Oberlin City Manager Comments

Oberlin City Manager Report from #ICMA Conference Day 4

2009-09-16T15:41:00.002-04:00

Bonjour and bienvenue for my final conference report.

The day started early with a discussion with the ICMA Executive Director and others who are in their first positions as City Manager's. All found the conference helpful and ICMA as an organization. It is helpful to build a network of fellow City Managers encountering similar circumstances in their first CM post.

Next, I participated in a session entitled Moving from Color Blind to Color Rich. We all need to be aware of the "primal reactions" and "cognitive shortcuts" that cause unintentional bias because "even if one's explicit beliefs change, the cultural residue may persist in memory and continue to influence behaviour." I picked up a number of tools and training materials we can use in Oberlin.

The conference ended with remarks by organizational health expert Linda Duxbury and installing the new ICMA President Darnell Earley of Saginaw, MI (the second African American ICMA president ... the first was Sy Murray). Darnell gave an inspiring address on the importance of supporting the City Management profession, continuing our professional development, participating in ICMA on committees, mentoring others and caring and supporting our families.

Ms. Duxbury addressed City Managers on the trends in human resources and increased demands on employees and managers due to recessions, cutbacks, etc. She reminded us that our competitive advantage is our people and we need to support them and avoid burnout from doing more with less.

I return to Oberlin tomorrow evening.

Oberlin City Manager Report from #ICMA Conference Day 3

2009-09-16T06:32:00.002-04:00

Bonjour Oberlin: Yesterday's sessions at the ICMA Conference began with Alice Rivlin addressing City Managers about the economy. She told us one reason the current recession in the US won't turn into another great depression is that many reforms were put into place after the Great Depression. These include Social Security, unemployment insurance and the deposit insurance program. The big hole in the current recession is health care. She advocates adopting universal healthcare now, not to help in the current recession, but to protect Americans in the next recession. As the conference is taking place in Canada, she noted that for the most part Canada weathered the financial crisis better than the US because of its healthcare system.

Ms. Rivlin went on to say that Americans are saving more now. This is good overall, but it will take the economy more time to recover as those dollars are being spent. She also noted that inflation is not a concern during the recovery, but future deficits are a concern.

Next I attended a session on performance measurement. Examples of communities doing it right are Coral Springs, FL (Baldridge Award winner) and Kitchener, ON. Key excellence indicators for a Baldridge award winner:

Fact-based decision making
Collection of actionable data
Consistent use of multipurpose aligned and interlinking measures
Wide deployment and accessibility of data and information

Collecting performance data should be part of the daily work of the organization. Why bother? The data reveals the values of the organization, motivates behaviour, and identifies ways to learn.

Another session focused on resource sharing amongst local governments. Such sharing can range from mutual aid to full consolidation ... and everything in between. Often the impetus is greater efficiency and effectiveness. Key success factors from one study include:

Equitable distribution of benefits and costs
Clear purpose
History of trust and cooperation between staff in participating organizations and at the political level.

Well, I am off to a 7:15 breakfast meeting. More later!

Oberlin City Manager Report from #ICMA Conference Day 2

2009-09-14T17:47:00.003-04:00

David Suzuki spoke this morning regarding sustainability. Too many people are focused on the economy right now he noted. However, the economy, healthcare, the environment and energy supply are all intertwined and can only be addressed together.

Humans are different from other animals in our ability to exercise foresight, so we need to make decisions today based on what we can foresee coming. Unfortunately, there is so much conflicting data and opinions that is makes it easy for everyone to disagree and do nothing.

Learned about the kitchen composting project from Westmount, Quebec. 4700 residential units are now participating. So far it is a costly program and they are having problems with squirrels and contamination.

Human Resources for Small Cities panel recommends cities conduct an FLSA audit. Helps to prevent law suits, prepare for contract negotiations and learn if employees are working out of class.

The attributes of a High Performing City Council includes:

Willingness to address different issues
Ability to address different issues
Quality of partnership with staff

It is important to orient new Councilmembers, to hold a goal setting retreat and to let the City Council manage itself.

