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Home My WebLink About01-27-14 Regular Meeting of La Porte City Council LOUIS R. RIGBY DARYL LEONARD Mayor Councilmember District 3 JOHN ZEMANEK TOMMY MOSER Councilmember At Large A Councilmember District 4 DOTTIE KAMINSKI JAY MARTIN Councilmember At Large B Mayor Pro-Tem MIKE MOSTEIT Councilmember District 5 Councilmember District 1 MIKE CLAUSEN CHUCK ENGELKEN Councilmember District 6 Councilmember District 2 (All consent agenda items are considered routine by City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Councilmember requests anitem be removed and considered separately.) (a) (Postponed at the December 9, 2013, meeting until January 27, 2014, meeting.) (Postponed at the October 28, 2013, and December 9, 2013, meetings until January27, 2014, meeting.) (Postponed at the October 28, 2013,and December 9, 2013, meetingsuntil January 27, 2014, meeting.) (Postponed at the October 28, 2013, and December 9, 2013, meetingsuntil January 27, 2014, meeting.) (Postponed at the October 28, 2013, and December 9, 2013, meetingsuntil January 27, 2014, meeting.) COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT CERTICATION The Certificate of Achievement for excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to the City of La Porte by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its annual comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) for the fiscal year 2012. The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR. The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 17,500 government finance professionals with offices in Chicago Illinois and Washington, DC. The City of La Porte has received this prestigious award for thirty-two consecutive years. (All consent agenda items are considered routine by City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Councilmember requests an item be removed and considered separately.) (All consent agenda items are considered routine by City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Councilmember requests an item be removed and considered separately.) REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Appropriation Agenda Date Requested: January 27, 2014 Source of Funds: General Fund Requested By: PatriceFogarty Account Number:001-6067-510-6004 Department: City Secretary Amount Budgeted:10,000 Report:Resolution: Ordinance:X AmountRequested:10,000 Exhibits: Ordinance Calling General Election Budgeted Item: YES NO Exhibits: SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION Action Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda: Corby D. Alexander, City ManagerDate REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Appropriation Agenda Date Requested January 27, 2014 Patrice Fogarty Source of Funds:General Fund Requested By: City Secretary’s OfficeAccount Number:001.6067.510.6004 Department Amount Budgeted:$10,000.00 Report: Resolution: Ordinance: X Amount Requested:$10,000.00 Exhibits: OrdinanceCalling Special Election Budgeted Item:YESNO Exhibits: Exhibits: SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION Action Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Budget Agenda Date Requested: January 27, 2014 Source of Funds: Fund 001 (General, Requested By: David Mick Solid Waste) Account Number: To be Created Department:Public Works Amount Budgeted: $0 Report: Resolution: Ordinance: Amount Requested: Up to $7,500 Exhibits:Event Flyer_2014 HHW Collection Day Budgeted Item:No Exhibits: LEPC Contribution Background ExhibitsWCA Contribution Background SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION Miscellaneous event information: Projected out of pocket cost for the 2014 event is $24,500 Projected WCA + LEPC contribution to the 2014 event is $24,500. Action Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DAY FOR THE CITIZENS OF LA PORTE, MORGAN’S POINT & SHOREACRES Saturday, April 5, 2014 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM ONLY La Porte Public Works Service Center 2963 North 23rd Street We will accept Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) from approximately 350 households. HHW will be collected on a first come, first serve basis. BUSINESS WASTE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED CAN WHAT YOU BRING TO THIS EVENT Brake fluid, paint thinner, paint, cleaners with acid or lye, pesticides or herbicides, household batteries, car batteries, pool chemicals, motor oil, oil filters, antifreeze Household electronics waste (limit five items per vehicle) which includes: computer monitors, televisions up to 27” screen, computer CPUs, keyboards, printers, cellular phones, etc. White goods such as refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, water heaters Tires up to 20” off the rim (limit six per household) Flammables and corrosives Propane gas cylinders up to 5 gallons PLEASE REMOVE VALVES(No other types of gas cylinders will be accepted) CANNOT WHAT YOU BRING TO THIS EVENT Hazardous waste and electronic waste from businesses Explosives, ammunition and radioactive materials Trash, fire extinguishers or controlled substances TIPS ON TRANSPORTING HHW MATERIALS: Containers should be sealed and in their original labeled packaging. Pack leaking containers in a larger, non-leaking container. Place containers upright in a box or plastic bin and pack newspaper around the containers to prevent breakage. Place containers in your trunk and be prepared to leave your containers and boxes. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT LA PORTE PUBLIC WORKS: (281) 471PUBLICWORKS@LAPORTETX.GOV Meeting Minutes . BENEFITING THE CITY OF LA PORTES HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DAY MARCH 5, 2014 SHOTGUN START AT 12:30 PM THANK YOU TO THANK YOU TO OUR BRONZE SPONSORS! OUR SILVER SPONSOR! BAY FOREST GOLF COURSE - 201 BAY FOREST DRIVE 24HR SAFETY & KURARAY PRIZES:1ST PLACE - $100 GAS INNOVATIONS 2ND PLACE - $75 1ST AND 2ND FLIGHT 3RD PLACE - $50 SPONSOR LEVELS: REGISTRATION GOLD - $5,000 Team Name ______________________________ 4 TEAMS, PROMOTED IN ALL ADS Hole Sponsorship Name______________________ SILVER - $2,500 2 TEAMS, PROMOTED IN ALL ADS 1) Team Captains Name______________________ BRONZE - $1,000 1 TEAM, PROMOTED IN ALL ADS Phone or Email __________________________ 2) Player Name____________________________ $500 - 4 MAN TEAM, INCLUDES HOLE SPONSORSHIP 3) Player Name____________________________ $100 - INDIVIDUAL PLAYER (WILL BE PUT ON TEAM) 4) Player Name____________________________ $150 - HOLE SPONSORSHIP (NO TEAM) * Fees include green fee, cart fee and range balls * Mulligans available Sponsorship Level: $________________________ *Lunch and dinner will be provided MAIL ENTRY FORM BY 2/19/14 WITH CHECKS PAYABLE TO: FOR MORE INFORMATION La Porte LEPC laportelepc@gmail.com 604 W Fairmont Pkwy (281) 470-0010 La Porte, TX 77571 Payment can be made at tournament if necessary, but registration form must be submitted in advance. REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Appropriation Agenda Date Requested: January 27, 2014 Source of Funds:N/A Requested By:Michael Dolby, CPA Account Number:N/A Department: Finance Amount Budgeted:N/A Report: Resolution: Ordinance:XX Amount Requested:N/A Exhibits: Budgeted Item:YESNO Exhibits: Exhibits: SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION General Fund $41,447,347$41,447,347$41,477,347* Grant Fund929,986929,986942,654* Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax579,378579,378679,378* Economic Development Corporation1,351,1331,351,1331,466,133* Insurance Fund 5,648,3645,648,3645,671,004* General Capital Improvement 3,568,0003,568,0003,798,000* Action Required by Council: Approved forCity Council Agenda CorbyD.Alexander, City Manager Date EXHIBIT A (ORIGINAL BUDGET) City of La Porte Consolidated Summary of All Funds EXHIBIT B (AMENDED BUDGET) City of La Porte Consolidated Summary of All Funds ShelleyΑ Abudgetamendmentisgoingtobeneededfor$22,640foraccountnumber0146142515.6007fortheInsurance account.Wewerenotgiventhefullliability/propertyequityreturnfromTMLthisyear,andtheautoliabilitypremium increasedfromlastyear. daskedtoremindyouoftheamendment. Traciisawareofthisan Also,doIneedtodoanythingtogetthefundsaddedtothisaccounttoallowpurchasingtoproceedwiththePOreq? LindseyCampuzano HRSpecialist (281)4705027 (281)4705007Fax 1 A Shelley: Inadditiontotheadjustmentbelowforthesidewalkrepair,pleaseaddanother$50,000tothisfigure.Wehadnot budgetedforeithertheinfillproject(newsidewalks)northerepairproject.Typically,wehavedonebothinthepastfor atotalsidewalkbudgetof$100,000.AfterspeakingwithCorby,Iwouldliketocombinethe2projectstogetherand allocateatotalof$100,000forsidewalkrepairforFY14,please. Pleaseletmeknowifyouhaveanyconcerns. From: Leach, Traci Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 1:17 PM To: Alexander, Corby Cc: Dolby, Michael; McPhail, Reagan Subject: Sidewalk CIP Project Corby: ItwasbroughttomyattentionthismorningthatIhadinadvertentlyeliminatedthe/źƷǤ͸ƭfundingforthesidewalk programintheCIPthatwasapprovedbytheCouncil.Asanannualprogram,thatwascertainlynotmyintent.Iwould liketoaddthistothequarterlybudgetamendmentthatgetssenttotheCouncilinJanuaryifyouapprove.Budget wouldbethesameaslastyearandyearspast$50,000.WealreadyhavemoneyinFund033forhandicapramp constructionbutforsomereason,IdidnotincludesidewalkreplacementinFund015anditshouldhavebeen. Pleaseadvisehowyouwouldprefertohandle. Thankyou! Traci TraciE.Leach AssistantCityManager,CityofLaPorte 2814705012office 2818136094mobile leacht@laportetx.gov "TheCityofLaPorteembracesourheritage,communityvaluesandopportunities,whileenhancingthequalityoflifefor ourcitizens" 1 B REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Budget Agenda Date Requested: 10-28-13 Source of Funds:Grant Requested By:Ken Adcox Account Number:03252535211020 Department:Police Amount Budgeted:$6,000.00 Report: Resolution:Ordinance: Amount Requested:$12,131.00 Exhibits:Regional DWI Task Force HGAC Agreement Budgeted Item:YESNO Exhibits SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION Action Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda Corby D. Alexander,City Manager Date C REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM _____________________________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION ction Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda D REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCILAGENDA ITEM Budget Agenda Date Requested: 9 December2013 Source of Funds:4B Board Requested By: Scott D. Livingston Account Number: 038 Department: Administration/Economic Development Amount Budgeted: N/A Report: Resolution: Ordinance: Amount Requested: $15,000 Exhibit:Project Facts and Figures Budgeted Item:YES NO Exhibit: Richard Industrial Group Flyer Exhibit: Public Hearing Notice SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION Baton Rouge (West) HoustonBeaumont,Huffman Note: More information is provided about RIG’s future plans beyond year #3 after the Incentive Request at the conclusion of this summary. 90full-time Total Employment by the End of 2013: 26 E Total Employment by the End of 2014:66 Total Employment by the End of 2015: 90 $15,000 90 $15,000 75 Action Required by the City Council: $15,000 75 Approved for the City CouncilAgenda Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date La Porte Boys Baseball Association Welcome to the La Porte Boys Baseball Association To Field 3 & Field 4 – Mustang $3,315.16 Field 5 & Field 6 – Pony $3,315.16 Field 7 & Field 8 – Bronco $3,316.16 $9,945.48 $5,085.48$4,860.00 F REQUEST FOR LA PORTE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AGENDA ITEM Budget Agenda Date Requested: 14October2013 Source of Funds: General Fund Requested By:Scott D. Livingston Account Number: 015-9892-993 Department: Administration/Economic Development Amount Budgeted:$200,000 Report: Resolution:Ordinance: Amount Requested: $100,000 more Exhibit:Proposed, Revised Enhancement Grant Program Budgeted Item:YESNO Guidelines Exhibit: Pages from the City of La Porte’s Strategic Plan for 2013 -2017 Exhibit: SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATIONS Ogarrios Restaurant G Staff’s Proposal for Revising and Expanding the Enhancement Grant Program: Staff’s Proposal for Further Implementingthe Current Enhancement Grant Program(items to be completed regardless of whether the program itself is expanded to include Broadway): Note: Action Required by the La Porte Development Corporation Board: Approved for the La Porte Development CorporationAgenda Corby D. Alexander,City ManagerDate REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Appropriation Agenda Date Requested: June 10, 2013 Source of Funds: General Fund Requested By: _Tim Tietjens______ Account Number:001 6146 515 9050 Department: __Planning____________ Amount Budgeted: ______N/A_________ Report: _X_Resolution: ____Ordinance: __ Amount Requested: $30,000 Budgeted Item: YES XNO Exhibits: 1.Marketing Report SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION H _____________________________________________________________________________ Action Required of Council: Approved for City Council Agenda: ____________________________________ ______________________ I HiShelley: TheCouncilapprovedthis$50,000sponsorshipattheDecember9,2013meeting.Wehavereceivedtheinvoiceand wouldliketogetanaccountnumberfromyouonwhereyouguyswillbeaddingthesefundsintheupcomingbudget amendment.Myunderstandingisthattheaccountwouldtemporarilyshowadeficituntiltheamendmentisformally approvedbytheCouncilonJanuary27. WouldyoupleaseforwardanaccountnumberfromtheHotelMotelFundthatyouwouldlikeustouseforthisinvoice? Thankyou! Traci TraciE.Leach AssistantCityManager,CityofLaPorte 2814705012office 2818136094mobile leacht@laportetx.gov "TheCityofLaPorteembracesourheritage,communityvaluesandopportunities,whileenhancingthequalityoflifefor ourcitizens" 1 J REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM _____________________________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION ction Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCILAGENDA ITEM Budget Agenda Date Requested: 27January2014 Source of Funds: Requested By: Scott D. Livingston Account Number: Department: Administration/Economic Development Amount Budgeted: Report: Resolution: Ordinance: Amount Requested: Exhibit: Letter to the City Council Budgeted Item:YES NO Exhibit: Proposed TIRZ Development Agreement SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATIONS \[NOTE: This item originally appeared on the December 9, 2013 agenda for Council consideration. At that time, all items related to this development were postponed until the January 27, 2014 meeting. The developer has requested that all items related to this development be postponed until the February 10, 2014 meeting.