Finance Committee

Office of the Clerk of Council City of Gahanna 200 South Hamilton Road Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes Finance Committee David L. Samuel, Chair Beryl D. Anderson Shane Ewald Thomas R. Kneeland Brian Larick John R. McAlister Nancy McGregor Monday, November 22, 2010 7:00 PM Council Committee Rooms PENDING LEGISLATION: ORD-0173-2010 TO AMEND CODE SECTION 563.05 FIREARMS; WEAPONS, OF CHAPTER 563, PARK CONDUCT, OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA. Chair called the meeting to order at 7:02 Anderson stated she had expressed interest regarding this matter; had questions about other Cities in regard to what they are doing. Euton stated we have not been able to gather all of the information from other cities; have had about 5 responses and a few were from Central Ohio; from responses we received having had this request come to them to discharge a fire arm; different with urban hunting; Grove City said she would allow that if it came to her; no one had indicated they have received that request; have not had opportunity to call other cities to find out if they are in the code. Anderson we are on the cutting edge of this; we have mixed comments about this; there have been letters showing the pros and cons with regard to this issue. Euton stated he can't recite all of the letters but general feeling seems to be that guns are bad and we shouldn't allow them in city; people were misguided about allowing shooting with real powder charge; never the intent to bring that forward; people concerned about guns in general; also had letters about the idea that the Scouting group can stay local for their camps instead of training 10 to 20 miles away from Gahanna; can take place in their own neighborhood; some people feel it is great that we are getting kids engaged in guns and teaching proper fire arms use. Collins stated that the public information portion makes it hard to get the whole story out; people can't just walk into a park and shoot a pistol or bb gun; this allows us to permit special circumstances; talking about an education program with defined parameters to provide for safety of park participants; is not going to make the park unsafe to walk through; not going to put other people in a dangerous situation; have not been able to get that complete message out; very specific parameters; no where would we allow a situation that would jeopardize the safety of people in the parks. Anderson stated she understands it would be very helpful and insightful as presented by the Boy Scouts; however, the legislation would not say for the Boy Scouts; since it won't say specifically to Boy Scouts it could open it up to interpretation of whatever group might want to come; they feel this legislation should give them the same opportunity; looks harmless when talking about Boy Scouts; in favor of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts; have family members who got badges; have mixed feelings about this and looking beyond face value; opens up opportunity for people to make the case; passersby will look at this and need an explanation; people may not want to interface with these classes; only takes one mishap for potential liability; disclaimer City of Gahanna Page 1 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 with regard to that; public relations issues also; shouldn't consider putting a damper on the wonderful image we are trying to maintain; have been in Hannah Park and people still think it is the dog park; don't think those two things mix; it is not like there are not other alternatives; saw an article in Columbus Dispatch on November 18; taking aim at safety; these adults can get training for what they need to do with guns; also saw an article where a 4 or 5 year old child had gotten a bullet from his parent; in general children do not understand the harm it can cause; used this bullet in a gun that accidentally went off; children always have the potential of making a mistake; understand it will be a licensed teacher but it is still a public park; don't think Gahanna should allow; there is a potential danger issue; have to look beyond merit badges. Ewald stated he doesn't have a problem with the Boy Scouts having this type of activity; concern is notice and a safety issue; as far as public is concerned, people surrounding the designation of a particular park need to know; will be less of a safety issue for people not participating in the program; we are not talking about firearms; the same legislation does not cover gun powder or chemical fire. Euton stated the way it is written you have to have express permission; train with a fire arm with no ammunition or train with bb gun; all current laws will be in effect; if you think about it a lot of our parks have appropriate range area for bb guns; Friendship Park has excellent locations; can set up a 20 or 30 foot perimeter and have nothing behind it; area isn't developed with walking paths; you could specify a specific park but there are a lot of locations to facilitate this activity. Ewald stated this is not just for air propelled guns; what about archery ranges; do we typically designate certain areas; is that kind of activity regulated and not just an ad hoc event; could even post that notice periodically that we have this type of activity in that part; think we are over