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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Operations - 02/15/1989 OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MINUTES D LL February 15, 1989 FEB 2 8 19b� CITY OF KENT CITY CLERK COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Christi Houser Steve Dowell Paul Mann STAFF PRESENT: Jim Harris Mike Webby Jim Hansen � C Tony McCarthy� Norm Angelo Ron Spang Barney Wilson Charlie Lindsey May Miller Patricia Shea Tom Vetsch Teri Mertes Alana McIalwain Sue Viseth Mike Sweeney Ken LaBelle Sheryl Jardine Kathy Britten Cheryl Fraser OTHERS PRESENT: Dick King, Shearson, Lehman & Hutton Don Winters, Police Union Representative APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS All claims for the period ending February 15, 1989 in the amount of $ 1,261,813 .83 were approved for payment. TIME OF FUTURE MEETINGS Councilmember Houser requested all future Operations Committee Meetings be held at 2:00 PM instead of at 8: 30 AM on the 1st and 15th of each month to better accommodate Paul Mann's work schedule. This time change to 2 :00 PM was unanimously agreed:, upon by the Committee members. RENEWAL OF ELEVATOR CONTRACT Customer Service Manager Lindsey presented to the Committee a request for authorization to have the Mayor sign a contract extension with A&M Elevators, Inc. This extension is for one year at the current rate of $186.00 per month plus sales tax. This contract extension was recommended by a vote of 3-0. 1989 DEBT ISSUANCE PLANS Finance Director McCarthy presented to the Committee- 'the current and projected bond issuance needs of the City. Highlighted were the many projects the City wants to fund in 1989 and 1990 creating potential bond issuances over $10 million each year. This creates an disadvantage to Financial Institutions in purchasing our bonds and therefore we will pay a slightly higher interest rate. The City' s outstanding debt is currently $57 million. The negative of this situation is that we have a high debt per capita rate. Councilmember Dowell voiced a concern of this large per capita debt which could create tough decisions in the future. The positive items are that the City of Kent ratings from Moody' s and Standard and Poor's were confirmed at Al and A+ respectively. For the LID issues the City is ahead of schedule in the redemption of LID bonds and the LID guarantee fund would be able to pay LID debt for 2 years, if the property owners could not. Very large future LID issues would jeopardize this position so alternative guarantee fund funding options are being explored. PUBLIC TRAINING CENTERf272ND CORRIDOR GO BOND ISSUANCE PURCHASE Finance Director McCarthy pointed out that prior Council resolutions have authorized the issuance of Councilmanic Bonds in 1989 for the completion of the Public Safety Training Center and provide a portion of City funding for the 272/277 Corridor. The amount of the GO Bond Issue Purchase Contract is $980, 000 for the Public Safety Training Center and $2, 000, 000 for the 272/277 Corridor with the remaining $3,057,000 to be issued in 1990. This is because our remaining bonding capacity isn't large enough at this time and our financial advisors are advising us to do only one bond issue in 1989. Since the 272/277 Corridor is the City's number one priority project deferring the whole bond -issue until a later date leaves open the possibility of using the funds for other purposes. In addition interest rates are very favorable at this time. The bonds would be issued at 7.14% net interest cost. Finance Director McCarthy requested the Committee recommend the approval of the purchase contract to sell the Councilmanic Bonds to Shearson Lehman & Hutton. This recommendation passed by a vote of 3-0. LID 322 , 323 & 325 BOND ISSUE PURCHASE CONTRACT Finance Director McCarthy told the Committee that he had negotiated a purchase contract with Shearson Lehman & Hutton to purchase these LID bonds. The LID projects had been for residential sewer improvements and an industrial area street improvement. The projects had been completed and the appropriate prepayment period held. The bond issue amount totals $1,010, 605.79. The bonds would be issued at 7.76% net interest cost. It is harder to sell the LID bonds because there market consists mainly of the local community so they have a slightly higher interest rate. N Finance Director McCarthy requested the Committee rdoommend the approval of the purchase contract to sell the LID Bonde ,to Shearson Lehman & Hutton. This