Informational Meeting

MINUTES Informational Meeting Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at 4:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 1. Call To Order Council Members Present: Janet Brekke, Christine M. Erickson, Rick Kiley, Marshall Selberg, Curt Soehl, Pat Starr, Theresa Stehly Council Members Absent: Greg Neitzert 2. City Council Open Discussion Council Member Theresa Stehly spoke about the City’s 4th of July picnic. She also noted that she and Council Member Janet Brekke met with Planning and Development Services staff and leadership to discuss a forthcoming neighborhood summit to be held in October. She also stated that “National Night Out” is scheduled for Tuesday, August 6th. 3. Presentations A. Parks and Recreation Comprehensive System Plan Update by Don Kearney, Director of Parks and Recreation; Tory Miedema, Park Development Specialist; and Leon Younger, President, PROS Consulting, Inc. Presentation: Approximately 30 minutes followed by discussion The Parks and Recreation Master Plan Process was outlined and it was explained that the presentation would focus on results from community engagement activities and a recently-conducted survey. Community engagement included over 80 participant groups and individuals through community and staff focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and community forums. A statistically-valid survey was conducted by the ETC Institute which included 493 responses; an online survey was also available and included 436 responses which provided further insight to community expectations. The survey methodology was explained and response rates across council districts were shown; response rates ranged from 18.3% to 24.9%. The age of people in household, gender, and race/ethnicity demographics were shown in comparison to Census statistics in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the survey’s sampling. Several survey questions and their results were reviewed. Those included questions about: use of parks and facilities by households; rating of overall quality; household participation in recreation programs; quality of programs; organizations used for recreation; preferred ways to learn; tax versus user fee support; need for  parks and facilities; parks and facilities types most important; top parks and facilities priorities; need for programs; programs most important; top program priorities; level of support for potential actions; actions respondents are most willing to support; level of support for funding; satisfaction with services; satisfaction with overall value; and demographics. Next steps include: program assessment; financial analysis; service delivery analysis, level of service; equity mapping; aquatics master plan; capital improvement plan; strategic action and implementation plan; and the final report. Discussion followed about: the survey response rate; trends in the awareness of programs; components of the aquatics master plan; processes for providing input to the plans; explanation of the question regarding "level of support for potential actions;" tax versus user fee options and preferences; whether event security is considered in the survey; grants and corporate sponsorships; whether the survey asked if one was a registered voter or not; the benefits of master planning and long range planning; contract cost of the proces; and components of neighborhood parks. B. 2018 Code Enforcement Update by Matt Tobias, Development Services Manager Presentation: Approximately 20 minutes followed by discussion The presentation began with an explanation of the Planning and Development Services mission statement and ways for citizens to search for code cases. The rental registration program was outlined and it was explained there is a goal to increase registrations by at least 25% by 2022. In terms of public awareness, the department continues to work on methods to better educate the public about code compliance standards and ways to address violations. In 2019, $42,398 in Neighborhood Association Grants were awarded. Some of the projects included: Lyon Park sculpture placement; solar radar speed signs; urban reforestation; neighborhood identification signs; boulevard trees; welcome kits; and perennial plantings. It was explained that code enforcement works closely with other City departments and divisions to identify and address code- and neighborhood- related issues. This included an LED street light program to improve safety in neighborhoods. Recently a group was formed from the core neighborhood associations in Sioux Falls with the overarching goal of the coalition being neighborhood collaboration and advocacy for the core. The coalition currently includes Cathdral; Pettigrew; All Saints; Whittier; Terrace Park; and Downtown. Project NICE and Project KEEP continue to be an effective means to keep neighborhoods safe and clean. This past year it was postponed due to severe weather, but the City is looking to conduct it in early September. The parking strip ordinance has also shown success and allows for additional flexibility in plantings in parking strips while preserving the functionality of the public right-of-way. Building Demolitions/Notice to Vacate cases were discussed and the Abandoned and Substandard Manufactured Homes Project was explained. In 2018, there were 5,706 total code enforcement cases requiring 11,169 inspections. Of the total cases, 3,825 were in compliance after notice. As with 2018 & 2019, the primary goal for the upcoming year reflects the team’s desire to provide better service to customers, the public, with an emphasis on being responsive to their needs and concerns.  Discussion followed about: building demolitions and notices to vacate; neighborhood grants; the parking strip ordinance; capturing and analyzing code enforcement trends; measuring the success of Projects NICE and KEEP; and trends in the growth of neighborhood associaitions. 4. Public Comment Sierra Broussard spoke about the need for greater code enforcement capaibilities and the role of the Police and City Council in addressing neighborhood challenges. She suggested that neighborhood crime watch programs should be more engaged. 5. Adjournment Council Chair Marshall Selberg adjourned the meeting at 5:38 p.m. Thomas M. Greco, City Clerk