analyzing this; there is little potential of danger but could be a misperception of seeing people with guns in the park. McAlister stated a bb gun is not a weapon; I have no problems with teaching firearm safety in our parks; if we were not on such a tight budget I would make that a mandatory offering of Parks and Rec; used to shoot tin cans off my brother's head with bb guns; the fact that we have people ready willing and able to provide this kind of instruction is very admirable; don't think we should put up a roadblock. Ewald stated there is a concern about every other group who may want to apply. McAlister stated that is all the more reason why we should have this in place; we should encourage it. Larick stated he agreed there should be a designated area; gets rid of some of the variability; become a common place; could support that; not sure I can support it from just any place; this is part of our society and country; we see what happens when children haven't been exposed in an appropriate fashion; providing a place where some knowledge and safety can be imparted. McGregor stated that the example of child finding a bullet is exactly why we should do this; teaches them not to go near it and to notify an adult; also a bb does not go that far; could set a course 20 feet beyond where the bb couldn't even go; it won't just be anyone coming in; they have to have a license to teach gun safety. Kneeland stated he agreed; agree with a designated area; seems like this should be a normal part of our programming and provides some education. Samuel stated when he was in school there was someone from the NRA who came in and talked about gun safety; brought and weapon and showed us how to use it appropriately. Anderson stated it is not just gun safety it is gun use. Euton stated the safety orientation is a 22 rifle with no ammo; shows the boy scouts how to clean and load it and how to take it apart. Anderson stated an issue like this goes on both sides of the fence;other groups will be right behind the boy scouts; this can cause challenges; I am not against gun safety and gun classes; there are other places for people to train; this is not an appropriate venue for this type of activity; not wise. Ewald stated this is to allow this activity with a permit; if you don't have children exposed to firearms you have more problems down the road; respect for firearms in a more controlled environment; have a designated area; get the notice out; communicate with the police. Mayor stated this would allow for other youth groups with responsible leaders; have a son and a daughter in boy scouts who teach these classes; we know the requirements for these badges; the 22 rifle portion is book teaching; they will have to City of Gahanna Page 2 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 go someplace else to shoot it. Anderson stated law books show that simple can become complicated. Collins stated it is our intent when a group comes in that we will review the location and the safety aspects; the reason why we didn't include it in the legislation was because a location may have to change. Ewald stated he didn't think the location had to be in the legislation; just designate an area for it to occur in. Larick stated it should be consistent. Weber asked if the insurance was looked into. Collins stated they have asked us a few questions, but we are waiting to connect with them again. RECOMMENDATION: 2nd Reading; Regular Agenda ISSUES - From Director of Parks & Recreation: Authorize Contract/American Structurepoint/Big Walnut Trail Sec. 8 Euton stated American Structurepoint has been doing a study with ODOT of I-270; looking at on and off ramps to make recommendations to ODOT; looking at ways to incorporate our section of the Big Walnut Trail within ODOT right of way limits; will go under I-270 bridge; Structurepoint will evaluate and help incorporate it into future ODOT planning. Larrick asked what future date means; will it be within 1 year. Euton stated there have been a few things that have happened; we are looking at fiscal year 2014; we were notified that it looks favorable that we will be funded by MORPC for the Big Walnut Trail in 2014; would line up the rest of the trail and working with ODOT. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; No need to come back; 2nd Reading; Consent Authorize Contract/Bird Houk/Big Walnut Trail Sec. 1 & 2 Euton stated we would like to enter into contract with OHM out of Michigan; contract with them for construction drawings for section that was funded; awarded grants from ODNR; interviewed 4 firms; confident that OHM has enough experience; asking for an emergency; favorable time to bid and move forward with construction. Kneeland asked what the next step would be. Euton stated they will develop detailed drawings to go to bid with and we will come back for permission to bid. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; No need to come back; 2nd Reading; Consent; Emergency ISSUES - From Director of Public Service: Gahanna Jefferson Schools/Fiber IRU Emery stated this for utilization of our fiber network; have been meeting with the schools over past couple months; schools would utilize our fibers by connecting our fiber system to each of the schools; we see a number of benefits from doing this; first being an agreement for schools for them to be able to utilize existing fiber system and to interconnect and extend fiber to each of the schools; we are asking it to be passed as an emergency to move forward as quickly as possible;some of the delays have been in the review of our agreement; we also receive the benefit of gaining roof access for our wireless technology; enhances effectiveness of wireless; will also receive compensation from schools into our fiber system; also after we sent out our report we received a notice from the school's attorney regarding changes they would City of Gahanna Page 3 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 like to see to the contract; allowing a third part to utitlize bandwidth for school purposes and response times; locking in quicker response times; very minor changes on our part; we just got the modified documents at 3:00 this afternoon; requesting 1st reading with corrected attachment and a return to committee for review of the revisions. Kneeland stated he would like to know more about the third party agreement. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; Bring back to Committee Gahanna Jefferson Schools/Fiber Interconnect Agreement See above discussion. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; Bring back to committee ISSUES - From City Engineer: TechCenter Drive West/ODOT Agreement Wetherholt stated this has been going on for nearly a decade; trying to get TechCenter Drive extension to tie into TechCenter East; has been a lengthy process; have federal funding for 80% of it; ODOT has sent consent legislation so they can bid the project on January 27th; just barely enough time; along with this is a local match anticipating for that; did think it would be in 2011; have to provide the money now; asking to speed that up by a few weeks so we need a supplemental appropriation to accompany the ODOT agreement; need legislation to enter into agreement to build the project and to provide our local match funding; including the water component and pass that as emergency so we can send the check to them. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; No need to come back; 2nd Reading; Consent; Emergency TechCenter Drive West/Slope & Channel Easements Wetherholt stated plans were not developed and initially we did not get quite enough property; owner has given us a slope and channel easement; needs standard legislation to accept right of way from the owner and get into system. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; No need to come back; 2nd Reading; Consent Hamilton Granville Intersection Imp./ROW Settlement Wetherholt stated construction will begin late this spring; such that disruption occurs when school is not in session; value of right of way was $685 after lengthy discussion owner requested an additional $500; agreed on that so we need to approve the agreement with them for the additional $500; then go on to build the project. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; No need to come back; 2nd Reading; Consent ISSUES - From Clerk of Council: City of Gahanna Page 4 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 Board & Commission Organizational Meeting Dates Sherwood stated you set the meeting dates for the Boards and Commissions; we are requesting a Motion Resolution to set the dates for these meetings. RECOMMENDATION: Motion Resolution; Consent Authorization for Legislation/2011 Appointments Sherwood stated this is for Board and Commission appointments; need authorization for 5 Motion Resolutions and one Ordinance; 4 of the Motion Resolutions are for reappointments; one Motion Resolution is for a new appointment; and the Ordinance is a reappointment. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; No need to come back; 2nd Reading; Consent RECOMMENDATION: 5 Motion Resolutions; Consent Liquor Permit/Granville St. Tavern Sherwood stated the Police Dept. has no objections. RECOMMENDATION: Motion Resolution; Consent Liquor Permit/Max & Ermas Sherwood stated the Police Department has no objections. RECOMMENDATION: Motion Resolution; Consent Liquor Permit/CVS Sherwood stated we received this request today; it is a transfer from Revco to CVS; Police Dept. has no objections. RECOMMENDATION: Motion Resolution; Consent Code Change 1195.04 Sherwood stated we have an item to add; in February you passed ORD-0021 that amended the code section for storm water management; last week we sent all the legislation to the codifier; he called me today and there was an editing issue with section 1195.04; there was some language left in that should have come out; after talking with Wetherholt and Weber we would like to repeal a section of that ordinance and pass an amendment; would ask for 1st Reading; it is just a clean up of what you had previously approved so it can be codified correctly. Larick asked what the language change would be. Sherwood stated there was a section number that was left out; and some numbering issues. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; No need to come back; 2nd Reading; Consent City of Gahanna Page 5 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 ISSUES-From Mayor CIC Appointments Mayor stated she would like to reappoint Carla Wilke. RECOMMENDATION: Motion Resolution; Consent. ISSUES - From Director of Finance: Transfer of Funds/Parks & Recreation Mumma stated this is pursuant to an Ordinance passed in 2007; $50,000 is needed for post closure monitoring; that $50,000 was not appropriated; fortunately we have funds available in other accounts; asking for a Motion Resolution to transfer money into Brownfield account. RECOMMENDATION: Motion Resolution; Consent Mumma stated we are also requesting a transfer within Parks and Rec to purchase a backpack blower for fleet maintenance; more cost effective to replace; funds are available. RECOMMENDATION: Motion Resolution; Consent Supp. App./Reserve for Sick & Vacation Mumma stated we are requesting a supplemental for $25,000 from reserve for sick and vacation pay; City has a liability whenever someone leaves to pay their unused sick and vacation. RECOMMENDATION: 1st Reading; No need to come back; 2nd Reading; Consent 2011 Appropriations Samuel stated he would like to thank all of the Department Heads for their hard work on the appropriations; came up with money that was sorely needed for next year; when we start discussing appropriations we need to refrain from mentioning job description or names; will go through each Department and ask for comments; we were provided with an updated list of changes. Mumma reviewed the changes with Council; after we distributed the changes we got the final numbers for dental and vision insurance; something else to note is we are in an open enrollment period for the insurance so those numbers could change depending on changes in enrollment; made some minor changes and incorporated some suggestions; knocked a few hundred dollars off; think we are going to need to be very careful; there is no wiggle room in this budget; if something breaks we will be coming forward with a supplemental; might see more being brought forward on a smaller nature because we have gotten these accounts so tight; revised planned expenses also a revised capital projects appropriation; because of the fact we are requesting to run a structural deficit Council will not have an understanding from a City of Gahanna Page 6 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 supplemental standpoint; at this point still a lot can happen with revenue coming in and expenditures going out; won't know where we expect to be with regard to general fund carryover; we have minimized our supplementals tremendously but that is not to say that the need is not there; reviewed the supplemental numbers from 2007 to date; administration has been determining what our priorities are and have been bringing those to Council. Larick asked if the accumulation of encumbered carryover is steady or was there something that drove a portion of it. Mumma stated there has not been anything significant that has made it go up or down; important to remember that the numbers on December 31st are a snapshot; ever changing amount of money; we are not meant to be a profit making center; our carry over has been staying consistent but timing is everything. Larick asked based on what we know today and the ebb and flow was there a low point. Mumma stated when we transitioned to RITA last year there was a month of no income tax revenue; General fund took a big hit then; also when we have a month that has three pay periods in it; typically we are consistent through the year; started documenting the timeline of when our money is coming in. McAlister asked about the variance on the revenue and expenses on the 2011 appropriations; for example the $1.971 million on the sewer. Mumma stated the best place to look isat capital project budget in 2011; expecting to bring in less revenue than expenses; when we show a negative balance or variance there are sufficient fund balances to pull from; difficult passing a negative variance; we have done it in years past; there is ebb and flow. Emery stated that over the years the sewer fund has maintained a healthy fund balance; going in the direction that you are seeing; also seeing the fact we are passing a 0% rate increase on; that balance can absorb some of this; we monitor our fund balances very close; it is higher than what we need it to be right now. Mayor stated it was suggested by McGregor to take a look at our part time staff; had a part time student internin our office; going to cut that by $7,000; we have two part time people who are the only coverage for our office; think we can get by with 2 part time people; we also adjusted benefits; the Mayor's office covers the printing for the entire City; could have a big printing expense; we have made significant cuts in the education reimbursements; do have contractual obligation for that; if more employees choose to take advantage of it may have to come back for a supplemental. McGregor stated she appreciated the cuts; may be more cuts. Larick asked about seminars and meetings. Mumma stated they have all been zeroed out. Kneeland asked about overtime for the records department; when would there be a need for overtime. Sherwood stated if there is a large records request that is time sensitive; very minimal amount; just to have something in case there needs to be overtime. Kneeland asked if the office was cross trained. Sherwood stated we are in the process of cross training but if there is a complicated records request it needs to be handled by the records administrator. Kneeland suggested zeroing out the overtime in the Records Department. McGregor stated we should