City Manager's Blog January 14, 2013

Budget Draft Complete

With the revised budget process in place, the staff has done a tremendous job in preparing the draft budget for council review and discussion on the 14^th.  Jean, Diane, and Skye have done an exceptional job in putting together all the pieces for the budget draft.  As you know, this process is designed to give council additional time to review and provide direction on the allocation of available funds in the coming year.  I hope you find this process more engaging and valuable in understanding the overall financial direction of the city. Following the discussion at the study session Monday night, Council will have nearly two months to review, discuss, revise, and/or change allocations prior to final approval due in March.  I look forward to working with the Council and staff in finalizing the City of Indianola budget and thank all the staff who has worked in the development of the FY 14 budget document.

Phase 4 I & I to Begin

The 4^th and final stage of the public improvements to the sewer system is set to begin this month.  Last month the council approved the contract to proceed with the work to line, repair, and update the system per recommendations from our engineers. Currently the Community Development department is working to acquire the remaining construction easements.  Thirty-three easements have been obtained to date allowing the work to proceed as planned.  Staff will also work with private homeowners to address any inflow issues that may be present within the system.  This has been a very challenging and expensive mandated project for not only the city, but also many homeowners.  Discussion on the best way to assist our residents in dealing with this initiative and the associated expense will continue at the budget workshop on the 14^th.

Road Maintenance

With the snow quickly disappearing with the nice temperatures of late, we once again begin the annual battle of dealing with potholes and cracking in our streets associated with the freezing and thawing that occurs this time of year.  I have no doubt the winter is far from over, but Street Department staff will be working the next couple of weeks addressing any issues that arise due to the ever changing weather and ongoing ice and water associated with the melting snow.  If you receive any complaints or spot an issue, do not hesitate to let me or the street department staff know so we can make the necessary repairs to get through the remainder of the winter season.

School Security/Safety

Interim Chief Hamell and the Indianola Police Department are working on the ongoing effort and concern nationwide of keeping our schools safe.  We continue to be reminded that we unfortunately live in a society were extra precautions must be undertaken to keep our children safe.   Representatives from the IPD and school officials will be meeting January 17^th to continue the dialogue on the best strategy to keep our schools as safe as possible. Ongoing efforts to evaluate and assess the security needs at our various school buildings by both the Indianola School System as well as the IPD will allow us to identify the best security strategy going forward.

City Manager's Blog December 21, 2012

Blizzard 2013 Update

We survived the first major winter storm in the past two years without any major issues of note.  The Street Department did an outstanding job, given the conditions, removing snow and keeping our streets open.  Ed and his entire staff are now working on the enormous amount of cleanup that must take place after the initial plowing has concluded.  Staff is currently clearing snow from parking lots, the square, and side streets. Crews are working diligently to keep any inconveniences to a minimum for citizens and businesses. Next week, after the holiday, we will haul the snow off some of the wider streets like Clinton, Boston, Howard etc. were the sidewalks are close to the street and the snow is either on the sidewalk or in the parking area. In addition, the Police Department did a great job in providing advanced notice of the snow ordinance and getting cars off the streets so plows could remove snow efficiently and safely.  Because we are fortunate enough to have experienced officers that have been through enough winter storms, we noticed minimal disruptions during the storm.  In total, only 17 vehicles were cited and only 4 vehicles had to be towed. The combination of the early warning and proactive efforts of the IPD with regards to the snow ordinance, we were able to keep everyone safe and allow crews to remove the snow from our streets without major incident.

Fire/EMS Calls Hit New Record in 2013

2012 will bring a new record for calls for service at the IFD.  The previous record was 1732 and as of today (December 21^st) we are at 1831. Most of the increase occurred with the number of EMS calls, but our fire calls were up slightly also.  Thankfully, the new record was not inflated due to calls related to the recent winter storm. The ambulance ran all night long, but it was for medical calls only. Fortunately, we did not respond to any accidents as motorist seemed to be driving slow enough to avoid injury causing crashes.

Firefighter Position Open

With the departure of one or our Firefighter/EMT staff members, the City of Indianola is taking applications for a Full Time Firefighter until December 28^th. This is a civil service position and as such subject to civil service testing in addition to a formal interview process.  Chief Brian Seymour and HR Director RoxAnne Hunerdosse will be working with the Indianola Civil Service Commission to fill the position as soon as possible.  Commission members assisting with the hire are Fred Jones, Wayne Peterson and Celeste Gebhart.  Those interested should contact the City immediately regarding this opening with the Indianola Fire Department.

Upcoming Library Events

The Library staff is busy planning for the Adult Winter Reading program which begins right after the New Year. In addition, we are planning to celebrate “Take Your Child to the Library” Day on February 2^nd with story times, activities, and other events for children and their parents. Please visit the staff at the Indianola Library to learn more about the many events and activities happening in 2013.

City Manager's Blog December 7, 2012

YMCA Update

Community Development is working with the Iowa Department of Public Health and other state officials to obtain a waiver to allow a handicap ramp to be installed at the competitive pool in the YMCA. We are hopeful the waiver will be approved.  A meeting with all the various entities represented with the project will be held next week at City Hall to discuss and hopefully reach agreement so the final pool construction can move forward.  Overall progress on the YMCA remains on target aided by the recent good weather experienced in the area. 

