Committee of the Whole

Office of the Clerk of Council City of Gahanna 200 South Hamilton Road Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes Committee of the Whole Stephen A. Renner, Chair Beryl D. Anderson Karen J. Angelou Ryan P. Jolley Brian D. Larick David L. Samuel Brandon Wright Monday, May 14, 2012 7:00 PM Council Committee Rooms Present 7 - Stephen A. Renner, Brandon Wright, Beryl Anderson, Karen J. Angelou, Ryan P. Jolley, Brian D. Larick, and David L. Samuel Additional Attendees: Mayor Stinchcomb, Brandi Braun, Dottie Franey, Karl Wetherholt, Sue Wadley, Mike Andrako, Gen. Williams, Chief Murphy, Shane Ewald, Jennifer Teal, Joann Bury, Tony Collins, Isobel Sherwood, Brian Hoyt, Tom Kneeland, Press. PENDING LEGISLATION: ORD-0096-2012 TO AUTHORIZE THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE TO REVIEW AND UPDATE AN INVESTMENT POLICY FOR THE CITY OF GAHANNA Renner called the meeting for Monday, May 14, 2012, to order; we want to thank you for waiting while we were in executive session; the first agenda item is the investment policy. Teal said I do not have a planned presentation; are there any questions. Larick said we have discussed this for the last couple of sessions in the Finance Committee; the goal is to establish a framework, and it is the same for the Debt Policy, in Code to regularly review it; our Finance Director has put it together subject to approval by Council; our existing policy is static; the core investment and debt strategies should be evaluated periodically; we felt it was prudent to bring this to Committee of the Whole for discussion and questions. Samuel said how did you come up with the dates for retention. Teal said it is 5 years on the Investment Policy which matches the Ohio Revised Code (ORC); 5 years is a common thread; we can't hold most securities for longer than 5 years; the alternative would be they sit too long and the market changes due to the economy or regulations change and we could look at it sooner if appropriate; so 5 years seemed to be a good middle ground; this issue came up at a good time as Bury and I have been chatting with our investment professionals and they are approachable and consistent with their information. Samuel said how do you keep those discussions from being sales efforts for their own products. Teal said you don't; we buy from brokers and they take a commission; we are limited with what we invest in; there is such a small sliver of the market that is appropriate that there is no room for crazy deals; with this tight market it is the one who calls first who gets the business; there is an alternative model where we could use an independent broker who charges a fee for services and does not profit from City of Gahanna Page 1 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 14, 2012 the sale of products; that person may have the City's best interest at heart and could provide a bigger picture; so we have all these folks helping; we are meeting with professionals, getting their input and deciding if we are going to use that model or tweak what we have now. Angelou said I believe we need to look at the professionals who have the City's best interest in mind with investments. Teal said it is an attractive concept, but not without cost. Angelou said what other ways do we have to accomplish it; Teal said what we are working on now is in flux; some of our professionals have moved to different firms; I think with the element of asking the right questions that I can get them to dance in order to keep our business; we could get more service and not pay any more; we will make a recommendation when we have finalized a plan. Angelou said so you will come back to us when done. Teal said yes. Samuel said in your opinion have we been too conservative and subsequently missed opportunities. Teal said not with our decisions; we have a poor policy that is overly restrictive; the terms are enumerated with every possible scenario in the ORC; if our goal was to mirror that, because of market changes we are no longer doing that. Renner asked for any other questions; there were none. ORD-0097-2012 TO AUTHORIZE THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE TO CREATE A DEBT POLICY FOR THE CITY OF GAHANNA See discussion under ORD-0096-2012 Investment Policy. ORD-0099-2012 TRANSFER OF FUNDS - Transfer to Capital Improvement Renner said the next item is the transfer of funds to the Capital Improvement Fund. Larick said I was the one that requested we bring this back to committee for a point of discussion; we need to realize this is different than a supplemental; here we are taking out a sum of money from the General Fund and the money is not intended for use immediately to buy an item; it is just a way to structure funds for future capital improvements; I looked at the items we have been buying so far this year; we have spent half a million dollars in supplementals so far; this transfer is additional money; represents items that have their own life; even with money in the account, we still have to pay on going; so I reiterate my concern that we do not have a