Finance Committee

Office of the Clerk of Council City of Gahanna 200 South Hamilton Road Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes Finance Committee Beryl D. Anderson, Chair Shane Ewald Brian D. Larick John R. McAlister Nancy McGregor Timothy W. Pack David L. Samuel Isobel L. Sherwood, MMC, Clerk of Council Monday, August 22, 2011 7:00 PM Council Committee Rooms Present 7 - Beryl Anderson, Shane W. Ewald, John McAlister, David L. Samuel, Nancy R. McGregor, Timothy W. Pack, and Brian D. Larick Additional Attendees: Tony Collins, Dottie Franey, Karl Wetherholt, Mike Andrako, Angel Mumma, Brandi Braun, Mayor Stinchcomb, Anthony Jones, Donna Jernigan, Deputy Chief Bell, Gen. Williams, Tom Kneeland, Press. PENDING LEGISLATION: ORD-0167-2011 TO ZONE 13.175+/- ACRES OF PROPERTY AS OCT, OFFICE COMMERCE AND TECHNOLOGY; SAID PROPERTY LOCATED AT 655 TECHCENTER DRIVE; TRIVIUM DEVELOPMENT, APPLICANT. Anderson called the Finance Committee meeting for Monday, August 22, 2011, to order; said the first item is pending legislation for rezoning. Jones said this request is for rezoning that will allow the proposed development on the southeast corner to take place; the request is to change to OCT, Office, Commerce, and Technology, to accommodate more of the necessary business environment; the current zoning on the property is SCPD, Select Commercial Planned District which is a catch all code; the new zoning is specifically to encourage development. Recommendation: 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda. ISSUES - From City Engineer: Safe Routes to School Wetherholt said this project is to enhance infrastructure around four schools for the safety of students; this was authorized by a previous ordinance, ORD-0114-2011, which was passed; at that time, the environmental work was in the proposal and ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) said they could handle it; now they can't; City of Gahanna Page 1 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 22, 2011 we need to add $9,896 that will be 100% reimbursed through the grant; we are the pass through; so we are requesting legislation to fund the environmental work for the Safe Routes to School project. Ewald said I spoke to residents on Shull Avenue and they wanted me to inquire on the time line for sidewalks. Andrako said the design will be done next summer, so I would say early in 2013 it will start. Wetherholt said we have a lot of resident involvement planned; the first meeting is on Shull Avenue and the second one is to cover all other topics for all the City; at the first one, we do have residents give opinions and ideas on the design; the 2nd one is really to inform them what is going to occur. Ewald said residents on Heil asked about the path behind the school; are we incorporating that section. Andrako said yes; the idea is to create connectivity; they will remove the pavement there and tie the walking path to Shull and then go south to Town or Ogden Alley; the idea is to have sidewalks on one side which will minimize the impact and this is the least resistant path, but we will tie that path in. Ewald said will it extend past the existing pavement. Andrako said no; Heil meets Mill and stops at the path; there is no connection past that; ODOT doesn't extend paths that don't go anywhere. Ewald said but you could roll that into legislation. Andrako said we have just begun to talk about the leisure trail here. Samuel said did you get input from the schools. Andrako said Scott Schmidt is the vehicle to get the information into the schools and he has been good about getting the information out; they will be included in the meetings; during the original discussions, Rotella was involved; he left, then Groves who is now gone was there; but Schmidt is very aware of what is going on. Collins said the ideas came from work teams made up of every organization from the ground up. Collins said they meet on a regular basis. Samuel said what does the environmental work encompass. Wetherholt said it will be discussed at the public involvement meeting, but the environmental work involves filling out forms to show each type of issue and how it has been addressed; they look for architectural things for example; we just have to go through the process. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda. Annexation/0.29 acres/4427 E. Johnstown Wetherholt said this property is one we purchased recently authorized by ORD-0130-2011; it is in the township and has to be annexed; it has a house that has to be demolished and a brick building that has been identified as having historical significance still there. Anderson said is this the one in front of the Y. Wetherholt said yes; we are requesting authorization for the City Attorney to file a municipal annexation of this property. Anderson said doesn't the Y also want to use this. Wetherholt said they have agreed to reimburse the purchase price. Franey said their interest was in getting the house down and land mowed; we own it and have cleaned it up so they are paying us back for that. Mayor said we still own it and they lease it; the brick building is staying until we can determine what is necessary to restore it or what other options might work for that. Anderson said how old is the historical building. Franey said it was a one room school house built sometime in the 1800s. McGregor said is there a date for the demolition. Franey said not yet. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda. Annexation/3.4 acres/5061 Shagbark Wetherholt said this property extends from Hamilton Road along the south side of Shagbark; there are 2 parcels; one is owned by Jack and Sue Williams and another City of Gahanna Page 2 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 22, 2011 owned by 4 parties; we kind of promised annexation when we did the right of way for the Triangle West Sanitary Sewer; this is an island and we should annex it anyway; so this is for the authorization to have the City Attorney file the petition to annex. McGregor said why does this have one address on Hamilton Road. Wetherholt said one of the parcels has that address; when we have multiple parcels, one piece identifies it; if you have a really big annexation you would have a giant name, so this has become a standard naming practice. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda. Techcenter Dr. Public Infrastructure Extensions Wetherholt said the main part of ORD-0134-2011 authorized Advanced Civil Design to do all the design for facilities for the 13.175 acre site; now that we know the extent of the buildings, we have discovered the need for the water line to be looped to meet the building requirements per the fire department; we knew it would happen just not this soon; to keep up with fire regulations we need 1500 feet of water line at the end of Techcenter Drive to where the 12 inch water line is on the Buckles Tract; need the easement document made up; the proposal from Advanced Civil Design to increase the scope of services would allow us to get it built with the project; an ordinance is required and emergency is requested. Anderson said what is the time line. Wetherholt said construction is for the end of October. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda, Emergency Language. ISSUES - From Director of Public Service: Storm Water Mower Replacement Franey said a mower replacement was included in our 2011 appropriations; we have 3 quotes with the lowest bidder being Buckeye Power; with our trade in, it comes to $3,410.55; the allocated amount was $2,500 so we are asking for the authority to purchase this and for a supplemental for $910.55 to complete the purchase. Larick said how old is the current one. Franey said it is a 2008 with a lot of hours; in fact a ton of hours. Pack said what is the trade in credit. Franey said $5,300 for trade in. Anderson said how does that square for like mowers. Franey said she didn't know. Anderson said she wondered if that was the best deal. McGregor said so this is the amount over trade in being authorized. Franey said yes. McAlister said why is it called a storm water mower. Franey said it is used by that department on dry basins. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda, for supplemental and purchase. Permission to Pay Invoice - Columbus 2nd Quarter Utility Franey said the next 2 items need motion resolutions; as you are aware, purchase orders (PO) need to be pulled before an expense is incurred; our water and sewer rates are low in Gahanna and we have a narrow window to get revenue in and pull a PO and pay the bill; when I received a quarterly invoice, then I would pull the next quarter's PO; that made me pull the PO into the next quarter; so we were receiving water where that PO had not been pulled; now what I have done is add triggers in flag files about the 20th of each month to check this bill and to trigger me to check City of Gahanna Page 3 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 22, 2011 these and pull the POs so I don't get into this situation again; and we need a motion resolution for Finance to be able to pay these. Recommendation: Motion Resolution, Consent Agenda. Permission to Pay Invoice - Columbus 3rd Quarter Utility See discussion under City of Columbus 2nd Quarter Utility Invoice. Recommendation: Motion Resolution, Consent Agenda. Permission to Pay Invoice - Vector Disease Control Franey said this request is to allow payment of an invoice to Vector Disease Control; it was simply an oversight on my part; the mosquito abatement has been handled in the past by Franklin County; this is the first year we are paying them directly; so we didn't recognize it until we got the invoice and we had no PO. McGregor said it is $11,473.69; how many sprays is that. Franey said it is more than one spray but may be for a period of time; through June 30; in addition to spray it is larvacide for standing water and testing and setting traps. Pack said when we pay directly, did rates stay the same. Franey said the County negotiated the rates so they are comparable. Recommendation: Motion Resolution, Consent Agenda. ISSUES - From Director of Emergency Management: Permission to Pay Invoice -Emergency Communications Network Williams said we are all wearing bruises about the POs; we had a hiccup on our start date for the Weather Warning Service and with getting the right price; we got it all straightened out; then to Council and now we are requesting permission to go ahead and pay for the weather warning service. Pack said the General and I were talking and we have 10% signed up and they are still signing up on a daily basis. Williams said it has been just short of a month; July 24 was the first weekend and we had 1,200 sign up; do about 100 a day now; I look at it from the stand point of homes; out of 10,000 over 4,000 homes have signed up; reached out to a lot of folks and signed up many. Anderson said and they can sign up anytime. McGregor said is there a limit to how many devices one family can sign up. Williams said there is no limit; can do your children and cell phones. Recommendation: Motion Resolution, Consent Agenda. ISSUES - From Director of Finance: Bank Charge Funding Transfer Mumma said I am requesting an ordinance to transfer $2,000 to the Recreation Bank Charges account; we didn't know how many people would pay by credit card; this should be enough money to cover fees and get them through the rest of the year; it is not a supplemental, just a transfer. Larick said how much are our credit card fees. Mumma said 2.2%; when we look at City of Gahanna Page 4 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 22, 2011 our banking relationships, we will check these rates out. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda. Supp. App./Accrued Sick & Vacation Pay Mumma said I am asking for a supplemental of $174,000 from the Reserve for Sick/Vacation Fund for accrued sick leave payouts; it is difficult to know who is going to leave and what their sick and vacation payouts will be; this is set aside for this purpose. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda. Early Retirement Incentive Transfer Mumma said this request is for a transfer from the Mayor's Court Director account to their PERS account; I neglected to bring this transaction forward when the supplemental was requested; it was planned to use the money from the salary account to minimize the funds necessary in the supplemental; this is to clean up the accounting for the proper expenses. Recommendation: Motion Resolution, Consent Agenda. Requesting Department - Police: Dispatch Overtime Mumma said this request is for a transfer of funds within the Police Overtime Accounts; it is not possible to know who will take compensation in time off or pay and more employees than expected have taken paid time; need to transfer $3,581 to the Holiday Overtime Account and there should be no additional payments from this for the rest of this year. Recommendation: Motion Resolution, Consent Agenda. Prisoner Funding Transfer Mumma said this ordinance is requesting a transfer of $31,952 from the Police Officers account to the Prisoner account; Franklin County has increased the costs of prisoner boarding and this should cover it for the remainder of the year. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda. Requesting Department - Parks & Recreation: Transfer of Funds - OHEC Purchase Mumma said when the Herb Center was purchased, the money was appropriated for the purchase and select repairs; to address these repairs, we are requesting the City of Gahanna Page 5 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 22, 2011 remaining $39,289 be moved to the Capital Improvements Account to handle roof repair, painting and carpentry; additionally any repairs that come in that are not capital, meaning they don't extend the life of the building, we would like the ability to pay, so we would also move funds to an operating account so we don't misclassify funds; that way we won't tie our hands. Anderson said can you expand on what "extends the life of the building" means. Mumma said it is a capital expense if it extends the life of the source; if we fill a pot hole, that is a quick fix and does not really extend the life of a road; however resurfacing the road does extend the life; that is the best example I can come up with. Pack said wasn't there a trust fund established by the previous owner for these expenses that had money set aside. Collins said we are working with the Columbus Foundation to try to access some of these funds for maintenance; the trust is in their name not the City of Gahanna; it would have $3,000 to $5,000 maximum available per year to use for this; basically using the interest. Pack said once it is figured out we may get some of this back. Collins said they are more than willing to work with us. McGregor said is there any savings if you bundle the repairs. Collins said it depends on the repairs; the roof needs to be done but there may be some savings to bulk them together and not split it up; I will have Euton check into that and update you. Pack said how is the attendance at the Herb House; last report I had said it was only seeing about 2 people per day. Collins said that would be for just random drop ins; bulk of our traffic comes from group tours, classes, and bus tours; I don't have exact numbers but I will put it in a future report; I had heard we went from 7 to 27 bus tours this year. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda. Transfer of Funds - Gahanna Swimming Pool Mumma said we are requesting a motion resolution to transfer funds for staffing expenses that resulted from extended hours, fewer weather closures, and training. Recommendation: Motion Resolution, Consent Agenda. Transfer of Funds - Hunters Ridge Pool Mumma said this is the same situation; we are requesting a motion resolution to transfer funds for staffing expenses that resulted from extended hours, fewer weather closures, and training. Recommendation: Motion Resolution, Consent Agenda. Requesting Department - Technology: Transfer of Funds - Part Time Kneeland said it is not necessary to add Fiber Replacement to the agenda; we are requesting a transfer of funds to salary and benefits; the work load in GIS has overridden what is available for the part time employee; the position is called intern but is really a part time GIS tech; she has been bombarded with map requests and other data work; she can't keep up so then we have GIS administration doing that work and is not available for system help; we need additional hours for this position. McAlister said who is requesting maps. Kneeland said engineering, the service City of Gahanna Page 6 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 22, 2011 