Week ending February 16, 2019
2018 Accounts Receivable Annual Report – added 02/19/19
Attached is the annual report that shows the activity in accounts receivable for the year. Special appreciation goes to Courtney Shanks, and Mike Hoffmann for compiling the information in this report.
January 2019 Monthly Building Permit Reports
The Building Safety Division issued 227 building permits in January, with total construction for the month valued at $21,675,885. Total permit fees assessed for the month were $102,949, and total review fees assessed were $13,772. Permits were issued for 10 new residential projects, all of which were for single-family dwellings. Staff Report Monthly Report Year-to-date Report
2020 Budget Calendar
The 2020 Budget Calendar is now available.
RSM Audit Planning Letter
This letter includes required communications to those charged with governance regarding the scope and timing of the 2018 audit. Staff Memo & Attachments
January 2019 Monthly Utility Billing Report
Attached is the monthly Utility Billing Report for January.
Affordable Housing Advisory Board Meetings to be Televised
Beginning Feb 11, 2019, the AHAB meetings will be televised. This effort improves transparency of the board for those unable to attend the meetings. The meetings will be televised live and the videos will be archived with the agendas of the AHAB meetings on the City’s website.
Retail Liquor and Cereal Malt Beverage License – Discrepancy in Hours of Operation
The City Manager’s Office was informed that Lawrence liquor store owners are concerned with changes to Cereal Malt Beverage license rules taking effect on April 1. Effective this date, Cereal Malt Beverage licensees will be allowed to sell up to 6.0% beer, an increase from the current 3.2%, with no adjustment to their hours of operation. The hours of operation for Cereal Malt Beverage licensees is 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Retail liquor stores are limited to 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sunday hours are the same for both license types. This creates a discrepancy in the hours of sale of strong beer.
Cities may prescribe hours of closing more restrictive than State Statute but not less. To address the discrepancy, the governing body could reduce the hours of operation for Cereal Malt Beverage licensees. They could not extend the hours of operation for Retail Liquor stores.
In anticipation of the April 1 effective date, staff has been working on necessary updates to City Code. These will be presented at the March 5th City Commission meeting. The discrepancy in hours of operation can be addressed with the changes presented at that time, if desired.
Update Regarding The Cottages at Green Lake
As a HUD-determined Responsible Entity, the City of Lawrence is required to complete Environmental Reviews for HUD-funded projects, with or without city HUD funds, within the City of Lawrence. The reviews are handled by Community Development staff. Staff has been involved in the Environmental Review for The Cottages at Green Lake, a project of the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority being developed adjacent to the proposed mental health crisis center at 1000 W. 2nd Street. The following memo outlines the process the city has undertaken in the completion of the review, and the steps moving forward that are required for the project to proceed. Staff Memo & Attachments
2019 Comprehensive Street Maintenance Program
See attached for information regarding the 2019 Comprehensive Street Maintenance Program.
Roadway Pothole Repairs January 2019 Summary Report
In January 2019, the MSO Field Operations Street division completed 3,747 pothole repairs. Of the 3,747 pothole repairs, the division responded to 59 customer requests for pothole repairs:
· 59 Lucity Customer Service Requests
o (42 of the requests were received through online Pothole Report Form and 17 requests were received by phone to the MSO Administration)
· 636 hours of staff time
· 421 hours of equipment time
· 82 tons of cold patch asphalt
Labor Cost: $24,949
Equipment Cost: $ 9,679
Material Cost: $10,327
Total Costs: $44,955
The large number of pothole repairs can be attributed to the amount of rain and snow moisture we have received and the significant variation in temperatures from below freezing to the mid-60s. The freeze/thaw cycle causes heaving and potholes where moisture gets beneath the pavement surface or into the pavement subgrade.
Update on City Compost Facility Tree/Brach Grinder Replacement (2019 CIP# PW19SW1)
On January 24th, Municipal Services & Operations, Solid Waste Division received the City’s new Bandit Beast Horizontal Grinder, an equipment replacement item made possible through the 2019 Budget and Capital Improvement Program. The Beast is located at the city compost facility at 1420 E 11th street. Purchase of The Beast cost $526,860, and was partially funded by a $50,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The Beast improves the processing capacity for trees and branches at the compost facility and replaces the previous tub grinder which had reached the end of its useful life. This unit can handle more material in a shorter time than the previous unit, which will hopefully reduce fuel and mechanical costs over the lifecycle of the equipment. The improved material processing ability should improve staff’s ability to perform other functions on the site, such as managing windrows.
To observe The Beast in action at the city compost facility, please view the following video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1RS_sHew8to.
More information about the compost facility, including hours of operation and acceptable materials, is available on the city’s website, here: https://lawrenceks.org/swm/lawntreeprunings/.
Future Agenda Items
Attached, please find a summary of future agenda items.
Future Work Session Items
Attached, please find a summary of future work session items.