make it a part time position. Samuel stated that is something that can be brought back to the next Committee of the Whole; bring more data. Page 10-Human Resources- Ewald asked about the ongoing maintenance contract for the hiring software; since we are not in a hiring mode is that necessary. Treadway stated we still hire for positions in Parks and Rec; that software has been very helpful. Ewald stated when we look at everything they all add up. Treadway stated that it has been a God send; we also had to pay Sungard for some of the custom items to integrate with our security. McGregor asked if the cost for advertising is a realistic number. Treadway stated we are continually looking for creative ways to advertise because the Dispatch has gotten very expensive; have gotten to the point that we are only advertising the job title and our website address. Mumma stated we have cut it $3,000 from last year. Ewald asked if we are required by any contractual obligation to advertise. Treadway stated that it depends on the position; trying to make sure we get the best applicants possible. Larick asked about the flexible spending account. City of Gahanna Page 7 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 Treadway stated it stays the same every year; required by IRS. Larick clarified at the end of the year it is a net zero. Mumma stated in order for us to write a check we have to have it appropriated but it is a wash; it doesn't always have a clean end. Page 12- Finance McGregor stated since we moved to RITA is there a need to have a Tax Director since we don't have a Tax Department. Mumma stated 2010 is the baseline for RITA and how many people came here in April; trying to determine the demand here onsite; would like more than the first year to make a determination. Kneeland asked what Tech Maintenance was for. Mumma stated it is for the financial software that all of the departments use for receipts and payroll. Page 14- Auditor Mayor stated we get billed the next year for elections; we anticipate a larger expenditure based on all the elections in 2011. Page 15- Tax Dept- No Questions Page 17-Miscellanous- No Questions Page 19- Public Service Mayor stated we are seeing money in the street lights for the first time; used to be paid out of TIZ funds; we are now seeing the loss of those funds after 30 years. Page 20- Mayor stated utilities went up to $385,000 because of TIZ funds no longer being used. Page 21- Lands and Building Kneeland asked about contract services being $109,000. Franey stated that is for a lot of different services; the major one is Ameriscape; copier maintenance,floor mats; pest control. Kneeland asked about the cut to janitorial services. Emery stated we had a change in cleaning contractor and we hope there will not be any difference. Samuel asked about postage. Emery stated we run the postage out of the front desk for all of City Hall; increase in postage costs. Mumma stated we backed it down $20,000. Ewald clarified that the deduction in postage took into account the adjustment of going to RITA; providing tax forms online versus mailing them. Kneeland asked about operational expenses. Emery stated they would look into that. Page 23- Engineering-No Questions Page 25- Mayors Court Kneeland asked whats in the building fund for Mayors Court. Woodward stated we have around $170,000. Kneeland asked could we cross charge that to the Mayors Court to be in this building; that fund has been accumulating for some time. Mayor stated we will have to think about that. Kneeland stated with the amount of impact they put on the building we should be able to charge them to keep the place clean. Woodward stated we will have to look at the legalities of using that fund; there are certain things that you can use special project funds for. Page 27- Civil Service- No Questions Page 29- City Attorney Kneeland asked about payment for contract labor; can that cost be cut. Anderson asked why is it a separate amount. Sherwood stated it is an existing contract that goes through the end of next year; would have to have a discussion with City Attorney. Mayor stated it was advised to split out salaries so you are not paying one person's salary from another salary; keep proper PERS records. Ewald stated the contract should be taken into consideration during appropriations for next year. Anderson asked if the amount could be lowered. Mayor stated it is an existing contract so it can't be at this point. McGregor clarified that next year is the last year for the City Attorney's pay increase. City of Gahanna Page 8 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 Page 30- Police Kneeland asked what is Overtime paid out for. Mumma stated we have offsetting revenue that equals that. Kneeland asked about holiday overtime pay. Spence stated we have contractual obligation to pay holidays up front and then overtime on holidays. McGregor asked if we could cut some of the part time police officers. Chief stated that when you cut the position the job doesn't disappear; they carry guns and badges; would reduce the minimum amount of officers out in the City because we would be taking full time officers off the streets to do what the part time officers are doing. Kneeland stated we need to look at the adjustment in overtime pay; reduced the amount of overtime by effectively using part time