\] Action Required by the City Council: Approved for the City CouncilAgenda Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date Draft 12.3.13 DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT ARTICLE 1 GENERAL TERMS ARTICLE 2 REPRESENTATIONS ARTICLE 3 THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS ARTICLE 4 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEVELOPER ARTICLE 5 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AUTHORITY ARTICLE 6 PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS FINANCING AND FUNDING ARTICLE 7 INSURANCE; RELEASE Best’s Key Rating Guide, Property Casualty United States Indemnification and Release DEVELOPERRELEASES EACH INDEMNIFIED PERSON FROM ALL LIABILITY FOR INJURY, DEATH, DAMAGE, OR LOSS TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY SUSTAINED IN CONNECTION WITH OR INCIDENTAL TO PERFORMANCE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, EVEN IF THE INJURY, DEATH, DAMAGE, OR LOSS IS CAUSED BY THE INDEMNIFIED PERSON’S SOLE OR CONCURRENT NEGLIGENCE AND/OR THE INDEMNIFIED PERSON’S STRICT PRODUCTS LIABILITY OR STRICT STATUTORY LIABILITY; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THIS RELEASE SHALL HAVE NO APPLICATION TO AN INDEMNIFIED PERSON’S FAILURE TO PAY MONIES OWED PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT. FROM AND AFTER THE DATE OF THIS AGREEMENT, DEVELOPER SHALL REQUIRE ALL CONTRACTORS ENGAGED BY IT TO CONSTRUCT PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS (AND THEIR SUBCONTRACTORS) TO RELEASE AND INDEMNIFY THE INDEMNIFIED PERSONS TO THE SAME EXTENT AND IN THE SAME FORM AS ITS RELEASE OF AND INDEMNITY TO THE INDEMNIFIED PERSONS HEREUNDER. THE DEVELOPER SHALL REQUIRE ALL GENERAL CONTRACTORS TO POST PAYMENT AND PERFORMANCE BONDS IN THE AMOUNT OF THE PROJECT COST AND ONE YEAR MAINTENANCE BONDS AS DEEMED APPROPRIATE BY THE AUTHORITY. ARTICLE 8 DEFAULT ARTICLE 9 GENERAL CITY ZONE AUTHORITY DEVELOPER \[The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank.\] CITY OF LAPORTE, TEXAS REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER ONE, CITY OF LAPORTE, TEXAS LA PORTE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BEAZER HOMES TEXAS, LP EXHIBIT A PROJECT SITE EXHIBIT B PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS EXHIBIT C CERTIFICATE OF ADVANCE LA PORTE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER ONE, CITY OF LAPORTE BEAZER HOMES TEXAS, LP REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCILAGENDA ITEM Budget Agenda Date Requested: 27January2014 Source of Funds: Requested By: Scott D. Livingston Account Number: Department: Administration/Economic Development Amount Budgeted: Report: Resolution: Ordinance: X Amount Requested: Exhibit:Copy of the TIRZ Board’s Minutes from Sept. 18, Budgeted Item:YES NO 2013Recommending Expansion of TIRZ #1 Exhibit: Proposed Ordinance to Approve an Expansionof TIRZ #1 in La Porte Exhibit:Metes and Bounds of the Proposed Expansion Area SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATIONS NOTE: This item was postponed at the October 28, 2013 Council meeting until December 9. This item has been unchanged from the information that appeared in the October th agenda.The public hearing was opened and closed during the October 28meeting and therefore, the items are ready for Council consideration and action.The developer has requested that all items related to this development be postponed until February 10, 2014. Action Required by the City Council: Approved for the City CouncilAgenda Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date R( O. W. . AV R EI )S ES N S OR A P.O.B.D 6( R '0 W.O. ). S NEP EC AL R DN GNI AE TS REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCILAGENDA ITEM Budget Agenda Date Requested: 27January2014 Source of Funds: Requested By: Scott D. Livingston Account Number: Department: Administration/Economic Development Amount Budgeted: Report: Resolution: Ordinance: X Amount Requested: Exhibit:Revised TIRZ ProjectPlan Budgeted Item:YES NO Exhibit: Metes and Bounds of the AreaProposedto be Added to the TIRZ Exhibit: Proposed Ordinance to Approve and Adopt the Revised TIRZ ProjectPlan SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATIONS NOTE: This item was postponed at the October 28, 2013 Council meeting until December 9. This item has been unchanged from the information that appeared in the October th agenda. The public hearing was opened and closed during the October 28meeting and therefore, the items are ready for Council consideration and action.However, the developer has requested that this item be postponed until February 10, 2014. Action Required by the City Council: Approved for the City CouncilAgenda Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE, NUMBER ONE CITY OF LA PORTE 2013 AMENDMENT TO THE PROJECT PLAN AND REINVESTMENT ZONE FINANCING PLAN SEPTEMBER 10, 2013 HAWES HILL CALDERON 1 of 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PROJECT PLAN I. Existing uses and conditions of real property within the area of the proposed Zone 3 II. Proposed changes in zoning ordinance, master plan of the municipality, building codes 4 and other municipal ordinances III. List of estimated non-project cost items 4 REINVESTMENT ZONE FINANCING PLAN I. A detailed list describing the estimated projects of the Zone, including administrative 4 expenses II. A statement listing the kind, number and location of all proposed public works or 5 public improvements in the Zone III. The estimated amount of bonded indebtedness to be incurred 5 IV. The time when related costs or monetary obligations are to be incurred 5 V. A description of the methods of financing all estimated project costs and the expected 5 sources of revenue to finance or pay project costs, including the percentage of tax increment to be derived from the property taxes of each taxing unit that levies taxes on real property in the Zone VI. The current total appraised value of taxable real property in the Zone 5 VII. The estimated captured appraised value of the Zone during each year of its existence 5 VIII. Duration of the Zone 6 IX. Schedule A 7 X. Schedule B 8 XI. Schedule C and D 9 2 of 6 2013 AMENDMENT PROJECT PLAN I.EZ XISTING USES AND CONDITIONS OF REAL PROPERTY WITHIN THE AREA OF THE ONE Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Number One, City of La Porte generally located along the east and west side of State Highway 146 south of Fairmont Parkway. The Zone also includes property near Sylvan Beach Park. Existing development within the Zone consists of residential, commercial, and light industrial development. The below map shows existing conditions of the Zone. As also depicted in the map, the Zone is proposed for enlargement and will include approximately 33.4 acres of land at the northwest corner of Spencer Highway and Sens Road. The enlargement area will be developed for residential and commercial use. The purpose of this Plan Amendment is to provide for the construction of public utilities and storm water detention facilities to accommodate the development within the proposed enlargement area of the Zone. The tax increment revenue to fund the public improvements will come from the increase in taxable value in the enlargement area of the Zone. 3 of 6 II.P,, ROPOSED CHANGES IN ZONING ORDINANCES THE MASTER PLAN OF THE MUNICIPALITY BUILDING CODES AND OTHER MUNICIPAL ORDINANCES There are no proposed changes to any city ordinance, master plan or building codes. III. L- IST OF ESTIMATED NONPROJECT COSTS Estimated Non-Project Costs Project Estimated Cost 1. Residential Public $ 169,568 Utilities & Drainage Infrastructure (30%) 2.Residential Street $ 413,964 3.Engineering & Testing for Above Items $ 105,036 TOTAL $ 688,568 IV. There will be no persons dislocated as a result of this plan amendment. REINVESTMENT ZONE FINANCING PLAN I. AZ, DETAILED LIST DESCRIBING THE ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS OF THE ONE INCLUDING ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES Estimated Project Costs Project Estimated Cost 4. Residential Public $ 395,870 Utility & Drainage Infrastructure (70%) 5.Detention Including $ 756,240 Land Cost (100%) 6.Commercial Public $ 393,750 Utilities & Drainage (100%) 7.Engineering & Testing $ 192,989 Above Items (100%) TOTAL $ 1,741,849 Administrative expenses are anticipated to be negligible as the La Porte Redevelopment Authority currently manages the Zone under contract with the City of La Porte. 4 of 6 II.S, TATEMENT LISTING KIND NUMBER AND LOCATION OF ALL PROPOSED PUBLIC WORKS OR PUBLIC Z IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ONE Public improvements in the Zone enlargement area will consist of public utilities, streets, and storm water detention facilities to serve the new residential and commercial development at the northwest corner of Spencer Highway and Sens Road. III.EFS CONOMIC EASIBILITY TUDY This plan amendment is found to be economically feasible as provided in the financial exhibits to this plan amendment (which exhibits constitute an economic feasibility study). IV.T HE ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF BONDED INDEBTEDNESS TO BE INCURRED The cost of the improvements are estimated at $1,741,849 and will be reimbursed through tax increment and/or La Porte Redevelopment Authority bonds. If bonds are issued, the bonded indebtedness is estimated to equal to the cost of the improvements plus cost of issuance. V.T HE TIME WHEN RELATED COSTS OR MONETARY OBLIGATIONS ARE TO BE INCURRED The Zone will incur a monetary obligation upon execution of the development agreement with the developer of the Zone enlargement tract. The Zone will be obligated to reimburse the developer for the eligible public improvements through increment derived from the development project. VI. A DESCRIPTION OF THE METHODS OF FINANCING ALL ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS AND THE EXPECTED SOURCES OF , REVENUE TO FINANCE OR PAY PROJECT COSTS INCLUDING THE PERCENTAGE OF TAX INCREMENT TO BE DERIVED Z FROM THE PROPERTY TAXES OF EACH TAXING UNIT THAT LEVIES TAXES ON REAL PROPERTY IN THE ONE Description of the Methods of Financing The developer will advance the public improvement costs and be reimbursed through tax increment or La Porte Redevelopment Authority bonds. Sources of Tax Increment Revenue: INCREMENT DEDICATED TO THE ZONE Taxing Unit Tax Rate Dedicated City of La Porte 100% of Tax Rate VII. TZ HE CURRENT TOTAL APPRAISED VALUE OF TAXABLE REAL PROPERTY IN THE ONE $1,652,696 The total current market value within the Zone is: . 5 of 6 VIII.TZ HE ESTIMATED CAPTURED APPRAISED VALUE OF THE ONE DURING EACH YEAR OF ITS EXISTENCE The estimated captured appraised value of the Zone during each year of its existence is shown in Schedule C attached to the rear of this document. IX.DZ URATION OF THE ONE The Zone enlargement does not affect the duration of the Zone which is scheduled to terminate in 2030. 6 of 6 73$12,775 Subtotal $0$12,775 Ώ B 5 5 5 5 Captured Value (K) 5 2021 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Ώ 5- υ Home Construction $0$12,775 Ώ υ Captured Value (K) 2020 Ώ- Home Construction $0 $12,775 Ώ υ Captured Value (K) 2019 Ώ - Home Construction $0$12,775 Ώ υ Captured Value (K) 2018 Ώ - Residential Buildout Schedule (In Thousands) LA PORTE TIRZ 1 ZONE ENLARGEMENT Home Construction $4,025$12,775 ЍͲЉЋЎ υ ВΉЊЌΉЋЉЊЌ Captured Value (K) 2017 ЋЌ 23 Home Construction $4,375$8,750 ЍͲЌАЎ υ Captured Value (K) 2016 ЋЎ 25 Home Construction $4,375$4,375 ЍͲЌАЎ υ Captured Value (K) 2015 ЋЎ 25 Home Construction $0$0 Captured Value (K) 2014 - Home Construction Њ͵ /ğƦƷǒƩĻķ ǝğƌǒĻ źƭ ƦƩĻƭĻƓƷĻķ źƓ ƷŷƚǒƭğƓķƭ ƚŅ ķƚƌƌğƩƭ͵ Cumulative Captured Value Residential Project Values Total Captured Value II/Ͳ \[\[t Total Home Sales SINGLE FAMILY SCHEDULE A {ĻĭƷźƚƓ hƓĻ bƚƷĻʹ Subtotal $5,750$14,375 ЎͲАЎЉ υ Captured Value (K) 2021 ЎЉ͵Љ Square Feet $0 $8,625 Ώ υ Captured Value (K) 2020 Square Feet $2,875$8,625 ЋͲБАЎ υ Captured Value (K) 2019 ЋЎ͵Љ Square Feet $0$5,750 Ώ υ Captured Value (K) 2018 Commercial Buildout Schedule (In Thousands) LA PORTE TIRZ 1 ZONE ENLARGEMENT Square Feet $2,875$5,750 ЋͲБАЎ υ ВΉЊЌΉЋЉЊЌ Captured Value (K) 2017 ЋЎ͵Љ Square Feet $2,875 $0 Ώ υ Captured Value (K) 2016 Square Feet $2,875$2,875 ЋͲБАЎ υ Captured Value (K) 2015 ЋЎ͵Љ Square Feet $0$0 Captured Value (K) 2014 Њ͵ 9ƭƷźƒğƷĻķ ĭğƦƷǒƩĻķ ǝğƌǒĻ źƭ ƦƩĻƭĻƓƷĻķ źƓ ƷŷƚǒƭğƓķƭ ƚŅ ķƚƌƌğƩƭ͵ Square Feet /ƚƒƒĻƩĭźğƌΉwĻƷğźƌ 5ĻǝĻƌƚƦƒĻƓƷ ΛźƓ ƭƨǒğƩĻ ŅĻĻƷΜ Cumulative Captured Value Commercial Project Values Total Captured Value II/Ͳ \[\[t SCHEDULE B bƚƷĻʹ 45,263115,375228,762343,237479,230616,344795,421977,1851,161,6741,348,9311,538,9971,731,9141,927,7252,126,4732,328,2022,532,957 Tax Revenue Cumulative $ - Available $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 45,26370,113113,387114,475135,993137,114179,077181,763184,490187,257190,066192,917195,811198,748201,729204,755 2,532,957 Revenues Available Total - Tax $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 45,26370,113113,387114,475135,993137,114179,077181,763184,490187,257190,066192,917195,811198,748201,729204,755 2,532,957 100% of Collection City Tax - $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 0.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.71000.7100 100% of Tax Rate City $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025202620272028202920302031 Coll. Year SCHEDULE D 20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202520262027202820292030 Year Tax 1234567891011121314151617 9/13/2013 6,375,0009,875,00015,970,00016,123,30019,153,90019,311,83325,222,13525,600,46825,984,47526,374,24226,769,85527,171,40327,578,97427,992,65928,412,54928,838,737 - $ Cumulative Valuation Total $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 2,875,0002,875,0005,750,0005,750,0008,625,0008,625,00014,375,00014,590,62514,809,48415,031,62715,257,10115,485,95815,718,24715,954,02116,193,33116,436,231 Commercial - $ CumulativeValuation Reflects 1.5% annual appreciation once buildout is complete $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Projected Assessed Valuations and Tax Increment (875,000)(1,750,000)(2,555,000)(2,593,325)(2,632,225)(2,671,708)(2,711,784)(2,752,461)(2,793,748)(2,835,654)(2,878,189)(2,921,361)(2,965,182)(3,009,660)(3,054,804)(3,100,626) Exemption (20%) -$ Homestead Residential $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ LA PORTE TIRZ 1 ZONE ENLARGEMENT 4,375,0008,750,00012,775,00012,966,62513,161,12413,358,54113,558,91913,762,30313,968,73814,178,26914,390,94314,606,80714,825,90915,048,29815,274,02215,503,132 -$ Residential Cumulative Valuation $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ HHC, LLP SCHEDULE C Note: Roll Jan 1 20142015201620172018 201920202021202220232024202520262027202820292030 Tax R( O. W. . AV R EI )S ES N S OR A P.O.B.D 6( R '0 W.O. ). S NEP EC AL R DN GNI AE TS REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Agenda Date Requested:January 27, 2014 Appropriation: N/A Requested By: Tim Tietjens Source of Funds: N/A Planning Account Number:N/A Department: ____Resolution: ____Ordinance: _X___Amount Budgeted: N/A Report: Exhibits Amount Requested: N/A Ordinance P & Z Recommendation Letter Budgeted Item: N/A Revised Future Land Use Plan Existing Land Use Plan _____________________________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION NOTE: This item was postponed at the October 28, 2013,Council meeting until December 9, 2013. This item was postponed at the December 9, 2013, Council meeting until January 27, 2014. The developer has requested a postponement until February 10, 2014. This item has been unchanged from the information that appeared in the previous agendas. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Action Required by Council: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Approved for City Council Agenda ______________________________________________________ Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Agenda Date Requested:January 27, 2014 Appropriation: N/A Requested By: Tim Tietjens Source of Funds: N/A Planning Account Number:N/A Department: ____Resolution: ____Ordinance: _X___Amount Budgeted: N/A Report: Exhibits Amount Requested: N/A Ordinance P & Z Recommendation Letter Budgeted Item: N/A Revised Future Land Use Plan Existing Land Use Plan _____________________________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION NOTE: This item was postponed at the October 28, 2013,Council meeting until December 9, 2013. This item was postponed at the December 9, 2013, Council meeting until January 27, 2014. The developer has requested a postponement until February 10, 2014. This item has been unchanged from the information that appeared in the previous agendas. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Action Required by Council: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Approved for City Council Agenda ______________________________________________________ Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date etatS d641 ywH ecivreS 641 ywH etatS 46 y 1 w e H tat S ht62 ffO tuC relliM U doowredn tsaE alleuL relliM REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM : January 27, 2014Appropriation: Agenda Date Requested :Tim Tietjens Source of Funds: N/A Requested By Department:Planning Account Number: N/A Report: __ __Resolution: _____Ordinance: _X___Amount Budgeted: N/A Exhibits: Amount Requested: N/A Ordinance N/A P&Z RecommendationLetter Budgeted Item: Area Map Preliminary Site Plan Mailout Response _____________________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION NOTE: This item was postponed at the October 28, 2013,Council meeting until December 9, 2013. This item was postponed at the December 9, 2013 Council meeting until January 27, 2014.The developerhas requested a postponement until February 10, 2014. This item has been unchanged from the information that appeared in the previous agendas. Action Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda __________________________________________________________ Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM : January 27, 2014Appropriation: Agenda Date Requested :Tim Tietjens Source of Funds: N/A Requested By Department:Planning Account Number: N/A Report: __ __Resolution: _____Ordinance: _X___Amount Budgeted: N/A Exhibits: Amount Requested: N/A Ordinance N/A P&Z RecommendationLetter Budgeted Item: Area Map Preliminary Site Plan Mailout Response _____________________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION NOTE: This item was postponed at the October 28, 2013,Council meeting until December 9, 2013. This item was postponed at the December 9, 2013 Council meeting until January 27, 2014.The developerhas requested a postponement until February 10, 2014. This item has been unchanged from the information that appeared in the previous agendas. Action Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda __________________________________________________________ Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date AREA MAP (Rezone Request #13-92000002) VALRY CA 1 inch = 400 feet R-1 BI N D ST N SPE NCER LAN DING LLD LOCATION OF PROPERTY FOR PROPOSED REZONE LI FROM GC TO R-1 R-1 GC S SP E N C E R L AN D I NG SPENCER HWY PUD PREPARED BY CLP GIS REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Budget Agenda Date Requested: 1-27-14 Source of Funds: Requested By:Corby Alexander, City Manager Account Number: Department:Police/ Planning Amount Budgeted: Report: X Resolution: Ordinance: Amount Requested: Exhibits: Budgeted Item:YESNO SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION Action Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda Corby D. Alexander Date REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM _____________________________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION ction Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda Date: January 27, 2014 To: City Council Thru: Corby D. Alexander, City Manager From: Traci E. Leach, Assistant City Manager RE: Follow-up Information on Proposed Marketing Plan for Tourism for FY 2014 The Council requested additional information on several components of the proposed tourism and hotel promotion plan that was presented on December 9, 2013. Staff has researched the issues and the following information is provided in response to Council questions: What is the liability for the shuttle service, as originally proposed? The City currently has liability coverage that includes all of the vehicles proposed for the shuttle service. However, the types of activities for which these vehicles are currently being used fall under the category of “governmental functions” as defined by the Texas Tort Claims Act (TTCA). This is important because the TTCA caps the City’s liability for damages that result from the City’s performance of those functions. In discussions with both TML and the City Attorney, it has become clear that the proposed function of the City operating a shuttle bus for the purpose of transporting tourists and visitors would be considered a “proprietary function,” not a “governmental function.” This means that the City would not covered by the damage limits in the event the City were to be sued for damages resulting from the shuttle service. Based on this information, the City is not proposing to operate a shuttleservice using City vehicles and City personnel. However, staff has evaluated a few other options for consideration. 1.Third Party Shuttle Service: Staff met with as shuttle bus operator to discuss options for contracting with a third party to operate a hotel/crew member shuttle service. Contracting with a third party greatly reduces the liability exposure concerns to the City, as claims would go through the third party insurance, to which the City would be named an additional insured. This operator recommended running 4 vehicles (2 vans and 2 suburbans) on Saturdays for approximately 6 hours to serve both hotel guests and crew members. This would allow for a cycle time of approximately 15-20 minutes between shuttles at any given drop-off/pick-up location. A rough estimate of cost for this service, based on 13 Saturdays (February through April) with 4 vehicles running for 6 hours, is $13,000. One item that was discussed was the possibility of signage on the vehicles. So long as that signage was removable (ie- magnetic), then the City would be able to “brand” those vehicles as La Porte. Staff would propose including $5,000 for magnetic signage, for a total program budget of $18,000. Cab Voucher Program: Another option to provide transportation services to hotel 2. guests is to implement a voucher program for cab service. Essentially, the City would contract with a cab company to provide cab rides to and from the Port and La Porte hotels. This service could be free to the customer, with the City funding the fares via vouchers that hotel operators would provide to their hotel guests leaving for cruises. After speaking with one cab company, a conservative estimate for cab fare from the cruise terminal to La Porte is approximately $25. Assuming that the same amount of funds were allocated for cab voucher program as was proposed for shuttle service, it is estimated that 40 people per weekend could be served, which staff believes is adequate at this time given feedback from hoteliers on how many room nights are being booked for cruise travel. The proposed budget for this option is $13,000 Should the Council desire to move forward with any of these concepts, a competitive purchasing process would be used to make sure that the City is getting the best pricing available. What type of sales tax could the City expect to see as a result of the event venue incentive? While it is very difficult to accurately project the estimated sales tax resulting from the launch of this new program, what staff can say is that the average length of stay for a tourist is 2.25 days and each person spends $122.70 per day on services like food, gas, and attractions (from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism). A conservative estimate of spending for a typical wedding event with approximately 150 guests with each guest spending just the time of the event in La Porte (25% of the per day spending= $30.68), this would generate $4,602 in spending at La Porte businesses and $115.05 in total sales tax for each event. In terms of impact to businesses, just ten events could generate $45,000 or more per year in spending at La Porte businesses that would have otherwise not been captured. Please provide additional information on what the digital sign will look like and specifications. Specifications for the billboard are attached as an exhibit to this item. Please note that, while these specifications are generally representative of the type and quality of board proposed, they represent just one company’s specifications. Final specifications may differ slightly from what is here but staff intends on maintaining the general size and resolution as represented here. Should the Council desire to move forward with this concept, a formal procurement process would be completed and finalized specifications would be outlined in those documents. Date: November 19, 2013 To: Corby D. Alexander, City Manager From: The Tourism Team (Scott, Jaree, and Traci) RE: Marketing Initiatives for FY 2014 Tourism Tourism promotion has been on the front burner for several weeks now that the CVB has moved out of the picture. Staff has been brainstorming many different ideas for promoting tourism and hotel stays in La Porte. We are focusing on several different avenues for tourism promotion: Cruise Terminal traffic Historical tourism Wedding tourism Sports tournament traffic General Tourism, to include summer and beach stays This list was generated based on discussions we have had with hoteliers and our understanding of what might be the best niches for La Porte to capitalize on given our assets. We’ve focused our efforts on initiatives that we believe will have long-lasting impact, provide a service that our neighboring communities cannot or are not providing, or helps develop an image for La Porte tourism as a “hidden gem” coastal destination. The current available balance for the Advertising budget in the Hotel Fund is $45,911. The items listed below will show how we intend to address each marketing niche to make sure that La Porte is represented. For the funds currently budgeted, the following initiatives are planned: Tour Texas and Texas Highways for promoting events likely to generate room nights: $7,000 combined Texas Events Calendar: $1,100 Collateral materials for distribution to cruisers, crew and general tourism: $4,000 Ads in Wedding specific magazines: $2,000 Digital campaign for Visit la Porte website SEO, cruise specific campaign, and traffic to the Visit site: $12,000 Cruise Magazine ads: $5,000 Sports (competition events) Ads: $3,500 Mobile app for Tourism site: $500 Greater Houston tourism: $2,500 Event Specific Television ads: $8,000 However, in addition to these general advertising initiatives, we have identified several special initiatives for which we would like to request your consideration of an additional $389,300 for tourism promotion. There is currently an undesignated, unreserved estimated fund balance of $715,000, which assumes that the funds originally budgeted for Main Street Electrical are re-allocated towards the restoration of the Old Schoolhouse, plus allocates an additional $100,000 contingency for the project and the additional funds for the Chamber. We’d like to present the following marketing initiatives to you for consideration. CRUISE TERMINAL TRAFFIC: Development of a Friday Night Special Event: For cruises departing on Saturday, many out of town travelers will begin arriving on Friday. We are intending to provide support for an event, sponsored and spear-headed by the Main Street business owners, on Friday evenings to provide those tourists with a fun event prior to their cruise. Staff has attended two meetings with the Main Street group and they have indicated a desire to begin such an event after the first of the year. We believe this would have wide support from hoteliers based on our discussions with at least one hotel operator. Estimated costs to the City would include: Security for police officers: $2,800 \[$35/hour for off duty officers for 4 officers (at least o at the outset) for 20 Fridays between January and April\] Production of signage: $2,500. This may include signage for individual shops on Main o Street to display on the sidewalk outside their establishment as well as a street banner across Main Street. Shuttle for Cruising Hotel Guests: One perk that our hotels have over some others is proximity to the terminal. Providing a free shuttle service for hotel guests would be an added perk that our hotels could offer to guests. This shuttle could be used to transport guests to and from the hotel and terminal on the day of the cruise but could also be used to transport guests to and from the Friday night event. While we are not sure what type of response we’ll get from hotel guests to the shuttle, we believe that focusing on the crew will be consistent source of patrons for La Porte restaurants and shops. The City currently owns a bus and several vans that would be suitable for the purpose. Estimated costs to the City would include: Vehicle wrap or custom paint job: Based on the pricing for the DARE car, our o conservative estimate is $15,000 to address one of the large Parks buses and one passenger van. Driver and Fuel: Assuming that Fridays will run 1 bus and Saturdays will run both the o bus and a passenger van, I am asking for $20,000. This includes $2,000 for Friday evenings, which would require a single bus and $9,600 for Saturdays, which we anticipate running both the big bus and the passenger van, plus fuel for 2 vehicles. The bus requires a driver with a CDL license so we may be utilizing appropriately licensed staff on an overtime basis to fill this gap. We are also evaluating options to contract out this service. In speaking with Harris County Transit staff, they typically use $65/hour to estimate the cost of new service. Based on this amount and the number of hours per weekend the shuttle would operate, I am estimating that contracted service would begin at $23,400 for one bus. HISTORICAL TOURISM: th 100 Anniversary Video Sponsorship: While the event itself is a onetime occurrence, the sponsorship of the video is something that we could get exposure long after the event is concluded. The beginning and ending of the video will include footage from the last welcome home ride down Independence Parkway of the remaining 40+ veterans that served on the Battleship Texas. We are working with the Battleship staff on helping with the parade down Independence and having a very visible presence. This will be a terrific opportunity to brand La Porte with the Battleship and make sure that it is something that has longer lasting impression than the one day event. In identifying the funding level of this recommendation, we considered several factors: longevity, exposure, what our neighboring cities might contribute, and with which city people will associate the Battleship. Estimated cost to the City: Video Sponsorship: $50,000. This is our recommendation for reasons of longevity, o name association, and substantial nature of the commitment. We felt that this would stamp La Porte all over the Battleship and begin making that association in people’s minds long after the event is over. GENERAL TOURISM: Digital Signage Along SH 146: There are a number of options we could use to reduce the initial capital