COUNCIL COMMITTEES
The Council Committees Meeting was held on December 9, 2002, at 5:15 p.m., with Council President Carey presiding. Members of Council present were Mr. Ritter, Mr. Pitts, Mrs. Williams, Mr. Truitt, Mr. McGlumphy, Mr. Speed, Mr. Salters, Mr. Ruane, and Mayor Hutchison.
AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS
Mr. Speed moved for approval of the agenda, seconded by Mr. McGlumphy and unanimously carried.
LEGISLATIVE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
The Legislative and Finance Committee met with Mr. McGlumphy presiding. Members present were Mr. Salters, Mrs. Williams, Mr. Shelton, and Mrs. Street.
City Reincorporation
The last reincorporation of Dover occurred in 1929 and, since that date, the Charter has been amended over 50 times, resulting in a legal researching nightmare in determining the most current provisions of the Charter. The reincorporation will result in a concise, single, complete document from which to operate, whether reviewing it as city officials, attorneys, or members of the general public. At the request of City staff, Mr. Walter Feindt, Deputy Director of the Legislative Council for the State of Delaware, prepared the legislation necessary to reincorporate the City of Dover.
Members were provided a copy of Mr. Feindt’s letter, along with a copy of the City Charter with strike-outs and underlines reflecting the recommended Charter changes. Also included was a breakdown of the proposed revisions and the reasons for them.
Mrs. Green, City Clerk, noted that legislation pertaining to the frequency of reassessment and the duration of liens has subsequently been signed by the Governor and would be included in the reincorporation. She also requested that members take advantage of this opportunity to correct the following typographical error in Section 44: Annual Budget: “The council shall on or before the second Monday in the month of July June in each year adopt a budget for the succeeding fiscal year. The council shall, so far as possible, adhere to the budget so adopted in the making of appropriations.”
Staff recommended adoption of the proposed Resolution requesting the General Assembly to reincorporate the City of Dover.
Mr. McGlumphy moved to recommend adoption of the proposed Resolution (Attachment #1) requesting the General Assembly to reincorporate the City of Dover, with the necessary adjustments to Section 44, and any other necessary bills which may follow, as recommended by Staff. The motion was seconded by Mr. Salters and unanimously carried.
Freedom of Information Act Policy
In accordance with 29 Del. C. §10003, it is the responsibility of the public body to establish rules and regulations regarding access to public records as well as fees charged for complying with Freedom of Information Act requests. Members were provided the Freedom of Information Act Policy for the City of Dover for their consideration.
Staff recommended adoption of the policy as presented.
Mr. McGlumphy moved to recommend adoption of the Freedom of Information Act Policy for the City of Dover (Attachment #2), as recommended by staff. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Williams and unanimously carried.
Review of Employee Handbook
Members were provided a draft update of the Employee Handbook for their review and were requested to provide any recommended changes to the City Manager, Mr. DePrima, within 30 to 45 days for a report back to the committee. Mr. DePrima noted that a draft was also provided to the union leaders for their review and comment since it is referenced in the union contracts.
Mr. Frank Szyjka, Human Resources Director, noted the major changes to the document and indicated that additional comments would be incorporated into a final document which should be ready for review in mid-January or early February.
The committee took no further action.
Draft Revenue Manual
Members were provided a Draft Revenue Manual for their review and were requested to provide the City Manager, Mr. DePrima, with any comments or concerns within the next 30 days for a report back to the committee. Mr. DePrima noted that the Manual includes the following:
• A list of the top revenue sources over the past three (3) years
• Recommended guidelines for how often the manual should be updated and how often different revenues should be reviewed. Introduces the concept of revenue indicators that relate revenues to three (3) expense categories (Public Safety, Landfill, and Streets)
• An inventory of all revenue sources with detailed information on rates, dates established and last reviewed, projection method, collection method, and benchmarks
• List of potential new revenue sources that have been collected from various sources
• Indexes for revenue sources
The committee took no further action.
Preliminary Revenue and Expenditure Estimates for FY 2003/2004
As requested by City Council, staff prepared very preliminary rough estimates of revenues and expenses for 2003/2004. Mr. DePrima emphasized that the figures were taken from the budget and, although the estimates are staff’s “best guess”, there is a wide margin for error in the estimates. He noted that the projections assume historic natural growth; however, they do not include proposed increases in taxes, water rates, licenses, or permits. Mr. DePrima also noted that adjustments have been made for pension and health care issues.
Mr. Speed requested the City Manager to provide the assumptions used in the projections and the calculation used to formulate those projections.
Mr. McGlumphy stated that he would like the City Manager to work within the projected numbers to provide a prioritized list of the most critical items. It was his feeling that unforseen circumstances could be dealt with if and when it became necessary. Mrs. Williams requested Mr. McGlumphy to provide the City Manager with some flexibility to deal with unforseen circumstances.
Mr. McGlumphy moved to direct the City Manager to use the preliminary projected revenue figures of $58,791,329 - Electric Fund; $10,416,320 - Water/Wastewater Fund; and $20,092,839 - General Fund as the basis for the budget. The motion was seconded by Mr. Salters and unanimously carried.
2002-2007 CIP Amendments - City Hall Reheat/Air Conditioning Unit Replacement and Pole Barn Construction
The current air conditioning/heating unit was purchased and installed in 1968. It furnishes both heat and air conditioning for the annex section of City Hall. The unit in service has outlasted its normal service life. It was anticipated last year that this unit and its companion unit in the City Hall wing could last until the summer of 2004 when it was scheduled in the CIP for replacement over two fiscal years (FY 2003/04 and FY 2004/05). Unfortunately, this summer and fall there have been numerous breakdowns of the annex unit. It is barely functioning and must be replaced before the summer. The unit will not last until the date estimated last fiscal year. It would cost approximately $10,000 to extend the service life to the scheduled replacement date.
Given the City’s goal to keep within the budget, other 2002/03 CIP projects were evaluated to see what projects could be moved out of this fiscal year. It was determined that the Central Services Pole Barn Construction would be the best candidate. Vehicles that should be stored indoors could remain outside (salt and sander trucks) and in the maintenance garage (jet trucks) for one more season.
The Pole Barn project will be re-budgeted for FY 2004/05 using a new estimate in the next CIP. The City Hall Reheat-Air Conditioner Unit Replacement project will have to be bid. The anticipated replacement cost is approximately $90,000. The budget contains $80,000 that was earmarked for the pole building. The additional funding, if necessary, will come through a budget transfer recommendation that will be presented with the bid results.
Upon approval by the Committee and Council, it will take approximately 30 days for bid specs to be prepared for the new unit and mailed. Total time from receipt of bids to purchase of the new unit should be six weeks, pending final approval of the bid award by the Committee and Council.
Staff recommended amending the 2002 -2007 Capital Investments Plan (CIP) by moving the City Hall Reheat/Air Conditioner Unit Replacement project (Page 16) from FY2004/05 to FY 2002/03 and moving the Central Services Pole Barn Construction project (Page 12) from FY2002/03 to FY2004/05. This would entail the transfer of $80,000 from the Central Services Construction account #613-2700-571-40-31 to the Central Services Contractual Services account #613-2700-571-30-31.
Mrs. Williams moved to recommend approval of staff’s recommendation, seconded by Mr. Salters and unanimously carried.
Mr. McGlumphy moved to adjourn into Executive Session to discuss legal and personnel matters, seconded by Mrs. Williams and unanimously carried.
Meeting Adjourned at 6:24 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Carleton E. Carey, Sr.
Council President
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