08-28-04 Personnel & Finance - Laserfiche WebLink

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Comm'ittEz c z fro't of tz . E.m.onnef ani 9inanea £ommitt of t c'outI Common Council problem with competition from the private sector, however this is different. He stated that he is at the information gathering stage and has spoken to the Mayor about these concerns. He noted that there are alot of unanswered questions. Council Member Pfeifer suggested that MetroNet be added to the topic list each month as part of the administration's monthly meetings. Council President White stated that topics should be identified so that they can be prioritized. Mayor Luecke noted that the Council should take advantage of the monthly meetings. Mr. Littrell then briefly reviewed operations in GIS and GPS. Bureau of Streets $3,736,053 requested in 2005 3.16%increase Project Releaf $ 264,160 requested in 2005 77.20%increase Sam Hensley, Director of the Bureau of Streets and the Bureau of Sewers then made a presentation on his operations. He provided an 11-page handout entitled "Bureau of Streets" (copy attached) which included among other things the Quadrant Map, Asphalt Usage in 2004, Outstanding Paving Projects in 2004, completed projects, and "Special Projects 2004". He noted that 47,000 tons have been paved and that there are 11,500 tons yet to go this year. In 2003 46,000 tons were paved,with the city starting to pave streets in 1969. In response to a question from Council Member Pfeifer, he noted that over the years the crown in many places is higher than the curb. Curbs take a tremendous amount of labor to mill and address drainage. Council President White inquired about how the city determines top priorities for special projects. Mr. Hensley stated that the priorities are selected by the administration. Dr. Varner noted that there should be consistency of cost accounting in light of the charge for labor and the Releaf Program. Mr. Gilot noted that there is alot of horsetrading which takes place, but agreed to look into this concern. He added that South Bend is just one of 3-4 cities that do its own paving. Mr. Hensley added that crack sealing is one of the best maintenance programs which the city has in place. The city utilizes a Michigan company for the crack-seal program. In response to a question from Council Member Puzzello,Mr. Hensley stated that a Council Member would just have to call him if they have a street which needs attention, noting that they average 25 streets per year. Personnel and Finance Committee Meeting of August 28,2004 Page 6