REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
The Regular Council Meeting was held on March 13, 2000 at 7:30 p.m. with Council President Christiansen presiding. Council members present were Mr. Leary, Mr. Truitt, Mr. Carey, Mrs. Malone, and Mr. Weller. Mr. Lambert, Mr. Pitts, and Mr. Salters were absent.
Council staff members present were Chief Faulkner, Mr. Cooper, Mr. O'Connor, Mr. DePrima, Chief Carey, Mrs. Green and Mr. Pepper.
OPEN FORUM
The Open Forum was held at 7:15 p.m., prior to commencement of the Official Council Meeting. Council President Christiansen declared the Open Forum in session and reminded those present that Council is not in official session and cannot take formal action.
There was no one present wishing to speak during the Open Forum.
The invocation was given by Reverend C.V. Holmes, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
REMARKS OF MAYOR HUTCHISON - DEATH OF FORMER MAYOR CRAWFORD J. CARROLL
Mayor Hutchison advised members that former Mayor Crawford J. Carroll passed away early this morning, March 13, 2000, and that he had the opportunity to meet with his family to express the City’s deepest sympathy. He noted that former Mayor Carroll served the City for 26 years and that although he is the first paid full-time Mayor, former Mayor Carroll was the first full-time Mayor. Mayor Hutchison reflected upon former Mayor Carroll’s accomplishments, leadership, commitment, and dedication, feeling that for these reasons, the City of Dover is a thriving capital city today. With the passing of former Mayor Carroll, he stated that the City of Dover has lost a special friend and a great leader. In addition to the love, devotion, and commitment to the City of Dover, former Mayor Carroll was an outstanding businessman and very proud of his family.
Mayor Hutchison announced that a Celebration of Life Service will be held on Friday, March 17th, at 11:00 a.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, and that friends may call from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16th, at Trader Funeral Home.
At Council President Christiansen’s request, everyone stood for a moment of silence in remembrance of former Mayor Crawford J. Carroll.
AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS
Mr. Leary moved for approval of the agenda, seconded by Mr. Weller and unanimously carried.
ADOPTION OF MINUTES - REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2000
The Minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of February 28, 2000 were unanimously approved by motion of Mr. Carey, seconded by Mrs. Malone and bore the written approval of Mayor Hutchison.
LEGISLATIVE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT
The Legislative and Finance Committee met on February 28, 2000 with Chairman Salters presiding. Due to the absence of Chairman Salters at this evening’s meeting, Mr. Leary presented the report, as follows:
Report on Financing of Ladder Truck
During the Legislative and Finance Committee’s review of the CIP last year (meeting of March 22, 1999), members relayed concern regarding the request of the Robbins Hose Company No. 1 (Fire Department) for the purchase of an additional truck in FY 2001-2002. It was suggested that a subcommittee be formed to consider the options available to the Fire Department to be presented back to the committee for consideration.
The Fire Department has planned the purchase of a new ladder truck to replace a 1981 ladder truck. A committee of the Fire Department solicited bids and has selected a vendor, Midlantic American LaFrance (LTI), for the purchase of a new ladder truck in the amount of $591,707. Delivery of the new ladder truck is expected by December 2000.
The Fire Department expects to receive $100,000 to $150,000 for the 1981 ladder truck; leaving a balance of approximately $500,000 additional funds necessary to purchase the new ladder truck. After reviewing this matter, staff recommended that the Fire Department borrow $500,000 with payment arrangements and a borrowing plan, as follows:
|
Available In |
From |
Source |
Estimated Amount That Will be Available for the Payments on the $500,000 Loan |
|
FY 2002 |
Fire Department |
Fire Station #1 Mortgage will be paid in full |
$20,000 - $26,000 |
|
FY 2004 |
Fire Department |
1992 Ladder Truck will be paid off |
$25,000 |
|
FY 2004 |
City of Dover |
1992 Ladder Truck will be paid off |
$70,000 |
1)The borrowing will take place in December 2000 or January 2001.
2)The first interest payment will be due in the year 2002. The second interest payment will be due in 2003. These payments will be made from funds available to the Fire Department as mentioned above. The Fire Department has indicated that Fire Station No. 1 is in need of repairs, and that $20,000 - $26,000 may not be available since the Fire Department may have a new mortgage by 2002, in turn, creating a financial problem.
3)The first principal payment will be made from the $95,000 available from the Fire Department and City of Dover ($25,000 and $70,000 respectively).
4)The same process will continue until the $500,000 loan is paid off.