More tomorrow from the ICMA Conference in Montreal. Bonsoir!

Oberlin City Manager Report from ICMA Conference Day 1

2009-09-13T19:47:00.002-04:00

Day 1 of the #ICMA Conference was a full day that wrapped up with a stirring presentation by keynote speaker John Hope Bryant.

John reminded us City Managers we are in the business of keeping small promises to the many residents of our community. And, he said, life, particularly in city management, is about hits and bunts, not homeruns. His main message was that we are not in the midst of a recession, but a reset. Accordingly, future prosperity will not look like it did in the past.

My morning began with a session on emotion intelligence and how city managers and city councils need to utilize our emotional intelligence to serve our communities. It is important for city managers to stand on our principles, but sit on our ego. As many issues become loaded with emotion, our ability to exercise self-control, with a sense of calm empathy is important to help guide our community.

The midday session was on how to make use of social networking tools to improve communication and decision-making in our communities. It is important to understand how Twitter, blogging and Facebook can be an additional tool in reaching segments of our community, but not replace traditional media and communications tools.

Tomorrow:

Kitchen Composting Collection, HR Issues for Small Communities, and more...

2009-09-13T07:53:00.000-04:00

Bonjour: I am the #ICMA Conference: The first session this morning will be on Manager/Council relations. Following that, a special workshop on Community Building. More later.

ICMA Conference

2009-09-09T21:33:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, I leave for the ICMA conference and will be posting to the blog during the five day conference. Stay tuned.

Where are the City Manager Updates?

2009-07-20T20:07:00.001-04:00

If you've been looking for CM updates on the CM Blog, they are now being posted to the city's new website at http://www.cityofoberlin.com/CityManager/CityManagerUpdates.page.

July 3, 2009 City Manager's Update

2009-07-01T14:02:00.001-04:00

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 1^st and ends July 31^st. 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.

June 12, 2009 City Manager's Update

2009-06-13T08:50:00.002-04:00

Following are updates on various topics for your information. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!

Planning and Development Department

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

2009-06-13T08:49:00.000-04:00

Public Works Department

Public Works Department Responds to Citizen Concerns: At the City Council meeting on Monday, June 1, several concerns were raised by Oberlin resident Alison Ricker. Here is how staff is responding:

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

Vision Council Meetings Conclude; PSI to Prepare Final Report: Last night, the City and Public Services Institute hosted the second and concluding vision council meeting on the Underground Railroad Center engagement process. PSI plans to have their final report to the City in time to present at the July 6 City Council meeting. One of the clear desires expressed by participants was to “get going” on the project. So, following the City Council acceptance of the report and affirmation of the mission and vision statements, we expect to convene the Design Team to restart their work. One of the first items of business will be to discuss development of a plaza and pavilion on the site that was budgeted in this year’s capital budget. In addition, Darlene Colaso has restarted exploring fundraising options.

April 10, 2009 City Manager's Update

2009-04-10T14:47:00.002-04:00

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

LifeFlight Service to be Based in Lorain County: On Wednesday, Metro LifeFlight, the region's largest critical care transport service, established a helicopter base and crew at the Lorain County Regional Airport. This move to Lorain County is extremely beneficial to Oberlin residents and the Oberlin Fire Department. Oberlin Fire has worked closely with LifeFlight for both direct emergency scene response and pre-hospital EMS training for many years. The aeromedical service crew consists of two pilots, a physician and a flight nurse capable of providing sophisticated patient care in conjunction with local fire/EMS agencies. The three helicopter bases operated by LifeFlight now form a ring around Cuyahoga County to provide quicker response times, increased ability to fly in poor weather and a more efficient operation.

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.

April 3, 2009 City Manager's Update

2009-04-05T15:43:00.002-04:00

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/.

“Buy Survey” underway in Oberlin

2009-03-24T13:55:00.000-04:00

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.

February 27, 2009 City Manager's Update

2009-03-05T10:30:00.001-05:00

Following are updates on various topics for your information. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!

