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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-20-2012 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes September 20,2012 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and City Council of the City of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, September 20, 2012. Mayor Haddix called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Other Council Members in attendance: George Dienhart, Vanessa Fleisch, and Eric Imker. Kim Learnard arrived at 7:50 p.m. Announcements. Awards. Special Recoanition Proclamation for National Night Out Mayor Haddix proclaimed October 2 as National Night Out in Peachtree City. Police Chief H.C. "Skip" Clark accepted the proclamation. Haddix noted there had been a decline in decorum at the Council meetings, forcing him to take a stricter stand with adherence to Robert's Rules of Order. He would enforce the rules with all the means available up to, and including, sending someone home. ,~ Public Comment AI Yougel, director of Keep Peachtree City Beautiful, discussed some changes at the recycling drop-offs at Mcintosh Trail and the Recycling Center on Rockaway Road. Some items could now be combined, and the bins had signage on them indicating what items could be co- mingled, but people did not seem to see them. Clear and colored glass could be combined, as well as plastic, aluminum, steel and tin. He asked to help him get the word out. Minutes There were no minutes listed for approval. Monthlv Reports There were no comments on the Monthly Reports. Consent Aaenda 1. Consider Appointments to Planning Commission - Frank Destadio, Robert Napoli 2. Consider Budget Amendments - FY 2012 Imker moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1 and 2. Dienhart seconded. Motion carried 4-0. ,~ New Aaenda Item 0912-05 Consider Budget Adjustment for FY 2013 Imker said he was wrong not to include part-time employees in the one-time pay in lieu of salary included in the FY 2013 budget. He summarized what he had learned about part-time employees, with Fleisch's assistance, since budget approval. The cost would be approximately $12,900. Imker learned part-time firefighters had to be certified as firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or paramedics, and full-time employees did not have to be certified when hired. The part-time firefighters also had to meet the same training and recertification requirements as their full-time counterparts. Two to seven part-time firefighters were on duty at the four fire stations at anyone time. The cost for the 19 part-time firefighters was $6,700, which was not much for someone contributing 1,000 hours per year to the City's safety. Imker identified additional categories of part-time employees who should receive the payment, including two part-time customer service representatives at City Hall, seven part-time Library City Council Minutes September 20, 2012 Page 2 ~ assistants, and seven part-time Recreation staff, adding the pay in lieu of salary would be under $2,000 for those employees. There were also 10 part-timers in the Police Department. Seasonal employees (26 at The Amphitheater, 17 in Recreation, and three temporary part-time employees at Public Works) and any part-time employee not in service for at least six months would not receive the payment, Imker said. Imker moved to include the 2% one-time pay in lieu of salary for the part-time employees named (19 part-time fighters, two part-time customer service representatives at City Hall, seven part-time Library assistants, seven part-time Recreation staff, and 10 part-time employees in the Police Department) with six months of service. Dienhart seconded. Motion carried 4-0. 09-12-06 Facilities Bond Projects Status Report/Update Community Services Director Jon Rorie addressed Council, giving them an overview/update of the Facilities Authority bond projects. He noted there had been a $425,000 Public Improvement Program (PIP) contingency balance on September 20. With the adjustments and recommendations he would discuss, the PIP balance would change to $827. Rorie recommended not funding the Station 81 driveway and parking lot, the BMX tower/pavilion upgrades, more items for the Braelinn Field upgrade, and additional improvements at the Cast House from the Facilities Authority bond, adding they were a lower priority at this time. However, the projects would stay on the list. Rorie recommended removing the improvements to the Baseball Soccer Complex (BSC) parking - lot from the list, adding that even if the budgeted $500,000 was spent, it would not provide a solution, so it should not move forward. Other funding sources should be considered if Council decided to continue the project. He also recommended removing the Battery Way boat dock repair from the Facilities bond list. No funding had been dedicated to it. The dock was structurally sound and did need some repair, but not enough to be listed as a Facilities bond project. Once the repairs were completed, the capacity should still be limited. Signage would be placed. Fleisch asked how long the repairs for the dock would take, adding it did not look good barricaded. Rorie said the barricades should be removed as some repairs had been completed. It had been a band-aid repair, and a more thorough repair would be done would be done in the winter when the dock was not used as much. Haddix pointed out, for citizen clarification, that one of the barriers in addition to money, workers, and priority, was that some work had to be completed when the facilities were not in operation. Rorie agreed, adding three part-time employees were doing much of the work, and they were making good progress. "'~ Rorie noted the repairs on the tennis courts had been budgeted at $260,000 originally, then amended to $213,000. The remaining $46,000 had been moved to contingency with the exception of $10,000. Staff continued to assess the maintenance costs for the tennis courts. A new piece of the puzzle was lighting at the courts. Each pole had 750-watt lamps, there were eight lamps, and eight poles at eaCh facility. Rorie was to meet with a technical representative to discuss a pay-to-play system for the night-time lighting. It would not be popular, but the maintenance costs were expensive. When he had