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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 6/20/2000 (5) MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GLENDALE, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA, HELD TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2000, AT 5:30 P.M. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Scruggs, with Vice Mayor Eggleston and the following Councilmembers present: Clark, Frate, Goulet, Lieberman, and Martinez. Also present were Martin Vanacour, City Manager; Ed Beasley, Assistant City Manager; Gary Verburg, Interim City Attorney; and Pamela Oliveira, City Clerk. COMPLIANCE WITH ARTICLE VII, SECTION 6(c) OF THE GLENDLE CHARTER A statement was filed by the City Clerk that the one resolution to be considered at the meeting was available for public examination and the title posted at City Hall more than 72 hours in advance of the meeting. Mayor Scruggs welcomed members of Phoenix Boy Scout Troop 622 who were present at the meeting: Daniel Angulo and Brian Angulo, Boy Scouts; Catherine Angulo, Committee Chair; and Bruce Angulo, Executive Officer. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF MAY 30, 2000 AND JUNE 6, 2000 It was moved by Goulet, and seconded by Eggleston, to dispense with the reading of the minutes of the Regular City Council meetings of May 30, 2000 and June 6, 2000, as each member of the Council had been provided copies in advance, and approve them as written. The motion carried unanimously. RESOLUTION 1. REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2000-2001 BUDGET, PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION Dr. Martin Vanacour, City Manager, presented this item. After four special budget workshops held in March and April of 2000, the City Council completed its review of the proposed Fiscal Year 2000-2001 budget. The workshops provided the Council with the opportunity to closely analyze and evaluate all aspects of the budget. At a public hearing held on June 6, 2000, the City Council adopted the preliminary Fiscal Year 2000-2001 budget. This year, one of the primary goals is to incorporate technological enhancements, where possible, to streamline and improve City operations. Technology continues to progress at an astounding pace and Glendale embraces these new advances to help deliver quality services to its customers efficiently and accurately. 1 Dr. Vanacour stated that, when he addressed employees at the beginning of the budget process, he instructed them to consider whether their operations could improve through the utilization of new technology. He noted that he was pleasantly surprised at the response. Nine technology-related supplemental requests were approved, including: • Telephone system upgrades for the City Court and Customer Service Office. • Continued expansion of, and improvements to, Glendale's award-winning website (www.ci.glendale.az.us), including the purchase of content management software and an improved Internet connection service. • Software upgrades in the Recreation Department that will offer, in addition to the existing in-person registration process, two additional registration methods for special interest classes and sports: (1) Internet registration through the City's website, and (2) an automated touch-tone telephone registration system. • A new web-based budget input system, improving user accessibility and speed. • An improved and expanded application/permit tracking system for the Building Safety and Planning Departments. • Ongoing upgrades to the PeopleSoft Human Resources and Financial Systems. Several service improvements have already been implemented, or are currently in process, throughout the organization for which no additional funding was necessary. Considerable time savings are being realized as these changes are implemented. These improvements include: • Enhanced vendor access to the City's bid processes through new Internet and faxing capabilities. • An expanded employment application process that will enable potential employees to complete and submit employment applications 24 hours a day through the City's website. • Access to dozens of intra-departmental forms on the Intranet, the City's internal web page. Providing the forms in this electronic format eliminates the need for preprinted copies and saves staff time by allowing employees to complete and submit them electronically. 2 While these technological improvements streamline operations, retaining the human touch is essential as the City enters the 21St century. Holding onto its skilled employees has become an increasing challenge in this booming economic market. The demand for quality employees in both the public and private sectors has dramatically changed the City's operational environment, and Glendale must be able to compete in the employee marketplace. To address this challenge, the Council has authorized an additional two percent salary adjustment to bring employee compensation into greater parity with other Valley employers. Additionally, $250,000 has been set aside to fund a Comprehensive Compensation Review. This review will allow the City to examine and compare superior compensation programs in both the public and private sectors, and modernize its own system in order to retain its valued employees and recruit high-quality applicants. Employee issues have been at the forefront of this year's process. Recent case law regarding temporary employment prompted Dr. Vanacour to direct a review of the City of Glendale's temporary employee policy. During this review, department heads were asked to identify whether the temporary