Federal Stimulus

· ICMA/NLC Urge Local Governments to Act Immediately on Federal Stimulus: The following message was sent earlier this week to cities across the country:

President Barack Obama signed into law the $787 billion stimulus package on February 17. For local governments, the challenge now is to move into action quickly to ensure that they gain access to the funds that are available. Equally important, local government managers can make sure that everyone knows how the funds are being spent—and, that there is full accountability for them.

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.

The City of Oberlin has been actively working to position the community to receive stimulus funds. In addition to reviewing the advice above, we have already:

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.

As a side note, when I go to Washington, D.C. in mid-March for training, I will make time to visit with Congressional staff.

Economic Development

· Main Street Oberlin to Receive Accreditation: We were notified this week that Main Street Oberlin has been evaluated and determined to meet all 10 performance standards and criteria required to be an accredited Main Street program. Criteria include: Having broad-based community support from both the private sector and public sector, having a comprehensive work plan, and possessing an active board of directors and volunteers. A formal announcement will be made in March by the National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street Center.

· Annual Tax Increment Financing Meeting Set: Attached is a memo regarding the annual review of TIF agreements and districts in Lorain County. The City Manager must appoint two resident representatives to our Tax Increment Review Council with the concurrence of the City Council. I will ask for a motion of support during the City Manager’s Report on Monday.

City Manager’s Office

· OCMA Conference Educational for City Manager and Assistant: Thank you for the opportunity to spend two days with city managers and assistants from across Ohio. We exchanged ideas, shared information and learned from great presenters. Darlene attended a session on coaching employees that will soon result in her passing on those lessons to our management team. I attended sessions on cultural competency and sign code updates, and spoke as part of a panel on sustainability (my presentation is attached). Over the next few weeks, we will be going through my notes of ideas to filter them out to appropriate staff/departments in the organization. Thanks again!

February 13, 2009 City Manager's Update

2009-02-13T09:40:00.001-05:00

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.

City Manager’s Office

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.

February 6, 2009 City Manager's Update

2009-02-06T14:53:00.003-05:00

Following are updates on various topics for your information. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!

Police Department

Citizen Police Academy Scheduled – Chief Tom Miller has announced the dates for the new Oberlin Police Department Citizen Academy. The academy will begin on March 12 and continue for 10 consecutive weeks. Each session will last from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Space is still available, so the Chief asks for your assistance in encouraging residents to apply so we have a good cross-section of Oberlinians participating in the academy.

Promotional Exams Scheduled – Following approval of the change to the Classification Plan, the Police Chief has scheduled exams for the Lieutenant positions and for Sergeant over the month of March. In addition to the written exam, we will use assessment centers as well for the first time in the Police Department. The assessment center will gauge leadership skills and decision-making abilities. (A similar assessment center was used by the Fire Department last summer.)

City Manager’s Office

Congresswoman Betty Sutton Briefs Lorain County Mayors/Managers – Earlier this week, Congresswoman Sutton held a conference call to provide a briefing on the stimulus bill working its way through Congress. She reported on the specific programs that are expected to meet needs of Ohio and Lorain County. She heard frustration from some of the Mayor about length of time it takes to distribute federal funds through the State (see below) and she urged us to take this issue up with the Governor. Elyria Mayor Grace is the current chair of NOACA and plans to address our concerns with the State’s “infrastructure czar” when they meet next week.

Underground Railroad Center Project Moves Ahead – Planning work is underway again on the Underground Railroad Center thanks to the involvement of Assistant City Manager/HRA Darlene Colaso and the Public Services Institute. Darlene met with PSI in December. Since then, the PSI team and Darlene have collaboratively been making community contacts and formulating discussion materials to begin the formal public engagement process. A joint meeting with the Underground Rail Road Center Design Team and PSI has been scheduled for February 11th at 3 p.m. and meetings with other interest groups are being scheduled. Attached you will find the draft materials this team has developed. Please let Darlene or me know if you have any questions.

