City Council

Minutes of Work Session of Council of Ogden City, Utah, May 19, 2016 Page Minutes of the Work Session of the Ogden City Council held on Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 3:34 p.m., in the Council Work Room located on the third floor of the Municipal Building, 2549 Washington Boulevard, Ogden City, Weber County, Utah. Present: Chair Marcia L. White (participated via telephone at 3:58 p.m.) Acting Chair Bart E. Blair Council members Neil K. Garner Richard A. Hyer Ben Nadolski Doug Stephens Council Executive Director Bill Cook Council Deputy Director Janene Eller-Smith Council Policy Analyst Glenn Symes Communications Manager Amy Sue Mabey Excused: Council member Luis Lopez Also present: Chief Administrative Officer Mark L. Johnson Police Chief Mike Ashment Fire Chief Mike Mathieu Public Services Director Jay Lowder Management Services Director David G. Buxton Comptroller Lisa Stout Deputy Comptroller Camille Cook Fleet & Facilities Manager Monica Kapp IT Manager Blake Wilkinson City Recorder Tracy Hansen The purpose of the Work Session was to receive input from employee groups, discuss specific issues in the FY2017 Proposed Budget relative to fees and the Fire, Police, and Management Services Departments, and to discuss Council business. Input from Employee Groups Firefighter Kenny Miller stated he is the President of the Professional Firefighters of Ogden Local 552, and introduced Station Steward and Firefighter Jeremy Crowton. He thanked the Council and Administration for the effort they have expended in trying to correct pay issues in the Fire Department. For nearly 10 years the Fire Department has been asking for a pay plan that employees can follow and that can be presented to new hires in a way that provides understanding of the wage they could expect to make over the course of their career with Ogden City. Two years ago a plan was developed and City Administration recommended funding of the plan and last year an additional plan was developed to address compression issues within the Department. The members of the Fire Department have supported the plans and are pleased that the City continues to work to address pay issues in the Department. He reported there are no significant issues of concern in the Fire Department and any issue that does arise among employees can be easily discussed with the Fire Chief, who has an open door policy. Work is underway to develop a bereavement leave policy for the Department and the Fire Department is also seeking additional funding for a reserve program, which would allow for recruitment and training of reserve Firefighters. These people would have a better opportunity at securing a full-time position when a vacancy occurs in the Department. He concluded by thanking the Council for the work that has been done to address compensation issues in the Fire Department. Council member Stephens stated he appreciates the work the Fire Department does and the standard they set. He inquired as to the Association’s feelings about the Civil Service Commission. He also inquired as to the morale of the Department and how they feel about the equipment they have been given to do their jobs. Mr. Miller first addressed the question regarding the Civil Service Commission by explaining there have been discussions regarding the Commission and its purpose. He indicated the Association would like to see a formal plan and recommendation; if protections for firefighters are included he believes the Association would be supportive. He addressed Department morale indicating it is good for the most part; employees are excited about the improvements in the compensation plan as well as equipment upgrades. Older equipment is also in good shape and any issues that arise are quickly addressed. He noted the turnout equipment used by firefighters has a 10 year service life; it was most recently replaced in 2008 and about 70 percent will need to be replaced again in 2018. The Fire Department has been trying to purchase 10 sets of turnout equipment each year, but that has been somewhat limited due to funding. Following a recent risk assessment the Fire Department was encouraged to transition to improved equipment that will offer better protection against flashover occurrences when fighting a fire. He stated each set of turnout equipment is $2,000 and replacement of 70 sets in 2018 will be costly. The Department is applying for grant funds to aid in the equipment replacement, but some grants require matching funds from the City. Council member Nadolski addressed morale in connection with recruiting local residents for employment with the Department and he asked if the Association has considered opportunities for equal opportunity entry into the Fire Department as well as equal opportunity relative to upward mobility for women within the Department. Mr. Miller stated the Association has not addressed the issue as it has not been a significant issue Department. During recent testing no females participated, which was surprising to him as there are usually females that participate. He stated there are four female employees working for the Fire Department and only one of those is an entry level Fire Fighter; the others have been promoted to other positions. For this reason he does not believe upward mobility for female employees is an issue. Council member Nadolski stated it has been his experience that when the issue of upward mobility for female employees is examined closely it is usually an issue regardless of the organization. Mr. Miller