CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Education Materials on Sales Tax Initiatives Prepared
City staff, particularly Communications Manager Lisa Patterson, has spent much of the past week preparing public education materials regarding the upcoming city sales tax initiatives. These materials will be available at city facilities and will be used in public educational presentations. To date, presentations have been made to a number of area service organizations, and more presentations are being scheduled for September and October.
The educational materials include:
§ Flame newsletter, included as a utility bill insert this month, dedicated to information on the sales tax initiatives
§ Folded one page brochure
§ Card stock brochure
§ Two separate fact sheets (ballot basics and FAQ)
§ Channel 25 slide show
§ Poster for indoor use
§ Website: www.lawrenceks.org\sales_tax_proposal
Long-range Planning Work Program Update
Planning staff prepared the attached memo as an update on recently completed projects, projects in process and major projects that are scheduled for initiation as projects in the pipeline are completed. These lists focus mainly on long-range and comprehensive text amendment projects.
Staff Article on TASERS Published
Staff Attorney Scott Miller authored the attached article on police use of TASERS, which was recently published in the August edition of the Kansas Government Journal.
Utilities Emergency Response Plan receives overhaul
The Department of Utilities has recently finalized a review and extensive revisions to its Emergency Response Plan. Department staff expects a more concise and usable plan, which will undergo timely updates to meet the changing needs of the water and wastewater utilities. Plan updates will be based on drills and exercises, which will also provide employee training opportunities and guidance for necessary preparations.
The Department, which maintains ISO14001/OHSAS 18001/National Biosolids Partnership EMS for Biosolids certifications, is required to undergo internal and third-party independent audits. Findings related to these audits indicated that the previous Emergency Response Plan may be obsolete, cumbersome and in need of improvements, thus triggering a department review of the document and related practices.
The Department used in-house staff resources to complete the comprehensive review and revision process. Various emergency-related agencies outside of the Department reviewed the draft document and provided input, which staff incorporated into the plan. The agencies, which provided assistance, included the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, Kansas Department of Labor, Lawrence Police Department, and Douglas County Emergency Management. The previous Emergency Response Plan was completed by a consultant in 2004 and cost approximately $90,000.