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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/25/2000 FC minutes FINANCE COMMISSION Minutes of the Meeting May 25, 2000 Village Hall Building I. Call to Order The meeting was calied to order at 7:00 p.m. Those present included Chairman John Korn and Commissioners George Busse, John Engel, Vince Grochocinski, Betty Launer, Tom Pekras and Ann Smilanic. Also present were Human Services Director Nancy Morgan, Human Services Deputy Director Jan Abernethy, Police Chief Ronald Pavlock, Sergeant Michael Semkiu, Public Works Direetor Glen Andier, Deputy Public Works Director Se,an Dorscy, Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager Dave Strahl. Also present were Finance Director Douglas Ellsworth and Deputy Finance Director Carol Widmer. Finance Commissioner Charles Bennett was absent. II Approval of Minutes The m'mutes of April 27, 2000 were approved as submitted. III Human Services Dcoartment Pre-Budget Discussion As part of her presentation of internal issues, Human Services Director Nancy Morgan began with a brief overview of the Human Services Department. Nancy discussed plans to re-evaluate the needs of the Senior Center. George Busse asked why the need to re-evaluate and Nancy stated that service numbers have inereased in the last few years and the s~fff is finding it very difficult to accomplish all of their goals. They need to make certain the department is making the best use of staff's limited time. Another internal issue discussed was the need to obtain external funding for the Summer Adventure Program. Nancy reported that the grant funding the Summer Adventure Program would run out during 2001. One of the external issues Nancy discussed was the need to locate a temporary location for the Senior Center and Human Services offices while a new Village Hall is being bu'flt. John Korn suggested the Senior Center could utilize area churches that might be available for temporary use. Betty Launer suggested that the schools would also be a possible alternative. Deputy Director Jan Abernethy stated that potentially having the Village Hall and Senior Center at the same location might not be feasible. Ann Smilanic also stated that in many communities the Park District provides facilities for senior activities. Nancy reported on some of the efforts she has already undertaken to secure funding. Them was discussion of forming a group to help in. raising funds for the center. Nancy stated the present Senior Center Council did not show any interest in pursuing fundraising activities. IV Police Department Pre-Budget Discussiog As part of his discussion of internal Police Department issues, Chief Ronald Pavlock discussed the need for introducing a new traffic unit responsible for monitoring areas with a large number of accidents, handling complaints in areas of excessive speeding and enforcing weight limits on trucks. Ron stated there are approximately 85 - 90 traffic areas within the city that need to be watched. The addition of a traffic unit would allow the beat officers to focus more attention on non-traffic related calls. During the presentation of external issues, Chief Pavlock discussed the possibility of creating a three to five member board that would met quarterly as a neutral forum. This board could be appointed by the Mayor and would not require any financial support. The board could respond to specific occurrences as well as overall problems within the Police Department. As far a budgetary issues, Chief Pavlock stated the Village has secured a $50,000 grant from the state to help purchase in-car cameras to monitor traffic stops. The department is closely watching other cities that are implementing the in-car cameras for use in their departments. One department they will be watching ve~ closely is Charlotte, NC who has installed cameras in all of their police cars. V Public Works Department Pre-Budget Discussion Public Works Director Glen Andler began his discussion of Public WOrks internal issues by noting the need for an increase in both staffing and outside contractual services. Currently the department spends over $I,000,000 yearly on contractual services. Glen also stated that as other Village Departments expand Public Works is impacted as well. Another issue Glen discussed is that their telephone system does not meet the needs of the Public Works Department. Their current system has limitations and can not be set up to perform in the way Public Works Customer Service specifically needs. Deputy Public Works Director Scan Dorsey discussed external issues facing the Public Works Department. Scan discussed the Metro Water Reclamation District Long Term Maintenance Agreement (MWRD). Under this agreement the Village agrees to keep sanitary sewer flow below a certain level. In order to be in compliance, a lot of time is spent meeting the districts reporting requirements. Scan also discussed the Clean Water Act/Combined Sewer Overflow Policy. He stated that this system needs more attention and that the Village can not devote the necessary amount of time to the project. Sean also reported a large increase in the number of permits issued to utility companies in the past few years. The greater number of permits issued has Public Works spending more time monitoring the activities of the utility groups. VI Manager's Office Pre-Budget Discussion Village Manager Michael Janonis reported the most pressing internal issue in the Manager's Office is the need for Human Resource Support Staff. Presently there is no personnel function in the Village;.theref0re, each department is currently handling their own needs. The individual would be responsible for sensitivity/diversity training, assisting in' labor contract, negotiation preparation and making certain the village is in compliance with various state and federal regulations. John Korn voiced support of a Human Resource position that would provide expertise throughout the departments. Mr. lanonis also discussed the need to implement the 5-year plan for the Fire Department. George Busse added that ail departments should have a long-term plan of 5 years or more. Mr. lanonis discussed the need to develop a technical budget that would provide for ongoing expenses incurred in maintaining computer hardware and software: They noted the Village has made a number of improvements, but that the hardware is not keeping up with the software applications. One of the critical extemai issues Dave Strahl discussed was managing downtown redevelopment and keeping the development going. Mr. Strahl noted that the Village is still working on acquiring properties in the downtown area. He further discussed the impact e-commerce in having on the Village. The Village is experiencing a loss of sales tax revenue to the Internet. This loss of revenue has a ripple effect on other taxing bodies. VII Finance Department Pre-Budget Discussion Finance Director Doug Ellsworth discussed the external issues facing the Finance Department. The new GASB 34 Financing Reporting requirements, which the Village must implement by January 2003, will impact the Finance Department staff and change the appearance of the Village's audit report. At that time the Village will move from modified accrual to full accrual reporting. Another issue discussed was the Downtown Redevelopment Effort (TIF). With this effort comes extensive reporting requirements as well as an annual meeting with a joint review board. Another external issue discussed was the need to provide more useful information to Village Boards and Commissions as well as the community. With the use of presentations, charts, graphs and Cable TV, the Village could present monthly financ'lai information on spending and revenue activities. Mr. Ellsworth discussed the most pressing internal issues in the Finance Department. Doug stated the computer conversion has taken longer than anticipated and currently there are no modules available which meet the Village's needs in the areas of Cash Receipts, Budgeting and Ad I-loc reporting. The Finance Department is currently working on designing new workspaces for the Accounting Division and will be looking into new workspaces for Customer Service next year. Doug also discussed the need for Policy and Procedure Manuals that would document how and why things are done. VIII Discussion Regarding Commission's Duties and Responsibilities Chairman lohn Korn deferred the discussion. IX Chairman's Report 'Chairman John Korn deferred the discussion. 3 Finance Director's Report Mr. Ellsworth had nothing to report. XI Other Business There was no other business discussed. XII Next Meeting: June 22, 2000 The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for June 22, 2000 at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted Lisa Burkemper Administrative Assistant