stated he is hopeful that implementation of the reserve program will help to improve diversity among the employee groups working for the Fire Department. Council member Nadolski stated he is hopeful that implementation of the reserve program as well as an examination of recruitment and retention issues will help to address inequity issues and those issues specific to gender. Council member Stephens stated women may be more inclined to specialize as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for the Department. Mr. Miller stated all employees in the Ogden Fire Department are cross trained to be EMTs and firefighters. Council member Garner thanked the Police and Fire Departments for their involvement in the recent Safe Kids Fair organized by the Weber Morgan Health Department. Officer Travis Kearl stated he is the President of the Ogden Police Benefit Association (OPBA) and he introduced Board members Sergeant Michael Boone and Officer Zach Nold. He added OPBA wanted to express their thanks for the efforts made by the City Council and Administration to address compensation issues in the Police Department over the past year. He explained the Police Department supports the Fire Department and reported the Police Department did not have a pay plan until recently and they are happy with the work that was done to create a plan that fairly compensates employees. Council member Stephens asked if there is any area of the City where crime rates are higher than others. Sergeant Boone stated he is oversees the Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) which proactively targets crime throughout the City. One of the main areas in which crime is more prevalent is the area between Grant and Harrison Avenues and 20th and 30th Streets. He stated blighted areas of the City tend to have higher crime rates than other areas. Council member Nadolski inquired as to the current morale of the Police Department. Officer Kirkland stated it is better than it has been; there are still employees in the process of leaving the Department, but morale has improved. Council member Nadolski asked what the community can do to help improve the morale of the Department; he added he feels the appreciation of the community should match the expectations, but he does not know how to facilitate that. Sergeant Boone stated the attitude towards law enforcement is at an all-time low, but he has not seen that in Ogden. The Ogden Police Department and other Departments throughout the State are fairly well supported. Council member Nadolski indicated one of his priorities as a Council member is to try to help the community be more appreciative of the service provided by the public safety departments of the City. Council member Stephens stated he is most concerned about ensuring Police and Fire employees return home safely at the end of each shift and he asked for a report on the equipment that has been provided to police officers. Sergeant Boone stated the fleet for the Police Department has been upgraded, which has helped to improve safety as well as the image of the Department. He explained new and better firearms and communication equipment has been purchased and provided to officers and all efforts in improving equipment are geared towards ensuring an officer returns home at the end of their shift. Discuss specific issues in the FY2017 Proposed Budget Fees: Fire Chief Mathieu discussed the proposal to implement a fee for a new program; in 2015 the Fire Department secured a federal grant for a smoke detector program. The actual cost of the program was under budget by $45,000 and the entity that provided the grant allowed the City to use the remaining funds for a secondary need relative to fire prevention and safety. The funds were used to purchase a fire safety trailer that is used to simulate emergency situations such as kitchen fires or industrial fires. The trailer uses simulated smoke, light, heat and sounds to help with the training. He stated he is proposing a small fee for the use of the trailer to help offset the costs associated with operating and maintaining the trailer. The proposed usage fee is $35 for the first hour and $25 for each additional hour. Discussion briefly centered on the frequency of trailer usage, with Council member Nadolski suggesting that an amount for administration of the rental program be built into the fee. Council member Hyer inquired as to what types of entities will be using the trailer. Chief Mathieu stated businesses, schools, or other entities responsible to provide fire protection training. He stated residents can also participate in the trainings. Department Specific Issues – Fire Department: Chief Mathieu used the aid of a PowerPoint presentation to provide the Council with budget information for the Fire Department. He reiterated comments made by Firefighter Miller regarding Fire Department compensation and stated it was his top priority. The restoration of the step plan is great and he is proposing placing employees into the step plan based upon their years of service in order to compete with other Fire Departments and prevent the loss of valuable firefighters. He stated the compensation plan is a long-term plan that communicates the City’s commitment to employees; it also improves respect between employees and the City. The Fire Department underwent a management audit and audit recommendation eight was to address compensation – specifically wage compression – to reduce turnover in the Department. Firefighter compensation is the