employees in their departments fit the true definition of "temporary". In many cases, these employees were performing ongoing duties and, in accordance with the City's existing policy, supervisors were forced to terminate them even though they had become reliable and trusted team members. As a result of the review, the City's temporary employment policy was amended and the Council adopted a goal appropriating $148,416 to convert several temporary positions to regular status. Fifty-five full-time equivalent positions are being converted, with a majority of the funding for the conversions being reallocated from the departments' hourly budgets to their salary budgets. The policy change will save time and money in that it will only be necessary for supervisors to recruit, hire and train new employees once every several years (until they are promoted or decide to leave) rather than hiring and training new temporary employees each year. The Police Department will hire 18 additional police officers with grant monies awarded through the COPS (Department of Justice Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services) Universal Hiring grant. Additionally, Juvenile Accountability Incentives Block Grant (JAIB) program funding will be used to expand the City's school resource officer program by hiring a school resource officer assigned to Landmark Middle School. While some cities throughout the United States struggle to find funding to continue employing their officers as grant monies expire, the City of Glendale put mechanisms into place before its officers were hired to ensure continuous funding of the positions when grant monies are depleted. Since receiving its first COPS grant in 1995, more than 50 permanent officers have been added to the City's police force and will continue to serve its citizens well into the future. 3 In order to handle the increased workload generated by the new officers, two detention officers will be hired through the Police Department's Special Revenue Fund. This fund was created as a result of a 1994 citizen-initiative approving a 0.1 cent increase in the local sales tax to provide additional funds for police and fire personnel and equipment. Improving the downtown area through the acquisition and redevelopment of existing property has been a longstanding goal of the Mayor and City Council. The Council has appropriated $200,000 to hire a consultant to prepare a comprehensive long-range Downtown Development Plan that will address economic development, current and future land uses, and recreational and tourism opportunities. The recent purchase of the 56,387-square-foot Bank of America Building at 5820 West Glenn Drive supports this philosophy and assures the continued existence of prime, "Class A" office space in downtown Glendale. While most of the current tenants will continue leasing space, the building will provide accommodations for public restrooms and a tourism center. This purchase emphasizes the commitment of the Mayor and Council to preserve the character of downtown Glendale, while welcoming economic development opportunities that will further enhance the area. The City's numerous downtown festivals, including Glendale Glitters, the Chocolate Affaire and the monthly antique walks, attract thousands of people to its tree- lined streets. The recent debuts of the Glendale Civic Center, the Bead Museum and the Gaslight Park Hotel demonstrate that downtown Glendale is transitioning into an increasingly upscale Valley tourist destination. While technological enhancements, employee issues, and downtown development have been highlighted, they are only a few of the many goals adopted by the Mayor and Council this year. Additional commitments include: • $200,000 to complete the final phase of the storm sewer project from 65th to 67th Avenues at Paradise Lane. • $250,000 to accelerate the Street Scallop Improvement Program. • $200,000 to complete the West Area Development Plan and the General Plan update. • Creation of a $1 ,000,000 "Opportunities Account" that would enable the City to take advantage of special, unanticipated opportunities to foster economic development. • $50,000 to study alternatives for greenscaping, irrigation improvements, and future development of recreational facilities in Thunderbird Paseo Linear Park. 4 • Addition of $100,000 to the existing $250,000 currently allocated for the City's right-of-way beautification program. • Establishment of a Transit Reserve Fund, with a start-up contribution of $150,000. • $300,000 this year (continuing for ten years) to repay debt for the construction of freeway sound walls where none have been constructed. The total funding may not be necessary, depending upon the outcome of ongoing negotiations with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). • Development of an ongoing property tax reduction policy that complies with the State's Truth in Taxation requirement. The clear direction that the Mayor and Council have provided staff, along with the necessary funding and staff resources, will make it possible to achieve each and every one of these goals. The Fiscal Year 2000-2001 budget will accommodate several new programs and continue to support existing programs. • With the adoption of this year's budget, Glendale's long-awaited curbside recycling program is now fully funded, equipped, staffed, and on track to begin its phased-in operation. Collection in the first area will begin July 10, 2000, with full implementation of the City-wide program by Thanksgiving. An extensive public information campaign is underway to inform citizens of the implementation schedule. • The