investment (CBS Outdoor or Clear Channel, for example). However, we want to balance these options with the considering how much control of the messaging we will want to have. Ideally, if we are willing to invest in the signage on our own, we control the messaging and could sell time to help defray the cost of the sign. The sign would be utilized to advertise hotel properties, direct cruise passengers to points of interest in La Porte during fog delays, and advertise special events. Additionally, we could place emergency notifications on it in the event we needed it. Estimated cost to the City: City Purchased Digital Sign:$285,000. Placement of a single-sided digital sign would be o north of Barbour’s Cut along SH 146 or along SH 225 before the Interchange. Based on estimated traffic flow towards the terminal, we believe these will be the ideal locations to capture as much traffic as possible and divert them to La Porte restaurants and attractions. This estimate includes the sign installation and estimated land costs. WEDDING & OTHER EVENT TOURISM: Incentive Packages for Hotel and Event Venue Rental: Given the revival of the Sylvan Beach Pavilion and the opening of a second event center of Main Street, we believe that La Porte can fill a niche for weddings, corporate events, and family functions such as reunions and quinceñeras in the area. Presumably, even sport tournaments could qualify for the program. All of these events will often include guests from out of town and will stay for the entire weekend. We want to encourage visitors to book not only the hotel rooms required, but the venue and also any additional services, such as catering, from La Porte businesses and restaurateurs. The amount of the discount would be determined by the number of room nights booked and filled, plus additional incentives for venue rental and utilization of La Porte restaurants for catering. It should be noted that the incentive is not designed to be revenue generating to the City. Instead, we want to build the market, fill hotels during times when they typically don’t hit capacity, and create an environment where these incentives would not be necessary in the long term. Implementation of such a program would require close coordination between hotels, restaurateurs, the booking parties, and the City, as there is no structure in place today. Staff would work with the hotels to verify room night stays via booking codes for the room blocks and would work direct with the end user for the restaurant and catering pieces. This program is based on a reimbursement incentive to allow us to verify that the hotel stays did occur and that venue/catering occurred as booked before writing any checks. The sliding scale could be structured as follows: Total Number Of Base Incentive La Porte Event Venue Using La Porte Room Nights Amount/Room Rental Restaurants to Cater Booked For Group Night* 5-9 >$500: Add $10/Room night to Base Incentive $25 10-15 >$2,000 Add $20/Room If Yes: Add $20/Room Reimbursement night to Base Incentive 16 to 20 Night to Base for Each Room Incentive More than 20 Night >$4,000: Add $25/Room night to Base Incentive *Participants in this incentive program must book room nights at La Porte hotels in order to be eligible for any additional incentives. Note: Based on an average daily rate for a weekend hotel of $101, the average hotel occupancy tax revenue is $7/room night. Example: A bride wants to have the wedding at the Pavilion. She books 6 rooms at a La Porte hotel for both Friday and Saturday night for a total of 12 room nights. She would be eligible to receive a base incentive of $25 per room night for her hotel block. She also books the Pavilion for Saturday evening at a cost of $5,000. The facility rental adds another $25/room night to her incentive amount, so she’s up to $50/room in incentives. Finally, she adds catering from a La Porte restaurant and is eligible for another $20/room night, which brings her total incentive to $70/room night or a total incentive amount of $920. Estimated cost to the City: Incentives for Room Blocks: $14,000. This amount assumes 10 rentals at $1,400 o incentive each (max incentive available per room night multiplied by 20 rooms). REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Appropriation Agenda Date Requested: January 27, 2014 ____N/A________ Source of Funds: _Tim Tietjens______ Requested By: Account Number:_______________ Department: __Planning____________ Amount Budgeted: ______________ Report: _X_Resolution: ____Ordinance: __ Amount Requested: Exhibits: Budgeted Item: YES NO 1.Implementation Matrix - Immediate 2.Implementation Matrix - Short Term 3.Audit Report SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION During this reporting period, 8 additional items have been completed and progress was made on 3 more. Overall, 30 of the 31 items to be commenced in the immediate-priority list are now complete. 26 of the 32 items in the short-term priority listare now complete. Staff is to the point of beginningthe long-term priority list in the upcoming quarter. ___________________________________________________________________________ Action Required of Council: Approved for City Council Agenda: _________________________________________________________ City of La Porte Planning Department Organizational Review Final Report and Recommendations Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting February 6, 2013 City of La Porte Planning Department Organizational Review Final Report and Recommendations Table of Contents Page I.Introduction 2 II.Recommendations 4 Process Recommendations A.Communication 4 B.Cumbersome Processes 7 C.Site Plan Review Process 10 D.Permitting Intake/Issuance 13 E.Code Enforcement 16 F.Inspections 16 G.Miscellaneous 18 Organizational Culture Recommendations H.Mission & Goals 20 I.Departmental Cohesiveness 24 J.Trust 25 Code Recommendations K. Code Recommendations 26 Zoning Code 27 Development Ordinance 29 Other 31 III.Conclusion 32 IV.Exhibits A. Site Plan Review Flowchart B. Permit Intake/Issuance Flowchart 1 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting I. Introduction On September 24, 2012, the City of La Porte engaged Mueller Management, in association with Ron Cox Consulting, to perform an organizational review of the Planning Department. The desire for organizational reviews in various departments of the City was identified by the City Council during the FY 2013 budget planning process. The Planning Department was chosen as the initial candidate for review due to its high frequency of customer/citizen interaction points. The results of these interactions can have a significant impact on the community’s perception of the City government as a whole. Specifically, the purpose of this review was directed toward evaluating departmental policies, procedures, practices, and codes to identify improvements that may add value, shorten response times, and improve customer service. In particular, the processes involved with site planning and permit issuance were identified as areas of emphasis. The underlying strategy of the analysis by the consulting team was to identify “internal perceptions” and “external perceptions” as they relate to the identified issues/problems. The degree to which the perceptions of internal participants (employees) align or differ from external participants (City Council, Planning Commission, customers) was analyzed to identify gaps in desired-versus-provided service levels. Internal perceptions were gathered from individual interviews with each member of the Planning Department and members of other City departments who are involved with the site plan and building permit processes. Further, the site plan review process and the permit intake and issuance processes were flowcharted to identify potential gaps or inefficiencies in those processes. External perceptions were obtained by individual interviews with each member of the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission. To further validate the perceptions communicated during those interviews, three separate focus groups were convened – one focused on code enforcement; one with contractors/designers; and one with business owners. An interim report, summarizing the internal and external observations, organized under 10 major themes, was presented to City Council on December 10, 2012. Subsequent to the interim report presentation, the consulting team conducted the following activities: The interim report and several specific customer concerns that were expressed in the focus groups were reviewed with the Planning Department division managers. This review provided an opportunity for the staff to better understand and accept the reality of the issues at hand and begin to be part of the recommended solutions. Management recommendations were developed to address the organizational culture, communication, and trust themes that were identified in the interim report. 2 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting The flow-charted processes were analyzed for efficiency and communication improvement opportunities. Organizational, process, and communication improvements were developed. Suggestions offered by the elected and appointed officials, customers and employees were incorporated. The zoning and development codes were evaluated for potential recommendations to improve their functionality and address concerns raised by the customer groups. Implementation Recommendations: Implementation of the recommendations will present many opportunities for organizational and leadership development within the department and with customers. An effective method of implementation is the use of task forces organized around a specific set of the recommendations. Membership in the task forces should primarily consist of employees within the department, but should also consist of representatives of the customer groups identified earlier. Each task force should be managed by a team leader appointed by the Director. Each team leader will be responsible for completing and reporting on the final implementation. It is also important to reinforce the revised processes with underlying improvements in culture, trust, and cohesiveness. The process improvements will not be fully successful until the underlying organizational culture is redirected toward better cooperation internally and a customer focus externally. A variety of tools are available designed to enhance the organizational culture. A commitment by City Council and management toward this holistic approach will enhance the full implementation of the improved customer service attitude. Acknowledgements: The consulting team wishes to thank all members of the City Council, Planning Commission, City Manager’s office, the Planning Department, and the customer focus group participants. We received great cooperation from each person we spoke with and encountered no obstacles in obtaining the information we requested. All participants were very candid in their comments and believed their negative and positive comments would be used in the spirit of improvement for the department. Many positive suggestions were put forth by the individuals and groups we worked with that were incorporated into these recommendations. The consulting team appreciates this opportunity to be of service to the city of La Porte. It is our hope that these recommendations will add value to your customer’s experiences and your staff’s ability to effectively perform their jobs. This report concludes our engagement, however, we are available to provide additional assistance should you or the staff desire an additional engagement to assist with implementation. 3 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting II. Findings and Recommendations The internal observations, external perceptions, and a preliminary assessment of the implications of these observations and perceptions were documented in the interim report. The topics presented in this report generally correspond to the themes that were covered in the interim report. A set of findings are presented for each topic along with a series of recommendations designed to address each finding. The topics are grouped into process, organizational culture, and code-related recommendations. Process Recommendations The following process-related recommendations are intended to respond to concerns expressed by customers and incorporate procedural improvement possibilities observed by the consulting team. These improvements are designed to improve communication and access to information; reduce the time required to obtain permits and improve the customer experience when interacting with the Department. A.Communication Findings The variety of independent prerequisites before the issuance of a building permit provides multiple opportunities for ambiguity and difficulty in coordination. Currently, there is not a single person charged with coordinating all aspects of a project from initial application to final approval so it can be challenging for customers to know exactly which sub-applications apply for a particular project and the correct submittal sequence. Staff acknowledged that multiple resubmittals do occur, but generally believe those cases are a result of poor plans being submitted or designers modifying unrelated items (on which the additional comments are based). There is a gap between the perceptions of the customers and the staff that needs to be resolved. Recommendations 1.Pre-Development Meetings with customers: i.Establish routine days and times for pre-development meetings when staff will be available. ii.Establish which staff is required to attend the pre-development meetings, and hold those staff accountable for attendance. Establish a protocol and assign 4 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting responsibility to the appropriate person for notifying the staff of their attendance requirement. iii.Publicize the availability and schedule of pre-development meetings on the web site and in the Planning Department lobby. Encourage staff to reinforce the preference for using the pre-development meeting format whenever possible in their interactions with the public. iv.Develop a pre-development meeting checklist that outlines all of the permits that may be necessary for a particular project, so that the applicant is made aware of the multiple steps that may be needed before they make their first submittal. Also, provide fee schedules associated with each of the applicable permits. v.Utilize the pre-development meeting to review the checklist and have staff available to elaborate and answer questions. Also, utilize this meeting to communicate lessons learned from similar projects, such as critical review items and long lead-time aspects of the permitting process, to assist the customer in planning their overall schedule. Staff is creating a predevelopment applicant consultation packet, which includes a comprehensive checklist of all development processes. The checklist also contains website links to further explain each process. 