most significant Department issue as training new employees and ensuring competency is very costly while continued turnover results in a very young and inexperienced work force. He expounded on the proposal to create a reserve program, which he refers to as the “grow our own” program; it would provide Firefighting/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) training for local residents and invest in people in the Ogden area. Reserve programs historically proven, yield the top performers, and employees that come from the program are loyal. The program would also provide additional staffing hours, back- up ambulance staffing, and allows the Department to hire the ‘cream-of-the-crop’. The annual cost of the program would be $30,000 and the funding would facilitate the training of 15 reservists. The funding would cover personal protection equipment, physical exams, training, compensation of the instructor, and certification. It would take 18 to 24 months for a resident to be certified as a reservist through the program and they could then compete for permanent positions in the Department. He provided a breakdown of the costs involved in the reserve program. The Department is in discussions with the Ogden Weber Applied Technology College (OWATC) regarding an EMT scholarship for City residents; if residents can meet certain criteria, the school would be willing to provide scholarships for up to five or six personnel per year. The proposed funding sources for the reserve program are the Medical Fund ($20,000) and the General Fund ($10,000). He reported Station #3 will be completed sometime in the third week of June. Conversations regarding the renovation or relocation of Station #4 are still taking place and a final decision has not been made regarding that issue. Personal Protection Equipment replacements will proceed and he is hopeful the Department will have continued success in securing federal grant funds to facilitate the replacement. He added the ladder truck in the Department will need to be replaced in coming years and he has met with City Administration to discuss funding sources for the new equipment. There was a brief discussion about the equipment that makes up the Department fleet, with Chief Mathieu noting the ladder truck is a piece of front line equipment and is in dire need of replacement. He then discussed call process times and noted the audit found it takes an average of two minutes and 15 seconds to dispatch 90 percent of all fire calls; the goal is to reduce call process times to less than one minute. In 2010 the Department applied for a regional grant on behalf of all fire departments in Weber and Morgan Counties and was awarded $846,579; matching funds for the grant were provided by the 911 District. The funds were used to create a new alarm notification system for all fire departments and the 911 center is allowed to perform at higher efficiency levels. National standards for call process times have been reduced to 64 seconds for 90 percent of calls and 108 seconds for 95 percent of calls. The City’s current call process times are less than 30 seconds for 90 percent of medical calls and less than 60 seconds for 90 percent of fire calls. He then discussed crew turnout times; the City is operating under a new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System (RMS) for reporting and there has been some frustration during the transition to the new systems; however it will provide the Department the opportunity to collect data regarding crew turnout time by unit and station. The Department needs to get their turnout time under two minutes for 90 percent of calls, while the turnout time during the audit was three minutes 30 seconds for 90 percent of calls. He then discussed the paramedic agreement; the agreement was renewed in January of 2016 for a five year term. It is a stable agreement that preserves coverage and service levels for the Ogden area. He provided information relative to the purpose of the paramedic agreement for the benefit of the newest members of the City Council. There has been instability in the past, but he explained he feels the new agreement will provide stability over the five year term. He stated in April 2016, an additional paramedic unit was added in the northwest area of Weber County. He concluded by reviewing photographs of the nearly completed Station #3 and stated the bays of the Fire Station are bigger than the existing Station #3. There are plans to install a signal interrupting device to control the traffic signal at Washington Boulevard and North Street when fire equipment is being dispatched. When North Street is widened the signal interrupting device may no longer be needed. Council member Nadolski inquired as to the fiscal impact the new statewide Wildland Fire Policy will have on the Fire Department. Chief Mathieu stated he believes it will be possible to provide the matching requirement through in-kind and current activities. Council member Nadolski asked if those are activities the Department is accustomed to performing. Chief Mathieu answered yes, but noted that the Department was never required to report those activities in the past. Council member Stephens commended Chief Mathieu for using the management audit as a guiding document for his Department. He then noted in past years the Department has the training tower and that is missing this year. He stated it is his feeling that any such tower should be a Weber County tower and not an Ogden City facility. Chief Mathieu stated he has