City's strong commitment to Glendale's neighborhoods continues in Fiscal Year 2000-2001. A recent organizational study by Shannon and Associates recommended that Dr. Vanacour consolidate all neighborhood- related departments under one newly created Deputy City Manager position. Preliminary plans for this reorganization are in process and the additional Deputy City Manager position is funded in this year's budget. This change will help the City to better coordinate all neighborhood functions, enabling it to be more responsive to community needs and concerns. Dr. Vanacour thanked the Mayor and Council for once again providing the clear policy direction necessary to help City management carry out their goals and prepare a balanced budget that can be presented to the citizens of Glendale. He said that almost every day he receives accolades from Glendale residents about the quality of City services and the employees who work so hard to deliver them. He noted that the Mayor and Council reflect the citizens' desires and it is evident that they respect and appreciate the job being done for them. 5 Dr. Vanacour thanked City employees at all levels of the organization. If City employees did not take such pride in their jobs, Glendale would not be the vibrant community it has become. He said that he appreciated what the City's employees do for the Mayor and Council and the citizens of Glendale. Dr. Vanacour acknowledged that Mr. Charlie McClendon, Budget Director, has once again done a wonderful job in guiding the City through the budget process. His knowledge and professionalism ensured a smooth, surprise-free process. Thanks were also expressed to Mr. McClendon's staff and the budget liaisons who contribute countless hours assisting and learning about the budget process. Dr. Vanacour stated that his Leadership Team assisted him immensely by providing their professional expertise and insight. He added that their honesty and perceptiveness while making the difficult choices necessary in balancing the budget proved invaluable to him. Each year, the budget process provides the City with great opportunities and challenges. The opportunity is given to evaluate the City's existing services and the challenge to develop new high-quality services to fulfill the needs and expectations of Glendale's citizens. Once adopted, the budget document becomes the City's guide for accomplishing the Council's goals. It directs the City towards success and Dr. Vanacour said that he was always proud of its achievements. Dr. Vanacour said that, with the guidance of the Council, he was certain that this year many new accomplishments would be added to the City's ever-growing list. The recommendation was to conduct a public hearing, waive reading beyond the title, and adopt a resolution accepting the budget for Fiscal Year 2000-2001 . Councilmember Clark noted that, since this was the first Council meeting she was attending since her installation on the Council last week, she did not feel it would be appropriate for her to either approve or disapprove the budget. She stated her desire to abstain from voting. Mr. Verburg advised Councilmember Clark that, according to the City Charter, she could not abstain from voting. Article II , Section 17 — Failure to Vote - of the City Charter states: "No member of the council shall be excused from voting except upon matters involving the consideration of his own official conduct or if a conflict of interest exists as defined by the laws of this state pertaining to conflict of interest of officials and employees. In all other cases, a failure to vote shall be entered on the minutes as a affirmative vote." Councilmember Clark said that, given the circumstances, she would vote. Mayor Scruggs opened the public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2000-2001 budget. As there were no comments, she closed the public hearing. 6 Resolution No. 3383, New Series was read by number and title only, it being A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GLENDALE, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA, ADOPTING THE ESTIMATES OF THE AMOUNTS REQUIRED FOR THE PUBLIC EXPENSE FOR THE CITY OF GLENDALE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2000-2001; ADOPTING A FINAL BUDGET; SETTING FORTH THE REVENUE, THE AMOUNT TO BE RAISED BY DIRECT PROPERTY TAXATION FOR THE VARIOUS PURPOSES; AND GIVING NOTICE OF THE TIME FOR HEARING TAXPAYERS FOR FIXING THE TAX LEVIES. It was moved by Martinez, and seconded by Lieberman, to pass, adopt and approve Resolution No. 3383 New Series. Mayor Scruggs noted the fact that lack of attendance at this meeting to comment at the public hearing was a sign of approval from the citizens of Glendale. She stated that the Council had been publicly studying the budget since November of 1999 and the citizens of Glendale have been providing the Council with comments for the last five months. Upon a call for the question, the motion carried unanimously. CITIZEN COMMENTS No requests to speak were received. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS Councilmember Goulet invited his constituents to attend the Sands Estates neighborhood meeting to be held on at 7 p.m. on June 22nd in Room B-3 of the City Council Chambers. Councilmember Lieberman welcomed Councilmembers Clark and Frate. He wished them good luck. Councilmember Frate stated that he was looking forward to attending the block watch meeting at Northern Manor West, located at 59th Avenue and Acoma, at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 25th ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:45 p.m. r� 1 Pamei eira - City Clerk 7