replacement revenue plan for that. Teal said the Mayor and I have looked at tax budget data; don't want my answer to sound snarky, but if we don't spend the money, the costs will be more and go up with an ongoing replacement cycle; like streets, the long term cost is much higher after degradation over time; the repairs are more expensive; however the point about the sustainability of the fund is correct; there is not a long term funding source; the budget documents will be presented in 2 weeks; there we can see if there is a difference in what we think we need and what we are bringing in with the one time money; could be possible the needs are bigger than what we have; the current request of 2.7 million is just stating it is the will of Council for this much capital infrastructure and it is protected for use for that; the decision was made knowing that we have a lot of capital needs and this is just opening the discussion on priorities. Larick said the items in funds conceptually have a life span; so would another half million in revenue cover this. Teal said no; with current long term projections for these types of items, I don't believe so. Larick said I have significant concerns with spending money in bulk with no plan to replace it. Jolley said so we let our roads deteriorate. Larick said if we shut our eyes today, then it is a problem for someone else tomorrow. Jolley said so what is the alternative. Angelou said it is important to maintain our roads since they impact the quality of life here. Teal said allocating to the Capital Improvement Fund is limiting; it can only be used for infrastructure; roads, buildings, physical assets. Angelou said we could always add money to the pot. Larick said where does the money come from to add to the pot. Angelou said it is a guesstimate. Larick said the money is not there for renewal. Teal said we can wait and see; we are using our best guess on a 5 year City of Gahanna Page 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 14, 2012 forecast; it is an educated guess; next step, tax issues; that is part of the equation; if there is a revised request we should discuss it and it is timing issue; this is a bookmark; the math is to figure out what dollars come from where; conversations we will be having in the coming weeks will shed light on the long term picture. Larick said ok. ORD-0100-2012 TO AMEND THE CIVIL SERVICE RULES AND REGULATIONS AS DATED APRIL 10, 2012. Sherwood said this was discussed last time and it was requested to come back to Committee; I am open for questions. Wright said the questions I had were resolved in reading it. ISSUES - From Clerk of Council: Board & Commission Pay Sherwood said I provided a detailed memo on Board and Commission pay; with Civil Service changing to make it an Appellate Board, I had said when done, I would request to change their pay from a per month to a per meeting basis; since we were looking at that, I decided to bring forward all compensation for Boards and Commissions; some of you weren't aware of their pay; I reviewed with Collins the Landscape Board and Parks Board; they were set in 1997; then they met every month; now they don't meet that often, so I am also requesting we change them to per meeting pay rather than per month; Collins also requested the minimum number of meetings be changed to 4 from 6 for Landscape Board; if they need more they can add meetings, but they need to do at least 4. Wright said how often does Planning Commission meet. Sherwood said 4 times a month - 2 regular meetings and 2 workshops if needed. Samuel said he was fine with it. Recommendation; 1st Reading, no need to come back; 2nd Reading , Consent Agenda for 4 Ordinances. Accept Deed/Parkland Drive Sherwood said we occasionally run into old deeds that have not been accepted; found this one to an old pump station next to Big Walnut behind the Gahanna Swim Club from the 1960s; it is recorded, just not accepted; this was researched; Weber always wanted deeds accepted for tracking purposes and Ewald concurs with that policy and with this request; we would like the standard acceptance ordinance for this old deed. Recommendation; 1st Reading, no need to come back; 2nd Reading , Consent Agenda. Vacation of Easement, Reserve B, Hunters Ridge Sherwood said this request comes from the City Engineer with a Planning Commission recommendation to vacate an easement at Hunters Ridge Apartments; Columbia Gas released it in 1968 and because it is a platted easement we also need to do that; there are no facilities. Recommendation; 1st Reading, no need to come back; 2nd Reading , Consent Agenda. City of Gahanna Page 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 14, 2012 Ward Redistricting Sherwood said ward redistricting is usually done the year after the census; we look at the wards to see if they are in balance or if they need to be rebalanced; last year was an election year so it was not done then in order to not affect the election; I started gathering information in January of this year and that is the information presented to you tonight; open to discuss this, or if