department, a lot of different departments. McAlister said so it is all internal. Kneeland said yes. Ewald said do we still charge the public for these maps. Kneeland said yes. Recommendation: 1st Reading, no need to come back, 2nd Reading, Consent Agenda. RESOLUTIONS PROPOSED: Honor Columbus Academy McGregor said I requested this; they have a sign up marking 100 years; they attended centennial day with the Historical Society; any suggestions or additions let me know; the 100th birthday party will be in September. Anderson said I was going to give this suggestion to Council office and support it as well; would be glad to work on this resolution for Council; they are one of our top employers and I think it is timely with their anniversary at the end of the month. Recommendation: Resolution, Consent Agenda. Opposing Income Tax Collections by State Mumma said I have been approached from several different venues about Joe Testa's serious idea to have the State collect our income tax; we believe this function should lie with the municipalities, especially from an information sharing standpoint; what we do with folks who don't pay should be up to us; we need to maintain that control; if the State takes that on, we cannot imagine how it will go; we would like to pass a Resolution in opposition to this idea; I have provided drafts from other municipalities; OML (Ohio Municipal League) is not in favor of this. Larick said would the State be able to pass this and enforce this. Mumma said it sounds like it; the State is promoting collaboration; however this sounds to me like they are growing the state government and would take this over; I believe it is a goal of the current administration. Samuel said is this the Governor's office or the legislature that is promoting this. Mayor said we would say it is the Kasich administration. McGregor said does Joe Testa have a website or is there an explanation on paper as to why they want to do this. Mumma said what was on the OML site is what we know about it; there is a Power Point. Mayor said at Testa's initial visit, they were just starting the discussion; we expressed concern as to how it would work and about the loss of local control; even questions on RITA (Regional Income Tax Authority) and how we can see real time data seemed a surprise to their representatives; and it costs a lot less money; we doubt they can pull it off. Mumma said on the Power Point it says a goal is to standardize tax bases and credits; we give 83.33% credit while other communities do 100%; we have concerns and having a lower rate changed to a standard rate is not the worst outcome; the loss of control is really the worst. Anderson asked what is the timetable. Mumma said there is none; we have brought the issue to Council; we go from there to the draft Resolution; then get that to Council for approval. Recommendation: Back to Committee of the Whole on September 12, 2011 Opposing Charter Amendment - Staggering of Terms McAlister said you have been given the draft Resolution opposing the Charter City of Gahanna Page 7 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 22, 2011 changes; if you like it the way it is then this is it. Anderson said what is the time table. McAlister said we should do it in October when the election cycle is in full swing; residents can then ask candidates if they are in favor of it. Mayor said I am on board but I don't really want to turn this into an election issue; generally Charter changes are confusing anyway. Anderson said so if the time table is October, we can review it again in 2 weeks. McGregor said the part where it is the public's right to throw everyone out of office, although true, I would like to see a more gentle way to say that; refine it. Ewald said we do not want the voter overwhelmed; they have a small amount of time to read a lot of language; I think we need to get it in front of them; I would like it to pass at the first Council meeting in October; maybe we could have it as a monitor item in September. Mayor said I would like to clarify that I am in favor of the concept of staggered terms; I am not in favor of the solution they came up with; as long as we are not allowed to have off year elections I don't see a way to do it short of having 7 wards; I don't know a solution; this is the system and it is the way we are; love to see staggered terms but not like this. Anderson said she volunteers to be the word smith and work on the resolutionand then we can bring it back to committee since we have a month from September. McAlister said I will be gone for the September 12 Committee Meeting. Recommendation: Edit and Return to Committee of Whole on September 12, 2011. Recognize the Coalition of 100 Black Women, Central Ohio Chapter Anderson said this is an addition to the agenda; they sent out an invitation to Council and now I am requesting a Resolution; the National Coalition of 100 Black Women is an advocacy organization built to empower African American women; the mission is to promote leadership, development and gender equity in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment; this will be an additional chapter of the organization in our area and we will be the Central Ohio Chapter; would like to present this Resolution September 8 at the Gahanna Convention Center. Recommendation: Resolution, Consent Agenda. Meeting Adjourned. Meeting Reminders: As announced by Anderson: Next week is a 5th week so there is no meeting; Labor Day is Monday, September 5 so Council meeting is moved to Tuesday, September 6.. Della Brandenberger, Reporting City of Gahanna Page 8