Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Oberlin City Manager Report from #ICMA Conference Day 4
Oberlin City Manager Report from #ICMA Conference Day 3
- Fact-based decision making
- Collection of actionable data
- Consistent use of multipurpose aligned and interlinking measures
- Wide deployment and accessibility of data and information
- Equitable distribution of benefits and costs
- Clear purpose
- History of trust and cooperation between staff in participating organizations and at the political level.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Oberlin City Manager Report from #ICMA Conference Day 2
- Willingness to address different issues
- Ability to address different issues
- Quality of partnership with staff
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Oberlin City Manager Report from ICMA Conference Day 1
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
ICMA Conference
Monday, July 20, 2009
Where are the City Manager Updates?
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
July 3, 2009 City Manager's Update
Planning and Development
Recreation Program Receives Kudos: Last week, the City Manager’s Office received a message of appreciation regarding Oberlin Recreation’s “Hoop Camp.” The note began “My children attend Hoop Camp and have been there for the entire two weeks. When the program started I had my concerns, there were so many children there and it was utter chaos.” But, by “the following Monday (the next time I visited during the hours of the program), I was amazed at the transformation that Coach Ian Yarber and his staff had made. The kids were playing together; they were listening and hanging on to Ian’s every word. Both Ian and his staff are to be commended for the work they do. I know many of those kids and he handles them beautifully.”
OMLPS
Electric Director Named Vice Chair of AMP Board: In case you missed the AMP Update last week, AMP-Ohio is now just AMP – American Municipal Power, Inc, – and Steve Dupee was elected as the Vice Chair of the AMP Board. Steve will serve in this capacity until elections are held at the October Annual Conference.
City Manager’s Office
Collaboration Grant Process Narrows List to Nine: We received word this week that our proposed collaboration project with the Oberlin City Schools and New Russia Township was selected as an EfficientGovNow collaboration grant finalist! In total, nine projects were selected as finalists to be voted on by the residents of Northeast Ohio. Their votes will decide which three projects receive funding. Voting begins July 1st and ends July 31st. According to the e-mail notice, “The Finalist Selection Committee of the Fund for Our Economic Future was impressed by the quality of all of the proposals. They spent many hours reviewing and deliberating all the proposals. Ultimately, they determined that (our) proposal has what it takes to be put on the regional stage for others to see and, hopefully, to emulate.
Oberlin Area Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Oberlin Consider Merger: In recent weeks, these two organizations have begun discussions regarding a possible merger. So far a mission statement has been drafted for consideration by both boards and four working group committees have been formed to address issues related to the merger. The committees will address the following topics: Organizational Issues, Public Identity, Programs and Activities, and Finances.
Lorain County Requests Funding for Transit: Recent federal legislation has provided some financial relief for Lorain County Transit – but it is not enough. The attached correspondence was received from Lorain County earlier this week. I will be setting up a meeting for early next week to discuss next steps with community partners and staff. As Councilmembers Ashenhurst and Petersen have expressed a strong interest in this matter, I will try to include them in the meetings as well, if there are no objections.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
June 12, 2009 City Manager's Update
Following are updates on various topics for your information. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!
Oberlin’s ISO Rating to Remain at Current Level Due to Staff Intervention: The Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) is one of the property/casualty insurance industry's suppliers of statistical, actuarial, underwriting, and claims data. Among other services, ISO supplies data to help insurers make independent decisions about their pricing. Several months ago, we received notice from ISO that they intended to downgrade the insurance classification rating for Oberlin for residential properties. Staff was concerned that the information on which ISO based its decision was out of date or changes were pending implementation, and that such downgrade could adversely impact Oberlin rate payers. Accordingly, Oberlin’s Planning and Development Director and our Building Officials appealed the rating decision. One factor in the ISO decision was the delay at the state level to adopt the latest version of the international residential building code. We were notified this week by ISO that the rating will remain at the previous level, through April 2010 and the status of code adoption will be reviewed at that time. Accordingly, we will be monitoring the state’s progress in adopting the latest version of the residential code.
City Manager’s Office
Transit Cuts Result in Several Initiatives: The recently implemented cuts by Lorain County Transit have resulted in concern by residents and Councilmembers. First, here is some basic information about the budget cuts:
When the cuts were announced in May, savings through the end of the year were presented by LCT. On an annualized basis the County’s cost reduction for Route 21 is approximately $124,000 and for the Route 33 is $56,000.