had discussions about that concept, but it needs to be close enough to allow for the City to make good use of it and still have the ability to respond to calls in Ogden. Council member Stephens stated a Weber County tower could be centrally located in Ogden. Chief Mathieu agreed, but added that would make it difficult for other Departments in the County to use. Department Specific Issues – Police Department: Police Chief Ashment first thanked City Administration and the City Council for their movement to address compensation issues in the Police Department. He then used the aid of a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the operation of and budgeting for his Department. He stated when he became Police Chief four years ago, the Mayor indicated that he would like to see a decrease in part one crime in the City. He reviewed a chart illustrating the reduction in part one crime over the past two years; compared to 2011, part one crime has been reduced by 18 percent, which is very significant given the staffing challenges the Department has faced. He stated staffing of the Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) has been decreased, but there has been a 14 percent reduction in part one crime in the CRU target area of Washington to Harrison Boulevard and 20th to 30th Street. He reviewed a map that illustrated calls for service and he highlighted the areas of the City in which crime is higher than others. He then addressed staffing challenge trends in recent history; applicants for open positions are lower than in the past and those that are applying for positions do not meet minimum requirements or standards to be employed by the Department; this has created an aggressive lateral hiring environment where other Departments are directly recruiting Officers from Ogden City. The City’s biggest competitor has been Salt Lake City, but Layton recently updated their pay scale to mirror Salt Lake City’s. This will likely result in additional loss of employees; the Department is currently down 12 officers and it has been difficult to get applicants to fill those positions. He feels it will be necessary to move past the current Civil Service Commission structure and offer an open recruiting process where people can make application at any time through the Human Resources Division and test to qualify as an officer. He stated the Department has a community outreach coordinator who is an ambassador for the Department in the community; she encourages people of various ethnic backgrounds and females to apply for positions. He is excited to be attracting more members of the minority community to employment with the City. He then reviewed a graphic that illustrates the experience levels in the Department; he noted the Department is fairly young and lacking in experience. Roughly 37 percent of the Department has less than five years’ experience and that does not include the 12 officers that will be hired to fill vacant positions. Council member Nadolski asked if that is an industry wide trend. Chief Ashment stated it is definitely a trend in Utah, but he is not sure it is a nationwide trend. He then stated the Council packet included a question from Council Staff regarding the purpose of the proposed wage increase for crossing guards. He stated the crossing guard budget is currently underfunded by about $28,000, but over the years the number of crossing guards has increased and is currently 37. The proposed increase would allow the Department to compensate the crossing guards without negatively impacting other areas of the budget; it would also provide for a $1 per hour raise for tenured crossing guards. The proposed pay increase is based upon benchmark results for crossing guard positions throughout the State. He then discussed equipment and stated his Department needs 80 radios; each radio is approximately $3,000, which translates to a $240,000 increase. He stated he is proposing money that was saved during the time staffing levels of the Department have been lower than usual be used to purchase a certain number of radios. He then discussed body cameras; 87 officers wear uniforms and each of them should be wearing body cameras. He stated the cost per camera is $1,000 and the bigger expense associated with body cameras is ongoing maintenance and storage of video captured by the cameras. He stated he initially requested funding for body cameras, but he pulled his request due to the significant budget increases given to his Department for employee compensation. He added he is in the process of testing two different types of cameras that could potentially be used by the Department before making a decision regarding which system would be best for Ogden. Council member Hyer asked how the City satisfies a Government Records Access Management Act (GRAMA) request for a video that may need certain portions redacted. Chief Ashment stated staffing levels would need to be increased to deal with GRAMA requests for video taken by body cameras; the City Attorney’s Office would also be very involved in responding to those types of requests, which is an additional burden on City staff. He added there are software programs that allow editing of video taken by body cameras and technology is rapidly changing and he would like to wait and see how it continues to change before purchasing body cameras for all officers. He then discussed the Strike Force; the Council packet includes a question asking why the decision was made to move Strike Force management from Weber County to