2.Host periodic forums for the development/contractor/business community to open and maintain an opportunity for dialogue. These forums can be utilized to communicate such topics as new codes, frequently encountered problems, and to receive feedback and suggestions from developers and contractors. The goal is to establish and maintain open lines of communication between the department and customers to reduce the perception that involving management or council is required in order to achieve solutions. Establishing open rapport will facilitate a collaborative problem-solving environment between staff and customers. i.Initially a quarterly schedule is recommended; re-evaluate frequency after the first year. ii.Depending on the interest of participants, the city may want to break the forums into more focused topic sub-groups (for example, separate planning, engineering, and inspections forums). 3.Establish a centralized database of previous code interpretations accessible to the staff and public; or display in a FAQ format. The ICC Code and Commentary books used for interpreting building and residential code are available for public viewing. Previous code interpretations that have been adopted by policy are also available for public viewing. 5 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting 4.Ensure that the need for address verification and utility verification is communicated consistently; document the need on related forms and communicate early in the application process. The need for property identification (HCAD Number) and address, if existing, has been noted on our existing forms, the newly created predevelopment checklist, and is being communicated verbally during initial meetings with applicants. The utility verification process has been replaced by the publication of GIS utility layers on the City’s website. Utility verifications will be performed by Public Works on a case- by-case basis only when utility verification is in question. If a utility extension is necessary, applicant will be advised of the utility extension processes. The culvert request process has been replaced by the internal permit review process, wherein staff will determine culvert size for any driveway construction or culvert installation. Local driveway permits will be issued regardless of jurisdictional status; the most onerous regulation will govern. 5.Ensure that all permit application forms and related information (that was provided to the consultants in the binder) are available on the website. At a minimum, provide printable PDF files, but preferably as live forms that can be completed and submitted electronically. Many forms are currently available to the public on the website. These forms, as well as additional forms, will be updated and converted to fillable .pdf forms as the audit is implemented. 6.To the greatest extent possible with the current computer system, make information available on-line so that applicants can obtain status updates as easily as possible. Where the computer system falls short, establish an information base that will track status of projects and provide contact information to the customer for obtaining that information. The objective is to develop a system within the constraints of the current computer software system, to provide substantive information to the customer on a timely basis. 7.Post the office hours by the outside door. City hall hours are posted, which may cause customers to think the office is closed when it is actually open. 6 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting Division hours of operation were immediately posted on a temporary sign on the exterior doors to the Inspection Division. The temporary sign has since been replaced with permanent signage. Additionally, directional signage for Inspections/Permitting has been placed at the main entrance to City Hall. 8.Departmental staff should proactively notify the city management of customer interactions that may be reasonably expected to evolve into more difficult public relations situations. Staff continues to utilize the chain of command to notify city management of potential public relations situations. 9.Revise the Planning & Zoning Commission public hearing agenda format. The following agenda sequence is proposed: i.Staff Presentation ii.Applicant Presentation iii.Public Comments (for, against, or simply questions) iv.Question and Answer The current public hearing agenda format encourages the Commission to ask questions before all of the information has been presented and also puts the staff in the position of answering questions better answered by the applicant. The Commission should allow all information to be presented in items i-iii before asking questions under item iv. Any questions posed by the public during item iii should be noted by the Commission and then asked by the Commission during the question and answer period. During the question and answer period, questions should be directed by the Commission to either the staff or applicant, depending on who is in the better position to answer the particular question. Revising the public hearing agenda format was placed on the Planning and Zoning Commission agenda for discussion. The Commission agreed staff should utilize the public hearing agenda format proposed by the consultant when preparing future meeting agendas. B.Cumbersome Processes Findings The cumbersome nature of the NaviLine software system appears to contribute to some of the sluggishness and inconsistencies that customers experience. Ironically, if customers find the 7 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting processes too difficult to navigate and work without permits, this also increases the workload of the code enforcement division. Recommendations 1.Track certain permits outside of the NaviLine system to eliminate excess data entry that does not add value – for example: fill dirt, utility verification, culvert, address assignment, site plan review. i.A separate logging and tracking system (database or spreadsheet) needs to be developed and made available on the server so all staff members have access to update information and check status’ as needed. Planning staff will continue to utilize Naviline to enter data for all identified processes. Necessary staff training has been scheduled to ensure the ability to use the system as intended. 2.The driveway permit process should be modified so that culvert sizing is handled as part of driveway permit process rather than as a separate application. When a driveway permit (issued by the Inspections Division) requires a culvert, a separate culvert permit (issued by the Engineering Division) is also required. The culvert permit primarily consists of specifying the correct diameter for the culvert pipe. If the culvert is for a non-driveway application, the culvert application would still be a separate application. The driveway permit process has been modified so that culvert sizing is handled as part of the building permit or driveway permit, if applicable. Additionally, an internal staff review step has been added to the building permit review process in Naviline. 3.Complete the water and sewer GIS layer and make available to the public. The internal utility verification process can be eliminated completely by allowing the public, land owners, and engineers to access the data directly. However, in the interim, within the current utility verification process: i.Ensure that the drawing of the existing utilities is provided to the applicant as part of the response to the applicant. ii.If NaviLine is continued to be used to track utility verification requests, save a PDF of the utility drawing as an attachment to the NaviLine file so that all data related to the request can be obtained in one location. 4.Until NaviLine is able to produce the information needed for the monthly reports, the reports should be reconfigured to eliminate the time and effort needed to track 8 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting information manually. Currently, some data for the monthly and quarterly reports is tracked manually because it is not accessible from NaviLine. 5.Establish and publish plan review time goals for the most commonly issued permits. This information will provide the customer with a reasonable expectation and establish accountability for the staff. There has been an unwritten policy that dictates building plan review turn-around time goals. These review time goals have now been incorporated into a written department policy by which the public can reasonably expect response. 6.Allow simple plan sets to be reviewed quickly while more complex plan sets are being reviewed in the background. To expedite simpler plan sets, establish and use a priority process rather than a chronological (first come-first served) policy. Permits that require a shorter plan review time, such as fence, roof, fill dirt, portable sign, demolition, etc. continue to be fast-tracked. Additionally, staff continues to issue over-the-counter permits for plumbing, electrical and mechanical work. 7.Establish a simplified fence permitting process. The current system is both time consuming and expensive and is a source of consistent frustration and complaints. To expedite standard fence replacements in the same location, do not require site plans or formal surveys. Utilize standard details as a condition of approval (setting posts, attachment of runners and pickets, etc.). If a fence is on a common property line, perhaps require consent from the neighbor to waive the site plan requirement. As a further relaxation, the site plan requirement for new fences could also be waived with location restrictions being issued as permit conditions. The fence permitting process has been simplified by eliminating the requirement for a survey. In lieu of a survey, staff is allowing the customer to submit plan grade information. This has been adopted by departmental policy. 8.Upon issuance of the certificate of occupancy, paper inspection files should be purged. Maintaining the paper copies of plan review comments, permits, and inspection results takes considerable staff time. The content of these files is generally redundant to data that has been or should have been entered into the NaviLine permit file. Plan review comments, permits, and inspection results are permanently maintained in Naviline. Paper records are retained and ultimately destroyed in accordance with the adopted retention schedule. 9 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting 9.Establish a consistent philosophy to utilize PUD’s to simplify, rather than complicate, development applications. Several people who were interviewed reported that the current implementation of PUD’s actually makes approval of a project more difficult, rather than facilitating the unique situations they are intended to benefit. Consistent with the organizational culture initiatives previously discussed, an attitude of using PUD’s to facilitate development, rather than as a mechanism to add additional requirements, should be encouraged and enforced by management and City Council. C.Site Plan Review Process Findings The site plan review process affects a wide variety of businesses and may be the first interaction an applicant has with the City. As currently structured and administered, the process causes confusion for many applicants and creates a poor first impression. Recommendations 1.Compile and agree upon staff review comments before meeting with the applicant. The site plan meeting has been incorporated into the predevelopment applicant consultation meeting to systematically include collection, compilation, and distribution of reviewers’ comments prior to meeting with the applicant. 2.Establish appropriate review protocol between the Planning and Fire Departments. Evaluate need for fire marshal to be involved with site plan review; consider whether or not one Fire Department representative can handle all fire-related review comments. This will better define and possibly reduce the number of people involved in the review process. A meeting was held to discuss review protocol between the Planning and Fire Departments. It was determined that representatives from both Fire Prevention and Fire Suppression Divisions must be in attendance at the predevelopment applicant consultation meetings. 3.Develop and consistently use checklists for each reviewer. The contents of each checklist should be unique to the items for which each reviewer is responsible and approved by the Planning Director. Periodically update the checklists as new or recurring issues arise. The checklists can be provided directly to the applicants in advance to better inform them of the requirements. Further the completed checklists 10 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting can also be provided to the applicants to eliminate the time and effort required to compile all comments into one review letter. The predevelopment applicant checklist will be provided to applicants during predevelopment meetings and will contain website links to department specific applications, processes and development criteria. 4.Ensure all reviewers are submitting comments electronically in a consistent form (Word document or NaviLine) using the checklists described above; also consider requiring reviewers to provide marked-up plan sets for return to the applicant. All reviewers have been submitting comments electronically. Staff has implemented the Naviline response protocol as the standard of operation. Subsequent training was provided to reviewers on 4-30-13. Additionally, training on electronic mark-ups of redlines will be scheduled after acquisition of Adobe Pro for all reviewers. 5.Ensure review deadlines for each application are communicated and enforced for all reviewers (inside and outside of the Planning Department). Five day review deadlines have been communicated via memo from the Planning Director to all reviewers and will be reiterated in a project memo with each Naviline application. 6.Establish review turn-around time goals for re-submittals. The goal is to complete the review of resubmitted plans within three (3) business days, but not to exceed five (5) business days from the date of resubmittal. If the plan is not approved, written communication will be provided to the applicant outlining the deficiencies. Once the plan is approved, a signed copy of the plan will be returned to the applicant. 7.Establish and enforce a policy that additional comments will not be added on resubmittals. Exception: when the applicant has made changes to the plans subsequent to the prior submittal. A policy has been created disallowing additional comments on resubmittals, except when the applicant has made changes to the plans subsequent to the prior submittal. 8.Research the ability of NaviLine to assign a project number using an HCAD parcel number (if NaviLine tracking of site plans is continued). Currently, site plan applications 11 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting can not be entered until an address is assigned. This sometimes results in a delay of processing while the address verification process is completed. Naviline does not have the ability to substitute sequential project numbers for HCAD numbers. HCAD parcel number entry is standard operating procedure for applications. 9.Ensure NaviLine is sending automatic notices of new site plan applications received to all reviewers (if NaviLine tracking of site plans is continued). Testing demonstrated that all site plan reviewers are receiving notices of site plan applications. 10.Establish and post annually a schedule of deadline dates for submittals, return of comments, resubmittals, and the corresponding Planning and Zoning Commission meeting date on which action will be taken (if applicable). A schedule has been posted on the Planning Department webpage. 