The majority of the complaints regarding service reductions received by LCT staff have been related to the elimination of Route 33. LCT staff is monitoring and tracking those complaints. One complaint has been received at City Hall regarding the need for reinstatement of the 33 for commuters to Cleveland and the need to preserve the dial-a-ride service.
County Administration and LCT are still looking at other scenarios for the system to address funding constraints. The goal is to have other scenarios and options ready for discussion and presentation at public meetings June 22 and June 25.
Here is an update of several initiatives underway:
Staff has been meeting for some months about the possibility of a local circulator with LCT, Oberlin College, and Oberlin Community Services. The College and LCT have little or no money to put into this. Accordingly, other alternatives are being explored. Additionally, the cuts to regular service were announced during this time, so we began exploring options related to those services as well. Meetings are likely to continue this summer.
At my request, LCT staff is analyzing ridership changes on Route 21 to compare levels before the cuts and afterwards.
Since LCT service reductions diminished Oberlin's connection with the rest of the County and Cuyahoga County, this affects persons getting to jobs, medical appointments, etc. We have been in communication with Oberlin Community Services to learn/monitor the impact service cuts. The OCS board is interested helping to find creative alternatives or other means to improve the situation.
It has been suggested that the County investigate if impacted communities could pull together to fill the void in LCT funding. According to Lorain County officials, there has been limited interest expressed to date for such support. I have asked to place this item on the next agenda for the Lorain County Mayors and Managers Association.
At my suggestion, LCT has added NOACA’s Rideshare program link to its website and LCT has had discussions with VPSI, the major national vanpool company. Carpooling and vanpooling may be two alternatives to restoring/maintaining fixed route service. LCT is sharing information about these two options to help employers maintain mobility to workplaces.
The City of Vermilion is investigating beginning its own circulator bus service that would begin in 2010. I have contacted Mayor Anderson and the city’s consultant to learn more about their plans and any opportunities to collaborate.
City Manager Elected to Team Lorain County Board of Directors: Team Lorain County (TLC) is an independent economic development organization that develops county-wide economic development programs, representing all communities located in Lorain County. TLC works as part of a regional coordinated strategy to attract, retain and expand businesses in Northeast Ohio. Recently, I was unanimously elected to the Team Lorain County Board of Directors. My first meeting as a board member will be September 2, 2009.
June 5, 2009 City Manager's Update
Public Works Department
Concern: Area around reservoir is becoming overgrown with poison ivy. Response: Staff will review and determine if it is safe to treat for poison ivy. If so, it will be spot treatments only and it will be with chemicals approved for use near water.
Concern: Erosion of the bank. Response: Next week, the City Engineer and the Buildings and Grounds Superintendent will walk the site and evaluate. The prior City Engineer reviewed about a year ago and had no concerns.
Concern: The water looks murky. Has anyone checked the water quality lately? Is it safe for fishing? Response: The Buildings and Grounds Superintendent, who is both a fisherman and has had some schooling in fisheries management, reports that the reservoir seems to have a very healthy population of Largemouth Bass and Bluegill.
Concern: Litter. Response: Staff recently did a good job cleaning up the broken glass and litter from structures and the area. In the future, staff will better job monitoring the situation. The graffiti is also being painted over.
City Manager’s Office
Friday, April 10, 2009
April 10, 2009 City Manager's Update
Oberlin City Schools, New Russia Township and City to Explore Collaboration: In response to a challenge by the Fund For Our Economic Future to improve efficiency and collaboration amongst local governments, representatives of the Township, School District and City met recently to explore ways to work together. The Fund is providing up to $300,000 for grants to implement three projects that will save money and foster collaboration. As some of you may be aware, the City and the school district have discussed the possibility of constructing a bus storage facility near the City Service Complex off Oberlin Road. Next week, the City, Township and district will submit a 250-word concept to the Fund’s “EfficientGovNow” grant program seeking support for a joint maintenance, storage and fueling effort. The application process will work in stages, so the full details of our proposal are yet to be worked out. If the 250-word concept is supported by the screening panel for the Fund for our Economic Future, we will develop more plans and update our respective legislative bodies on the proposed structure so that the final proposal may be reviewed in detail and voted upon by northeast Ohio stakeholders.
Governor to Hold Stimulus Briefing: Governor Strickland’s Office announced eight briefing sessions to be held around Ohio in the few weeks. The nearest sessions are:
April 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Cleveland State University
Maxine Goodman Levin
College of Urban Affairs Atrium
1717 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115
Congresswoman Kaptur Announces Earmark Priorities for Oberlin: Representative Kaptur has put four Oberlin projects on her list of recommended appropriations for 2010. As part of an effort to make the earmark process more transparent, senators and representatives are expected to release lists of their priorities. Rep. Kaptur has done so and there are four projects on her list for Oberlin:
City Of Oberlin Renewable Power Program: $1 million from Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency Power Supply to help develop a green energy portfolio and renewable power generation for the city’s municipally-owned power system.