Ogden City. He provided a brief history of the development of the Strike Force and the entity’s purpose; last year the mission of the Strike Force was expanded to include gang enforcement. The Strike Force is governed by an executive board comprised of the Chiefs and Sheriffs of the entities that contribute manpower to the entity. Last year he was approached by a County Commissioner who was concerned that leadership of the Strike Force comes from Ogden City, yet the County was responsible for the financial management of the Strike Force. This led to discussion and negotiations regarding the transition of the management of the Strike Force and the decision was made to proceed with transferring management to the City. City Administration supports the decision as the lion share of the work done by the Strike Force is within Ogden City’s border. He stated the transition is financially neutral and the entity is largely funded by grant funds. He reviewed a chart illustrating the staffing of the Strike Force. Council member Garner thanked Chief Ashment for the work he does to keep the City safe. He then addressed animal enforcement and inquired as to the status of transitioning animal enforcement to the Police Department. Chief Ashment stated the Animal Enforcement Division is functioning well within the Police Department; it was possible to increase the number of full time employees dedicated to animal enforcement and the division has had success and accomplished many things. They are still struggling to address after hours calls, but overall the reassignment has been a good fit. Council member Stephens asked Chief Ashment if he has ever considered a reserve program similar to what the Fire Department is proposing. Chief Ashment stated he started his career as a reserve officer 31 years ago, but since then there have been law changes that require officers to have full peace officer certification before they can serve as a police officer; this entails attending the Police Academy for three months. It can be difficult to find someone that has made that type of commitment and ask them to be a volunteer or reservist. The meeting recessed briefly at 5:24 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 5:30 p.m. Department Specific Issues – Management Services: Deputy Comptroller Cook discussed tax revenues, transient room taxes, distribution of Business Depot Ogden (BDO) lease revenue, and friendly amendments to the Department’s budget. She stated the biggest revenue source in the General Fund is property tax revenue and the amount is fairly consistent from year to year making it easy to base budget projections on historical data with an adjustment for new growth. She stated three Redevelopment Agency (RDA) districts have or will expire soon which will result in approximately $250,000 in increased property tax revenue for the City in the coming fiscal year. She added the General Obligation Bond debt will expire soon as well, and the current debt service for the bond is $2.1 million per year. City Administration has proposed a tax increase in an amount that will replace the amount of money that would have otherwise been lost as a result of the expiration of the bond. The amount of property tax paid by property owners in the City will be unaffected as a result of the tax increase. She then discussed sales tax trends and noted the anticipated sales tax revenues have been increased by 2.8 percent over FY2016; this is based upon historical data and economic trends. She added the City will receive approximately $1.4 million in active transportation funding related to the passage of Proposition One during the 2015 election cycle. She discussed other revenue sources, such as franchise taxes, the State telecommunication tax, building and fee revenues, B&C road funds, school resource officer reimbursement, utility fund transfers, amphitheater revenues, Marshall White Center revenues, court fines and forfeitures, law enforcement surcharge revenue, interest income, administrative revenue from the RDA, transfers into the General Fund, and transient room tax revenue. She then provided additional information regarding transfers between various funds, such as a $200,000 transfer of B&C road funds from the General Fund to the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Fund and a $1 million transfer of active transportation funding from the General Fund to the CIP Fund for street and sidewalk projects. There is also a transfer from the General Fund to the Airport Fund to cover grant matching requirements and a $136,000 transfer from BDO Lease Revenue to the Airport to provide additional grant matching funds. Most of the airport grants can only be used for runway maintenance and not operations. Additionally, there are transfers between the General Fund and the RDA, BDO and the RDA, and the RDA and the Major Grants Fund. She provided information regarding the use of BDO Lease Revenue for CIP projects; based upon an ordinance that was adopted by the City Council, the Finance Division evaluates a full year of BDO Lease Revenue money, subtracting $1 million for the Quality Neighborhoods Initiative, $200,000 for the HELP loan, $500,000 for CBD Mall area debt, and $35,000 for arts. Council member Stephens inquired as to the amount the City receives from BDO annually. Ms. Cook stated the City has received between $5 and $6 million every year for the last several years; she anticipates receiving nearly the same amount this year and after subtracting the items previously referenced, the