you want to think about it we can; between 2001 and 2012 we only went up by 600 registered voters; since 2006, wards 1 and 3 have declined while 2 and 4 have increased; in 2006 we looked at the numbers and chose not to do any changes; there is also a chart with changes by precinct and the numbers by precinct within each ward. Samuel said is the process looked at by our group or a committee. Sherwood said in 2001 we had a committee but we did not have a lot of participation; in 2006 Council chose not to do anything. Angelou said we were careful to not change any wards so that it would affect the election; we would do our best to keep people in their same ward; however they did need to be as even as possible; it doesn't look too bad now but it was very much out of balance then; now ward 4 has declined; ward 2 has gotten larger; it would be an easy fix to move boundaries; just take some from 2 to 4 then it would be balanced; does have to be done contiguously; not horribly off; in 2001 we drew air lines; the Board of Elections doesn't like that but we did that to try to get the same amount in each one; we could have Council persons from wards 2 and 4 look at it. Anderson said I would like to look at it more closely; after seeing what was done at the state level, we should understand the importance of this; is there a process to make these determinations. Sherwood said we have a list of all registered voters; previously, we had a map that covered the table; we drew lines and evaluated person by person; would be easier today using a computer; the Republican and Democratic committeemen were also looked at so as not to affect them.. Samuel said do you have a proposed start and end date. Sherwood said would like to see it done by the end of the year; could consider a special committee now or after the budget discussions; I am out of town next week, Angelou said we could get by looking at 5 to 600 of them. Wright said I think we need to look at all of them. Angelou said they need to be at about the 6,000 mark; we could get together and use the same ordinance that outlines how it is done. Mayor asked is there a cost. Sherwood said we would have to have surveys of the ward boundaries; if we made changes to all we would need about $2,500 for that. Anderson said that is reasonable; who would do that. Sherwood said I would suggest Terra Surveying; they did this for us in 2001 so they have the raw data which would save some money; the ward boundaries are codified; so we need an Ordinance to enter into that contract; then when done, we would need an Ordinance to adopt the new boundaries; it has to be filed with the Board of Elections. Wright said so we are leaving the drawing of the boundary lines to this company. Sherwood said we do the work; they do just the legal survey when we are done. Renner said there is no risk if we put this issue back to July or August. Sherwood said with my schedule, I would ask you to do it in July after the budget, because I am gone for parts of August and September and I do not want to wait until the end of the year. Renner said I don't think we understand the process; it needs committee oversight and now we are talking about ward member participation and doing a survey. Sherwood said we have surveys of the current wards; we would need surveys of redrawn wards. Renner said I think we should delay until July. Anderson said is there anything that needs to be done upfront. Sherwood said I have done it; put the numbers together. Samuel said I agree with waiting; put together a special committee in July; we need to know what was done. Larick said it is a standard political process. Angelou said we just go out and figure out the numbers using maps; we have the precincts on there. Sherwood said the Board of Elections sets the precincts. Anderson said I agree with July. Wright said we shouldn't be relying on the Council Clerk to oversee the details; we City of Gahanna Page 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 14, 2012 should look at this at street level and it doesn't have to be done as before; we need to take some time to look into the process including what would be a good schedule. Larick said the Council Clerk has to be involved. Wright said not to the point where it depends on her schedule to make it happen; we need to determine what our approach will be; and then establish a committee if needed. Angelou said we were just saying the history of how it has been done; she did head the process previously in 2001, and with 4 members on the committee, only 2 people showed up to the meetings and did all the work; that would be the Clerk and me; it ended up that we did a good job and it was balanced. Samuel said the majority requests you bring it back in July. Recommendation; Return to Committee of the Whole in July. ISSUES - From City Attorney: Transfer of Funds Ewald said as we begin the budget process, we have Attorney funds set aside in different accounts; we have a need at this time to transfer $50,000 from the general account to the special account for Creekside. Sherwood said didn't we lower the amount to $25,000. Ewald said I wasn't sure it got changed in the RCA; it is $25,000. Sherwood said it is a motion resolution. Recommendation; Motion Resolution, Consent Agenda. ISSUES - From Mayor's Office: Performance Measurement Braun said the Mayor and I have worked with Larick on an opportunity for enhanced Performance Measurement; the current request is for a supplemental of $10,000 to allow us to join the International City Management (ICMA) Center for Performance Measurement which we have determined is the best place to do this; most City departments have some measurements of the work performed; don't have a system to determine what is measured and how it is done year to year; this would give us comparative performance measurements which tells us how we stack up with similar communities; there are 3 reasons to do this; one is to learn what are the best practices; shows us what is sometimes not working and what to change; lots of examples of how to save money; second is allocating money and determining where it should go; this would complement our resident survey and where we fall using best processes; and the third is to be more accountable to our stakeholders; the cost is for an annual fee of $5,550 and one time training costs of $4,000; we are working with the ICMA to perhaps share the training costs. Larick said I can provide some background; about a year ago we were talking about how we measure performance; there are vendors that advertise this service; then at the end of last year, at work, I ran into various programs about maximizing and optimizing performance; determined it is a problem to measure this at a high level and how to measure; I made contact with several organizations; talked to a Director at OSU and thought maybe we could pursue this as a project or academically; I traded emails and looked for any groups that do performance measurements and that had the experience; Braun brought this organization forward and we looked at what they brought to the table; here we are not recreating the wheel; they have data to do comparisons; we can find communities that are the mirror image of us and be able to determine where we fit; whether we are lower or higher performing and City of Gahanna Page 5 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes May 14, 2012 evaluate how effective we are at funding; this came to be the best option. Samuel said so basically that is the purpose of this whole thing. Braun said it will be able to tell us how to spend and save; possibly in areas we never even realized. Wright said I don't like using performance measures as a basis to judge; don't want the individuals running departments to have to fear each objective that they perhaps didn't meet; we need to make sure as we are building our current brand that this is not the sole source we measure performance on; we need to encompass more than just these performance measures. Braun said this is quantitative measures only; we could take the issue of how we plow snow; they come forward and see how we do it; may or may not be a better way out there; we may change or we may say no; we want to be at the top but there is no right answer; it is just providing information. Wright said I like that. Angelou said we should focus on services; this says they monitor community obesity; that is not a government responsibility; there are no senior services or job creation efforts listed; there is an educational component; that is not our responsibility as well as fire and EMS since the townships do that; we are not part of the library system; really not a question for all of those things; can we pick and choose. Braun said we just picked some interesting comparisons; we can pick and choose within those; in addition to the national reporting, we can become part of the Central Ohio Consortium; this is more region specific and has measures discussed regularly like senior services. Angelou said the schools may want to co op and use this. Jolley said we looked at walkability; that would be a really good collaboration with the schools; not every state has this community structure so you can look at those that do; my question would be who attends the training. Braun said we plan to send representatives from all departments. Jolley said can we go. Braun said yes. Anderson said is there anyone else doing this. Braun said no; this group has been around. Anderson said what if there is a factor not listed; can we add one. Braun said yes; it is a member driven process; to add to the national scope may not be easy, but to the local consortium which is the most valuable, we can add other measures. Anderson said it is nice to know they will compare what we need. Angelou said it is a better way to get information and to communicate with the other communities; we would be working together at some level now that the job poaching agreement has fallen apart. Recommendation; 1st Reading, no need to come back; 2nd Reading , Consent Agenda. Samuel said there is no Finance Committee meeting tonight. Renner said meeting adjourned. Della Brandenberger, Reporting City of Gahanna Page 6