City of Oberlin Water Treatment Plant Ultraviolet Disinfection – Design and Construction: $474,000.00 from EPA STAG to equip the City’s Water Treatment Plant (WTP) with ultra-violet disinfection technology necessary to meet the requirements of the “Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule.” This regulation, promulgated by the USEPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act, is intended to protect public drinking water supplies from microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia. The addition of UV disinfection to the City’s conventional lime-soda softening treatment processes will be the first OEPA-permitted application of this technology to a public drinking water system in the State of Ohio. UV disinfection technology will provide a state of the art, long-term solution to ensure the safe drinking water supply of the City of Oberlin and continued compliance with federal regulations.
Oberlin College Downtown Power Corridor: $1,100,000 for a solar photovoltaic array in a cutting-edge sustainable community model and a $17M development converting a Brownfield into a sustainably-designed mixed-use building designated a national pilot project for the new LEED Neighborhood Development certification.
Oberlin College and Community Green Arts District Planning Study: $100,000 to develop a highly-specialized energy efficiency study and design for building a College and Community Green Arts District adjacent to historic Tappan Square. This project is a partnership between Oberlin College, the City of Oberlin, and the Oberlin School District. Encompassing an entire city block and built to the highest environmental standards, this mixed use community will be anchored by world-class college cultural facilities and will include housing, retail/commercial, institutional offices, an inn/convention center, and performance spaces to strengthen the community and the relationship between the City of Oberlin and the College.
Oberlin Fire Department News
Bids for Renovation/Expansion of Oberlin Fire Station Opened: Approximately 12 persons representing contractors and subcontractors attended the bid opening this morning at the Fire Station. Six general contractors provided base bids. RP Hughes Architects will now begin analyzing the bids to determine those that were responsive and complete, then check references and prepare a recommendation for award.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April 3, 2009 City Manager's Update
OFD Members Earn Certifications/Designations: After completing over 600 hours of training, Lt. Shawn Clawson and Firefighter Richard Kenney recently obtained state certification as Paramedics. This brings the total to six Paramedics in the department (with another awaiting test results). And, on March 9, Chief Dennis Kirin was re-designated a “Chief Fire Officer” (CFO) by the Commission on Professional Credentialing of the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. He earned this professional designation following review by a team of peers and members of the Commission. The Commission noted that Chief Kirin has demonstrated through education, leadership and management skills that he possesses the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities required for a “Chief” in the fire and emergency services profession.
National League of Cities Leadership Training Institute Comes to Cleveland: On June 28-30, the NLC brings “The Changing Landscape of Cities: Finding Harmony in Today's Economic Climate” to northeast Ohio. You may be interested in attending this three day session that will address issues cities are faced with as a result of the national economic situation.
Ohio: Green and Growing Conference a Financial Success: Last summer, the City Council agreed to be a co-sponsor of a regional conference on sustainability along with Oberlin College and ICLEI. The City agreed to support the start-up costs of the conference with a $5,000 sponsorship investment, with the understanding that the City and College would split any surplus after all conference expenses were reconciled. On Thursday, a check in the amount of $2,910.25 was received from the College as a result of that final accounting. In addition to recognition, publicity and the sense of accomplishment as a result of the holding the conference, the City also received free registration to the conference for a number of City Councilmembers, commission members and staff.
Drug-Free Workplace Training to be Held for all Employees: One of several opportunities the City is pursing to reduce its workers compensation costs is participation in the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation’s Drug Free Workplace Program (DFWP). The DFWP is an incentive program designed to help employers establish safer and more cost-effective workplaces. We will join hundreds of other Ohio employers in implementing a program to keep employees safe and reduce the chance of an accident caused by substance use. The DFWP encourages employers to detect and deter substance use and misuse, and take appropriate corrective action. Substance use is often the silent and unseen cause of work-related accidents. Estimates of the cost of substance use to employers vary, ranging from $7,000 to $25,000 annually per substance user. By implementing this program, the City will be eligible for a 15% discount on our workers compensation premiums. However, the greatest value of this program is in its long-range benefit of having a safer workforce and community. Part of the program requirement will be to train all employees.