officers. Samuel stated our officers do things that other departments have other people do like fingerprinting; our officers are working hard. McAlister asked what the transfer to police pension was on Page 33. Mumma stated we a put a portion in the general fund; reduces total pension liability; general fund transfer is reduced by amount we receive through real estate taxes. Kneeland asked for clarification on our portion of the money that we get from the schools for officers. Mumma stated we appropriate the full salary and on revenue the schools pay half of the salary and benefits. Mayor stated we are authorized for 60 sworn full time officers and this budget reflects the City going without 4 full time officers. Larick asked how long we have been down and Chief stated it has been most of the year. Page 34- Safety Kneeland asked what is that exactly. Bob Keyes stated the position is mine and we have one office manager and 3 civilian staff. Chief stated it is set up by the Charter. Page 36- Animal Control- No Questions Page 37- Emergency Mgmt Samuel commented that our tabletop exercise is tied into funding; if we don't hold that exercise we don't receive federal funds. Gen. Williams stated if we don't have an actual event we have to hold exercise every three years. Page 38- Prisoners; Spence stated we have to pay the county $70 a day for prisoners taken in; if a prisoner has a medical issue while they are there we are responsible. Mumma stated we did not artificially lower any account; there are timing issues with this if we don't have enough. Page 39- Public Health Kneeland asked what this covered. Emery stated it was for the annual contract with the Franklin County Department of Health. Mayor stated it covers all health immunizations, restaurant checks and smoking enforcement. Page 40- Communications/Dispatch Kneeland asked if we are down in employees. Bell stated we are down one full time dispatcher. Larick asked is that reflected here. Spence stated we just offered a test and it is our intent to fill that position. Kneeland asked about going from $410,000 to $492,000. Spence stated we are still waiting to get the contract back from arbitration; projected increase of salary. Mumma stated this is the worst case scenario. Page 42 Zoning McGregor asked about the part time positions. Mayor stated we have 1 person that works half a day and then other people have to fill in; takes in permits that we require them to have. Page 44- Planning Board- No Questions Page 46- Development Larick asked if promotion was for advertising. Jones stated it was for advertising. McGregor asked about the groundhog breakfast. Jones stated it is usually around $12,000; depends on the number of attendees and location. City of Gahanna Page 9 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 Page 48- Building Kneeland asked about contract labor. Jones stated we have two contract requirements we must enter into. Anderson asked about training. Jones stated there are various certifications that are required for our CBO. Page 50- Refuse No Questions Page 51- BZA Appeal No Questions Page 52- IT McGregor stated she thought we were hiring a supervisor and not a director. Mayor stated we did have a process for a supervisor; in the recruiting phase right now; Braun is overseeing it now. Kneeland asked about tech maintenance. Braun stated it was maintenance for software licenses and incidental repairs. Ewald stated he thought we were looking for a hands on manager for this position. Mayor stated that is one of the challenges; unlike a lot of other areas there is not a lot of unemployment for this area; good IT people are hard to find; trying to get these positions filled; we are looking at resumes now; most critical position is tech position because it is needed everyday; our preference is to have a director; first search didn't pan out; hard to find a jack of all trades who handles strategic things as well as hands on; attempting to recruit. Page 54- TIF No Questions Page 55- Tax Incentive Kneeland stated we will be paying the schools almost $2 million next year. Page 56 Computer Hardware- No Questions Page 57- CIC Kneeland clarified this is the bed tax money that is passed through city to CIC and not the general fund. Page 58- GIS McGregor asked if the part time person was needed. Braun stated that person handles most of the map requests; GIS mapping is used to track a lot of city assets; helpful to use it to the fullest extent; best to leave on board until a new director comes on. Page 60- CVB No Questions Page 61- Electric Aggregate No Questions Page 62- Landfill No Questions Page 63- Creekside McAlister asked about elimination of interest payment. Mumma stated when we spent bond interest it was a different expenditure line; interest we were earning off bonds; this department was created to track the bond money. Page 66- Parking Garage McAlister asked how many cars are being parked in the garage. Emery stated the car counts range from 20,000 more cars parked in the garage this year than last year; had 18,000 cars park in July; free parking has definately enhanced the use. McAlister asked if we are charging for special events. Emery stated we do. Anderson asked about increasing signage so people can maneuver to the garage for Creekside. Emery stated we have some funds in our current budget to try to enhance