CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending February 3, 2012

City Clerk’s Office 2011 Annual Report

The City Clerk’s Office has prepared the attached 2011 Annual Report, detailing major accomplishments of the City Clerk’s Office for the past year. Some of the significant accomplishments and performance measures included in the report which may be of interest to the City Commission include the following:

· Average City Commission meeting length: 2 hours, 23 minutes

· Pages of City Commission meeting minutes produced: 724

· City Commission meeting minutes approved without correction: 96%

· City Commission meeting minutes approved within three weeks of meeting date: 89%

· Licenses and permits issued: 894

· License/permit revenue: $115,786

· Total on-premises (bars and restaurants) Cereal Malt Beverage and Liquor licenses: 136

· Total off-premises (retail) Cereal Malt Beverage and Liquor licenses: 57

· Webpages created: City Clerk’s Office homepage, Open Records, Ordinances and Resolutions

Site Plan Review Report

The attached report provides a summary of site plan data for 2011 as well as a comparison to years 2009 and 2010.  Site planning is one of the main procedural tools used to review development projects against the city’s and county’s development codes. Inside Lawrence, site planning is largely an administrative function with appeals submitted directly to the City Commission. Highlights of the data include:

· A total of 83 site plan applications were processed for the city and county combined.

· As of January 13, 2012 61 applications were approved, 1 was denied (Remington Square based on rezoning denial), 6 were withdrawn, and 15 were in some level of process.

· 60% of applications were completed within 30 business days while 23% were approved after 40 business days.

· The average number of business days that staff had the application in review was 19.

· The maximum number of business days to process an application from submittal to approval was 122 for the Hunter’s Ridge Apartment complex at the northeast corner of 6th Street and Stoneridge Drive.

Ozone Air Quality Report released

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department Air Quality Advisory Committee recently released an Ozone Air Quality Report that outlines the history of ozone regulation in Douglas County, and the potential consequences should Douglas County exceed EPA standards for ozone emissions when new standards are released in the next few years.

Several measures have been taken to reduce ozone in Douglas County, but the EPA is poised to lower the ozone emissions standards beginning in 2013.  Douglas County is at risk of exceeding the EPA standards for ozone.  The designation as a “non-attainment” area not only carries risks for human health, but also significant financial considerations. 

Non-attainment creates many costs to the community through regulation of roadways, vehicles and businesses by the EPA and Department of Transportation (DOT).  Examples include:

· Delays for road planning projects due to additional oversight by DOT and EPA,

· Retrofitting of commercial vehicles to improve fuel mileage and reduce emissions (new engines,

exhaust systems, auxiliary power units, etc.),

· Required citizen motor vehicle maintenance programs,

· Higher gasoline prices during the summer months from the use of reformulated gasoline designed to reduce ozone-forming emissions.

The document also recommends strategies for reducing our county’s ozone emissions through transportation and planning policies and public education programs.

 Actively reducing ozone emissions will not only protect Douglas County from costly consequences of non-attainment, but will help protect members of our community most vulnerable to the health impacts of ground level ozone – especially children and seniors.

Fire and Medical State of the Department Report

The attached State of the Department Report was distributed from the Chief to all Fire and Medical Department staff, and outlines upcoming goals and project as well as accomplishments of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical Department from last year. Some of the highlights from 2011 include:

· Delivery of Truck 5 and Medic 2

· Maintained ISO “2” rating

· Successful completion of accreditation Annual Compliance Report (ACR)

· 12 firefighter recruits successfully completed their recruit class

· Responded to over 9,857 incidents without major injury to any members of the department

· Made contact with over 14,408 community members through various fire department public education programs

· Conducted over 3,500 fire inspections

· Conducted over 34,539 hours of training for our members.