Budget and Finance

Budget documents have been sent to all department heads for completion and submittal by the end of December for the coming fiscal year.  Staff has been given an initial target of maintaining the current levy rate of $11.20.  Overall direction and discussion of the budget will take place Monday night at the Council Study session.  As indicated in your packets, please bring your copy of the current budget to the study session.

Street Project Update

Paving Project – With the recent stretch of good weather experienced in the area, Sternquist Construction has been able to complete all the mainline paving for the year. All intersections have been poured. Sternquist Construction anticipates the last of the concrete pouring on 12/7/12. They are still hoping to finish the restoration and sodding of the disturbed areas yet this year, if possible.

Capital Crossroads/Local Government Collaboration

Chief Seymour and I attended the second local government collaboration last week as part of metro area initiative to promote local collaboration and efficiency.  The discussion focused on fire and EMS services.  The main issues identified to move forward were identifying potential efficiencies surrounding the use and maintenance of equipment and overall staffing and the opportunities to share staffing when available. 

Pickard Park Improvements

The street department will start digging the footing for the new restroom at the Pickard Park ball field complex next week. We will then need to get the water and electric service to the site and have the plumbing completed before we can receive and set the building in place. We have scheduled the first week in April for the delivery date. By waiting until this time, we can have the water turned on so the building can be hooked up and checked for leaks by the installers.

City Council Weekly Update

McVay Trail Closure

McVay Trail will be closed between 9^th & 15^th streets as early as next Tuesday, November 13 for 3-5 weeks while the erosion repair work is being done in the waterway along the trail. Please notify anyone who may get inquiries about this. We have notified the schools, submitted a news release to the Record Herald, will be placing information on the cable TV channel & website and will be putting placing signs and appropriate barriers at each entrance to the trail in the area affected by construction.

Budget and Finance

TIF: The legislature enacted a new law during the 2012 legislative session requiring cities provide much more detail regarding their Urban Renewal Areas. The report requires city council approval and is due December 1 of each year. The 34 page report is complete and scheduled to be approved by council November 19.In addition, the city certifies TIF debt each December 1 to Warren County and this too is approved by council (resolution) on Nov 19.

Debt Issue: Issuing debt for the YMCA (2013B Series), New Ladder Truck, Street Department Dump/Plow trucks, Pickard Park improvements and McVay Trail (2013A). Bond sale is Dec 10 (special meeting to be held prior to study committee) and funds will be received on Jan 9, 2013.

Street Projects

J/K Street - A traffic study will be performed on November 20th or 21st to record movements on both north and south J and K Street to provide warrants for signalization of the intersection. We should know the results by November 27th if signals can be included in the project. Community Development will provide a real estate contract for Council approval for the purchase of the Champlin property on December 3rd. Community Development is still working with the Historical Society to obtain a portion of their property as well. Because of the delay in land acquisition and confirmation for traffic signalization, Chuck has requested federal funds for the project be rolled over and completed in 2014.

2012 Street Improvement Project - All paving on Howard north of Detroit has been completed. Contractor will be replacing driveway approaches later this week and next week. We are still encouraging the contractor to complete the remaining portion of North Howard between Ashland and Clinton this construction season.

Annual Iowa League Budget Workshops

The annual Budget Workshops help city officials prepare for the budget process by providing information on financial projections and strategies to maintaining a sound city budget. The workshops are designed for city administrators, city clerks and finance officers, but are open to all city officials.  The workshop will be held in Altoona on December 6^th from 10-3.  Workshop topics include: Budget Projections and Issues, Budgeting for Beginners, Advanced Health Care Plans and Costs.  Please let me know if you wish to attend so we can register for the event.

City Manager's Blog - November 2, 2012

YMCA Update

We have scheduled an owners walk-thru to view the current progress of the YMCA on December 3rd at 2:00 pm at the YMCA. We anticipate most of the building to be enclosed by that date. We encourage Council members to attend if possible.

AFR Submittal/Budget

The FY12 Annual Financial Report will be published in the RHT next week and is due to the Iowa Dept of Management by December 1, 2012. The report shows the actual receipts and disbursements of the entire organization for the last fiscal year. Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Budgets for FY14 will be sent to department heads late next week. The General Fund CIP will be brought to council study November 12 and the entire CIP to the November 19 council meeting.

Fire Safety Month

The Fire Department finished up annual visits to the elementary schools as part of the annual Fire Prevention Month activities. Over the past two weeks we have taken the fire safety trailer to each elementary school and worked with students on fire prevention education. We also visited several day care facilities and provided tours of the station to classes that choose to visit the station instead of having fire fighters visit their location.

Street Improvement

Community Development staff discussed the remaining portion of the streets to be completed for this construction season. Staff has directed the contractor to focus on the completion of North Howard and open to traffic as soon as feasible, including the two blocks north of Ashland Avenue. If successful, only one block of Detroit between D and E will remain for possible completion this spring. The J/K Street Alignment project is still progressing, however we need to update the traffic counts and turning movements on both J and K Street and provide warrants for the signalization of the new intersection.  Property acquisition within the project area including the Champlin and Warren County Historical Society property is still proceeding.

Trail Ambassadors

As a result of some past public meetings to explain about our trails plan and get public input, we held a trails ambassador interest meeting last Tuesday, Oct 23. The purpose of the meeting was to get people together to see if there is interest in forming a trails support advisory group. We had 6 people attend and have scheduled another meeting for Nov. 13. The hope is that we can get more trail users to the meeting and officially organize a trail support group that would meet on a regular basis and help support, promote, develop, and education people about trails.