Economic Development and Housing

Team Lorain County Provides Economic Briefing – Earlier today, Team Lorain County (TLC) held its annual economic forecast breakfast. Speakers included TLC Director Steve Morey, Matt McQuade of the Ohio Business Development Coalition, Robert Leggett of First Merit Bank, and Brad Whitehead with the Fund for Our Economic Future. Mr. Leggett provided an overview of the economy and Mr. McQuade reported on efforts to market Ohio and Northeast Ohio for new business development. He recommended reviewing the following websites:

www.OhioMeansBusiness.com

www.ClevelandPlusLiving.com

www.ClevelandPlusBusiness.com

McQuade believes we will feel optimistic about the future and a sense of pride as residents of the area after looking at the websites.

City Prepares to Apply for Neighborhood Stabilization (NSP) Funds – Last December, staff attended training in Columbus to prepare for the release of applications for NSP funds. As of this week, there are still no funding procedures or application forms to use to apply for NSP funds. While we wait, staff has been identifying target areas in Oberlin to be considered with others in Lorain County and the Lorain County task force will begin to prioritize them.

Foreclosure Clinic Held – The Oberlin Foreclosure Task Force, in cooperation with the Lorain County Task Force, coordinated a Foreclosure Prevention/Borrower’s Outreach Day Clinic on Saturday, January 24, 2009 which was held at the Lorain County Joint Vocational School. This free public service was offered to all Lorain County residents who needed advice regarding their mortgage, especially if they were facing foreclosure. Residents were encouraged to drop by between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The goal was to target the Oberlin and surrounding communities who may not have had the opportunity to attend past clinics held at Lorain County Community College. Twenty residents were assisted during this clinic by housing counselors, lenders and attorneys. Participants were able to speak with an attorney for free, which normally would have cost them at least $150. The event was coordinated by Angela Wu (Oberlin Street Law), Judy Wright (Zion Community Development Corporation), Barbara Mehwald (Human Relations Commission Chair), Kristin Braziunas (Oberlin resident/POWER Fund), Kathy Burns (Oberlin Community Services), and Sharon Pearson (City of Oberlin).

2008 Foreclosure Data Received – Recently received data from the Lorain County Clerk of Courts reports 29 foreclosure filings in Oberlin during 2008; a slight decrease from 32 in 2007.

January 16, 2009 City Manager's Update

2009-01-16T14:19:00.003-05:00

Following are updates on various topics for your information.

Staff of the Ohio Board of Regents Visit Oberlin – Last week, Patrick McLean, Associate Vice Chancellor of Affordability and Efficiency, and Corey Hawkey, Sustainability Projects Coordinator, both with the Ohio Board of Regents, visited Oberlin to learn more about the town-gown collaborations on sustainability. A team of College, community and City representatives briefed Mr. McLean and Mr. Hawkey on the various sustainability efforts, energy efficiency efforts, the quest for renewable energy and more. It was a visit that is expected to be the first of several similar contacts to share Oberlin’s example with other colleges and universities and their communities.

Audit of 2005 CDBG Downtown Revitalization Grant Completed – The City was awarded its second Downtown Revitalization Grant under the Ohio Department of Development’s (ODOD) Community Development Block Grant program ($400,000) in late 2005. That competitive grant program provides funding to assist communities with downtown improvement projects. That grant provided funding for private building rehabilitation activities (such as façade improvements or interior building upgrades to address code requirements), clearance activities, a public street improvement project (the installation of a new traffic signal with crosswalks at South Main and Vine Streets) and administration. The grant period ended on December 31, 2008. In accordance with ODOD’s usual practice, that department monitored the City’s Downtown Revitalization Program on January 14, 2009. That monitoring included a review of projects (public and private), program administration, financial management and record keeping to ensure compliance with the grant agreement, the State’s CDBG Program and applicable laws and regulations. At the conclusion of this full day review, ODOD staff commended the City for its successful administration of this grant. No areas of non-compliance were noted at that time.