recommendation passed by a 'cote of 3-0. POLICE & FIRE DEPARTMENT RECLASSIFICATIONS Assistant City Administrator Webby presented to the Committee the Police and Fire department reclassifications. The Police department reclassification was submitted by the Police department to former City Administrator McFall. McFall recommended the Police Captain and Lieutenant position salary levels be adjusted upwards by one salary range (2 1/2 percent) . In addition McFall recommended that a clothing allowance, not to exceed $400 per year, be provided to both positions (similar to union contract personnel) . To maintain parity between the positions of Police Captain and Assistant Fire Chief it has been recommended that a 2 1/2 percent salary adjustment increase be awarded in the Fire department for the position of Assistant Fire Chief. The primary reason for this request is due to salary compression of police management staff with union positions. Acting City Administrator Harris feels this is a problem and suggested going with McFalls proposal as a starting point and review 'in 1989 the difference between Union and Non-Union salaries and benefits. Councilmember Mann asked Acting City Administrator Harris to review the policy related to the management staff and bring it to the Committee at a future meeting. Councilmember Houser moved to recommend McFalls original proposal effective January 1, 1989. It was unanimously recommended by a vote of 3-0. PARKS DEPARTMENT RECLASSIFICATION Assistant City Administrator Webby outlined that the reorganization of the Parks and Recreation Department impacted three positions creating the following reclassification reco mendations. Administrative Secretary I/Range 20C to Administrative Assistant II/Range 27A, Administrative Assistant II/Range '27C- to Project Accountant/Range 34A and Office System Tech I/Range 21E to Office System Tech II/Range 24E. There was also a r sification request in the Cultural Arts Division. Due to ere elocation from Parks AdministrAtion to the second floor of C 11 the position of AdministratiVeiSecretary I/Range 20E was more clearly defined and reports direictly to the Superintendent of Cultural Arts creating a request for Administrative Assistant I/Range 22E title. The last two reclassifications were from the Special ;Populations Resource Center due to changes in responsibility and duties. The requests are Custodian I/Range 15C to Custodian II/Range 20B and Office Tech II/Range 16C to Office Tech III/Range 20B., The funding for the above reclassifications are contained within the 1989 Parks and Recreation budget. The reclassification 7 recommendations were recommended by the Committee at,a 3-0 vote and to be implemented effective January 1, 1989. .5 TIME WORD PROCESSING POSITION FOR POLICE Mike Sweeney representative for Police Chief Rod Fredericksen introduced increasing the police word processing staff by recruiting 2 full time employees for data entry and typing master case reports. This would be funded by transferring 1,5 full time positions from Information Services (the positions are vacant) to the Police Department and adding .5 full time "ployee to the Police Department. This is requested due to the increase in Kent's population, more calls for service, the Police department anticipating the addition of 7 police officers and the Department being open 24 hours per day, seven days a week. The initial recruitment process was to hire the positions as Non- Union and this was recommended by the Public Safety Committee. Then at the Operations Committee Meeting there was controversy as to whether the word processing positions should be Union or Non- Union by Union representative Don Winters. He gave the Unions position as leaving the word processing positions in , Information Services until PERC can rule on the issue or reclassify the positions as records specialist instead of records technicians and hire them as Union employees. Councilmember Houser requested the postponement of this issue until the next Operations Committee Meeting on March 1, 1989. At that meeting Councilmember Bernie Biteman, whom is on the Public Safety Committee (the two Committees will vote separately at this meeting) and Police Chief Fredericksen will be able to attend. Assistant City Administrator Webby will stop recruitment fpr these 2 positions until that time. WARD SYSTEM FOR COUNCIL DISTRICTING The Ward System discussion was postponed until the March 1, 1989 Operations Committee Meeting because concerned citizen Jim Flick was not able to attend.