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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/29/2013 - RegularMEMBERS PRESENT: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor William W. Nance, Vice Mayor 1. Douglas Adams, Jr. Matthew S. Hare STAFF PRESENT: Christopher S. Lawrence, Town Manager Susan N. Johnson, Town Clerk Ryan Spitzer, Assistant to the Town Manager Barry Thompson, Finance Director/Treasurer Lijah Robinson, Accounting Manager Gary Woodson, Public Works Director Joey Hiner, Assistant Public Works Director Jill Acker, Public Works Administrative Manager Mike Faw, Public Works, Utility Crew Leader The Mayor called the work session to order at 9:30 a.m. to hear budget presentations by Town staff. The first presentation was by Gary Woodson on behalf of Public Works. He began with a key goal of alley, roadway and street construction and maintenance. This includes roadway resurfacing, paving, pothole repairs and striping; street sign maintenance, repairs and replacement and alley maintenance and repairs. The Town has been divided into nine operational zones with the idea of having crews working in different zones so all areas will see improvements going on. Mr. Woodson then explained each area of improvement in more detail. The next goal relates to infrastructure improvements for water and sewer systems. This includes resetting some of the manhole structures and hydrants that have already been purchased. Also, about 500 feet of water service line has r, Is to IRMIFNI a WORM 1IRTIMA 10] --alm Regarding the goal of continuing to repair and replace sanitary sewer system lines, Mr. Woodson commented that in the past they have only repaired or replaced necessary sections of a sewer line. In the future, when feasible and more cost efficient, they plan to expand the repair or replacement area beyond the immediate need. Mr. Woodson commented regarding the purchase and implementation of an asset management program called CityWorks. This program will help to track and better identify the areas where funds are being spent. This program will also be able to generate service requests, track work orders, help with special project management and inspections as well as map GIS layers. Tice Mayor commented about a goal listed in the proposed budget regarding implementation of ways to maintain and improve employee staff morale including clarification and understanding of Town's policies and procedures. He asked if that is a proactive measure to keep that from happening or is it an existing issue. Mr. Woodson responded that any time we can provide training of any type, have employees take on responsibilities and become more engaged in their work, it helps morale. It helps to hold them accountable and develops self -pride when you give them an opportunity to be a part of the decision making and they work together to accomplish a project. Mr. Woodson next commented on some of the significant budget changes, the first being an increase in the milling and paving line item. These funds will be utilized to do resurfacing work. There are some funds in this year's budget P.nd it has been discussed about putting the funds together when the budget cycle changes to try to get a larger piece done. If we start the process early, there is an opportunity to get a better is and to do more for our money. Mr. Hare v.sked what we not doing by adding funds to this line item and the response is we are not cutting any service. We have able to pull from several line items. Vice Mayor Nance commented that places where historically we are not using the money budgeted, we are scaling those back and are able to redirect those funds into areas we know we will tap into. The Town Manager commented that with the proposed increase in the cigarette tax we will be able to fund some capital improvements instead of taking from the operating budget. If the tax increase is not approved, we will have to go back and reduce funding some of the items that are not critical. Mr. Woodson commented on the request for an asphalt roller. Currently a roller is leased for a month at a time. Sometimes during that month, our crew is pulled to another more time sensitive job and we do not get to fully utilize the roller for the money we have spent. An asphalt roller is fairly inexpensive, has a long service life and is a crucial piece of equipment. This is a smaller unit and would not be large IN 0 The increase in the Water Works Assessment Fee is for th Virginia Health Department's water service connection fee A request was made for an increase in the chemicals lin item, but a decrease is proposed. The increase wa requested for the Melissa well which produces an inordinat amount of iron content compared to other well houses. T help with this issue, we had suggested feeding anothe solution to this well at an increased cost. However, the level are well below those required for testing and they do no 1 pose a health issue. � The increase in the water system maintenance is to replace some of the 12 chlorine pumps as preventative maintenance. When asked if these pumps were on the SCADA system, the response was no. However, the SCADA system itself will probably be brought up next year as a budget consideration because of the age of the software and the need for an update. Vice Mayor Nance commented that the Utility budget is increasing only 0.21% and they are finding places to cut the budget to spend places where there are priorities. Mr. Woodson commented that they are able to hold costs down A y carefully monitoring it. There are all kinds of needs, but trying to address the priority needs within their resources. Vice Mayor Nance said the budget is very reasonable, Vice Mayor Nance asked what is the first thing on his list that he is not able to do with this budget. Mr. Woodson responded that if he had the world, he would like to spend more money on the infrastructure in the water