11.Consolidated review comments that are sent to the applicant should be provided to all reviewers. These consolidated comments will allow each reviewer to be aware of the full context of comments that were made. All reviewers are receiving a copy of the comments letter sent to the applicant. 12.Ensure NaviLine is placing a hold on release of building permits until site plan is approved. A hold on building permit issuance is being placed on all site plans entered in Naviline until such time an approved site plan is received. 13.Automate the generation of the final site plan approval letter sent to the applicant. A step has been added in Naviline to ensure the site plan approval letter to the applicant is automatically being generated. 14.Replace the manual “building permits release” form currently being sent to the Inspections Division with the automated letter described above. Incorporated into Step 13 above. 12 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting 15.Develop a screening questionnaire to help applicants better prepare the application; this can be reviewed and provided at the pre-development meeting. i.Communicate to applicants the need for an address request to accompany or precede a site plan application. ii.Communicate to applicants that the proposed electric meter location is critical for determining a proper address. iii.Communicate to applicants the need for a utility verification request to accompany or precede a site plan application. The predevelopment applicant consultation helps applicants better prepare by providing a comprehensive list of processes, which are discussed during the consultation or are otherwise provided in writing. 16.Make available to applicants a sample of a good site plan application to use as a reference in preparing their application. A sample site plan has been prepared which shows the necessary information as ideally arranged. 17.Re-evaluate the site plan application form to ensure all requested information is necessary; remove unnecessary or unused information to make submittal simpler for the applicant. The Major and Minor Development Site Plan applications have been re-evaluated and revised. D.Permitting Intake/Issuance Findings Customers perceive difficulty in timely receipt of consistent plan review comments and issuance of permits. In some cases, customers also experience complications in obtaining access to status information. Reducing redundant internal procedures will free up staff time for more meaningful tasks and customer communications. Providing a process to streamline the issuance of more routine permits to trade contractors would address several customer concerns. Recommendations 1.Investigate and implement the ability to allow permit applications to be completed and submitted electronically with payments made on-line, over-the-phone by credit 13 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting card, or with an escrow fund. At a minimum, contractors should have the ability to pay for and obtain simple trade permits on-line. 2.Allow contractors to open escrow accounts against which permit fees can be charged to eliminate the need for recurring checks and trips to city hall to pay for trade type permits. 3.Ensure that building plan review turn-around time goals are established and enforced for all staff members involved with plan review. There has been an unwritten policy that dictates building plan review turn-around time goals. These review time goals have now been incorporated into a written department policy. 4.Establish and enforce a policy that additional comments will not be added on resubmittals. Exception: when the applicant has made changes to the plans subsequent to the prior submittal. A policy has been created disallowing additional comments on resubmittals, except when the applicant has made changes to the plans subsequent to the prior submittal. 5.Redundant paper logs should be eliminated with the data being retrieved from NaviLine when needed. There are multiple paper logs used for tracking various permit applications and the status of those applications. Examples include: permits issued log (tracks applications during plan review), over the counter log (tracks resubmittals and other delivered documents), roof permits log, temporary and portable sign log, clearing/fill dirt/storm water quality log, new code enforcement case log, and a follow up code enforcement log. Periodically, the data on these logs are typed into a spreadsheet for archiving, but the original paper logs are also maintained. Additionally, there is a separate database maintained for water and sewer taps. Most of the information entered on the logs is also entered into NaviLine as part of the process to set up the permit file in the system. If NaviLine is incapable of appropriately tracking the review steps, a separate database should be set up in place of the paper logs, so that the tracking information can be easily entered, updated, queried, and accessed from the network by all staff members. The database should be set up to track the info needed for the various permit types, but only require the relevant data fields for the particular permit type. The database should also be made available to the public so that applicants can see the review status of their applications. 14 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting The following paper logs have been eliminated: roof permit log, temporary and portable sign log, and clearing/fill dirt/storm water quality log. All applicable data that was kept in these logs is being captured electronically in Naviline. 6.The Inspections Services Technicians should log Planning Division-related applications, such as site plans and zone changes. A consistent logging process as described above should be developed for all Planning Department applications to eliminate the differentiation between processes for each division. Inspection Services Technicians are being trained to receive and log all applications for the Department. 7.Ensure the fire marshal building plan review comments are coordinated with the Inspections Division comments and returned simultaneously with the Inspections comments. Comments provided by the Fire Marshal will be solicited by Inspection Reviewers and will be sent out by the goal date. 8.Ensure all three front counter technicians have the same job descriptions and are adequately cross-trained; each have areas of specialty, but workload should always be balanced. All three front counter technicians have been cross-trained in the same job duties and workloads are balanced. 9.Ensure all three front counter technicians have access to the same standard inspection notes files and all relevant NaviLine modules. All front counter technicians have access to Code Enforcement, Building Permits, Business Licenses, Planning & Engineering, and Land Management Naviline modules. 10.Plan review for clearing permits conducted by a Parks Department representative and Engineering and Planning Divisions should be done simultaneously rather than serially. A simultaneous review process will expedite the issuance of the permits. Procedure for reviewing/approving clearing permits has been revised to exclude the address requirement, which has been the primary cause of delay. 15 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting 11.Adopt one consistent suite of building codes. Currently, a mixture of the International and Uniform Building Codes are utilized for different trade specialties. From the customer’s perspective only one suite of codes should be adopted and utilized. E.Code Enforcement Findings Some customers report difficulty in ascertaining the status of service requests. Inefficient internal processes affect the timeliness of data being available and add a redundant burden to the Inspection Services Technicians. From a broader perspective, there are differing opinions as to the preferred focus of code enforcement efforts – an even distribution, or a focus on hot spots or repeat offenders. Recommendations 1.Implement a method to allow the inspection notes/results to be transferred electronically to NaviLine. Currently the notes are taken in the iPad, printed, and then input into NaviLine by the Inspection Services Technicians. Hardware and software to allow inspection notes to be transferred from the field to Naviline has been included in the 2013-14 Budget. 2.Develop the GIS so that the status of code enforcement cases can be displayed graphically and accessed directly by the public. This will aid citizens in being able to quickly ascertain the status of a complaint they called in or to know the status of cases in their neighborhood. Additionally, the graphical representation will assist staff in identifying recurring problem trends as an aid to targeted enforcement. 3.Conduct quarterly forums with citizens and homeowners groups. These forums can be utilized to identify “hot spots” in the community that may need special attention by code enforcement and provide a system for follow up. F.Inspections Findings There are opportunities to improve the customers’ experiences as they relate to interactivity and consistency. Many customer suggestions centered on interactivity improvements such topics as the ability to submit permit applications, request inspections, or view inspection results on-line. 16 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting Customers also requested improvements to consistency in the interpretations made by different inspectors. Internally, there are several paper-based tracking processes that are redundant to electronic processes. Recommendations 1.Assign inspectors by project rather than geographically. This system will allow the customer to have a consistent representative throughout the construction process; other inspectors are still available to cover vacations or for consultation when needed. 2.Provide an opportunity for the assigned inspector to be involved with the commercial plan review before final approval. This system will reduce the occurrence of the field inspectors enforcing codes differently than the plan reviewer. All Inspectors have been given the opportunity to participate in the commercial plan review process. 3.Allow trade permits to be finalized as the work is completed prior to the final building certificate of occupancy. Several customers commented that the current process does not allow them to receive trade finals until the final certificate of occupancy for the building is approved. This practice causes delays in subcontractors being able to close out their contracts and receive final payment. Staff would like to discuss concerns about this recommendation. 4.The inspectors should use their iPads to document field inspection notes and results for direct transfer to the NaviLine system. The current process requires the inspectors to hand-write notes and inspection results in the field. The results are then entered by the Inspection Services Technicians into the NaviLine system. To complete this change, a method to electronically link the iPad with NaviLine needs to be identified. This change would free up office staff time and allow inspection results to be posted much more quickly, while not adding additional work for the inspectors. Hardware and software to allow inspection notes to be transferred from the field to Naviline has been included in the 2013-14 Budget. 5.Implement an on-line inspection request system that could interface directly with NaviLine to save considerable staff time. The process of pulling inspection requests from the answering machine, transcribing the information onto “white tickets”, and entering data into NaviLine is time-consuming. The current process of attaching the white ticket to the inspection folder and then re-stapling it into the ticket book is 17 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting redundant and should be eliminated as all of the needed information should be transferred to the NaviLine file. Customers have the ability to request inspections by either leaving a message on a designated phone line or by submitting requests online. Inspection requests received by phone are now systematically being entered into Naviline by Inspection staff, eliminating the written “white ticket” book. 6.Interface the NaviLine system with the website so that inspection results can be viewed on-line by the contractor or owner. I nspection results may now be viewed online. G.Miscellaneous Findings During the course of the review, the consulting team noted several other observations, which are addressed in the following recommendations. Recommendations 1.Re-evaluate the need for extended office hours; shift technicians to a standard 8-5 shift with a rotation for one technician to arrive early to pull morning inspection requests. Evaluation and customer polling indicates extended hours are desired by the public. 2.Executed utility reimbursement agreements should be added as an attachment to the relevant water and/or sewer line database file in GIS. This will facilitate tracking, help to ensure proper payments are required of new development, and identify when the full cost has been reimbursed to the initial developer. 3.Establish streamlined street and alley abandonment procedures available under state law; establish a prioritized schedule for systematically abandoning unused rights-of- way, rather than inefficiently responding to ad hoc requests. 4.The duties formerly assigned to eliminated Planning Division personnel should be assigned to specific employees to ensure clear lines of accountability. With the recent reduction of Planning Division personnel, duties of prior employees have been split between the planner and the office coordinator, but specific responsibility for tasks varies on case by case basis. 18 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting Staff responsibility for duties has been discussed and reassignment has occurred. 5.Zoning notification letters and mailing labels should be generated from the notification list by a mail merge function rather than manually. Mail merge will be used on future zoning notifications as well as other notifications. 6.The NaviLine system should be programmed to automatically print water and sewer tap work orders to avoid the delays and manual steps inherent in the current method. Currently, when a work order request for a new water or sewer tap is generated by an Inspections Services Technician, the utility superintendent does not receive an automatic notification. The superintendent has to periodically check the system to see if there are new work order requests. Additionally, the superintendent has to perform several administrative steps in order for NaviLine to print the work order. Naviline has been configured to automatically notify the Utility Superintendent that a work order request for a water or sewer tap is pending. 7.The Survey Party Chief job description should be updated. The job description does not match the current duties of the position. Job Description has been rewritten to adequately address job functions. a. All Department job descriptions have been reviewed. 