October 16, 2014 City Commission Meeting

Announcements

• The Airport Advisory Board meets monthly on the 📅 third Wednesday of every month.
• The application deadline for the Engineer in Training (EIT) position is 📅 October 31st.

Detailed Sections

Airport Operations & Development

The Shawnee Airport, a valuable city asset, provided an overview of its operations and future plans.

• Staffing & Oversight: The City Manager serves as Airport Manager, overseeing a small staff of one full-time and two part-time employees. A seven-member Airport Advisory Board makes recommendations to the Airport Authority (City Commissioners).
• Property & Revenue: The airport encompasses 640 acres, including surplus land rented to various businesses (e.g., Brown Derby, Allegiance, Shawnee Pit Stop, Department of Public Safety). Revenue generated from these rentals and fuel sales is reinvested directly into airport operations, a stipulation from the federal government which originally granted the land in 1947.
• Operations & Services: The airport houses 42 based aircraft, with traffic split 60% local and 40% transient general aviation. Services include flight instruction, aircraft mechanics, a city-run Fixed Base Operator (FBO) for fuel sales, 7-day operations, self-serve fueling, Enterprise car rental, and skydiving.
• Financials: Last year's budget saw $572,000 in revenue against $507,000 in operational expenses, resulting in a surplus. Major projects like the new terminal, runway overlay, and taxiway system (multi-million dollar endeavors) have been largely funded by $19.4 million in federal grants and $1.4 million in state grants since 1964, with the city matching $1.2 million.
• Challenges & Future: All existing hangers are currently full, with a long waiting list, indicating a need for new facilities. The city is exploring options for new hanger construction, potentially through city loans or private development, as federal grants are typically focused on infrastructure like runways and taxiways, not hangers. Equipment upgrades, such as an aircraft tug, are also planned. The airport serves as a crucial hub for businesses like Exxon Mobil, Eaton Corporation, Dillard's, and the Grand Casino, bringing economic activity to the city.

City Operations Department Overview

The Operations Department, led by the Director of Operations, detailed the responsibilities and challenges of its diverse divisions: Lake Operations, Parks, Cemetery, Fleet Maintenance, and Building Maintenance.

• Budget: The total maintenance and operations budget for these departments is $1.8 million, with an additional $906,000 for capital projects (including over $400,000 saved for the auditorium).
• Lake Operations: Managed by one part-time seasonal employee, focusing on ordinance enforcement and safety patrols from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• Parks Department: A team of 10 employees maintains 33 parks, the lake area, street right-of-ways, dams, overflow channels, the municipal pool, seven downtown parking lots, the Unser Center, two older fire stations, and seven city buildings (City Hall, Annex, Library, Auditorium, Senior Center, Community Center).
  • Key Activities: Includes monthly playground inspections, mosquito control, tree trimming/removal, graffiti cleanup (notably at Kids Space Park), and installation of seasonal decorations (snowflakes, Christmas lights).
  • Challenges: Significant reliance on volunteers for beautification efforts. A new state law requires the city to maintain right-of-ways for Highway 177 and Highway 3, adding to the workload.
  • Assistance: The parolee group has been instrumental in assisting with mowing and weed-eating, particularly in areas like the cemetery and highway right-of-ways, proving to be a cost-effective and efficient workforce.
• Cemetery: Four employees manage approximately 100 burials annually and maintain 20,000 headstones. The parolee group significantly aided in weed-eating around headstones this year.
• Fleet Maintenance: Six employees (manager, supervisor, four mechanics) are responsible for the maintenance and repair of 229 city vehicles and 206 pieces of equipment. They perform most repairs in-house, including engine and transmission changes, and are undergoing specialized training for emergency vehicles to reduce outsourcing costs for fire truck inspections.
• Building Maintenance: One employee handles janitorial and minor repair duties for City Hall, the Annex, and their surrounding grounds.
• Challenges: A primary challenge across all operations is securing dedicated funding sources for departments like Parks, which currently struggles to fund repairs and match grants. Staffing shortages are also prevalent, with ongoing employee training pulling staff from field duties.
• Current & Future Projects:
  • Current: Shawnee Aquatic Center, Parks Master Plan, Boy Scout Park splash pad, Co-Ed roofing project (bids opening soon), Kiwanis Park restroom, new lake maintenance building, and a Community Center/YMCA grant project.
  • Needed: Auditorium heat and air system, Santa Fe Depot interior repairs, playground equipment upgrades, a new Cemetery office, expansion of the Fleet Maintenance Garage (to accommodate large vehicles like fire trucks), and an RV park at the lake.

Engineering Department Responsibilities

The Engineering Department, led by the City Engineer, oversees the Streets, Traffic, and Engineering Divisions, managing critical city infrastructure.

