HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-1992-02-22BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
COMMITTEE OF.THE WHOLE
January 22, 1992
NOTES
Present; Commissioners Brandford, Cox, Gerard, Reeves, Rusoff,
Tripp, Mayor Nichols; Supt. Gray, Asst. Supt. Dennis Shimer,
Asst. Supt. Ferrel.
Commissioner Reeves chaired the meeting.
There were no additions to the Agenda.
The following was deferred to a future Agenda:
General plan for traffic and parking requests
The Board had Power to Act.
Resolution
By Commissioner Cox: Seconded by Commissioner Tripp
WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works directed the City Plumbing
Inspector to investigate water /sewer problems at 316 North Titus
Avenue, and
WHEREAS, the Plumbing Inspector concluded that the problems were
internal and not related to the installation of utilities by the
City, and
WHEREAS, the property has a history of root problems dating back
to 1942, prior to creek maintenance projects, and
WHEREAS, the installation of the water service and the sewer
lateral were requested by the property owner, therefore be it
RESOLVED that the Board of Public works deny the request to
expunge or modify the water and sewer installation bill for 316
North Titus Avenue.
There was some discussion of possible reasons for the 24 -year gap
between the call for service in 1963 and the recent group of
calls, beginning in 1987. Supt. Gray explained the probable
working life of clay laterals.
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
January 22, 1992
A vote on the Resolution resulted as follows:
Ayes (5) Rusoff, Tripp, Cox, Brandford, Reeves
Abstain (1) Gerard
Motion Carries
2. Improving meeting procedures.
Commissioner Reeves opened the discussion by pointing out
that the Board's unfinished business includes policy questions,
the answers to which could save both the Board and the public
time now spent on repeatedly addressing the same issues. She
said there were also other similar questions. Commissioner
Rusoff suggested making a list of those policies. Commissioner
Gerard said he thought the appeals procedure was meant to take
over where the laws or policies were too inflexible.
Commissioner Brandford said the appeals process must give
quick results. Mayor Nichols said many requests could be settled
by the Superintendent, but the Board has to give him the policy
to settle them by. Supt. Gray said the Board had cut out three
quarters of its previous requests for sewer expungements by
settling on a policy; he believes that with set policies the
Department could give timely responses to requests.
Commissioner Tripp handed around a proposal for re-
organizing the Board's meetings. This proposal sorts the various
activities of the Board into different meetings: the first
meeting for Board business, new business, public comment, and to
set the monph's agenda; the second for staff reports and other
Department business, and review of appeals; the third for
discussion of ongoing issues and projects; the fourth for voting,
and the fifth for special issues. Asst. Supt. Ferrel asked
whether the staff reports were actually useful to the Board; all
the commissioners thought they were useful, but they disagreed on
the optimal number, detail and form of the reports. Comm. Tripp
and Gerard would like written reports which could be quickly
reviewed to save the Board time. Comm. Rusoff would like the
reports to be monthly and to focus on large issues, rather than
giving details of the day -to -day operations; Comm. Cox would
also prefer to limit the reports to larger issues. He asked
whether it is necessary for both Asst. Superintendents to attend
every meeting of the Board.
Supt. Gray pointed out that the audits can only be done at voting meetings. He prefers to -have more than one meeting a
month at which the Board can approve audits and vote on other
Department business, so that requests for transferring funds,
etc. can get through the various other committees and votes
without undue delay.
Commissioner Cox said he thought having two meeting a month
at which the public could address the Board was better than only
one, but that four times a month was too often. Comm. Reeves
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BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
January 22, 1992
said she had a regular procedure at the moment for giving the
Public access to the Board; she will write it out or explain it
to Comm. Tripp.
Comm. Tripp is going to revise her proposed meeting
schedule, based on the discussion and on consultation with Asst.
City Atty. Kennedy and Supt. Gray about the legal and
organizational requirements for the meetings. Comm. Cox
suggested that the Board ought to be prepared in any case to
close its regular meetings if the business was finished and begin
discussing any unfinished business.
3. Mayor's projects / work program for the Board.
Mayor Nichols presented again the issues that he thinks the
Board ought to be dealing with: budget and staff reductions,
Physical facilities and consolidation, the water system, traffic
control, parking system management, the traffic system, and fee
structure / users' fees. He noted that Ithaca is now classed as
a metropolitan district, which will make it eligible for federal
transit funds.
Supt. Gray presented a list of areas of Board concern, with
some questions about each. He said if the Board considered them,
and made some decisions about priorities within the list, it
would be helpful to the Department, and to himself and the
assistant superintendents. He reminded the Board that the
Engineering Office is currently working on a number of capital
projects, many of them already decided on and funded, which is
the largest group of projects they have undertaken in one year.
At the same time, the engineering staff is two people short.
Mayor Nichols asked the Board how they wanted to consider
the items on Supt. Gray's list: through subcommittees? with
individuals organizing different topics? Comm. Brandford offered
to bring in, in a month, a proposal for dealing with traffic
control. Comm. Tripp will work on that with him. Comm. Cox and
Reeves offered to work together on consolidation. rComm.
Brandford suggested that each commissioner think by the next
meeting of two items they would like to deal with.
Comm. Reeves asked when it would be possible to discuss revenues.
Supt. Gray said he was close to being able to give the Board the
information it needed.
Meeting adjourned at 5:55 pm.
Notes by
Marianne Hansen
Administrative Secretary
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