The City’s current appropriation for the Fire Department is $890,814, which includes the following items:
$70,000 current loan payment for the 1992 ladder truck
60,000 mortgage payment for Fire Station No. 2
20,000 loan payment for the rescue truck
Committee members were advised that the current loan for the 1992 ladder truck will be paid in full in fiscal year 2004. If the City were to continue providing this appropriation, it could then be used towards the $500,000 loan for the purchase of the new ladder truck.
In response to Mr. Lambert during the committee meeting, Mr. O’Connor stated that the 1981 ladder truck has been experiencing a substantial amount of downtime and will soon require a considerable amount of maintenance; therefore, extending its service time for financial reasons would not be feasible. He also assured members that in the upcoming year, Council will need to determine if the repairs should be made to Fire Station No. 1, if the Fire Department should return the $26,000, if additional funds should be raised to make the repairs, or if the City should absorb the $26,000.
The committee recommended that Council affirm its intention to continue the $70,000 appropriation beyond FY 2004 and continue until the loan for the proposed purchase of a new ladder truck is paid in full, as staff recommended.
Mr. Leary moved for approval of the committee’s recommendation by consent agenda, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried.
Purchase of Land - South State Street Adjacent to Dover Public Library
For several years, the City has expressed an interest in the purchase of the Sapienza property, which is located adjacent to the Dover Public Library and has been on the market for more than six (6) years. Unfortunately, the City was not successful in negotiating an agreeable purchase price with the owner of the property.
During the committee meeting, Mr. O’Connor advised members that the City was recently made aware that Mr. Michael Zimmerman currently has a contract for the purchase of the Sapienza property. He stated that staff has negotiated an agreement with Mr. Zimmerman that would allow the City to purchase the rear portion of the property in order to construct a parking lot. Should Mr. Zimmerman close on the purchase of this property, he has agreed to sell a total of 11,624 sq. ft. (75’ x 155’) to the City at a cost of $69,744. This property would be used for additional parking for the library (approximately 32 parking spaces). A part of the agreement would be for the City to provide Mr. Zimmerman enough parking spaces, which is estimated at 10 spaces, in order for him to meet the parking requirements necessary to receive a building permit for the existing building.
The committee recommended that the City Manager be authorized to move forward with the purchase of the rear portion of the property located on South State Street adjacent to the Dover Public Library.
Mr. Leary moved for approval of the committee’s recommendation by consent agenda, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried.
Mr. Leary moved for acceptance of the Legislative and Finance Committee Report, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried.
UTILITY COMMITTEE REPORT
The Utility Committee met on February 28, 2000 with Chairman Lambert presiding. Due to the absence of Chairman Lambert at this evening’s meeting, Mr. Weller presented the report, as follows:
Proposed Installation of Two Additional Capacitors, 5MVARS Each at the DAFB Switching Station to Improve the Voltage and Power Factor at the Point of Installation
Pursuant to the Reactive Power Study performed by Duke Engineering, capacitor banks are required at the Dover Air Force Base (DAFB) switching station. These banks are necessary in order to improve the 69kv voltage profile and to provide sufficient reactive power capacity to maintain unity power factor as specified in the recent Interconnection Agreement between Delmarva Power and Light Company and the City of Dover.
In accordance with the Reactive Power Study, 15MVARS of capacitance are required at DAFB. During the DAFB re-build this year, 5MVARS were installed. The next step is to install an additional 10MVARS, which will satisfy the reactive power needs well into the next year. Staff developed specifications and cost estimates, calculated at $73,500 for each 5MVAR bank.
Since ABB Power T&D Company, Inc., which is a manufacturer of this equipment, was awarded the bid for the 5MVAR installation, and the equipment must be compatible with that installation, it is required that ABB Power T&D Company be considered the “Sole Supplier” for the two (2) additional banks, in accordance with Section 3.17 of the Purchasing Policy. Members were provided a letter from ABB Power T&D Company, Inc., a manufacturer of this equipment, confirming that WESCO Richmond is the only authorized distributor of ABB Power T&D Company, Inc. products to the City of Dover Electric Department. They have an exclusive agreement with WESCO Richmond which precludes ABB from bidding through any other channel or distributor.
Staff recommended that a purchase order be issued to WESCO, which is the sole distributor for ABB Power T&D Company, in the amount of $147,000 for the two (2) capacitor units.
The committee recommended approval of staff’s recommendation.
Mr. Weller moved to award the bid to WESCO and authorize that a purchase order be issued in the amount of $147,000 for two (2) capacitor units, 5MVARS each, for installation at the DAFB Switching Station to improve the voltage and power factor at the point of installation. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Malone and carried by a unanimous roll call vote (Mr. Lambert, Mr. Pitts, and Mr. Salters absent).