• Staffing: The department consists of the City Engineer and two assistants, sharing a secretary.
• Traffic Division: Four employees maintain 49 signalized intersections, 12 flashing school zones, and 425 lane miles of traffic striping (increasingly done in-house to save costs). They manage over 12,000 regulatory signs and plan to implement a comprehensive inventory system to track reflectivity and replacement needs. The division also sets up work zones for city projects and assists with special events and holiday decorations.
• Streets Division: With 14 employees, this division maintains 187 miles of hard-surface roads, 26 miles of lake roads, 38 miles of alleys, and 41 bridges.
  • Maintenance: Includes pothole patching, crack sealing, concrete slab repair, ditching, and creek cleaning (primarily within city right-of-ways, with subdivisions responsible for private easements).
  • Street Sweeping: An in-house operation saves the city $40,000-$45,000 annually compared to contracting out, though the current sweeper is old and requires frequent maintenance.
  • Snow & Ice Removal: The city utilizes five tandem trucks and plans to deploy three Army Surplus Humvees (acquired for $800 each) equipped with snow plows and spreaders to expand capacity and allow non-CDL staff to assist.
  • Drainage: Manages 68 miles of storm sewers, 7 miles of drain adjustments, and approximately 35 miles of natural streams and creeks, many without city easements.
• Engineering Department: The three-person team provides engineering and technical assistance across all city departments.
  • Cost Savings: In the last five years, in-house design of improvement projects has totaled $22.1 million in contract value, saving the city an estimated $2.2 to $3.3 million in consultant fees.
  • Development Review: Reviews engineering aspects of private and commercial developments (e.g., Shawnee Marketplace, Hobby Lobby, Chick-fil-A, OBU dorms), including site plans, drainage, and utility improvements.
  • Records: Maintains extensive records and mapping for floodplain, water lines, sewer lines, streets, and right-of-ways.
• Current & Future Projects:
  • Current: Design for the Shawnee Aquatic Center parking lot, Main Street Streetscape project (including bump-outs, landscaping, and a 3D model for public review), Kickapoo Spur to Federal (a four-lane expansion with new utilities and drainage), and decorative lighting projects.
  • Challenges: ADA compliance for sidewalks is a significant ongoing project, requiring handicap access ramps for all road alteration projects since 1992 (including milling and overlay, as per a Supreme Court ruling). The city allocates $200,000-$250,000 annually for this, focusing on the downtown area first.
  • Long-Range Needs: Major street paving and drainage improvements (e.g., Bryant Street, Kickapoo 4-lane, Highland Street) require substantial funding beyond the annual $2.2 million maintenance budget, potentially necessitating a stormwater utility fee or other funding mechanisms.

Human Resources Department Functions

The HR Department, led by the HR Director, manages all aspects of employee relations, benefits, and safety for city staff.

• Staffing: The department operates with an HR Director, an HR Assistant, and a Safety Officer, effectively two office staff for over 300 employees (including part-time), which is below the industry standard of one HR person per 100 employees. This shortage impacts the ability to undertake new projects and requires additional office space.
• Employee Demographics: The city employs approximately 285 full-time staff and 60 retirees, with the retiree group steadily growing. About 59 employees are in the police union and 56-57 in the fire union.
• Turnover & Compensation: Employee turnover has significantly decreased from 28% in 2010-11 to 16% in 2013-14, attributed in part to a compensation study implemented in 2012. Most turnover occurs within the first 1-3 years of employment.
• Benefits Management: HR manages insurance benefits for all employees and retirees. The city is self-insured, using a third-party administrator (TPA) for claims. The growing retiree group presents a future challenge.
• Retirement Plans: Manages complex defined benefit and defined contribution plans for non-union employees, with varying city contribution rates (e.g., 5-10-15% or 3-6-9%) based on tenure and hire date. Employees contribute 4.25% to their chosen plan.
• Payroll & Negotiations: Processes all pay changes (merit, longevity, new hires, COLA). The HR Director assists in police and fire union negotiations, successfully settling contracts prior to July 1st for the last three years, a significant improvement over past delays.
• Workers' Compensation: The city is self-insured for workers' comp, utilizing a TPA (CBR Claims Benefit Resources) to process claims. This has allowed the Safety Officer to spend more time in the field, contributing to a reduction in workers' comp spending to its lowest level since 2006. The TPA also achieves significant savings on medical bills (56%) and pharmacy claims (13%) and intercepts duplicate claims.
• Safety: The Safety Officer conducts training under PIOSH (Public Employee Occupational Safety and Health) and plans active shooter presentations for departments. A light duty program for all employees, including police and fire, has helped reduce lost time claims.
• "Going Green" Initiatives: HR is actively converting employee files from paper to electronic, implementing electronic evaluations and signatures, and processing Personnel Action Advices (PAAs) electronically to streamline processes and reduce errors. Document retention policies have also led to the destruction of many old paper files. Online job applications and scanned faxed applications further support these efforts, utilizing existing software like Microsoft Access and Adobe Professional due to budget constraints for specialized HR programs.
• Concerns: A significant concern raised is the lowest full-time hourly wage of $11.22/hour, which places employees below the poverty level for a family of four, especially after deductions for retirement and family insurance.

Public Comments

No public comments were recorded during this meeting.

Agenda Summary Table