CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending January 1, 2009

 

 

City Monitoring Possible Federal Infrastructure Stimulus Package

It appears likely that one of the first legislative items for consideration by the new Congress and Administration will be an economic stimulus package that will contain an infrastructure component.  City staff is monitoring developments at both the federal and state levels, including preparing lists of possible projects for consideration.  Without a known specific criteria for the type of projects (streets, intersection improvements, utilities, public buildings, etc.), and local participation requirements there is abundant speculation about possible eligibility.  There does appear to be strong interest in projects which are “shovel-ready” - that is, reasonably ready to bid in the near term to provide a fiscal stimulus to the economy sooner rather than later.  As additional information is received, we will advise the Commission concerning possible participation.

 

KDHE releases Ozone designation recommendations

KDHE has posted the proposed 2009 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Boundaries for public comment on their website (http://www.kdheks.gov/bar/air-monitor/boundary.html). It is proposed that Douglas County be designated “Unclassifiable/Attainment,” meaning that while there is no current data available for Douglas County (because there is no monitoring station), the agency extrapolates from data in surrounding areas that ozone levels in Douglas County are at acceptable levels. EPA will consider the KDHE recommendations and is expected to make their final designations of attainment and nonattainment areas by March 2010. Three years after the final EPA designations, KDHE will be required to submit an implementation plan for addressing ozone nonattainment areas in Kansas.

 

Sales Tax Distributions

The City of Lawrence has recently received its December sales tax distribution.  The distribution is the result of retail sales from mid-October to mid-November.  The amount budgeted in 2008 for total city sales tax revenue (city, county, and use taxes) equals $22,675,298.   Using a trend analysis of previous distributions, a projection of 2008 sales tax revenue was $22,602,146 or $73,152 less than the amount budgeted.

 

Actual distributions for the January through December period (reflecting mid-November 2008 through mid-November 2009 sales) total $23,028,956.   Projections based on the trend analysis anticipated $22,602,146 for January through December collections.  As a result, the actual distributions for the twelve months are $426,810 more than the amount projected.  A spreadsheet showing total monthly sales tax distributions since 2001 is attached.

 

The attached spreadsheet shows sales tax distributions on a cash basis.  Under our basis of accounting, sales tax revenue must be accrued.  The accrual of a revenue source can be recorded when the amount collected is known and the actual receipt is soon enough after the end of the year to be available to pay prior year expenses.  For sales taxes, the January distribution is considered to be revenue for the prior year.  When recording actual 2008 sales tax revenue, the January 2009 distribution is included and the January 2008 distribution is excluded.   As a result, actual 2008 sales tax revenue will not be known until the end of January 2009.

 

The 2008 to date sales tax distributions represent an increase of 4.7% over the same period in 2007.  The 2008 actual distributions represent a 1.9% increase over the 2008 projection.  It appears likely that our sales tax revenue will exceed the budgeted amount.

 

Parks and Recreation Teamwork Award winners announced

 The Parks and Recreation Department held its annual holiday luncheon and teamwork recognition earlier this month.  During the luncheon, the Tom Wilkerson Teamwork Awards were also presented. Winners of the award included:

Ø      Crystal Miles, horticulture manager, John McDonald, Horticulture Division field supervisor, Curt Talken, horticulturist II, and Aaron Bertels, formerly with the Forestry Division, who worked on the department’s first Integrated Pest Management plan, which focuses on reducing the amount of pesticides used in city parks and other areas;

Ø      Sharon Leggott, part-time instructor with the Special Populations Division (and full-time employee of the USD 497 Food Services Division) was honored for her assistance with the special populations programming helping those with disabilities;

Ø      The Public Works Street Division, including Tom Orzulak, street division manager, and field supervisors Bryce Campbell, Dave Kraus and Bill Nye and their crews assisted Park District No. 3 with prepping and regrading the roads within Memorial Park Cemetery before the overlay was applied.

Nominations are taken from employees and then reviewed by a sub-committee of the Employee Satisfaction Committee. Recipients are then announced at the department’s annual holiday luncheon. The Teamwork Award was renamed in 2002 to honor Tom Wilkerson who served as assistant director of the department until his retirement in October 2002.