MANAGER’S REPORT
City Council Meeting
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
TO: The
Honorable Mayor Walter Ash Jr.
and Members of Belfast City Council
FROM: Joseph J. Slocum, City Manager
DATE: Friday, June 27, 2008
Non-Agenda Items
Performing Arts/Community Center update.
We were going to try to set up a meeting
between the Performing Arts/Community Center Committee and the Council to review
the recently assigned mission and duties of this Committee as well as provide an
opportunity for the Committee to share and update the Council on their progress.
There is a collateral interest by a group of local folks to look into the idea
of creating a community kitchen of sorts as an economic development enhancement
to the regional agricultural effort. They aspire to assist small micro food
businesses to have access to larger licensed kitchens to create and expand
aftermarket food products and to create jobs. Since a sizeable kitchen is
central to such a project there has been some inquiry about the possibility of
combining this interest with a community center that may also have a need for a
large licensed kitchen. These are all ideas that are being discussed and I do
think it would be helpful for the Council and the Committee to meet and discuss
these matters and more. I would suggest a public meeting in the event there is
any interest in discussing potential sites. The Council can only legally and
legitimately go into executive session to discuss such real estate matters from
a public meeting- not from a work session. If I think a discussion all around
would be helpful then maybe we would want to schedule this at your meeting.
Update on
State Municipal Revenue Sharing:
To my utter
amazement the State was indeed accurate on its Projection in June of 2007 that
we would receive the sum of $940,000 in revenue sharing in the fiscal year
ending on your meeting date, July 1, 2008. Their prediction for next year is
$837,000 reflecting anticipated losses in sales tax receipts, corporate income
tax and personal income tax. We budgeted $800,000 so we should be safe.
Agenda
Items:
11.B
Presentation and Discussion of the 2006-2007 City Audit by Rob Dorr of C.
H. Dorr & Company. PLEASE BRING YOUR COPY OF THE AUDIT. They are
bound in dark green. Rob Dorr will be here to walk you through the essentials
of the document. I have advised Rob that we should try to limit the discussion
to about 30 minutes so the Council can address other agenda items. Perhaps the
most significant audit finding is that as of June 30, 2007 the City’s
“Undesignated Fund Balance” as noted on page 16 in the amount of $4,329,736.
This money is not designated for any particular use and is sometimes called
“Surplus”. I don’t like that term because it makes people feel that we are
storing their money without reason. In reality we use this money as working
capital to make sure we have the cash flow to pay out both City and school
expenses that are incurred between July 1 and October 1 when we are spending
money in advance of receiving the tax payments to support that part of the
fiscal year. We also rely on these money’s to take care of unexpected large
expenses and also to help pay for large capital expenses for needed projects in
every years budget.
Since June 30th
2007 we adopted the present year budget, which allocated $398,100 of this
undesignated fund for such capital projects as the Oak Hill Culvert Replacement
etc. We have also allocated the following amounts for the following unexpected
purposes:
$325,000 Library Roof
$150,000 close out of Footbridge Construction Account
$145,000 close out of Airport Apron Extension Construction
Account
$150,000 Contribution to Expansion of Hutchinson Center
$ 25,800 Unexpected underground electric installation expenses
at Airport
$ 2,200 Repairs to Parks and Recreation Bus
$ 2,200 Electrical expansion at
Steamboat Landing
Total about:
$800,200
This suggests and
adjustment to Undesignated Fund Balance for designated expenses of about
$3,529,536.
Councilor Lee has
appropriately pointed out that as we close out the fiscal year on July 1 we
should have a pretty good idea of how much non property tax revenue came in
during that fiscal year- that was in excess of what we budgeted for. These
revenues include diverse things like State Municipal Revenue Sharing, Car and
Truck Excise Taxes, Harbor Receipts, Transfer Station Receipts, Permit Fees,
Boat House Rentals, etc. At this writing I am comfortable estimating that we
will close out the fiscal year with about $500,000 more in revenues than what we
budgeted for. This means that this “extra revenue” was not designated for any
yearly expense and so this amount or some sum in reasonable approximation to it
will be able to be added back in to “Undesignated Fund Balance”. WE WILL HAVE
TO AWAIT THE CONCLUSION OF THE JULY 1st to JUNE 30th, 2008
AUDIT to know exactly where Undesignated Fund Balance is as of July 1, 2008.
Right now I would estimate it at $4,029,536.
11.C
Discussion and possible action on a request by the Lookout Bar & Grill of
37 Front Street to expand their licensed premises to include their new deck.
The Chief of Police does not have a specific objection to this. The deck has
only one exit away from the building and toward the parking area and the street.