checked the courts at night, all the lights would be on and two people might be playing tennis. The same issue was taking place at some of the athletic fields. He would bring a recommendation for Council approval later. Depending on the facility, the cost to run the lights was $100 to $150 per hour. City Council Minutes September 20, 2012 Page 3 - Rorie said many of the facilities were nearing the end of their service life, and there were electrical or HV AC issues to be considered. The older buildings either needed to be maintained or a decision was needed on moving forward. The Tennis Center had irrigation issues. An additional $30,000 was needed in the Amphitheater budget to deal with leaky roofs, sprinkler system pipe problems, and more. The Request for Proposal (RFP) was out for the sprinkler repairs, and the proposals for the roof had already come back. Projects added to the list included the Fire Department training facility upgrade, which had special thermal panels to control heat. The budget figure was $72,000. Imker said he thought this item had been removed from the FY 2013 General Fund budget, and now it was appearing on the Facilities bond project list. Salvatore said it had been a PIP cash project for $150,000, and that had been the initial estimate. Staff discussed adding the upgrade to the Facilities bond. The project was reassessed, and a $2,000 band-aid repair was done. Since the cost estimate dropped to $72,000, staff was able to work the project into the Facilities bond. Imker said there were some good points about this. The City was paying 1.8% interest on the bond, which was a great rate. Getting the job done with the bond would not hurt the City. It also negated the need for moving the project out to the FY 2014 budget. Rorie said the Station 83 sewer was also added. Originally been part of a Bricks & Mortar loan, the work had not been completed. The money ($92,000) was still set aside from the Bricks & Mortar loan, but $51,000 would be needed to complete the project, depending on the scoping of the project and the bids to do the work. The Police Department needed an HV AC upgrade estimated at $102,000. It would be a big project, with cranes needed to lift the units. ~, The Amphitheater Box office repair was due to a water infiltration problem that staff believed was caused by stormwater issues. The design for the repair was complete, and included a civil stormwater design, as well as an architectural design for the building. The work needed was extensive, including a hole dug out 20 to 30 feet out from the building. The repairs included taking the water away from the building, as well as the repair of the building. The estimated cost was $200,000, but only $50,000 was included in the Facilities bond. The stormwater issue could be handled through stormwater funds. The building repair would come from the Facilities bond. Fleisch asked how old the building was and whether it was worth it to do such an extensive repair. Rorie said, at the end of the $200,000, the City could have the building for another 25 to 30 years. It was up to Council to make a decision. Salvatore noted that the City was. still paying debt service on the 2001 Bricks & Mortar loan, which included the renovation of the Box Office and drainage problems at the Tennis Center. Dienhart asked what would be used for the Box Office during the repairs. Rorie said he hoped to have some alternatives by the October 4 meeting. Rorie said staff would come back at another meeting to ask for Council's approval to move forward with the proposed budget adjustments to move forward with the work. ~. 09-12-07 Consider City Backing of WASA Bond Refunding Mike Harman, chairman of the Water and Sewerage Authority (W ASA), addressed Council, asking them to postpone their decision on the matter until the October 4 Council meeting. Harman said he had met with some of the Council Members the day before, adding he needed time to discuss Council's backing of the bonds with other members of the WASA board. City Council Minutes September 20,2012 Page 4 .-. Fleisch said having the City back the bond refunding was good and would save money, adding it would be an excellent savings for WASA's ratepayers and the taxpayers. She wanted to show Council's confidence in WAS A and move forward with the decision at this meeting. City Manager Jim Pennington said staff did not have a presentation. There had been some discussions, but no one had gone back to WASA with an official response. The initial request from W ASA was for the City to back the bond with the conditions that existed at that time. Learnard said Pennington received a letter from W ASA on August 24 asking whether the City would consider backing their bonds, with the stipulation that W ASA would keep control of any expansion of the sewer lines outside the City. The City had not responded to W ASA, and it was time the City sent an answer. Learnard continued that she met with Harman and other W ASA members, and she understood Council would make a decision at this meeting. She was ready to deCide at this meeting, but would wait for the next one. Haddix said there was a lack of clarity on the issue for him, He had not taken part in any meetings as the others had, and he had heard WASA had no interest in the City's backing, asking Harman for clarification. Harman said the request was made in August, and W ASA had not heard anything back from the City. At the September WASA meeting, the board decided to move forward with the resolution to refinance all of the existing bonds, which included 2002 and 2005 bonds. The first opportunity he had to meet with any member of Council except Dienhart had been the day before this meeting. WASA at no time indicated they were not interested in working with the - City. Most of that information came from the newspaper. There were no proposals on the table to expand the sewer outside the City limits. The sole intention of the refinancing was to save the ratepayers some money since the bond rates were favorable now, with a significant cost savings. He met with Learnard and Fleisch the day before, and he had not had time to meet with the W ASA members. It was too soon to make a decision; it was bigger than either board. The decision would extend through generations of Councils and W ASA