored by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. To date $850 of the $5,000 has been spent. Ms. Michell -Nunn reported that some employees had to pay for the H1N1 flu shot and asked to use this money to reimburse them. After discussion, the Committee agreed that this money could be used to reimburse employees for the H1N1 flu shot. Undoing Racism: The City has $3,700 of the $5,000 needed to participate in the Undoing Racism Workshop sponsored by the Ithaca City School District (ICSD). Participating would allow thirty City employees to take part in these workshops. City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 12 15. Finance /Controller 1. Delegation of Power to the City Controller to Issue Revenue Anticipation Notes Moved by Alderperson Zumoff. Seconded by Alderperson Clairborne. BE IT RESOLVED, by the affirmative vote of not less than two - thirds of the total voting strength of the Common Council of the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, as follows: Section 1. The power to authorize, from time to time and year to year for a period of ten years, the issuance and sale of revenue anticipation notes of the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, including renewals thereof, in anticipation of the collection of revenues becoming due for the fiscal year of said City, during which such notes shall be issued or sold, is hereby delegated to the City Controller, the chief fiscal officer. Such notes shall be of such terms, form and contents as may be determined by said City Controller, pursuant to the Local Finance Law, and said revenues shall include all such revenues permitted pursuant to Section 25.00 of the Local Finance Law. Section 2. It is the intent of this Common Council that this resolution shall be of ten years duration which will self - repeal ten years from the date hereof, until otherwise modified, amended, revoked, rescinded or repealed. Section 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2 Controller's Report. Controller Thayer reported on the following: Cash Flow: Due to challenging financial times, the City's cash flow is low. Consumer Price Index (CPI): The CPI for December 2009 was 3.6 %, with a year end of -.13% for the City. City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 13 State Budget: The proposed State Budget is out. A number of items affecting the City are the reduction in AIM payments, a four year moratorium on unfunded mandates for local governments, and the CHPs funding remaining at the current level. Budget Year (2009): The final posting of 2009 activity will take about 1 -2 months. Sales Tax Revenue: The final number for sales tax revenue is 7.65% or $950,000 below the estimated budget level. For 2009, the City collected $11,476,000 in sales tax. For 2010, the City will see less than a 3% increase in sales tax. Overtime: The City budgeted $871,000 and spent $979,000, which is over budget by $108,000. Parking Revenue: The City budgeted $1,665,000 and was over budget by $126,000. Hourly and permit parking revenue was up. The meter revenue collection budget estimate was $760,000; the City collected about $727,000. Building Permits: The City budgeted $380,000 and collected $370,000, which was under about $10,000. Deficit Amount: The Controller is still waiting for many larger invoices for 2009 activity. Based on what he has, the City will still be at a deficit amount in the range of $300,000 to $600,000. Health Insurance Consortium: The implementation date has been moved to March 1, 2010. With the changes in documentations and documents, Consortium members may have to go back to their respective legislative body for final approval. 16. Reports 1. Mayor's Report. The Mayor reported on the following: Ad Hoc Committees: The Ad Hoc Committees are: Charter & Code Review Committee; Department Performance Measures Committee; Parking Management Committee and the Capital Planning Committee. All Committees should have met by City Administration Committee Meeting January 27, 2010 Page 14 the end of the month, discussed their interest and laid out plans and meeting times. Community Forum: The Community Forum will be on Monday - February 1, 2010 - 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. The Community Forum will address racism in our community, what advances or changes have been made in the last couple of years, and any shortcomings. The forum will have a Panel discussion and then input from community members. Representatives from local employers have been asked to attend this meeting to address questions that may rise for that agency. 2. Sub- Committee Updates. None. 3. Council Members' Announcements. None. 4. Next Month's Meeting: February 24, 2010. 17. Adjournment With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Rooker, the meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.