8.GIS Division: i.The non-GIS tasks assigned to the GIS Manager should be shifted to other staff members so that the GIS manager can appropriately focus on development of the GIS and management of GIS-related personnel. If the efficiency and automation recommendations related to the Inspections Services Technicians are implemented, those individuals should be freed up to assist with more productive work. ii.Provide additional GIS and Laserfiche licenses and training to relevant Inspections Division staff members to allow staff to obtain information more directly without having to involve the GIS Manager. iii.Properly fund and execute the GIS development program to facilitate data availability for customers. A more functional GIS will improve the public’s ability to get the information they need to prepare better plan submittals, and will free up staff time currently occupied with manually obtaining that data for customers. 19 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting Organizational Culture Recommendations This engagement has identified many process issues within the Planning Department. It is believed that making the changes that have been identified in the first part of this report will bring immediate results. It is also believed that to ensure a more complete and more meaningful change in the organization, more than just process should be addressed. In the research many gaps in the Departments’ organizational culture were identified. These findings and recommendations are addressed below. It is also believed there is a need to better align the organizational culture of the Planning Department with the philosophy of the City Council. Working together the Department and the Council can place the City on a better tract toward the same goals and ensure success both with these organizational and process changes, but the success of the City. H.Mission & Goals Findings There is an opportunity to enhance the department employee’s understanding and buy-in for the mission and goals of the City and Council and management for the department. Developing improved processes and procedures will not have full effect unless the organizational culture of the department is addressed and aligned with the City’s overall goals. Recommendations 1.Discern a consensus between City Council and management regarding the desired customer service philosophy for the Planning Department. i.The City Council and staff should work together to discuss and develop the economic development philosophy of the City. The result of this discussion should provide staff with better guidance on what development projects are/are not acceptable in the community. This gives better guidance to staff when approached for zoning changes and other development considerations. ii.The City Manager, Planning Director, and City Council should discuss and establish an understanding regarding the degree to which City Council desires staff to interpret codes in favor of customer perspectives and expediting projects. This discussion should give definition to providing “common sense” answers to customers without being too technical, or too liberal with their interpretations. The result of this discussion should encourage staff to make better judgment calls with the security to know they will be supported by the City Council. iii.City Council should establish for themselves guidelines for appropriate Council responses to citizen complaints/concerns. 20 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting iv.The City Manager and City Council should discuss and agree upon the appropriate channel and method for communicating complaints/concerns including whether or not City Council should coordinate through the City Manager or directly with department employees. These protocols should reduce the feeling by staff they are in a constant state of defense, avoiding the “gotcha” syndrome some feel is present. v.The City Manager, Planning Director and City Council should discuss and come to an understanding regarding the preparation, presentation and process of amendments to the various codes and ordinances (staff has been told by previous councils it is not their job to bring proposed amendments). This should assist the staff in knowing when and how to present needed amendments to meet changes in state law, changes in process and changes in local environment to enhance customer service. vi.Staff should develop meaningful communication opportunities regarding the successes and challenges within the department to enhance City Council’s trust that staff is timely and sensibly responding to City Council and customer inquiries. Department welcomes the opportunity to achieve consensus with City Council regarding the desired customer service philosophy as it relates to: economic development code interpretation guidelines for City Council response to complaints appropriate channels for communicating methodology for presenting amendments to various codes and ordinances 2.Develop an updated mission statement, guiding principles, and goals for the Planning Department and each Division. Department has updated its mission statement, guiding principles and primary objectives. Mission Statement: The Planning Department will use a comprehensive, community-based approach to short and long-term planning to facilitate development within the City of La Porte. 21 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting The department’s primary focus is to achieve high-quality infrastructure, a wide range of housing, robust economic development opportunities, and an excellent social service delivery system. Guiding Principles: We will perform our duties promptly, with superior quality, innovation and fairness. Our community-based planning approach will allow our employees to provide technical assistance and direct quality of life improvements based upon identified community needs, thus delivering public services in a timely and proficient manner. Primary Objectives: 1.To preserve, protect and enhance the quality of life of the City. 2.To preserve, protect and enhance the natural environment of the City. 3.To provide safe, efficient and cost-effective infrastructure and public services to the citizens to the citizens of La Porte. 4.To ensure that all capital improvements made in La Porte are of safe design that meets current engineering standards 5.To effectively convey desired expectations regarding minimum design standards established for the development of property.” 6.To ensure public safety with regard to buildings and other structures 7.To ensure public health with regard to environmental problems. 3.Encourage a departmental culture of problem solving, assisting all customers with solutions and overcoming impediments, rather than focusing on minor technicalities. Increase the staff’s understanding of the customer’s schedule and financing constraints; “time is money” is a true adage. Inculcate an attitude of collaboration with citizens and customers, instead of power and control, to overcome the “god syndrome” reported by some customers. i.Conduct periodic all-employee meetings to reinforce departmental philosophies-mission, guiding principles and goals. Weekly divisional meetings are held to identify issues and formulate solutions. Additionally, an all-employee meeting to convey new department mission statement, guiding principles and primary objectives has been held. ii.Conduct periodic employee organizational development exercises to overcome existing internal trust and communication barriers. 22 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting The department is scheduling appropriate teamwork and communication training. iii.Use a more structured new employee orientation and training/mentoring system to ensure new employees adopt and express the desired customer service philosophies. The department orients its new employees within a mentoring system to express the desired customer service philosophy. 4.Establish and enforce a culture of mutual respect between the City Council, Planning Commission, staff, and customers. i.Conduct facilitated sessions between the City Council to determine the Council’s collective leadership philosophy regarding economic development within the City. ii.Conduct facilitated sessions between the City Council, Planning & Zoning Commission and staff to deliver that philosophy as well as align the actions the Commission and staff need to take within their respective authorities. iii.Meet periodically with customers to ensure that philosophy is both conveyed and is in line with community needs. iv.Conduct regular follow up sessions with Council, Commission and staff to ensure long-term alignment. Department welcomes a facilitated session between City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and staff regarding economic development philosophy and department authority. The department would convey the agreed upon philosophy to the public through periodic communication forums. 5.Establish an understanding that staff will be supported by City Council and management when making judgment calls consistent with the agreed upon “common sense” parameters. As stated earlier, frank discussions between City Council and staff should allow for the development of common understandings of how flexible the staff can be in interpreting code issues, and better define “common sense” answers to issues that do not overstep authority of the staff or provide the basis for discriminatory decision making. Department welcomes facilitated guidance regarding the degree of flexibility the staff should have to achieve “common-sense” decision making when interpreting code issues. 6.Establish Planning Commission bylaws and rules of procedure including such topics as: 23 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting i.Conflict of interest, participation, abstentions, and voting. ii.Differentiate member roles for zoning, site plan, platting, and administrative functions of the Commission. iii.Define and enforce appropriate protocol and decorum expectations. iv.Ensure Commission members are availed of training and education opportunities. v.Establishing a schedule and process for periodic review of codes and ordinances directly related to the work of the Planning Commission. I.Departmental Cohesiveness Findings There is an internal tension between the divisions of the department that may cause communication errors and process difficulties. A lack of cohesion could easily translate to processes not functioning as efficiently as possible and customers experiencing difficulty. Recommendations 1.Change the name of the department to “Planning and Development” or “Development Services”, or similar to better reflect the overall mission and responsibilities of the department. A divide between the Inspections and Planning/Engineering Divisions has been identified. One possible cause for the divide is the name of the department does not represent all aspects of the department. There is a Planning Division, which has only one member, within the Planning Department. There is an Engineering Division that is not identified at all within the department. The name of the department implies that planning is its primary function, which tends to diminish the perceived importance of the other divisions within the department. A different name for the department would be more inclusive of all departmental functions and could serve as a first step in reducing internal tensions. It is recommended the Department name be changed to “Planning and Development” to better reflect the overall mission and activity of the Department, as suggested by the consultant. 2.Establish one staff member, with a department-wide focus, responsible for shepherding applications through all phases from inception to final acceptance. This person should be charged with communicating all steps and prerequisite permits, for a particular project at the pre-development meeting. This person should be empowered with the authority to make judgments (common sense decisions), to reconcile conflicting 24 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting inter-division requirements and to facilitate timely and successful completion of projects. Currently, applicants with complex projects must interact serially with the various divisions and multiple contact persons. This system allows staff members to be more concerned with their individual processes/permits rather than on a department-wide focus of achieving an overall successful and timely project for the applicant, further dividing the department. From the applicant’s perspective, there is an internal, rules- based focus as opposed to an external project-completion focus. The City Engineer/Inspections Supervisor has been established as the position having the authority to shepherd applicants through the processes. 3.Establish clear lines of responsibility/accountability for the various permitting processes. Define an “approver” and “reviewer(s)” for each major process. Establish and enforce accountability for each employee’s role. Enforcing accountability will reduce the need for other employee’s to fill gaps. When employees have to fill voids created by others, resentment between employees is generated; process is slowed; and customers experience conflicting guidance, confusion, and frustration. Approvers and reviewers have been defined for each major process. Accountability for those roles will be enforced. 4.Develop a review and comment system that will resolve all issues prior to meeting with the customer. Recognize that individuals involved with inspections, code enforcement, and engineering generally tend to be more “left-brained” and logically- oriented, and individuals involved with planning-related fields generally tend to be more “right-brained” and creative-oriented. When employees interact with other members of the department, recognizing these different perspectives will facilitate communication and problem-solving. Resolving differences in perspective internally before presenting the department’s official interpretations to the customer should both expedite the process and enhance the quality of service to the customer. White paper description of process reorganization addresses that issues will be resolved amongst staff prior to interaction with customers. This cohesiveness will ensure consistent messages to the applicants. J.Trust Findings 25 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting There is a lack of trust between some members of the department resulting in staff members overcompensating for the deficiencies they perceive. This situation becomes evident to customers, creating confusion and uncertainty as to the correct staff direction to follow. Processes are not as efficient as they could be due to the gaps and overlaps caused by ad-hoc modifications made in response to these patterns. Recommendations 1.Establish a culture of greater trust and open communication among the staff members of the department. i.One outward sign of a lack of trust within the department are the examples of one division needing a sign-off from another division before a process can proceed. These situations appear to be based more on self-protection than on actual documented procedural requirements. ii.Organizational development exercises to identify gaps in trust with a plan of action on closing those gaps should have the effect of extending better service to the customers. D epartment will schedule organizational development exercises to identify gaps in trust amongst staff. 