Stimulus List Submitted – Lorain County Community Development Department has been directed to gather list of potential stimulus projects from around the County to submit to the State later this month. The Oberlin list was submitted this week. It includes City and School District projects that could be “shovel-ready” during 2009. There has been talk of a multi-year plan in the future; if that effort is successful, other high priority City projects would make that list, for instance a future renewable electric generation project and additional improvements to roads, and our water, wastewater and storm water systems.

Over $40,000 Raised during 2008 Community Giving Campaign – The 2008 Community Giving Campaign was very successful. Representatives of the Oberlin City Schools, Oberlin College and City recently met to debrief on the campaign. Plans are in the works to expand in 2009 to include other employers and to possibly link with some special events. Special appreciation goes to the Finance Department for assisting with a more complex campaign this year. Employees could give to Oberlin Community Services, Oberlin Early Childhood Center, United Way of Greater Lorain County or Greater Cleveland Community Shares.

100th Anniversary of City Manager Form of Government Celebrated

2008-11-26T15:42:00.003-05:00

Earlier this fall, the City Manager form of government was celebrated. 100 years ago, Staunton, VA hired the first City Manager. Six years later, in 1914, the City Managers’ Association was formed as a professional organization for appointed city managers and administrators. Its purpose was to bring reform and accountability to local governments and to be an advocate for professional management in local government. This association later became the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). In 1924, association members expressed their commitment to high standards of conduct by adopting a code of ethics. The next year, Oberlin appointed its first City Manager.

More about this form of government:

Oberlin follows the Council-Manager form of government. Under this system of local government, the elected officials are the community leaders and policy makers who establish a vision for Oberlin and who hire the City Manager to carry out policy and ensure that all residents are being equitably served. The City Manager coordinates the work of department heads and other employees, who help ensure the smooth and efficient delivery of services. By building public/private partnerships, intergovernmental agreements, and other collaborative relationships, the City Manager works to use all of the community's resources to solve current problems.

The City Manager:

· Works with elected officials as they develop policies. The manager may discuss problems and recommendations, propose new plans, or discuss issues that affect the community and its residents.

· Along with other Council appointees, ensures that laws and policies approved by elected officials are equitably enforced throughout the city.

· Seeks feedback from residents and members of the business community to address and solve problems.

· Prepares the annual budget in conjunction with the Finance Director, submits it to elected officials for approval, and implements it once approved.

· Supervises department heads, administrative personnel, and other employees.

· Solicits bids from contractors and select or recommend the appropriate individual(s) or organization(s) to perform the work.

· Investigates citizen complaints and problems within the administrative organization and recommend changes to elected officials.

· Manages the day-to-day operations of the City.

The City Manager’s primary responsibility is to keep Oberlin running smoothly. To do so, Oberlin’s City Manager works with the other appointed officials (Law Director, Finance Director and City Clerk) and a range of skilled individuals involved in public safety, public works, community and economic development, and many other service areas. You can count on this team to make your community a great place to live, learn and lead!

Oberlin has been served by 17 City Managers:

Don Herrick 1925-1928

Leon Sears 1928-1935

H. V. Zahm 1935-1952

Phillip Zahm 1952-1955

Fred Weisbrod 1956-1957

Richard Dunn 1958-1963

Donald Marquis 1963-1967

Edward Smith 1967-1971

Tom Dalton 1971-1978

Sherry Suttles 1979-1982

Dale S. Sugarman 1982-1988

Deborah Kimble 1989-1992

Ron Twining 1993 (Acting City Manager)

Gary Goddard 1993-1996

Rob DiSpirito 1996-2007

Gary Boyle 2007 (Interim City Manager)

Eric Norenberg 2007 to present

This list is courtesy of the Oberlin College Archives.

Budget Hearings to be held November 18 - 20 - 6 to 9 p.m

2008-11-02T14:13:00.002-05:00

Oberlin City Council budget meetings are open to the public.

Department presentations will focus on:

o 2008 Key Performance Indicators

o 2009 Budget Highlights

o A review of proposed changes from the 2008 budget in key budget categories (personnel/benefits, operations, capital equipment, and capital improvements);

o Goals for 2009

o A review of unmet needs

Here is the tentative schedule for the three nights:

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Overview

Public Works

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Fire

Police

Law Dept.