signage. Page 65- Parks McGregor asked about contracting out for street trees. Collins stated we have checked on that; works in some areas and not in others; with large trees we already work with Asplundh to remove them. Euton stated we got a quote City of Gahanna Page 10 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 from an arborist to do routine pruning and it was $35 to $50; we are able to do it for less than $10 a tree. Samuel asked if there was a model for the departments to use when looking at outsourcing or keeping in house. Mayor stated every department will be different; we don't have a standard form. Kneeland clarified that every department should look at that on a regular basis. Page 67- Recreation Samuel asked about paid entertainment. Collins stated you will see a reduction in the program services line; not just for entertainment; used for any of our recreation programs that are not funded; Creepside and Family fun day. Euton stated it goes to pay for free programs and our music series. Mayor stated she understood that the Parks Foundation met this morning and they were asking about 4th of the July. Collins stated we have zeroed out 4th of July; the Parks Foundation committed last year to privately raise money; the fireworks alone cost $20,000; does not include any of the services we provide; at that point they committed to trying to raise $20,000 but wanted to know what other expenses there may be for our services. Mayor stated this is something for Council to decide; if we have citizens who raise enough money to buy fireworks can we support their efforts with our services; could be a supplemental. Anderson asked how much it would be. Collins stated we estimate it would be another $20,000 for Parks, Police and Service to cover it; very labor intensive for a 20 minute program; parade is also a significant resource; we feel the amount of commitment for one day could be put to longer term use. Ewald agreed that one day versus a weekend program is a lot of resources. Page 69- Golf Course No Questions Page 71- Senior Services Mayor stated we cut part time by $2,000; at some point that becomes a health and safety issue; we need to make sure we have proper staffing. Anderson asked what the responsiblities were of part time position. Collins stated the Senior Center is open almost 7 days a week; a lot of times we give the key to someone; if director is on a trip we may have the part time person sit at front; they are also back up for trips; would be concerned if we reduce that any more; we also use a tremendous amount of volunteer hours. Page 73- Parks and Rec Board No Questions Page 74- Landscape Board No Questions Page 75- Park Facilities No Questions Page 77- Hunters Ridge Pool Ewald asked if we have looked at selling the pools. Collins stated we have bid it out twice; we had call from YMCA but they only wanted to manage it; public pools do not have a lot of profit margin. Kneeland asked are we breaking even. Collins stated in direct operating costs we are going to be between a $6,000 and $8,000 loss. Mayor stated that is pretty good considering what other cities do. Collins stated we received a lot of complaints about the rates of our pool; simple response is they are paying for the service; going to do some major adjustments with the hope to increase the quantity of members and raise more revenue. McGregor asked if there were any final numbers. Collins stated we have usage numbers; we are putting together an end of season report. Page 79- Ohio Herb Education Center Samuel asked if people were utilizing that center. Collins stated we do have numbers of visitors. Braun stated the numbers are up since the move of location. Collins stated our store sales have increased; tremendous part of moving; also moved their hours to accomodate the holidays. Anderson stated she has been there several times; have heard comments that most of the visitors are from out of town; Gahanna people need to know they are there. City of Gahanna Page 11 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 Page 81- Swim Club- No Questions Page 83- Fleet Maintenance Kneeland asked how the recent modification to maintennance agreement affects the budget. Mayor stated there is a part time position that was cut. Emery stated in 2009 we had a full time position that was removed and not replaced; in same time frame regular part time position left for another job; we are taking a good look at our overall operation; we have 4 mechanics left who maintain around 500 pieces of equipment; will see us save dollars by not subletting our equipment as much as when townships were bringing all of their equipment to us; also because we are not buying new equipment we are working on ways of making existing equipment last longer. Mumma stated we have adjusted the revenue to compensate for the change. McGregor asked since we will not be doing as much for the township shouldn't we be able to cut from a mechanic standpoint. Emery stated we have been behind. McGregor asked about sending the vehicles out for routine maintenance like oil changes. Franey stated when we have a vehicle in for an oil change it gives us opportunity the check the vehicle over; we want to see our vehicles on a regular basis; we have reduced the revenue but we have also reduced the expenses of gas, oil and parts. Emery stated this change