COUNCIL COMMITTEES
The Council Committees Meeting were held on April 14, 1992, at 7:00 p.m., with Councilman Weyandt presiding. Members of Council present were Mr. Daisey, Mr. Levitt, Mr. Lynn, Mr. Salters, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Hare, and Mr. Lambert.
AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS
Mr. Levitt requested an addition to the Utility Committee's agenda for an update regarding the White Oak Road sidewalks. Mr. Salters moved for approval of the agenda as amended, seconded by Mr. Levitt and unanimously carried.
UTILITY COMMITTEE
The Utility Committee met with Chairman Levitt presiding. Members present were Mr. Salters, Mr. Daisey and Mr. Carey.
SWITCHGEAR PURCHASE - FIVE (5) PMH-9 and FIVE (5) PMH-11
Due to the projections from the Electric Engineering Department of anticipated jobs, bids for PMH-9 and PMH-11 switchgears were solicited. Staff recommended awarding the bid to the low bidders: A.J.P. Sales for the PMH-9 switchgears at a cost of $49,490; and Dixie Electric for the PMH-11 switchgears at a cost of $47,625. The engineer's estimate was $49,300 for PMH-9 switchgears and $48,840 for PMH-11 switchgears.
Mr. Salters moved to recommend acceptance of staff's recommendation, seconded by Mr. Daisey and unanimously carried.
UPDATE - WHITE OAK ROAD SIDEWALKS
A letter was received from Senator John Still advising members that an additional $85,000 has recently been approved and forwarded to the State of Delaware Department of Transportation for road improvements which includes sidewalks along the north side of White Oak Road, from Frear Drive to U.S. Route 13.
Mr. Worley advised members that this is a major project for the Department of Transportation and that they are proposing to widen the road. Staff recommended that the City address sidewalks for the south side of White Oak Road according to the sidewalk assessment policy, once the State of Delaware corrects the drainage problem in the area.
It was Mr. Levitt's feeling that there are traffic and safety concerns for White Oak Road that needs to be addressed and requested that staff make this project a priority.
Responding to Mr. Salters' concerns of the sidewalks located at Baytree, Mr. Braun assured members that staff has contacted the developer and that the sidewalks will be replaced to be brought up to City standards.
No further action was taken.
MUDSTONE BRANCH - PROPOSED NEW ALIGNMENT
During their meeting of March 24, 1992, the committee requested staff to investigate the least expensive alternative to the current proposed alignment of the Mudstone Branch Interceptor.
Mr. Scrafford presented members with a diagram depicting the present design, the new alternative, and the pipelines common to both arrangements. He also provided members with the estimated construction costs for the alternate alignment totalling $9,085,000 with a total project cost of $10,900,000. Staff recommended authorization to proceed with the design of the alternative to the Mudstone Branch Interceptor.
Responding to Mr. Weyandt, Mr. James Avirett, Whitman, Requardt and Associates, stated that the estimated construction costs for the previous proposed alignment totalled $7,700,000.
Mr. Worley advised members that staff met with representatives of the residents of the area to show them the alternative alignment and that no opposition was received. He assured members that staff will be notifying surrounding property owners of the alternate alignment since it is located in the upland area and it will be necessary for the City to obtain easements from the property owners.
In response to Mr. Levitt, Mr. Scrafford stated that although DNREC has not been contacted, staff does not anticipate any problems with the alternative alignment.
Feeling that those residents who will benefit from the project should be the citizens who pay for the project, Mr. Weyandt reiterated his feeling that the City should consider sewer districts.
Members of the committee supported the new alignment for the Mudstone Branch Interceptor as recommended by staff.
Meeting Adjourned at 7:36 P.M.
LEGISLATIVE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
The Legislative and Finance Committee met with Chairman Weyandt presiding. Members present were Councilmen Lynn and Hare and Mr. Leary.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO NOISE ORDINANCE (COUNCILMAN DAISEY)
Members of the committee considered a request of Councilman Daisey to consider modifying the noise ordinance to make it illegal, without special permission from the City of Dover, to operate a boom box, car radio that has been modified to increase its volume, or any other sound device that exceeds the decibel level of an unmodified radio in a motor vehicle. It was his feeling that the request would enable the City to deal more effectively with the increasing problem of excessive noise emitted from boom boxes and car radios. Since it is difficult to measure noise to determine if it exceeds the allowable decibel level, Mr. Daisey felt that by making it illegal to operate such devices, arrests could be made more easily.