Mr. Weller moved for acceptance of the Utility Committee Report, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried.
ANNUAL REPORT - DEPARTMENT OF INSPECTIONS AND PLANNING
Mr. DePrima, City Planner, submitted the 1999 Department of Inspections and Planning Annual Report. The report included a listing of highlighted accomplishments, a summary of the activities of the various Boards and Commissions associated with the department, a short analysis of Dover’s development activity in 1999, and statistical information regarding operations.
Mrs. Malone moved for acceptance of the report, seconded by Mr. Carey and unanimously carried.
FINAL READING - PROPOSED ORDINANCES
The First Reading of the following proposed ordinances was accomplished during the Council Meeting of February 28, 2000.
Mr. Leary moved that the final reading of the proposed ordinances be acknowledged by title only, seconded by Mr. Carey and unanimously carried.
Mrs. Malone moved for adoption of the following ordinances, seconded by Mr. Carey and carried by a unanimous roll call vote (Mr. Lambert, Mr. Pitts, and Mr. Salters absent):
Revised Budgets for Fiscal Year 1999/2000
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOVER, IN COUNCIL MET:
The amounts hereinafter named in the various City funds are changed from the currently approved revenues/receipts and appropriations to the revised revenues/receipts and revised appropriations for use by the several departments of the Municipal Government for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999 and ending June 30, 2000:
A. GENERAL FUND RECEIPTS
CURRENT +ADDITIONS/ REVISED
RECEIPTS ESTIMATES -REDUCTIONS ESTIMATES
Fines and Police Revenues $491,030 +$18,970 $510,000
Interest Earnings 300,000 +15,000 315,000
Library Revenues 264,786 +25,358 290,144
Business Licenses 950,000 +173,123 1,123,123
Permits & Other Licenses 500,000 +129,384 629,384
Police Extra Duty 124,000 +26,000 150,000
Right-of-Way Revenues 200,000 -150,000 50,000
Transfer Tax 800,000 +300,000 1,100,000
Trash Fee 120,000 +40,000 160,000
Police Related Grants 320,000 -150,000 170,000
Recreation Grants 5,000 +9,000 14,000
B. GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES
CURRENT +ADDITIONS/ REVISED
EXPENDITURES ESTIMATES -REDUCTIONS ESTIMATES
Fire $870,814 +$1,075 $871,889
Recreation 422,673 +7,600 430,273
Planning Commission 96,192 +12,085 108,277
Public Inspections 574,923 +6,200 581,123
Street 861,473 +199,300 1,060,773
Mayor 33,799 +500 34,299
Grounds 238,439 +7,402 245,841
City Manager 88,740 +16,754 105,494
Construction 137,944 +2,690 140,634
Support Services 31,015 +12,234 43,249
Vehicle Maintenance 543,710 -18,304 525,406
Budget Balance 332,953 +189,299 522,252
C. WATER FUND - EXPENDITURES
CURRENT +ADDITIONS/ REVISED
EXPENDITURES ESTIMATES -REDUCTIONS ESTIMATES
Mayor $5,070 +$75 $5,145
Grounds 80,456 +2,498 82,954
City Manager 19,016 +3,590 22,606
Construction 275,889 +5,380 281,269
Support Services 9,543 +3,765 13,308
Fleet Maintenance 39,775 -1,339 38,436
Budget Balance 1,358,269 -13,969 1,344,300
D. WASTEWATER FUND - EXPENSES
CURRENT +ADDITIONS/ REVISED
EXPENSES ESTIMATES -REDUCTIONS ESTIMATES
Mayor $5,070 +$75 $5,145
Grounds 80,456 +2,498 82,954
City Manager 19,016 +3,590 22,606
Construction 275,889 +5,380 281,269
Support Services 9,543 +3,764 13,307
Fleet Maintenance 39,774 -1,339 38,435
Budget Balance 558,285 -13,968 544,317
E. ELECTRIC REVENUE FUND - EXPENDITURES
CURRENT +ADDITIONS/ REVISED
EXPENDITURES ESTIMATES -REDUCTIONS ESTIMATES
Mayor $23,658 +$350 $24,008
Grounds 289,779 +8,996 298,775
City Manager 126,772 +23,934 150,706
Support Services 427,060 +168,452 595,512
Fleet Maintenance 149,056 -5,018 144,038
Budget Balance 663,025 -196,714 466,311
F. INTERNAL SERVICE FUND - REVENUE