remaining balance of BDO lease revenues should be approximately $4.7 million that can be allocated for projects. She summarized additional funding sources for CIP projects, and she reviewed a few of the CIP projects that are proposed for funding in the coming fiscal year: completion of Liberty Park, former Dee School Site Development, general facilities improvements with $100,000 dedicated to the completion of the Francom Public Safety Building, matching of Airport grants, and funding of Critical Project Contingency Fund. She noted additional projects are connected to the Public Services Department and will be reviewed during a coming work session. Chair White asked if the CIP includes funding for Lester Park improvements. Ms. Cook noted the CIP includes funding for general park improvements, but nothing specific to Lester Park. Chief Administrative Officer Johnson indicated attention was paid to funding Liberty Park improvements due to the commitment the City has made to the Ogden School District regarding the overall Dee School project; once the plans for Lester Park are completed following the design charrette process, more attention will be directed to the project. Ms. Cook then discussed friendly amendments to the budget; she noted these are changes that have occurred in the budget since the budget was initially presented to the Council. Mr. Cook stated friendly amendments will be reviewed in more depth during a future work session meeting. Comptroller Stout provided information regarding non-departmental funds; these are funds that are not specific to any certain Department or Division in the City and, rather, they provide benefit City-wide. The non-departmental budget includes a transfer to the Golf and Airport funds each year; these transfers are subsidies rather than loans and there is no expectation for those to be repaid. The Golf subsidy in FY2017 is $0 and the Airport subsidy is $568,000. This is a decrease from the $750,000 subsidy in FY2016. The Airport subsidy is intended to cover the cash deficit related to Airport grants as well as an operating deficit. City Administration is hopeful it will be possible to correct the operating deficit and the Airport will become self-sustaining. The non- departmental budget typically includes $100,000 to cover payroll contingencies, such as retirements or vacation buy-outs. There are currently 60 employees that are eligible for retirement in the coming fiscal year and City Administration is proposing to double the payroll contingency line item to $200,000 to cover any unexpected costs associated with that number of potential retirements. The non-departmental fund also includes $150,000 in the professional and technical line item and this is for the branding project and installation of the way-finding sign. The fund also includes $15,000 for the Boys and Girls Club associated with the City’s contract with the entity to provide after-school programs. Arts program support is budgeted at $60,000, but there will be a friendly amendment proposal to increase that amount to $70,000 with additional $10,000 incremental increases planned for coming fiscal years until the line item reaches $100,000. She then discussed fund balances, which are evaluated in the annual audit and reported upon in the Consolidated Annual Financial Report (CAFR). She stated in the event a need arises to use fund balance monies, City Administration will present information regarding the need to the Council before seeking approval of a fund balance transfer. She is not concerned about the health of any of the fund balances throughout the City at this time. Management Services Director Buxton then reviewed questions included in the Council packet regarding the budget for his Department. One question asked for an explanation of the reorganization of the treasury. He stated due to State law and various conflicts that arose with the earlier reorganization of the finance division that resulted in the combination of the Treasurer and Comptroller position, the decision was made to restore the previous structure and make the Treasurer independent of the rest of the Finance Division staff. Many processes and procedures have been aligned and this has allowed staff to track expenditures associated with various City processes more meticulously. He then addressed the question in the Council packet asking how he plans to distribute the four percent merit increases to his staff. In years past employees receiving a ranking of two or higher on their performance evaluations have received the full four percent merit increase; however, in conversations with other Department Heads there have been discussions about rewarding those scoring higher on their performance evaluations and he has decided to implement a sliding scale to reward top performers. He then addressed the question inquiring about the City’s relationship with Utah Risk Management Mutual Association (URMMA). He noted URMMA is a self-insuring organization that Ogden City belongs to with 22 other cities across the State. URMMA pays claims and the City pays back those claims over a five-year term; in 2016 the City paid $451,000 compared to $837,000 in 2013. Mr. Johnson stated that URMMA also provides valuable resources, such as employee training. Mr. Buxton agreed and stated that URMMA has been a very valuable resource in responding to a wide range of claims throughout the City. He then deferred to Information Technologies (IT) Division Manager, Blake Wilkinson, to answer questions regarding the IT Division.  