lines. If he had the funding he would have a designated crew just working on water lines year round. Everything else above ground is needed, but the underground has a lot of challenges. The Town Manager commented that it might be something to evaluate in the future to see what the benefit would be to hire two more people and have a service crew that only works on water lines. Mr. Woodson further commented that with funding and staff and proper equipment there are some things that they can do for a fraction of the cost with full confidence. The next presentation was by Barry Thompson on behal of Finance. Mr. Thompson began by commenting on th completion of the renovations in his office and the new Finan Conference Room, The key goals are to implement an on-lin Employee Resource Center for employees; develop th] M Accounting Manual and implement the credit card payment system for Real Estate and Personal Property taxes. Regarding the on-line Employee Resource Center, employees will be able to access historical pay information and leave accrual and balance. Mr. Thompson commented that they have been gathering the information and researching the format and are ready to compose the manual, The Finance Committee is recommending that this be completed and they would like to hire an intern for the summer to assist with this project, By implementing the credit card payment for real estate and personal property taxes, this would complete all functions of the department to have the ability to accept credit/debit cards and e-checks. Just over the last month there have been over 500 payments accepted by electronic transaction. Now about 1,500 payments no longer have to be manually processed in- house. In response to a question, Mr. Thompson responded that eventually all customers who choose e-bill payment will not receive a mailed statement, but an email, which will be a cost savings. Mr. Hare commented on prior conversations concerning going to a monthly instead of bi-monthly billing cycle and the cost and staff time involved. If more customers the workload for the department. For significant budget highlights, a decrease in part-time salaries is due to reduced dependency on part-time help during peak time, but would like hire an intern for the summer to assist with the accounting manual. Contractual services are decreased due to there being no charge for program updates for ACS. Travel and training is increased to allow the Accounting Manager to attend training to maintain his CPA certification. The credit card fees increase accounts for transaction fees. Mr. Hare asked if we have one vendor for all departments for credit cards. Mr. Thompson responded that the War Memorial has its own account and all the others are through his department, They were originally put out for bid four years ago. Mr. Hare asked if with increased volume should we consider putting out for bid again and Mr, Thompson responded that he would negotiate with our current vendors. Mr. Thompson commented on the success of the new utility deposit that was implemented in November of 2012 and indicated there have been over 30 depositions received. The next presentation was by Stephanie Dearing on behalf of Human Resources. She began by commenting on the slide showing all the 13 new full-time employees hired since July 1". The key goals are to assess needs and facilitate training opportunities for employee growth and development, 0 chair a committee of employees to revise and update the wi Employee Handbook and monitor and ensure compliance th changes in Federal and State laws and regulations, The *QQ-W#W04 " has met three times. It will probably take most of the calendar year to complete the process. The only significant budget highlight is an increase �q contractual services by $1,000,00, which includes pre- employment requirements such as physicals, drug screenings, etc., the E-flex fee, temporary services, condolences and post- 2ccident/incident reviews. Vice Mayor Nance asked about the balance in the current tuition reimbursement line item and Ms. Dearing responded that there are at least three candidates who are currently enrolled that are eligible for reimbursement. There was not as much participation this year, but this benefit is such a selling point in hiring new employees. Even though they may not take advantage of it right away, they know it is available in the future. The last presentation was by Ryan Spitzer on behalf W Economic Development. He began with a slide showing the Vinton Business Center and made brief comments. Mr. Spitzer commented that the designation of planned technology districts was set up several years ago for tax incentives in Roanoke County. This designation only has a five to six year life span and may need to be updated. As a reminder of how the Business Center works, there is a 50/50 gain sharing agreement with Roanoke County, The Town pays 50% of all the landscaping, upkeep and utilities and all proceeds from the development are also shared 50/50. The major key goal is the Downtown Revitalization Project A new business has expressed an interest in downtown an has inquired about the Revolving Loan Program. Th property they are looking at is on Lee Street. I The next goal is to work with is departments and organizations to promote economic development. This would entail identifying corridors where improvements need to be made to support new businesses such as sufficient water supply. Also, working more closely with the County's Economic Development and the Regional Partnership. The final goal is to create a map of Town quadrants and fact sheets so that all Town staff has the same information for a quick reference when there are inquiries about economic development. It will also help during the budget process to prioritize certain sections of Town for economic development. WE L A"OVED-,) 41 �7 Bradley E,'erose, M . a o( A EST: A Susan N. Johnson,., own Clerk