Chief Hutchison advised members that the current ordinance addresses Mr. Daisey's concerns. He stated that when complaints are received at the police station, they must be prioritized. Chief Hutchison explained that all excessive noise complaints are not responded to immediately due to the more serious complaints received at the same time. Unfortunately, the police force is not large enough to respond to those less demanding complaints all the time. Should Mr. Daisey's suggestion be implemented, Chief Hutchison advised members that the same process would be required to handle such complaints.
Although several members sympathize with the concerns of Mr. Daisey, it was their feeling that the current ordinance, as written, is adequate and felt that the proposal is unconstitutional.
Mr. Daisey requested that the proposal be presented to the City Solicitor for an opinion.
Mr. Hare moved to recommend that staff obtain a legal opinion from the City Solicitor on the proposed amendment to the noise ordinance, seconded by Mr. Leary and unanimously carried.
BANKING SERVICES ARRANGEMENT
Staff solicited proposals for various banking services, fees and bench mark interest rates from nine (9) local area banks for a two-year period. The following four (4) banks submitted proposals: 1) Bank of Delaware; 2) Delaware Trust; 3) Mellon Bank; and 4) Wilmington Trust Company.
Mr. Karia, Finance Director, explained the analytical process of the proposals. In order to provide a valid comparison, the fees and revenues were calculated on a monthly basis and on the uniform activity data. He provided members with an analysis of the banking services proposals on a monthly basis, as follows:
Interest Fees for Net Revenue
Bank Earnings Services to City
Bank of Delaware $15,967 $2,546 $13,421
Delaware Trust Company 17,100 2,827 14,273
Mellon Bank 18,133 3,099 15,034
Wilmington Trust Company 17,300 1,691 15,609
Mr. Karia stated that the City will receive the most advantageous package of services and revenue opportunities from Wilmington Trust Company. He advised members that the arrangement will be for all of the City's daily banking needs for a one year period, with the provision that the City can renew the arrangement for the same fees and interest basis for an additional two (2) years. Mr. Karia also stated that a provision will be included which will give the City the right to cancel the banking arrangement with a ninety day notice.
Staff recommended that Wilmington Trust Company be chosen as the primary banking institution/depository for the City of Dover for the period of one (1) year beginning May 1, 1992 with an option to renew the arrangement for an additional two years. It was further recommended that the Bank of Delaware, Delaware Trust Company and Mellon Bank be approved as accepted depositories for the City of Dover.
Mr. Lynn moved to recommend acceptance of staff's recommendation and that a Resolution be presented to Council for adoption, seconded by Mr. Hare and unanimously carried.
(NOTE: By request of the Finance Director, the proposed resolution presented at the Legislative and Finance Committee meeting on April 14th has been revised to include more details. The added details only paraphrases the services and does not change the intent of the original proposed resolution. The revised Resolution is attached for consideration - Attachment #1).
PROPOSED ORDINANCE - REQUEST TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO AMEND CITY CHARTER TO CHANGE DATE AND TIME OF MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
The City of Dover Charter currently provides polling hours for annual elections from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. In order to provide polling hours to coincide with hours provided by the State Department of Elections for State and Federal Elections, the City of Dover Election Board recommended that the City request that the General Assembly adopt a Bill to have polling hours from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. In order to accommodate the early morning hours, it was also recommended that the annual election date be changed from the third Monday in the month of April to the third Tuesday in the month of April.
Noting that the proposed ordinance requested that the House Bill be submitted to Representative Outten for introduction, Mr. Worley advised members that other Representatives have requested the opportunity to co-sign the City's Bills and requested that the ordinance be amended to be submitted to all Representatives in the City's district for introduction.
Mr. Lynn moved to recommend adoption of the proposed ordinance as amended (Attachment #2), seconded by Mr. Hare and unanimously carried.
Mr. Hare moved for adjournment, seconded by Mr. Leary and unanimously carried.
Meeting Adjourned at 7:55 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin R. Christiansen
Council President
RRC/jg
Attachments