CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending October 1, 2010

City receives FEMA disaster relief funds from December 2009 storm

Related to the snow event of December 24, 2009, the City of Lawrence submitted disaster relief claims to FEMA in three categories: Emergency Protective Measures, Road and Bridge Systems, and Public Buildings & Equipment. Of the $146,254.37 submitted, the city was awarded $15,024.49. The largest category of claims, Road and Bridge Systems, was denied entirely, and Street Division costs for snow removal were not submitted as those costs were ineligible for reimbursement. See the attached memo for more information.

City and partner honored for collaboration in housing projects

The city, in partnership with Tenants to Homeowners, Inc., was awarded the “Innovation in Housing and Community Development Category Ad Astra Award” by the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation at the Kansas Housing Conference, held in Topeka, September, 8-10. Please see the attached memo for more information. 

Community Development Division staff of the Development Services Division administer many programs that are funded with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds.  The attached memo outlines these activities and their impact on the community.  Comprehensive Rehab, Emergency and Furnace Loans, Clearance & Demolition and Weatherization are all programs that help low and moderate income homeowners repair and maintain their homes.

City of Lawrence recruiter honored

Ryann Pem, recruiter for the City of Lawrence, Kansas, was honored by the Jayhawk Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on Tuesday, September 14, 2010.  Ryann was given the 2010 Human Resources Professional/ Community Volunteer of the Year Award in recognition of her contributions to the human resources field and the community through a variety of volunteer efforts including the University of Kansas Résumé Review Day, University of Kansas Career Center Advisory Board in 2006 and 2006 SHRM State HR Heroes Award.  She is a past volunteer for Food Not Bombs, local clothing drives and Back to School Festival.  In addition to her community volunteerism, Ryann was recognized for her 13 years as a practicing human resources professional. Ryann is the 2010 Jayhawk SHRM Chapter President and also serves on the SHRM state council. 

City website takes top award

Last week, eGov Coordinator Eric Gruber attended the National Association of Government Webmasters conference in St. Louis.  At the Thursday night awards banquet, the Pinnacle Web Award winners were announced. The City of Lawrence was awarded the Pinnacle Award in the Medium Population category (35,000 to 100,000). NAGW’s Pinnacle Awards are given to local governments for website excellence. The awards’ entrants include other NAGW members competing in three categories based on population. Judges reviewed websites based on team size, content, organization, design, function, accessibility, standards and interactivity. “It is an honor to receive this award from a panel of our peers,” said Megan Gilliland, communications manager. “Our eGov Coordinator and departmental staff continuously seek ways to improve our website and its functionality for our residents. In the future, we’ll continue to look for ways to improve our web presence and ensure that our website is a regarded as an excellent source for information about the City of Lawrence’s programs, services and projects.” The “Pinnacle Award” is chosen from among the top three winners in each category by NAGW judges who are web professionals from inside and outside of government web development. A list of past Pinnacle Award winners can be viewed at http://nagw.org/index.php/pinnacles/past-pinnacle-awards-winners.

Compost Sale a Success

At the city’s Fall Compost Sale in September a total of 1,662 cubic yards of compost (equivalent to 1,080 tons) was distributed and a total of $9,240 was generated during the sale. Lawrence community compost is made from the weekly collection of residential yard trimmings, which includes grass, leaves, and small woody debris. A total of 1,076 vehicles participated. Please see the attached report for more details.