2.Establish a culture of greater trust and open communication between the staff and City Council. Earlier recommendations spoke to City Council and staff working together to determine their working relationship for customer complaints, code revisions, and overall economic development philosophy. Resolution of these issues through frank discussion and clear directives also allows for open communication and the building of trust between the groups. Department welcomes a frank discussion of directives for open communication. 3.Revise the monthly and quarterly report format to emphasize communication of successes, problems, and obstacles in lieu of purely statistical data. The statistical portions of the reports should be augmented to provide more context such as current month versus same month previous year; or year-to-date versus same date previous year. This format provides more meaningful benchmark type information to both the management and City Council and helps measure progress and/or provide information on gaps that need to be closed. K.Code Recommendations 26 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting Findings The zoning code and development ordinance were reviewed in light of opportunities to reinforce improvements recommended under the themes identified during the departmental review. This review was focused on items that may be an impediment to efficient processing of applications and the ease of use from the customer’s perspective. This review was not intended to be the exhaustive review that should be conducted to ensure the codes are consistent with the recently adopted update of the comprehensive plan. Recommendations 1.Zoning Code Recommendations: i.106-62. Planning & Zoning Commission Membership and Structure The current Commission size and appointment method is atypical. Appointment of members by district may promulgate any district tensions that may exist at the Council level and may be an impediment to a city-wide planning perspective. The Commission should be a more typical seven members with the only condition that they are qualified voters of the City and appointments made by a majority vote of the entire City Council. The Commission should select its own chairperson and other officers. The City Council should consider advertising vacancies on the Board as broadly as possible, requiring an application form, and conducting interviews of applicants before appointment. ii.106-64 (10) Bylaws and Rules of Procedure This section permits the Commission to establish bylaws and rules of procedure. The staff should prepare drafts of such documents for review and consideration by the Commission. iii.106-65 Review of Chapter This section requires an annual review by the Commission of the zoning and development ordinances. The staff should establish an annual schedule and lead the effort to present proposed revisions to the Commission. iv.106-87 Board of Adjustment Rules If not already in place, the staff should prepare rules of procedure for review and consideration by the Board. v.106-333 Table B, Residential Area Requirements, footnote 12 It is unclear to which “building setback” (front, rear, side) and to which land use type this opaque screening requirement applies. vi.106-333 Table B, Residential Area Requirements, footnote 14 This footnote requires an additional 25-foot “buffer” between multi-family and single-family developments. It is unclear if this buffer is intended to be landscaping only or if parking, for example, is allowed within the buffer. vii.106-334 Special Use Performance Standards; Residential 27 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting Generally: There are a variety of special conditions in this section that relate back to other underlying zoning districts. These conditions should be cross- referenced back to the underlying districts, so that the reader can be aware of these requirements. viii.106-334 Special Use Performance Standards; Residential; Subsection (a) Subsection (a) of this section requires landscape buffers, but it is unclear as to when or where this buffer requirement applies. ix.106-441 Table A, Commercial Uses This table uses SIC codes to delineate uses. Staff should develop an alternate table using NICS codes for consideration. x.106-444 Special Use Performance Standards; Commercial; Subsection (a.1) Subsection (a.1) of this section requires planting strips, but it is unclear as to when or where this requirement applies. xi.106-444 Special Use Performance Standards; Commercial; Subsection (a.3) This subsection requires certain parking lots to be screened; if the requirement is intended to apply to the front of such parking lots, the required six-foot height is excessive. This subsection also requires manufactured housing parks and subdivisions to be screened from abutting uses, but it is unclear if the screening requirement is the responsibility of the commercial owner or the manufactured housing/subdivision owner. Additionally, for large commercial lots that are only partially developed, this screening requirement should only apply if the site is developed in proximity to the abutting use. xii.106-441 Table A, Industrial Uses This table uses SIC codes to delineate uses. Staff should develop an alternate table using NICS codes for consideration. xiii.106-637 Procedures for establishing a PUD; Subsection (c) The individual items on the list of 12 submittal requirements should be optional if the specific item is not applicable to the scope or context of the project site. xiv.106-637 Procedures for establishing a PUD; Subsection (h) The code should be modified to allow certain development authorizations to be issued prior to final approval of the PUD and all related general plans and plats. This will facilitate construction phasing on large or complex projects. Examples of early permits that should be allowed include clearing and grading, detention, and utilities, provided that the corresponding subset of the plans have been approved prior to commencement of construction. xv.106-659 PUD Special Regulations and Procedures; Subsection (b.3) The requirement that “a sufficient amount of useable open space is provided” is ambiguous and should be quantified. Developers generally prefer a specific regulation so they do not have to guess and negotiate the requirement. xvi.106-678 PUD Building Height 28 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting The maximum building height limitation should be removed to provide additional flexibility. Surrounding residential properties are still protected via the setback requirements of Section 106-696(c.2). xvii.Article V: Supplementary District Regulations Generally: There are a variety of special conditions in this Article that relate back to various underlying zoning districts. These conditions should be cross- referenced back to the underlying districts, so that the reader can be aware of these requirements. xviii.106-801 Tree Preservation Various terms should be defined, such as “native tree”, “protected tree”, and “replacement tree”. Subsection (b) prohibits the destruction of any native tree greater than six-inch diameter; however, Section 106-802 allows removal of a protected tree as part of a building permit if the tree is replaced with replacement trees. There is a conflict in this language as it appears all tree removal is prohibited, but also allowed under certain conditions. xix.106-835 Design Standards This section including all related figures should be consolidated into the Public Improvements Criteria Manual or a new Private Improvements Criteria Manual, as applicable. These moves will consolidate technical criteria, allow easier updating as warranted by new conditions or technology, and give the staff greater flexibility in granting “common sense” exceptions when needed to expedite a project. 2.Development Ordinance recommendations: i.General Comments: 1.The Development Ordinance should be codified to eliminate the need for customers and staff to cross-reference multiple ordinance revisions to determine the full code requirements. 2.Submittal copies: References to submittal or distribution of a specific number of copies of various documents (general plans, plats, etc.) should be removed from the ordinance and established by separate policy so that staff can readily update the requirements based on the latest needs. 3.Submittal dates: References to specific submittal deadlines should be removed from the ordinance and established by separate policy so that staff can readily update the requirements based on the latest needs. Additionally, as previously discussed, submittal and re-submittal deadlines and review time goals should be established and published by staff. References to statutory Planning Commission action deadlines should remain in the ordinance. 29 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting 4.Appendices: Staff should have the authority to update the appendices (technical specifications and procedures) as new conditions warrant. This can be accomplished by adding a section to the ordinance authorizing staff to update the appendices or by removing the appendices from the ordinance and placing them in the criteria manual. Regardless of which method is chosen, any staff changes to the appendices should only be effective after an appropriate notice and waiting period, say 30 days, after posting the proposed change on the website. 5.Update the references to “Director of Community Development”, which is an outdated title. Use “City Manager or designee” to make the reference more generic and flexible. 6.Do not put building setback lines on plats inside the city limits; rely on zoning ordinance to establish setbacks to avoid potential conflicts. ii.4.00 Sketch Plans The submittal of sketch plans is optional so it should be removed from the code. Additionally, the intent of the sketch plan review process will be accomplished more fully if the pre-development meeting recommendations are implemented. iii.4.01 (D) Official General Plan The code states that an approved general plan expires after one year if a plat has not been filed and upon written notice to the subdivider. This potentially creates a gray area if the city fails to send the written notice. The general plan should simply expire after one year without notice. Further, this section allows the subdivider to request a one-year extension, but does not stipulate if the extension is automatically approved or if the Commission needs to act to approve the request. iv.4.03 (C) Preliminary Plats: Effect of Approving Authority Action The code states that an approved preliminary plat expires after one year if a final plat has not been filed and upon written notice to the subdivider. This potentially creates a gray area if the city fails to send the written notice. The preliminary plat should simply expire after one year without notice. Further, this section allows the subdivider to request a one-year extension, but does not stipulate if the extension is automatically approved or if the Commission needs to act to approve the request. v.4.04 (D) Final Plats: Recordation and Construction of Public Improvements The code states that an approved final plat expires after one year if a construction of the public improvements has not commenced and upon written notice to the subdivider. This potentially creates a gray area if the city fails to send the written notice. The final plat approval should simply expire after one year without notice. Further, this section allows the subdivider to request a one-year extension, but does not stipulate if the extension is automatically 30 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting approved or if the Commission needs to act to approve the request. Additionally, an alternative should be provided to allow the subdivider to submit a performance bond for completion of the public improvements if they wish to record the plat before the public improvements are completed. vi.5.01 General Street Standards Table 5-2 (Street Geometric Design Standards) should be moved to the Public Improvement Criteria Manual. vii.5.01 (J) Alleys The City should consider the practice of continuing to allow new alleys to be platted. Based on the prior complications and cost of maintaining alleys, the provision of alleys, at a minimum, should be at the discretion of the City rather than the developer. viii.5.04 Building Lines The building line requirements in this section should be consolidated into the Zoning Ordinance to avoid conflicts and the need to cross-reference multiple locations to find the same information. Setbacks applicable to the ETJ should be specifically specified. ix.10.00 Fees and Charges The fee schedule should be pulled from this ordinance and combined with other city fees in a consolidated fee ordinance that can be readily revised on an annual basis or as needed. x.12.00 Open Space and Park Dedication State laws regarding park dedication requirements have been updated subsequent to 1985 when the Development Ordinance was adopted. This section should be reviewed for conformance with current law. Additionally, the fee in lieu of dedication should be removed from this section and combined with other fees for easier updating as needed. 3.Other Code Recommendations: i.Industrial District water and sewer agreements are calculated based on number of employees – Need an alternate method because the number of employees is often not known at the time the agreements are prepared, particularly in the case of companies starting new operations within the City. ii.Comprehensive Plan sidewalk requirements: Develop a specific list of streets to which the sidewalk requirements apply and corresponding sidewalk criteria; place these requirements in the Development Ordinance. iii.Resolve questions about whether or not fill dirt permits should be required for projects involving fewer than five loads. iv.Establishing minimum finished floor elevations for infill development in the floodplain could be accomplished with a pier and beam requirement rather than 31 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting by utilizing dirt fill to minimize the perception of run-off impacts on neighboring properties. v.Several focus group members suggested the removal of the requirement for gates on dumpster enclosures as being impractical ineffective. vi.Staff has compiled a list of proposed ordinance updates based on recent experiences. This list should be presented to the Commission for review and recommendation to City Council. III. Conclusion The consulting team believes implementation of these recommendations will move the City toward its goals of improving the customer service responsiveness, efficiency, and effectiveness. We appreciate this opportunity to be of service to the City and we are available for questions or additional engagements to assist with the implementation phase. 32 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Appropriation Agenda Date Requested: January 27, 2014 ____N/A________ Source of Funds: _Traci Leach______ Requested By: Account Number:_______________ Department: __Administration ____________ Amount Budgeted: ______________ Report: _X_Resolution: ____Ordinance: __ Amount Requested: Budgeted Item: YES NO Exhibits: 1.Strategic Plan Update SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION ___________________________________________________________________________ Action Required of Council: Approved for City Council Agenda: _________________________________________________________ REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM _____________________________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION ction Required by Council: Approved for City Council Agenda