Senator Brown’s Staff and Other Federal Officials Provide Stimulus Briefing: On Thursday, several members of Senator Sherrod Brown’s staff and representatives from other federal agencies provided a briefing on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a.k.a. stimulus bill) for municipal officials, individuals and business persons interested in learning how to take advantage of provisions in the Act. A lengthy review of the Act prepared by the Senator’s office is found elsewhere in the packet. The status of state and federal funding opportunities is constantly changing, so City staff are regularly monitoring state and federal websites and receiving updates from a number of sources. As there are provisions to assist small business and individuals, please advise residents interested in information or how to get assistance, to visit recovery.ohio.gov or http://brown.senate.gov/issues_and_agenda/issues/recovery/.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
“Buy Survey” underway in Oberlin
Oberlin College students are conducting a “buy survey” in Oberlin, OH. What is a “buy survey?” It is an opportunity to build consumer-to-business connections to forecast products and services needed and purchased by Oberlin residents, College students, and College faculty/staff. Each group is encouraged to take individual versions of the survey. City Economic Development staff believe the survey data will help strengthen the Oberlin economy and our local businesses, and to reduce the need leave Oberlin for products and services.
This survey effort has been led by the Oberlin College Student Senate in partnership with Main Street Oberlin, the Oberlin Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Oberlin Economic Development Office and various departments at Oberlin College. The goal is to learn what goods and services are purchased outside Oberlin, so that we might bring those goods and services to Oberlin to enable more local shopping. Survey results will also help to provide valuable data to enable new businesses to find a home in our community to fill an unmet need and the data may encourage an entrepreneurial spirit that could expand commercial development within our local economy.
For residents interested in taking the survey, click here.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
February 27, 2009 City Manager's Update
Following are updates on various topics for your information. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!
Federal Stimulus
As National League of Cities (NLC) Executive Director Donald J. Borut wrote in his February 16 column, this is a time when local governments can demonstrate their effectiveness and accountability. He urges cities to “act immediately" by:
§ Contacting state departments of transportation to learn how they plan to allocate transportation funds that must come through the state.
§ Reviewing the regional metropolitan planning organization priorities to define priority projects that will be most effective in creating jobs.
§ Reviewing the permitting process to ensure that projects can move quickly and in accordance with oversight and accountability requirements that are likely to be included in the funding legislation.
§ Streamlining procurement processes, consistent with accountability requirements.
§ Meeting with school superintendents and/or school board presidents to coordinate on how federal education funds can be used most effectively to address local needs.
§ Developing a plan with regional workforce investment boards for summer youth employment projects and other workforce development initiatives.
- Revised our list of requested projects for the community to align with the final bill.
- Contacted our delegations in Congress and the Ohio General Assembly to share our list and request assistance.
- Collaborated with Oberlin City Schools, Oberlin College and local and state organizations to advocate for specific types of projects. Oberlin College is sharing their resource in Washington, D.C. to assist in this effort.
- Submitted our list to the State of Ohio via a special website, www.recovery.ohio.gov.
Economic Development
City Manager’s Office
Friday, February 13, 2009
February 13, 2009 City Manager's Update
Public Works/Planning and Development
Parks and Recreation Master Plan RFQ Set for Release: Attached is the final draft RFQ for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.
New Monthly Report for City Council: Beginning with January 2009 data, the City Manager’s Office will distribute a month performance data report to help track the services, operation and performance of various departments. The first such report is attached. As this is a new report, we will examine how it can be improved over the course of the year; so new items may be added in the future. Because some of the comparative data for last year is not readily available, that section will be developed over time. In the future, the Monthly Report (along with this report) will be posted to the new website each month. Any suggestions and comments are encouraged.
Training Plans: During the next month, I will be participating in two training opportunities:
OCMA Winter Conference in Columbus: The annual Ohio City/County Management Association Conference will be held February 24-26. During the conference I will be participating on a panel titled “Sustainability Initiatives at Work.” I will review Oberlin’s successful town-gown sustainability initiatives and other collaborative sustainability efforts. Later that day, I have initiated a town-gown dinner meeting of City Managers and staff from communities that host colleges and universities.
Pilot Leadership Development Training Seminar: In January, the National League of Cities (NLC) and International City/County Management Association announced that they had received a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide in-depth training to prepare municipal leaders to handle natural and man-made disasters. The training will cover the four phases of emergency and disaster management: prevention, protection, response and recovery. NLC sought applications from leaders from across the country for the 40 seats available. I received word this week that I was selected for this seminar to be held on March 14 and 15. Because of grant from DHS, there will be no cost to the City of Oberlin.