has just happened and we need time to look at it more; we still maintain 500 pieces of equipment; by doing more work in house it should bring our budget in line and if we can't do that we understand what we need to do. Ewald stated we should be able to track a lot more with the work being done in house; would cost more to repair down the road; things will be caught sooner. Emery stated that is critical right now because anytime we maintain a piece of equipment we are extending the life of our fleet; we still are not sure how the township is going to utilize our services so we are still trying to figure everything out. Page 85- No Questions Page 86- Joint Maintenance Larick asked what is it. Franey stated it is the part of the budget that takes into account the fact that we share a building with the schools; we share some of the expenses and pay for our portion of the utilities. Page 87- Fuel Station Emery stated we have transitioned into that facility being demoed. Mayor stated we chose not to cut it from the budget in case there are additional expenses. Larick are we still using the facility. Emery stated we are looking at December 31 as the end date; schools may need the fuel site a little longer; there will be meetings to orchestrate the transition. Page 88- Transfers Mumma stated this is for when the General Fund is transferring money to another area; any other transfers we might do. Page 1-Council Samuel stated he has a concern about seminar and meetings; clerks are required to go and have licenses to maintain but I think National League of Cities and Ohio Municipal League may not be as effective as I thought they would be; what do we think about doing away with the memberships. Ewald asked do we receive a significant benefit from being a member of either one. Braun stated aside from the conference OML is sending legal analysis of state issue; allows us to quickly understand what is going on. Sherwood stated we need to make a decision before dues are payble in December; Anderson asked are we taking advantage of opportunities that the memembership may provide for; may have discount programs; what is being provided through membership. Mayor stated we have been talking about all memberships across the board and whether more than one person from each department should have memberships; have cut all opportunities for seminars and meetings; think some people take better advantages of memberships than others; get certifications. Emery stated we are a part of the OML consortium for City of Gahanna Page 12 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2010 insurance; involved with 50 to 60 communities; can call and see if we have to be a member of OML to be a part of the consortium. Kneeland stated we are not budgeting for travel; need to be careful what we cut; there are some things that are required for continuing education and certifications; some things we can save money on this year; forgo NLC and maintain OML for value. Mayor agreed that NLC could be cut. Sherwood clarified that we are not going to pay NLC this year; cut annual dues to $4,000; dues will go up next year based on census figures. Emery stated the OML consortium that we are a part of is getting better costs; we could go out for bids; OML pool has been very effective but it is always something we can consider. Emery stated he will call to see if we have to be a member of OML. Samuel suggested having two committees and doing away with one clerk at the meetings; would require a change in rules; something to think about. Sherwood asked to revisit the Records Administrator overtime; part of that is for the shredding day; a lot of work for before and then all Saturday morning; if we cut the overtime for that then shredding day would need to be eliminated or a supplemental would be needed; its an overtime issue. Kneeland stated we could change the shredding day. Mayor stated that program has been very popular; participation has gone up every year. Samuel asked why does Council have laptops. McAlister stated I use mine during the Committee meetings for research and to access emails; use mine all the time. Kneeland stated when you are using a personal computer for city work you have just opened that up to public records; my laptop is going on 6 years old and has not been replaced; not sure that the expense is there. Mayor stated there is no replacement money for computers or laptops. Samuel suggested expanding the volunteer program; community service credits; help in some of the areas; a lot of cities pay them with pool memberships or discounts; have to have background checks but we could use volunteers where we need them; also have the idea of not back filling Deputy Director positions when they leave. Collins stated we post in every newsletter volunteer opportunities; we utilize a lot of volunteers; but it is hard to get people interested in volunteering. Mayor stated in terms of not back filling Deputy Director positions, I think its important for people to decide what services they want and what they don't want; there is nobody sitting here doing nothing; they have a signficant work load; we are looking at every department; many have already reorganized; easy to say cut a position but the work still has to be done. Adjourned at 10:05 p.m. MONITOR: 2010-0056 Stacey Bashore, Recording City of Gahanna Page 13