boards. He would have more information by the next meeting. Haddix said he had no problem supporting the bond refinancing as long as Council retained veto rights on expanding the system outside the City. He preferred a 50-year agreement, if possible. Harman said there were some procedural issues involved since a resolution had been approved to proceed without City backing since W ASA had not received a response to their request. The issues were not insurmountable, but he had to talk to the board members, adding communication needed to go bothways. Haddix said he understood, and he had no problem delaying the vote until WASA had everything in order. He asked Harman to meet with him. The issue needed to be resolved. Harman assured Haddix that W ASA was looking out for everyone, adding the members were citizens, too. There was nothing secret going on, but they all wanted to be on the same page. j~ Fleisch asked whether it would be better for Council to say it would back the bonds because of the considerable savings to residents, with the same provisions remaining in place so Harman would be able to tell his board what Council wanted. Harman said nothing would be decided until W ASA I S meeting on October 8. Haddix said there needed to be a clear position in two weeks. Harman said he would not have that answer until October 8, but he would be able to ~~IIl'V_ City Council Minutes September 20,2012 Page 5 ~ provide Council with all the information to know if it was the right decision for them on October 4, with the final answer coming at the W ASA meeting on October 8. Imker said he appreciated Harman coming to talk to Council. He had asked the City's bond counsel to review the numbers on having the City back the bond refinancing, and it would save over $500,000 over the life of the bonds (10 to 20 years). If there was no intention of going outside the City limits, then W ASA needed to give Council that caveat. He did not think they needed to wait two weeks, but he would agree to that if it was what Harman wanted. Haddix said a verbal promise was not good enough; he wanted it in writing. Meeker said he thought Imker was talking about continuing with the same covenant in place, but either way there would be a written agreement. Imker agreed. Harman said he did not know if that could be done within the bond covenants, saying Meeker and W ASA' s attorney should discuss the best approach. Meeker said it should be an intergovernmental agreement. Dienhart said the City's backing would save $500,000, and WASA had the same responsibility to the taxpayers that Council did. Anything that got in the way was self-interest. Council wanted to retain the veto on extending sewer outside the City. Learnard moved to continue considering City backing of the W ASA bond refunding to next meeting, October 4. Fleisch seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 09-12-08 Consider Reduction-in-Workforce and Reorganization in the Peachtree City Police Department - Clark addressed Council. The proposed reduction-in-workforce eliminated three captains' positions in the Police Department effective September 30. The new organizational chart would improve overall efficiency and effectiveness through the realignment of personnel. The proposed reorganization addressed deficiencies caused by the current organizational structure, improving efficiency and communication by aligning like services and their support functions. It redirected the Department's focus on improving the delivery of service and increasing accountability Department-wide. The number of divisions would be reduced from four to three. Haddix opened the floor for public comment. No one spoke. Haddix closed public comment and opened the discussion for Council. Learnard asked Clark how many years of experience he had. Clark said approximately 35 years, with Learnard pointing out that was pushing 70 years between Clark and Pennington. Fleisch clarified there would be two additional patrol officers with the reorganization. Clark said the reorganization included two new patrol positions, which would directly impact the services provided to citizens. Dienhart said he hoped the hiring of the two officers would be delayed until the reorganization was completed. Clark said thatwas approximately three months down in the road. - Learnard asked how the reorganization would affect the department's accreditation. Clark said the comment from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) was that the organization was top-heavy, but the written report had not been returned yet. He had several people look at the proposed plan, and he believed it was best for this organization. City Council Minutes September 20,2012 Page 6 - Imker said this was a difficult decision, asking if the City would assist the captains with follow-up opportunities. Pennington said that was the plan. Imker said all three captains had his endorsement as far as a follow-on job. Dienhart said he would like for the City to look at helping with some kind of job placement. Haddix asked if anyone would retire. Clark said one of the captains would retire. Haddix said the captain should receive compensation to allow for a full retirement. Clark said they would follow the City's Personnel Policy. Fleisch moved to approve the reduction in workforce and reorganization in the Peachtree City Police Department. Dienhart seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Council/Staff TODics Hot Topics Update Pennington said, based on the update from Rorie, great progress was being made on list of projects for the Facilities bond. Haddix said the Peachtree City Rotary Club had started donating e-books to the Library to recognize the club's guest speakers, thanking the Rotary Club for the donation. Pennington reminded everyone that the annual Dragon Boat Races and International Festival would be held at Drake Field on Saturday, September 22. Learnard moved to enter executive session to discuss personnel matters at 8:24p.m. Fleisch - seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Learnard moved to reconvene in regular session at 8:48 p.m. Imker seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business to discuss, Imker moved to adjourn the meeting. Fleisch :;;;:Olion carried unanimQusly. The meetin9tz a~~ ~ Don Haddix, Mayor