CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Week ending November 22, 2013
Rock Chalk Park Infrastructure Report
Please see the attached report regarding the progress and costs of the construction of infrastructure at Rock Chalk Park.
Comparative information on property taxes in Douglas County
The attached schedule shows the 2013 mill levies and assessed values for all taxing districts (cities, county, townships, drainage districts, fire districts, etc.) in Douglas County. These values were used to build budgets for 2014. The sheet also provides a comparison with 2012 assessed values and mill levies used to build 2013 budgets. A breakdown of the revenue to be generated by property taxes for the City, County, School District, and State of Kansas in 2013 and 2014 is also attached.
Lawrence recycles 34.4 tons of electronic equipment at fall event
On Saturday, November 9, 2013, the City’s Solid Waste Division hosted an Electronic Recycling Event. The event was held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Free State High School parking lot. A total of six hundred and seventy (670) participants dropped off 68,864 pounds (34.4 tons) of electronic equipment, which included computers, televisions, video, and audio equipment, small appliances, cell phones and other hand held devices. Electronic recycling at this event was provided by Midwest Recycling Center (MRC). See the attached event report and participant survey results for more details.
City and University bring national recycling celebration to town
On Friday, November 15, 2013, the City’s Solid Waste Division and the University of Kansas hosted an America Recycles Day Event from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries (ECM). The event included a panel of experts who answered recycling questions and a viewing of the documentary The Wrong Bin. America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. See the attached event report for more details.
Santa Fe Station project update
Staff has been working on the next steps regarding the acquisition of the Santa Fe Station. A Phase 1 Environmental assessment has been completed. Additionally, advice from an environmental attorney regarding the environmental aspects of the legal documents has been sought. Staff is working on incorporating these items into new drafts for the BNSF to review. Meanwhile, the City-State agreement for the grant has just been sent by the State of Kansas and is anticipated to be executed soon. Based upon staff discussions with KDOT, it appears that KDOT plans to manage the construction project. Staff is hopeful that acquisition can be finalized so that the construction project can begin in mid-late 2014.
November Lawrence in Focus now online
The November Lawrence in Focus is now online at the city’s website, http://www.lawrenceks.org/in-focus. This month’s edition looks at winter snow removal operations and sidewalk clearance responsibilities, what not to put down the drain, accessibility in commercial spaces, and the city's Common Ground gardens program.
City launches redesigned website
The city Communications Office has launched a redesigned City of Lawrence website. The city’s website has not been redesigned for several years and the redesign takes into account changing technology and was designed in a way to respond to how users are accessing our site for information. The highlights of the redesign include:
· Increased efficiencies for internal and external users with enhanced navigation that aims to lessen the number of clicks needed to find department and division information;
· Consolidation of numerous management systems into one system;
· Migration to a new, faster web server;
· The new site is responsive, which means that the site adapts the layout to the viewing environment by using fluid, proportion-based grids and flexible images. The site adjusts for various resolutions and works well regardless of viewing on a desktop, tablet or mobile device;
· Added a scroll bar at the top to provide easy access to the most frequently needed applications on the site (calendar, billing, agenda, parks and rec, etc.);
· Enhanced the search function with options to search by City Code, Agendas, News Releases, etc.
These changes were made in an effort to respond to our users. According to our analytics, we know that 50% of our users access our site via mobile devices. This redesign was a massive undertaking - we estimate that we have over 6,500 pages on our website in addition to the estimated 150,000 documents that are posted on our site. We have an information-intensive site and we are proud of the fact we offer so much information for our citizens via the web. Web Developer Chris Stringer led the redesign process.
City Hall Update Presentation Online
City Manager David Corliss has visited several community organizations and clubs recently and delivered his annual City Hall Update that focuses on city priorities and projects. The presentation is online at www.lawrenceks.org/prezi/public_presentation and an accompanying handout is available at www.lawrenceks.org/assets/cmo/10_10_13handout.pdf. The City Manager has also delivered a similar message to city employees by visiting each department.