Mr. Wilkinson used the aid of a PowerPoint presentation to provide the Council with information regarding the IT Strategic Plan, significant accomplishments of the Division in FY2016, the plan for the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system replacement project, and challenges facing the Division in FY2017. Council Policy Analyst Eller-Smith inquired as to the timing of the transparency module portion of the ERP requested by Council. Mr. Wilkinson stated he is unsure, but will provide an update to Council staff regarding that aspect of the project. He then reviewed the schedule for implementation of the various ERP modules, noting that payment for the project will be phased as each module is completed. Monica Kapp, Fleet and Facilities Manager, discussed the proposed FY2017 Fleet Replacement Schedule. She indicated the total available funding for the Division in FY2017 is significantly reduced from FY2016; this is due largely in part to the fact the budget was increased in FY2016 to provide for equipment purchases that should have taken place in the two previous fiscal years. She reviewed current lease commitments in the Division, including the refuse lease payment of $500,000, the Ford truck lease payment of $148,768.56, the Tweener Lease payment of $172,392, the Mowing lease payment of $134,803, the Wheeler Machinery lease payment of $59.577, and the golf cart lease payment of $41,500. She noted the Police Car lease was satisfied in FY2016 and is no longer included as a Division expenditure. She noted the City’s fleet needs are ever evolving and based upon working condition of various pieces of equipment, it often becomes necessary to adjust the replacement schedule in order to meet the needs of City staff. Ms. Eller-Smith asked Ms. Kapp to provide a brief overview of the draft version of the management audit pertaining to the Fleet Division. Ms. Kapp stated the audit identified several areas of improvement for both the Fleet and Facilities Divisions; in Fleet there are challenges related to staffing and the audit has suggested the Division is understaffed. Preventative maintenance has not been performed at the level necessary and the software currently used by the Division does not have a component for preventative maintenance. She indicated she is working to implement a new program in the next few weeks for preventative maintenance; departments will be notified when they have a vehicle in need of preventative maintenance. Mr. Buxton added he has worked closely with Ms. Kapp to digest the suggestions of the management audit, specifically those sections dealing with staffing, equipment usage, and the size of the City’s fleet. He stated Ms. Kapp has done a great job of stepping into her position in the middle of several projects that were already underway; he used the Fire Station #3 project as an example and indicated she has kept the job on budget and schedule. He noted additional work is needed to continue to evaluate the results of the management audit. He then discussed the function and structure of the Management Services Department as a whole; his Department encompasses the Comptroller, Fiscal Operations, Fleet and Facilities, Human Resources, Information Technology, Justice Court, City Recorder, and Risk Management divisions. He reviewed successes of the Department over the course of the past fiscal year. Council Business Council calendar: Council Deputy Director Eller-Smith briefly reviewed the process the Council, acting as the RDA Board, will follow during the May 24, 2016 meeting relative to the Oak Den Urban Renewal Area, for which a blight hearing is scheduled. There has been concern expressed by property owners living in the project area and staff expects a large crowd in attendance at the hearing. She indicated the use of imminent domain is not being considered during the meeting, but it is an issue that may be raised by property owners during the hearing. The City’s legal staff will be prepared to address concerns or answer questions regarding the use of eminent domain. She reviewed a document including every property within the project area and noted it includes every type of possible blight that could exist at each property. She stated some property owners may see their property address on the list and see that it could have up to 10 blight issues which could become very personal for them. She stated it is important to prepare for emotional testimony that may be given by property owners. Campus Compact Resolution: Council Executive Director Cook provided the Council with a draft copy of a joint resolution related to participation in a campus compact; there are 1,100 universities and colleges nationwide that are part of the campus compact and as the 30-year anniversary of the organization is approaching, each university is being asked to sign a campus compact action statement and create a civic action plan. As the City is in a partnership with Weber State University (WSU), there is a desire to support and assist them in the effort of creating a civic action plan. If the Council and Administration were to agree to the joint resolution, Ogden would be the first City in the United States that actively supports these efforts and the action could be seen as encouragement for other municipalities to do the same. The meeting adjourned at 7:19 p.m. ________________________________________ TRACY HANSEN, MMC CITY RECORDER ________________________________________ BART E. BLAIR, ACTING CHAIR APPROVED: October 25, 2016