City Clerk

Municipal Court

Finance Dept.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Electric

Planning and Development

Human Resources

Council

City Commissions

City Manager

Discussion/wrap-up

Lorain County 9-1-1 Agency to begin dispatching Oberlin Firefighters On November 3

2008-10-21T16:19:00.002-04:00

Lorain County 9-1-1 personnel currently answer all emergency phone calls for assistance in the county. However, beginning November 3, that service will include the actual dispatch of Oberlin firefighters to the emergency location. Under the old system, all calls were answered by Lorain County 9-1-1 and transferred the call to OFD. Personnel at the fire station received the emergency call, determined the emergency type/needs, alerted part-time and off-duty firefighters via pagers, and then drove the first fire apparatus to the scene. This change only affects fire department operations. The Oberlin Police Department will continue to maintain their current dispatch services.

Why is time important? In the field of emergency medical services, using cardiac arrest research, the medical community adopted a guideline for the arrival/initiation of basic and advanced life support within 6-8 minutes. Similarly, fire suppression is measured by a stage of fire growth known as flashover. Flashover is a critical point in a fire situation as the likelihood of survival and the chances of saving lives drops dramatically in the room of origin after 7-10 minutes of unimpeded fire growth.

Fire Chief Dennis Kirin describes: “There are very distinct time components involved in receiving, handling, dispatching, responding and mitigating an emergency incident. Some of these time segments are fixed; some are variable. We are altering the variables of call-handling to decrease the time it takes firefighters to reach our residents.” Under the new system, the Lorain County 9-1-1 agency handles the entire call: collecting all pertinent information and alerting the fire department simultaneously. Agency personnel can provide emergency medical information to the caller pending arrival of the responders and have direct access to multi-language interpretation and TTY services.

Many of the components of the dispatch process are already in place and have been tested over time. The Lorain County 9-1-1 agency has provided dispatch service for many of the county fire departments since its inception. The agency utilizes a computer-aided dispatch system and has regional communication capabilities. Oberlin could not utilize this service earlier, because Oberlin Fire Department also provided fire alarm system monitoring for local businesses and institutions. The Fire Department worked since January to phase out the alarm monitoring service to enable the change to the 9-1-1 dispatch service.

This is a win-win proposition for the department and the community. We get the needed services to our residents sooner, and it does not require firefighter to sit in the station waiting to answer calls.

Issue 28 - Oberlin One-Fifth Percent Earned Income Tax Levy to fund Infrastructure Improvements

2008-10-06T17:26:00.003-04:00

Recently, early voting began for the November 4 General Election. Some voters are not yet aware of Issue 28, a tax levy for the City of Oberlin to provide for funding for infrastructure improvements. Here are some facts about the levy.

Purpose: The proposed ten-year, one-fifth percent earned income tax levy will provide the City with revenue for the following capital improvement programs effective 1/1/2009 through 12/31/2018. These particular efforts/projects would be funded, wholly or in part, by the levy.

The proposed plan is expected to raise $5 million over ten years. We intend to use the funds for the following improvements:

Fire Station Upgrade Debt Service ($1.225 million over 10 years) – Provide a safer working environment for Oberlin firefighters by renovating and upgrading the 30+ year old fire station. Ensures Oberlin firefighters have safe, adequate facilities to conduct training and store emergency vehicles/equipment. The current station is too small; it cannot keep pace with the growth in service demands and operational requirements, and does not meet current codes and safety/health standards. Debt service from the levy will pay for part of the construction cost of renovations and upgrades of the Oberlin Fire Station. If the levy is approved, the City would also use existing City reserve funds to pay for part of the construction cost of the Oberlin Fire Station renovation and expansion. The amount of levy proceeds used for the fire station improvements will vary depending on how much reserves are available and how much the city can raise from other sources.

Street Repair/Preventative Maintenance ($2.25 million over 10 years) - This would fund more aggressive pavement maintenance and repair to extend the life Oberlin streets and help to get ahead of rising petroleum costs that make pavement repair more expensive. This may include funding for replacement of underground utilities or stormwater improvements related to street repair/replacement project.

