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HomeMy WebLinkAbout#07 - CICSTAFF REPORT DATE: February 2, 2021 CONSENT AGENDA ITEM: Creation of Capital Improvement Committee TO: Mayor and Council SUBMITTED BY: Kristina Handt, City Administrator BACKGROUND: As discussed at the January work session, the city has five committees (Environment, Finance, Human Resources, Maintenance Advisory and Public Safety) comprised of residents who provide recommendations to the council and staff when requested. These committees have met a varying amount of times over the last few years. The finance committee meets most frequently with about 4-5 meetings each year for the last couple years. The environment and human resources committees met the least at only once in 2020. The public safety and maintenance advisory committees met 2-3 times in 2020. In addition to the infrequent meetings, most of the committees struggle to fill their membership positions. ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: Should Council make changes to the committee structure and create the Capital Improvement Committee? PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: The council could consider changing the committees in order to increase the benefit received from them as well as provide a more meaningful experience for those who volunteer their time to the city. Staff is proposing to eliminate these five committees and instead create a Capital Improvement Committee. Breaking down the “silos” by bringing folks together with varied areas of interest to give input on some of the biggest expenses of the city, should provide a more comprehensive set of recommendations. This configuration will also help address some of the challenges of arriving at a decision when folks are only looking at it from a certain perspective. For example, its not the role of the Maintenance Advisory Committee or Public Safety Committee to decide how to fund trucks or fire engines; the funding source is the responsibility of the Finance Committee. Conversely, it is not the Finance Committee’s role to decide if a piece of equipment is needed and what equipment is best to purchase as that is the role of the other committees. Committee members have struggled with this distinction in the past so bringing all sides together in one committee will allow them to consider all aspects of a project. The Capital Improvement Committee would meet a handful of times from late spring through summer to review, prioritize and provide recommendations on projects in the annual Capital Improvement Plan. The lead staff person would be the Finance Director with assistance from the Public Works Director, Fire Chief, Planner as needed when their projects are being considered. Committee membership is proposed to be 11 people:  2 members of the Parks Commission  9 residents of Lake Elmo Their prosed annual work plan would look something like this: May: Orientation and Update on current CIP Begin identifying projects for CIP update June: Review existing CIP projects and identify new projects. Site visits, if necessary Review Financial Capacity and conditions Evaluate funding Options July: Evaluate funding options Evaluate and program capital projects Prioritize capital projects Select projects, schedules and assign a funding source August: Hold Public Hearing with Planning Commission Make CIP recommendation to City Council ATTACHMENT:  Resolution Creating Capital Improvement Committee  Proposed Committee Policies CITY OF LAKE ELMO WASHINGTON COUNTY STATE OF MINNESOTA RESOLUTION NO. 2021-018 A RESOLUTION CREATING THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE WHEREAS, the City Council has the authority to create committees via resolution, bylaws or motion; and WHEREAS, the City updates their Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) annually which includes expenditures over $25,000 for city infrastructure such as roads, buildings, parks, trails, vehicles and other equipment; and WHEREAS, having numerous committees (Public Safety, Maintenance Advisory, and Finance) providing input on the CIP sometimes resulted in conflicting, inconsistent, or incomplete recommendations due to each committees’ area of specialization; and WHEREAS, these committees, along with the Environmental and Human Resource committees, struggled to consistently attain full membership and met infrequently over the last few years; and WHEREAS, the City Council values the input of residents serving on committees and seeks to provide a valuable experience for them in return; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City Council does hereby approve the following: 1) The creation of the Capital Improvement Committee (CIC). The CIC will operate under the policies and procedures attached. 2) The elimination of the Environmental, Finance, Human Resources, Maintenance Advisory, and Public Safety Committees. The City Administrator shall inform the members of these committees of the change in committee structure and invite to apply for the CIC. 3) The City Administrator shall advertise for applications from city residents to serve on the CIC and solicit two members of the Parks Commission to serve on the CIC in addition to nine residents. This resolution was adopted by the City Council of the City of Lake Elmo on this 2nd day of February, 2021. _____________________________ Charles Cadenhead, Mayor ATTEST: ___________________________ Julie Johnson, City Clerk Capital Improvement Committee Operating Policies & Procedures Scope & Purpose: To aid the City Council and staff in the development of the annual Capital Improvement Plan; a plan for the city’s infrastructure (such as streets, parks and utility systems), vehicles, equipment and public buildings. The plan shall include estimated cost, the need for each improvement, funding source and the financial impact that the improvement will have on the city. Committee Duties: A. In conjunction with the City Staff and Parks Commission (as applicable), develop, review and recommend projects for the city’s Capital Improvement Plan. B. Review financial capacity and conditions; evaluate funding options. C. Prioritize projects in the Capital Improvement Plan. D. Hold a public hearing at a joint meeting with the Planning Commission before finalizing a recommendation to the City Council. E. Annually elect a chair and vice chair to preside over meetings. Meeting Schedule: Monthly (or as needed) May through August Committee Composition: 2 Members of the Parks Commission (terms to run consecutively with their term on Parks Commission) 9 residents of Lake Elmo (staggered three year terms)