Informational Meeting

MINUTES Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Informational Meeting 4:00 PM at Carnegie Town Hall Sioux Falls City Council 235 West Tenth Street Members Present: Sue Aguilar, Kenny Anderson Jr., Michelle Erpenbach, Greg Jamison, Dean Karsky, Rex Rolfing, and Kermit L. Staggers Members Absent: James Entenman and Mike T. Huether Staff Present: Tamara Jorgensen, CMC, Assistant City Clerk; David Bixler, Budget Analyst; Jim David, Legislative/Operations Manager; and Lorie Hogstad, City Clerk 1. Call To Order City Council Chair Michelle Erpenbach called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. 2. Fiscal Committee A. Report on meeting held Tuesday, September 4, 2012 Council Member Dean Karsky provided updates regarding the following topics that were discussed at the Fiscal Committee Meeting: the Fraud Control Policy, and City Wide Fees (including their revision and publication). 3. City Council Open Discussion Council Member Rex Rolfing stated that the Urban Agriculture Task Force Meeting scheduled for Monday, September 24, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. will be held in the Chambers of the Carnegie Town Hall due to a need for improved audio conditions. He stated the task force is moving along well and will soon be bringing an ordinance forward to the Land Use Committee and then to the full City Council. Council Member Kermit Staggers stated that he would be making amendments at the City Council Meeting tonight. Staggers stated that there are agreements where an organization will commit to raising a certain amount of money for their project with the understanding that they would be receiving funds from the city. He stated that one of the amendments would be to ensure that there is a process in place where dollars that are committed by the City for a project are not distributed until the matching funds are attained and verified. Staggers referenced the Junior Football League and their pledges. Karsky referenced a proposed amendment which read, in part: "...programmed expenditures are contingent upon the money in private funds immediately available to support an indoor ice facility". Karsky questioned the terminology “immediately available”. Staggers stated that some groups have stated that they have raised money, but some of the money is in pledges. Staggers would like to ensure that the money is “in the bank” before the City gives them additional funds. He stated that sometimes pledges are not honored. Council Member Sue Aguilar asked about the Junior Football League. She asked if they had agreed to purchase items rather than a cash influx, and have they met that obligation. Staggers gave background information on this project talking about how it was originally presented to the Council and the way it has transpired. Don Kearney, Director of Parks and Recreation, provided information regarding the $1.5M committed to the Junior Football League project. This dollar amount was an estimate provided by the City based on projections of what they thought the city would have to provide for improvements. He stated that the agreement stipulates that the Junior Football League is to provide for the facility improvements (the lights, scoreboards, bleachers, goal posts, and the building that would house their equipment). Kearney stated that they have fulfilled that obligation. Kearney stated that the only remaining obligation is that four of the nine fields are not lit and they are planning on getting that done within the next 18-24 months. Discussion was held regarding the need for the additional fields and what remains to be done. Council Member Greg Jamison stated that he felt the agreement with the Junior Football League was a little loose, but we have seen improvements with the Ice and Tennis Sports Associations regarding agreements. He stated that these organizations are not going to do anything until they start to raise money for their facilities. Jamison stated that it would be difficult for the entities to move forward without some commitment from the City but there does need to be an effort to put more control over the agreement(s). Staggers stated his amendments concerning the Ice and the Tennis Associations are for "simple accountability". He stated that if the dollar amount pledged and received is not as much as originally agreed to, then the organization should renegotiate with the City. Karsky stated that the money is not going into an account, but is being used to buy equipment or pay for site improvements. Kearney stated that this is correct; that we are providing the improvements and the City will own the assets. This information will be outlined in the final agreements. Anderson Jr. asked about the responsibility for the maintenance of the equipment. Kearney stated this would also be outlined in the agreement. Anderson Jr. stated that there will be a Public Services Committee Meeting after the Informational Meeting to discuss the following topics: an Ordinance defining and prohibiting certain forms of solicitation, to be presented by Doug Barthel, Chief of Police; and a research and report/update regarding the codification process with American Legal Publishing Corporation, to be presented by Karen Leonard, Deputy City Attorney and Lorie Hogstad, City Clerk. Anderson Jr. stated that he would be making an amendment to delete $81,000 for the Recreation Coordinator position in the Parks and Recreation Fund. He stated that, while the position is a good idea, he would like to see more research conducted on which  department should house this position. Kearney responded with an overview of the position description, the types of responsibilities that would be covered, and the additional park responsibilities that have been added since 2001 when the last office position was added to Parks and Recreation. He noted the increase in population, the growth of the surrounding areas that participate in our parks systems, the addition of major facilities, more parks and bike trails, and additional recreational leagues. Kearney stated this position would be the main point of contact for special events. The City has gone from nine special events to 57 in the last 11 years. Kearney cited examples of events that have gone from several hundred participants to several thousand. In addition to other duties, Kearney would like to see this position become responsible for the following three main areas: Facilitating special events (internal and external); external events in the parks; and marketing for the special events. This would include accessing social media processes for ongoing communication with the public. Discussion followed. Anderson Jr. stated that he feels this position should also be a "one stop shop" for citizens when organizing a neighborhood event. He thought this position should possibly be a part time position, that it should first be reviewed by the Fiscal Committee, and that a review should be conducted to set up a process where this position would be better coordinated. He stated he would like to see more research done before we commit $81,000.00 to this position. Staggers asked about the number of administrative staff in the Parks and Recreation Department and what the dollar amount is of their combined salaries and benefits. Discussion followed. Jamison asked if the Parks and Recreation could assume the role of the “one stop shop”. Jamison stated this could start as a trial period in Parks and Recreation. Kearney stated that there could be additional discussion at the City Council Meeting this evening. 4. Presentations A. Internal Audit Report 12-06, Quality of Life Bonds by Rich Oksol, Lead Internal Auditor B. Downtown Greenway Project Update by Don Kearney, Director of Parks and Recreation; Tory Miedema, Park Development Specialist; and Jon Jacobson, ASLA, PLA/Principal for Confluence 5. Adjournment Council Chair Michelle Erpenbach adjourned the meeting at 4:51 p.m. Tamara Jorgensen, CMC Assistant City Clerk