Pedestrian Safety Improvements ($250,000 over 10 years) – Funding to repair and install sidewalks in areas of the City that are adjacent to City property and facilitate a program to improve quality and availability of sidewalks in Oberlin.

Parks/Cemetery Improvements ($325,000 over 10 years) – Includes improvements to the parking lot at the Hamilton Street Recreation Complex, bike trails, playgrounds, cemetery, etc.

General Municipal Facility Repair/Adaptation ($125,000 over 10 years) – Repair and modification to municipal facilities to meet intermediate space needs, until a longer term plan is implemented, and increasing resource efficiency of these facilities.

Park Street Bridge ($100,000) – Provide the local match to State funds for reconstruction of the Park Street Bridge.

Future recreation facilities ($725,000 over 10 years) – Provide funding for the results of the master plan for additional recreation improvements.

Core Values Established

2008-09-29T17:17:00.002-04:00

Several months ago, a team of City employees and I began developing a list of the core values each City employee should embrace. Core values are defined as the basis for all decisions and actions. They identify our collective values as City employees. And, core values provide standards of behavior that affect how programs and services are delivered and the allocation of resources. In the future, these core values can assist us in developing a mission statement and vision statement.

I hope all current employees share these values and that future employees will want to join the team because of our values. Here are the Core Values of Oberlin employees:

The employees of the City of Oberlin believe in:

O Open and honest communication

B Being innovative

E Excellent and effective services

R Respect and appreciation for diversity

L Leading by example

I Integrity in the stewardship of Oberlin's resources

N Neighborly attitude and friendliness

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the following employees for their participation on the Core Value team:

Court: Emily Schramm, Finance: Joyce Miller, Fire: Bob Schubert, OMLPS: Doug McMillan, Police: Melissa Lett, Planning & Development: Tita Reed, Public Works: Mikah Jones & Steve Hoffert.

Please help us hold true to these Core Values by letting me know if we miss the mark. Thanks!

City Logo Selected

2008-09-25T13:32:00.004-04:00

Last week, the Oberlin City Council approved a new logo for the City of Oberlin. You can see the new logo above. The key elements found in the new City logo are:

The American elm tree in the logo is similar to the Historic Elm Tree where John Shipherd and Philo Stewart founded the community and college 175 years ago.
The star reminds us of the North Star that guided African Americans fleeing slavery, many of whom passed through or stayed in Oberlin.
The two color tones that come together around the tree to become one logo symbolize the various groups in Oberlin that come together to form one community.

The tagline “Live ● Learn ● Lead” conveys the message is that Oberlinians are active, not passive. We:

Live active lives in Oberlin;
Learn throughout our lives as education is best way to reach one’s full potential; and
Lead others in our community, our state and our country; challenging others to follow our example in the areas of social justice, respect for all, environmental stewardship and more.

In addition to being used in Oberlin’s new website (to be up and running this fall), the new logo will be used on letterhead, vehicles, signs, uniforms, etc.

I want to thank the many individuals who helped develop the logo. There were many staff and residents involved in the process that began in May, when “creative brief” questionnaires were distributed via e-mail to City Councilmembers, community leaders, business persons, board and commission members, staff and others. Every recipient was encouraged to pass on the brief to others as well. A shorter version of the brief was distributed in early June and at Juneteenth weekend events. Designers from Studiothink also visited Oberlin to get a feel for the community and to talk with Oberlinians. In early July nearly 50 possible logos were reviewed by staff. That group of logos was narrowed to eight that were presented to the City Council for suggestions and comment. With that input, the list was reduced to four. Those four were published in the Oberlin News-Tribune, posted at the Oberlin Public Library, and featured on a special website. Over 200 persons took part in ranking the logos and tag lines, and providing advice and ideas. The public input process concluded with a public meeting on August 13. More than 15 people attended and discussed the logos. On September 15, the City Council approved the logo. I hope you will agree that this logo will serve Oberlin well into the future.