This should make it practical for the owner to manage that opening to make sure
that no alcoholic activity penetrates the outward boundary of the deck. The
owners have shown some good sense in other past promotional and business
enhancement activities. (Salmon)
11.D
Discussion and possible action on a request by The Lookout Bar & Grill to
have a beer tent in Heritage Park during the Celtic Festival. I can’t
support this request. To begin with there is a prohibition against alcohol
consumption in the City code sec. 34-36 (1). Secondly Belfast has really
unique public waterfront resources. If this is permitted then we will be opening
the flood door for private, non-profit and other groups who want to host events
that include the offering of alcoholic beverages. I will check to see if there
are restrictions under the Trust for this property as well. Finally there are
many tax paying businesses in the downtown area, the Route 3 business region and
along the East Side business corridor, which should have the opportunity to
benefit from permitted gatherings and events on public property that they pay to
maintain. (Lilac)
11.E
Discussion and action on a request by the Harbor Advisory Committee to give the
Belfast Garden Club $5,457 from the Enk Fund to landscape and enhance pedestrian
access to the public restrooms. The Enk Fund is a
private trust that was set up in the name of the Enk family as a pool of money
dedicated to improvements in harbor and waterfront areas. The Harbor Advisory
Committee has judiciously monitored these funds and at various times made
recommendations on how they should be used. The Garden Club I have come to
realize never sleeps. They search for ways to make this city more beautiful and
in this project to install new walkway and steps to the restrooms they have also
added practical enhanced access to these public facilities. This project will
cost below market value because of the efforts of many. A representative of the
Harbor Advisory Committee will be present at the meeting to address this
recommendation. I support it and thank the Garden Club and all their midnight
elves that seem to just make it happen for all of us. (Blue)
11.F
Discussion of various Planning/Community Development projects and issues.
Belfast is ambitious but in reality we can’t do everything at once. We want to
update you on some outstanding projects and make you aware of another
opportunity that the State is making available to us. The State does not check
with us to see if this is a good time to take on another project. Wayne Marshall
will have some comments and be prepared to respond to questions. In
Planning/Community Development like everything else we need to prioritize and
structure our goals and projects. It should be a good discussion. (Pink)
11.G
Discussion of possibly creating a committee to study city sidewalks.
I have met with both representatives of the Downtown Business Group and the
Hiking, Biking and Pedestrian Committee. The outcome of those discussions leads
me to the conclusion that we should put together an Ad Hoc Committee with a
limited function and term. Essentially the downtown sidewalks are among the most
used and among the worst condition. I would like to get a group together to help
me investigate both construction alternatives and prices so that we can present
to the Council a series of options for the future design and materials for these
sidewalks. It is unlikely that we can do them all at once and there are clearly
some areas where they are not that bad at all. The key is to define the future
material and construction type so that we can begin to move in that direction
with some new construction for portions of those walkways in the Spring of 2009.
I would like to
have the decision made on what kind of sidewalks we will construct made by
November 1st of 2008 and be able to go out to bid in early December
for construction to start as soon as the snow melts and be done before Memorial
Day weekend. Discussions with others have suggested a couple of representatives
from downtown businesses, a couple of representatives from the Hiking, Biking
and Pedestrian Committee, perhaps a construction Engineer or Civil Engineer and
any other type of representative that the Council may suggest.
At this time I
ask the Council how it feels about forming such a committee and if so do you
have any suggestions on membership. If you support this idea I will return at
your July 15th meeting with a draft mission statement, proposed terms
of office and maybe a couple of names to recommend.
11.H
Discussion and action on Recycling/Transfer Station budget issues.
The City is losing its contract with Group Home Foundation, Inc. to help package
and market our recycling materials effective immediately. Group Home has
determined that this program is serving fewer of their clients and that the
management requirements of the program are disproportionate to the number of
clients served.
The new budget,
which starts on the day of your meeting, includes the sum of $65,458 for this
contract with Group Home Foundation on budget line 440-525. I propose that we
bring this function in-house by hiring two (2) part-time, 32-hour per week
employees who will receive no benefits. We presently believe that we can do this
with this level of staffing. It will provide a more cohesive approach to the
station because it will be one team of people responsible for everything.
Coordination and task sharing will likely become easier. We will also need to
acquire a used propane fired forklift.
To make this happen I ask the following:
From the $65,458
440-525 account please move $32,000 to wages account 440-501 (2 employees @
$8:00 - $9.50 per hour); $10,000 to a new 440 Equipment Purchase Account to buy
a used forklift; $2,500 to account 180-527 Soc Sec/ Medicare.
11.I
Discussion and action on the City Manager’s request to increase the salary
of the Public Works Director. I request to increase the salary of the
Public Works Director by the sum of $3,000 to cover the extra responsibility for
overseeing Parks facilities and helping to coordinate Parks Programs following
the merger of these two departments.
At budget time a
salary increase was discussed. Council member Heberer asked me if the
approximated $2,300, which separated the departments’ request from my
recommendation, represented the amount, which I intended to increase the
Director of Public Works salary as a result of a proposed merger with the Parks
Department. At the time I incorrectly said yes. The $2,300 was the major part of
my proposed increase. I forgot that I had planned on a $3,000 increase and that
I found the other $700 by making a cut within the original proposed budget. This
is a relatively small increase but I think its compatible with the additional
responsibility this position will bear. The extra money is for increased
responsibility, coordination, communication and reflective of additional overall
supervision of one extra full time and two seasonal people.
11.J
Discussion of a request by the Library Board of Trustees to re-allocate
funds from the Library Roof Capital Projects account to the Library Renovations
Capital Projects account. The funding for each of these projects was
separately approved by the City Council. I support this request, which
essentially relates to an understandable need to make minor adjustments in cost
on any large-scale construction effort. Both set of funds were authorized to
enhance the library building and that purpose will stay intact with your
approval of this request. (Gray)
That’s about it
for now. July 4th is on Friday and we will be closed for the
Holiday. I would like to extend my thanks to our employees who work hard every
day to do their best for this City. Some of them will have the holiday to rest
and enjoy their families and friends- some will not. When I see the flag this
weekend, I’ll see a nation and all of its pieces. Belfast is one of those great
shinning pieces in large part because of the work these people do every day.
They are not perfect- but they are determined to be very-very good.
Have a good weekend everybody. |
