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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - City Council - 1994 - 03/25 - Workshop11 Present: Joe Fainter, Mayor Councilmembers: Kevin Lilly, Mayor Pro Tem Mickey Christakos David Bishop Mike Nichols Steve Terrell Sharon Hamner ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL CALLED WORKSHOP SPRING PLANNING SESSION FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 1994 - 8:00 A.M. ALLEN PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING ROOM City StatF: Jon McCarty, City Manager Judy Morrison, City Secretary Barbara Buehler, Library Director Richard Carroll, Police Chief George Conner, Director of Public Works Ron Gentry, Fire Chief Bill Petty, Director of Community Development David Pitstick, Economic Development Director Rhoda Savage, Director of Parks & Recreation Charlotte Smith, Finance Director Michael Stanger, Assistant to City Manager Prior to the beginning of the Spring Planning Session, the Allen City Council and the City Staff participated in a light breakfast. Call to Order and Announce a Ouorum is Present (Agenda Item 1) With a quorum of the Councilmembers present, the Spring Planning Session of the Allen City Council was called to order by Mayor Farmer at 8:20 a.m. on Friday, March 25, 1994, in the Library Meeting Room of the Allen Public Library, Two Allen Civic Plaza, Allen, Texas. Workshop on Stmtezic Plannine (Agenda Item II) Staff outlined the purpose of the Spring Planning Session, the intended results for the session, the process that will be used and how the results will lead into strategic projects and budgeting. Vision (Agenda Item II -A) Mayor Farmer delivered his "State of the City" address, revealing his thoughts on the current conditions of and his vision for Allen City government and the community at large. ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION MARCH 25, 1994 PAGE 2 VISIONARY CONCEPTS Visionary concepts for the Allen community were identified and are hereinafter presented by grouping concepts into selected categories. Surely some visionary concepts relating to a particular aspect of the community may appear in more than one category Also, no contention is made that all elements of a single concept have been reflected in a composite of all categories. COMMUNITY ATMOSPHERE Allen is home. Its human warmth is a direct result of overt caring and nurturing routine behavior throughout. A positive, proactive, friendly attitude abounds. A high priority on individual, family, and societal values concerning fairness, equity, respect, and common goodwill are evidenced routinely An aggressive cooperative relationship exists in a purposeful way among all institutional entities. Relationships between the city, school, and Chamber of Commerce exemplify cooperation. A unified focus is evidenced through organized land usage, community programming, and action. Allen is clean, neat, and inviting. All public and private, natural and man-made facilities or areas of whatever type or location are maintained to reflect high integrity CITY GOVERNANCE ® An open system of city governance prevails. The Council and boards and commissions conduct affairs of the City with an open mind, in a systematic manner, and with a high degree of congruence. Planning and change in practice are constant in pursuit of the Allen vision. All units of city government utilize tools available, actively solicit and seriously consider opinions of all members, willingly entertain views of citizens, rigorously study all aspects of the question, and make conscientious decisions in the best interest of the community All meetings are conducted with proper decorum, mutual respect is demonstrated among members, and support for group decisions are consistently evidenced by individual members regardless of the position assumed by individual members. .N Y 11'/slur 171D]'LaL: Employees of the City of Allen constitute the virtual foundation of the city's character. All employees reflect pride in their role and in their work performance. They are educationally prepared at all times for their role, they are proactive in striving for higher levels of performance, and they are recognized and rewarded by the city and members of the community A servant's attitude is exhibited at all times without feeling subservient. They are cognizant of priorities of others and professionally and calmly responsive to emotional or sensitive situations. They routinely display a high level of confidence, competency, courtesy and dedication. ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION MARCH 25, 1994 CITY SERVICES PAGE 3 The City of Allen provides both basic or customary city services and a balance of innovative, non -routine services. Services designed to maintain a safe and orderly community, to protect public and private property to provide essential services for sanitary and convenient living, and to protect the quality and beauty of natural resources are extensive and of high quality Likewise, services extending beyond basic or customary city services are designed to meet human and social service needs. Such services are of high quality, are actively supported by the community, and distinguish Allen among cities. Extension services are funded, governed, and supported through a well organized and extensive collaborative involving private business and industry, ministerial interests, individual volunteers, and public institutions. The Allen social services initiative is highly coordinated with a county -wide cooperative program of social services. INFRASTRUCTURE A well-planned, constructed and maintained infrastructure exists. Systems for services such as water, sewer, solid waste disposal, buildings, roadways, recreational facilities, and capital equipment are quality in design and efficient in operations. Planning for capital improvements is systematic and funded projects are completed on schedule within adopted budgets. Systems failures are very rare. Failures are repaired in a timely manner resulting in limited inconvenience for citizens and minimal costs to the city BUSINESS CLIMATE An array of quality and profitable businesses thrive in Allen. Relationships between city offices and business owners and operators are cooperative, supportive, and respectful. Needs of businesses are viewed as opportunities to strengthen the community This thriving business climate provides citizens access to a wide range of local retail, entertainment, dining, hotel, medical, and professional services. The variety and quality of businesses is unique in Allen and serves customers both in an around the community Through an ongoing aggressive economic development program new business is created, existing businesses are expanded, and business relocations to Allen are realized. Allen's reputation as a place to operate a business successfully is widely proclaimed. 121 B9[IIy QKW[40 Revenue is available to finance public services, city and school, without being an onerous burden on residents or businesses. A diversified, balanced and stable property tax base provides an adequate foundation for public revenue. Supplementary revenue is available through user fees, innovative investment financing methods, foundations, and aggressive grantmanship programs. Prudent budget development and management practices are standard, resulting in maximum benefits per dollars spent. ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION MARCH 25, 1994 PAGE 4 Accountability for public funds is valued by all. Comprehensive reports are provided periodically by leaders to demonstrate accountability and engender public trust and confidence. THE CITIZENRY Allen's success is ultimately attributable to the general citizenry Individuals elected to offices of public trust can be effective at the highest level only with the support of the citizens at large. Allen citizens are interested, informed, and involved. Service to public endeavors is viewed as an opportunity and an obligation. Residents demonstrate confidence, pride and commitment to the community and the operation of public institutions. Responsibility for the welfare and quality of the community is shared among all citizens. RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES A plethora of opportunities for active and passive recreation exists for Allen residents. Individuals and families are aware of opportunities and have the freedom to select recreational activity Opportunities as a participant or a spectator are available in a broad range of active sports. Activities are organized according to skill level and a wide range of age levels. Involvement is not predicated on financial capability, competitive skill, gender, area of residence, or any arbitrary criterion. Opportunities for passive or leisure engagement in preserved natural areas are provided. Appropriate surfaces for using alternative modes of transportation in and around nature areas are available. EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY Public and private alternatives for quality elementary and secondary education are available. Neighborhood public elementary schools are provided with child centered park areas adjacent throughjomt efforts of the school and city. Postsecondary education is available through the community college level, with upper level programs available nearby. Facilities and programs for training and retraining the local work force are provided through joint efforts of local business and public institutions. A basic literacy program is available. Additional educational opportunities for all ages are available through local and area museums, performing and fine arts centers, and sculpture displays. Access to numerous materials in printed, video, and laser disc formats are provided through the Allen Public Library A highly integrated library program exists as a result of local and area cooperative efforts. RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS A close-knit neighborhood system is a critical part of the success of Allen. Housing alternatives are available and include duplexes, multi -family, and single family residences. The preponderance of housing is single family with a range of house sizes. For the most part, residents have a choice between medium to large housing. A minimum number of multiple -acre residential developments are sprinkled throughout the city ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION MARCH 25, 1994 PAGE 5 Each neighborhood area maintains an active community involvement program. Programs address security, facility and grounds upkeep, family support needs, and community initiatives. The city actively encourages and supports the organization and operation of these neighborhood programs. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES It seems apparent that the following areas will demand attention by the Council and Staff during the ensuing months as the development of Allen is nurtured 1. Completion of the Capital Improvement Planning Process and implementation of approved propositions. 2. Establish a position of management (through annexation, ordinance, or land acquisition) in order to achieve desirable development. 3. Aggressively promote unity within the community rather than fragmentation. 4. Review and restructure the city's organizational design for full development. 5. Develop and 'implement specific plans to promote neighborhood and community wide support groups. 6. Establish a Framework within which human services can effectively, economically, and efficiently address in a systematic manner. 7 Publicly recognize, endorse, and provide incentives for optimum educational achievement for all Pre -K to 12 students. 8. Initiate and actively promote programs involving city, school, and business/industry in adult education, training and retraining. 9. Increase Allen's presence and influence in arenas that extend beyond the city's boundaries where issues whose resolution is subject to the extended group. 10. Expediently develop with high quality city and privately owned business and industrial property 11. Identify, define and vigorously pursue Allen's special hitch in local retail. 12. Review and either confirm, modify, or radically redesign the long-term "Master Plan' for Allen's city complex. 13. Revenue enhancement opportunities such as 1/2C sales tax or grant writer might be a solution to several of these issues. Council and Staff discussed problems and opportunities that arose out of the State of the City Address and have concluded the thirteen contemporary issues to be the issues for the identification process. ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION MARCH 25, 1994 PAGE 6 Environmental Scan (Agenda Item H -B) ONE MAN ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN This document has been prepared in support of the City Council's March 25, Spring Planning Session. Many of the ideas documented here were identified by Department Heads and in their Environmental Scans submitted to me in written form. In addition, I have used other documents as references including, last years Environmental Scan our Demographics Booklet, selected City records, professional journals and other material. I. Introduction. As I reflect back on the past year, one event stands out among the rest. That event actually occurred twice and was the direct result of a request made by the City Council to the Citizen's of Allen. That event I'm referring to is the public input provided at the Cable Television Public Hearing and during the Capital Improvement Program planning process. I am amazed, impressed and humbled by this process. I am amazed at the insights and understanding that our citizens bring to an issue. I'm impressed with the quality of their comments and their thinking. And I'm humbled because I think I know something about City Government but the citizen's know what they want and what they need and because of that they know more than I. In the things that we do and the direction that we take we need to continually find ways to bridge between the institution that is local government and the great resource that is the good will of our citizens. We most challenge ourselves and others to do more than merely pay lip -service to "citizen input" by merely doing the obligatory, but seek stmctural and procedural methods to continually reach out to our citizenry. It is my belief that bringing "democracy to the dining room" will not substitute for decision-making but will bring understanding and validation to those decisions. II. External Factors. Growth: Allen has become synonymous with growth. From October 1 until this date we have issued 425 single family building permits. This month alone, with almost a week remaining, 92 permits have been issued. Of the 425 building permits issued this year, 223 are on the west side and 202 are on the east side of Allen. The residential growth on the west side has been nothing short of phenomenal. Commercial and retail growth has been muted by the decision of Wa1Mart to close their store in Allen later this summer. The relocation of Phototronics and the development of the remainder of the 92 -acre Allen Economic Development Corporation Property are very positive signs that industrial growth will continue. ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION MARCH 25, 1994 PAGE 7 Recent increases in the interest rates may signal a reduction in the number of single - family dwellings being built this summer. Even with this possibility, it appears that the City is on pace to issue more single -family building permits this year than in any other year in the City's history Some progress has been made on the retail/commercial side with the signing of the Facilities Agreement with Epic (Healthtmst) and the near term extension of facilities to the west side of US 75 in the Bethany Drive corridor. That should also help give life to the designs on the property on the south of Bethany for a Restaurant Row Are there other ways that the City can assist in accelerating these plans? As growth continues, the City's in base will also increase. Can the City avoid falling into the trap of funding service expansions (bond projects, new services, etc.), on rising property values on existing property, or can we maintain budget discipline so that new services and new projects are funded by new revenues that result from growth? Technology: Technology as represented by the emerging information super highway appears to be the only thing on the horizon that approaches being the "silver bullet" to deal with the issue of democracy in the dining room. E^ . Can cable TV be integrated into a meaningful local government service to citizens? Will our pending upgrade in the telephone system be focused on the needs of our citizens, clients, or will it be focused on the efficiency of the employees? Should we not re-think our relationship with the media (newspaper, TV, radio) as it relates to dissemination of information about local government to our citizens? Our use of the media for this purpose is at best problematic, because, after all, our goals are different. It has been said "news is what someone else does not want in the newspaper, everything else is advertising." Really New Same Old Federalism - Stateism: Much has been made during the past year of unfunded mandates and their deleterious effect on local governments. Yet, local governments continue to be fragmented, subordinate to the States, and in many ways the Federal Government and with limited resources. In other words, easy prey for State and Federal regulators. What will be Allen's role in the upcoming legislative session? What role will Allen assume at the Federal level? Multi-Culturalism: Illegal discrimination based upon race, gender, age, and disability is finding its way from the Capitol to the courthouse. Those court cases could have dramatic influences on our operations. The trend we should be most mindful of is to find ways to celebrate the multi-culturalism of our community In Allen 11.2% of our population is minority which a includes Hispanics. I know of no program associated with the City that addresses their special needs and concerns in a dominant anglo-comm mity ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION d MARCH 25, 1994 RI. Internal Factors. PAGE 8 Employee Relations: Employees are simultaneously our greatest asset and our greatest challenge. Recently, our Second Annual Employee Survey was completed but can only be summarized here. Employee satisfaction with "work" has improved from the 35th to the 37th percentile; with "pay" from the 22nd to the 25th percentile; with "supervision" from the 25th to the 35th percentile; and with "co-workers" from the 30th to the 40th percentile. Satisfaction with opportunities for promotion stayed at the 35th percentile. We fell just short of our intermediate specific goal, which was to bring all scales up above the 25th percentile. Our long range specific goal is to bring all scales above the 50th percentile. The biggest gains achieved this year appear to be in the areas in which we did the least. Should we continue in the same direction with pay and benefits as the previous year? What pro -active approaches can be taken to create a vibrant, challenging, and rewarding work place? Merely adding new employees as growth occurs will always leave us lacking in service delivery ability. What can be done organizationally and procedurally to affect quantum leaps in service delivery? Technology: This organization's approach to adopting and adapting new technology has been characterized by a fear of making costly mistakes. As examples I site the procrastination on the telephone system, our lamentations regarding multiple computer operating platforms and on our inability to adequately master -plan technology for the organization. Are we willing as an organization to risk making mistakes to get from the lower echelon of technology to the upper? Are we willing to empower employees to adopt and adapt technology by, for example; designating a month as technology month and challenging employees to recommend ways to improve the use of technology Funds would be set aside for the most promising suggestions. Training; Employee training in Allen is characterized by needs, specific out-of-town training based upon recommendations of our professional associations, self -identified needs, those imposed by State and Federal regulations and through certification programs. Almost none of our training is geared towards common themes beneficial to all of the employees of the organization. For example; Drug Free Work Place, Policy and Procedure Manual and other new employee information, customer service techniques, ADA compliance, etc. Policy Makers Responsiveness: Reflecting upon the decisions that the policy makers of the City have implemented during the past year the reader can only be impressed: Changes in the solid waste collection system, implementation of the drainage utility fee, initiation of the Capital Improvement Study Committee, the implementation of the Property Maintenance Code and improvements to the employee pay plan and health care package. ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION MARCH 25, 1994 PAGE 9 Inter -Jurisdictional Problem Solving: Although regional and sub -regional solutions to problems are fairly common, there may be opportunities in the near future to advance cooperation. Can we forge a union with Plano and perhaps McKinney to contractually offer fire/ambulance services in each others cities in designated areas? Can we work with multiple jurisdictions in the areas of training facilities and water supply. How do we increase the number of opportunities for these possibilities? Council and Staff discussed problems and opportunities that arose out of the Environmental Scan process. The following are issues of identification: I. Pay and benefits parity 2. Rethinking/recreating the organization 3. Technology — external/internal 4. Training — Staff, Council and Boards 5. Inter -jurisdictional problem solving Mission Statement (Agenda Item H -C) Council and Staff discussed the central purpose and values of the city government organization and whether or not these were adequately covered by the adopted Mission Statement. Council and Staff agreed the Mission Statement is still applicable and reaffirmed the Mission Statement. "Our Mission to achieve excellence in managing development of the community and in providing city services so that conditions of living and public confidence are continually enhanced. Our Pledge to fulfill our mission in a way that: Respects and values citizens and employees * Nurtures Community Involvement * Demonstrates the Highest Ethical Standards * Improves Effective Communications * Models Safety * Exemplifies Professionalism * Promotes Teamwork * Demonstrates Stewardship * Rewards Meritorious Performance * Maximizes the Use of Technology * Encourages Flexibility, Innovation and Creativity * Utilizes Effective Planning * Provides Opportunities for Personal and Professional Growth for all Personnel * and Assigns Appropriate Responsibility and Accountability " Current Issue Status Report (Agenda Item H -D) Council and Staff reviewed achievements from the various Staff project teams as a result of the issues and general goals from the Spring Planning Session of 1993. These issues were included as a part of the issue identification: I ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION MARCH 25, 1994 PAGE 10 1. Professional treatment of customers 2. Increase service demands 3. Barriers to business development 4A. Increase demand for police service 4B. Infrastructure maintenance 6. Unique, strategic advantage for retail and commercial development 7 Employee considerations 8. Tax base 9. Multi-year C.I.P 10. Communications and understanding with citizens and Boards & Commissions Executive Session (Agenda Item IV) In accordance with The Texas Government Code, Property, Section 551.072, and Personnel, Section 551.074, the Allen City Council convened into Executive Session at 1:59 p.m. in the Library Meeting Room of the Allen Public Library, Two Allen Civic Plaza, Allen, Texas in order to discuss matters pertaining to personnel assignments and property disposition. The Executive Session was adjourned at 3:10 p.m. Reconvene The Allen City Council reconvened into the Spring Planning Session at 3:11 p.m. on Friday, March 25, 1994, in the Library Meeting Room of the Allen Public Library Workshop on Strategic Planning (Agenda Item II continued) Issues Identification (Agenda Item H -E) Council and Staff purged the current strategic issues and developed a current list combining all the issues from today's discussion. Issue Ranking (Agenda Item 11-F) Council and Staff ranked issues with a forced ranking system. Point System 1. Capital Improvement Program 45 2. Managing development 49 3. City organization 50 4. Customer service 55 5. Unity 56 6. Strategic retail 60 7. Job satisfaction 62 8. Infrastructure maintenance 63 9. Business/industry 64 ALLEN CITY COUNCIL SPRING PLANNING SESSION MARCH 25, 1994 PAGE 11 10. Technology 65 11. Neighborhoods 69 12. City complex 73 13. Revenues 85 Goal Writing (Agenda Item II -G) Information will be sem back to the subcommittees at which time general goals will be written for each of these items and specific goals to be completed by Staff. Items of Interest to Council (Agenda Item III) There were no additional items of interest for the Council. Adioum (Agenda Item V) Upon a motion made by Councilmember Nichols and seconded by Councilmember Christakos, Mayor Fanner adjourned the Spring Planning Session of the Allen City Council at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, March 25, 1994. IThese minutes approved on the 7th day of April , 1994. ATTEST: G J y Moj(Asoik,CMC, CITY SECRETARY r APPROVED: �CQP JGev� J6e Farmer, MAYOR