CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
General Fund trends
Finance staff has provided a summary of the history of general fund revenues, expenditures and unreserved fund balance for the past several years to look at trends in fund balance levels and percentage changes in revenues and expenditures. Attached is a table showing this information for the General Fund from 2004 through 2008. As with other 2008 information provided, the amounts are un-audited and are subject to change. Unreserved fund balance as a percentage of total expenditures has declined over this period as expenditures have increased and the rate of revenue increases has declined. Items of note include:
§ In the early years of this comparison, assessed valuations were increasing 6 to 8% annually. The 2007 assessed valuation (used to build the 2008 budget) grew only about 3.5%, and 2008 assessed valuation (for the 2009 budget) grew by only 0.8%. Assessed valuations are now projected to be flat or declining for development of the 2010 budget.
§ Growth in sales tax revenues and investment income also have slowed.
§ Increases in expenditures in 2005 and 2006 reflect increases to street maintenance, staffing costs associated with fire station 5 and expiration of a police department grant, which provide partial funding for police officer salaries.
§ In order to reflect tight revenues, expenditure growth in 2007 actually declined 2.09%. In 2008 expenditures increased by only 4.06%, reflecting an annual average of .99% growth annually over those two years.
February building permits report
There were 136 permits issued in February 2009, compared to 122 in 2008. Permit valuation was $4,808,607 compared to $9,147,160 last year. Fees were $37,951.70 compared to $48,947.33 last year. Please see the attached memo, report, and summary for more information.
Update on 617 W 4th Street
Code Enforcement staff has provided the attached update on the progress of rehabilitative work to the property at 617 W 4th Street.
Levee recertification proceeding
Attached is a memo regarding the progress of the accreditation of the Kansas River Levee (also known as the Lawrence Flood Protection Unit) by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Staff anticipates submitting all requested data to FEMA by the end of April or early May, thus allowing time for any possible requested changes or additions. Two of the design criteria are currently under analysis: "Embankment and Foundation Stability" and "Settlement". Upon completion of the analysis, some outfall inspections and data collection, a completed report will be submitted to FEMA. The US Army Corps is also reviewing a profile of the Mud Creek streambed to resolve issues discussed in the September 26, 2008 meeting. Staff expects the levee to be reclassified from Provisional to Accredited once FEMA reviews the formal documentation submitted.
Maps of motor vehicle accidents and structure fires completed
GIS Coordinator Micah Seybold has created the attached maps of motor vehicle accidents in Douglas County and structure fires in Lawrence using data from the Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical Department.
Transit Fuels Task Force established
A Transit Fuels Task Force has been established to assist the city and University of Kansas evaluate short and long term strategies for fuel alternatives that will have a positive environmental impact on the Lawrence community. The Task Force will evaluate the various types of fuels and vehicles available to the city and KU transit agencies. The joint Task Force will further the coordination of transit efforts between the city and KU and assist both entities in determining potential future vehicle acquisition. Evaluation should include the following: sustainability and environmental impact, advantages and disadvantages of various fuel systems, operating impact, fuel cost and availability, and vehicle maintenance considerations. Cost/benefit comparisons and life-cycle cost information will also be provided by the Task Force as available.
The immediate goal is to recommend a plan to the KU-City Transit Planning Team to forward to the City Commission for determining how to expend its stimulus funds and earmarks for vehicles to meet the objective of minimizing the environmental impact. Completion of the Task Force recommendations is targeted for April 22, 2009 to allow for a report at the April 28, 2009 City Commission meeting. The university will present the report to the Transit Commission for consideration for future bus acquisition.
Members of the Task Force are currently being finalized, but will include experts from the University of Kansas, representation from the city’s Public Transit Advisory Committee and KU-City Transit Planning Team and from the city.
Downtown crosswalk replacement project
Public Works staff has prepared the attached map and schedule for the downtown crosswalk replacement project (also see attached photos of the some of the problems that are being corrected by the project).
Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program training conducted
On February 11, 2009, Community Development staff hosted a two hour contractor training/program overview luncheon workshop for the prequalified contractors in the Comprehensive Rehabilitation program. With the cooperation of the Building Safety Division, two hours of Continuing Education credit toward future contractor license renewal was offered to encourage participation. Seven of nine contracting companies were represented by 10 individuals and city staff of four. The seminar highlighted program procedures and encouraged dialogue toward making the program more user friendly for all parties involved. Suggestions included requesting homeowners to make paint and floor covering selections prior to the pre-bid inspection to aid contractor bidding, institute partial payments for work completed, and increased communication between the homeowner, contractor, and staff. Additionally, clarification was made regarding permit fees and requirements. Staff was able to incorporate contractor suggestions with no additional resources other than existing staff time. The suggestion for partial payments for completed work will be used on the contracts currently underway and reevaluated on an ongoing basis. Evaluations filled out by the contractors, showed that they all found the workshop “helpful” and the information presented “relevant”. All felt the time spent was worthwhile with comments “it was nice to allow discussion on problems with the program” to “the two credit hours was good too”. When asked if they were more or less likely to bid future projects, four said yes, one maybe, two the same and one individual was ambivalent. Staff was very pleased with the success of the workshop.
Oread Neighborhood Plan update
Long-range Planners, in addition to the Historic Resources Administrator, met with approximately 20 Oread Neighborhood stakeholders on February 25th at City Hall regarding the Oread Neighborhood Plan update. Items from the February 9th public input meeting were presented for discussion and the items were grouped into 4 categories: Land Use, Preservation, Infrastructure, and Neighborhood Atmosphere. The meeting attendees were asked to comment on the draft goal for each category and help brainstorm ideas on how the policy issues could be addressed in the plan. The February 25th meeting summary is available on the website at http://www.lawrenceks.org/pds/draft_plans. The next step in the planning process is to draft the plan and then release the draft plan for public comment.
Transit ridership strong in 2009
Ridership on the T is up so far in 2009. On the fixed route buses, ridership numbers for January 2009 increased 11% over the same month last year. February 2009 showed a 7.9% increase in fixed route ridership.
The month of February this year has one less day of operation than last year, so another way of looking at the numbers is comparing average daily ridership. This method shows a 12.3% increase for February 2009. In January 2009, average daily ridership increased 11%. There were an equal number of days of operation in January 2008 and January 2009.
On the T Lift paratransit service, ridership was down 4.3% in January and also decreased 2.9% in February as compared to the same months last year. Average daily ridership on the T Lift decreased 4.3% in January but increased 1.2% in February.