Street Maintenance Division 2011 Annual Report

Attached is a report, including photos, concerning the work and daily activities performed by the Street Division in 2011. The work force is divided into four crews:  asphalt, concrete, levee/sweeping/alleys and stormwater. Besides normal street maintenance the Street Division provides traffic control devices for special events and emergencies. Crews are also trained for natural disasters, such as tornadoes or floods, and are experts at debris removal and management. The division’s work in terms of responsibility, project size and complexity continue to grow.  Newly acquired equipment has helped complete the work. Four high profile projects completed in 2011 include:

• The Kansas Relays Downtown. This was a special challenge and a source of great pride. It was the first time in the United States that a world class Shot Put event was held out of doors on a city street. Athletes from all over the world competed in downtown Lawrence on an arena that was built by street employees in 8 hours and removed before first light the next morning.
• The Concrete Repair of Bardth Ct. This was a project that entailed the patching of all pavement and curbing in this south east Lawrence cul-de-sac. After the work was completed, we received a letter signed by every resident of the street, not only thanking us for the work, but complementing the crew on their courtesy, organization and their skill during the project.
• Completing the Salt Brine System. Every member of the Division work on this project throughout the year to complete it before snow season. The system was completed at about a third of the cost of a commercial system and the work was done without interfering with other projects.
• The Resurfacing of Broken Arrow Park. This project repaired the drives and the parking areas of Broken Arrow Park at about 40% of contract price. The division also received the Tom Wilkerson Teamwork Award from Parks and Recreation for this project.

Public input sought on dog park improvements

The Parks and Recreation Department has posted signs (see text and a photo) soliciting public input on the city’s Mutt Run Off-Leash Dog Park, a popular attraction located near the spillway on the east side of the Clinton Lake Dam (see map).

2012 Downtown tree grate installation program

The Parks and Recreation Department has installed 82 tree grates downtown to date, with 121 trees still remaining with no grates. The main criteria for replacing raised planters with grates include the age and condition of the existing tree, and replacements are dependent on funding availability. In 2012, the department hopes to install ten grates. The locations are subject to change depending on funding and tree conditions, but the tentatively planned locations are adjacent to the following addresses on Massachusetts Street:  1115, 1105, 1008, 1026, 945, 919, 830, 840, 837, and 835.

Utilities Department helps residents and businesses avoid grease related backups

Fats, oils, and grease (FOG), usually from cooking and food products, cause serious problems when disposed of in the sewer collection system. FOG from homes and food service establishments enters the sewer system as residents send grease and food waste down their drains or garbage disposals. Large quantities can also enter the system from food service establishments that do not have grease interceptors installed or do not maintain them adequately. Once in the sewer system, FOG can block the lines and cause sewer back-ups into homes and businesses as well as sanitary sewer overflows, which are a violation of the Clean Water Act and the city’s discharge permit. Current methods for managing FOG in the sewer system include planned maintenance of cleaning the lines and focusing resources at problem locations. Although this has been successful in avoiding a large number of sewer backups, it requires significant department resources.

Last summer, Utilities staff made initial contacts with targeted food service establishments to collect information and provide them with resources to manage their FOG. Newsletter articles, press releases, advertisements, residential door-hangers, and other methods have also been used to get this information to the public. To assist with these methods of decreasing FOG from entering the sewer system at its source, the Utilities Department has launched web pages to help educate residents and food service establishments on the appropriate ways to dispose of cooking FOG and the resources available to them. Utilities staff anticipate that education about FOG sources is an initial step that may decrease the amount of FOG entering the sewer system, reduce the number of backups experienced by residents, and decrease department resources used to alleviate this problem prior to the use of regulation and inspection. 

Lighted pathway through Oread Neighborhood completed

The much-anticipated lighted pathway from the Kansas University campus to downtown Lawrence is ready for some foot traffic. The Oread Neighborhood lighted pathway begins at 12^th Street and Louisiana and slopes eastward to South Park, then to downtown Lawrence. The entire pathway is lighted with period lighting and is ADA-compliant. The project was paid for using KU Student Safety funds and Community Development Block Grant funds from the City of Lawrence. The project’s main goal was to improve the safety of the area with lights and lessen hazards to pedestrians travelling from campus to downtown Lawrence. Through this project, the city either repaired or installed new sidewalks and installed traffic signals at 12^th Street and Tennessee and 12^th Street and Kentucky. The traffic signals will only be in use when activated by a pedestrian needing to cross the street.  A full press release is available online: http://web.ci.lawrence.ks.us/lists/archive.php?x=3488.