Citizen Bond Committee Meeting City of Peoria, Pine Room January 9, 2008 A regular meeting of the Citizen Bond Committee of the City of Peoria, Arizona, was convened at 8401 West Monroe Street in open and public session at 6:30 p.m. Members present: Jamie Arkin, William Bercu, Frank Bohall, Santos Diaz III, Alan Doerschel, Phil Hanson, Kathy Heyman, Don Holtzee, Greg Loper, Ron Lyzniak, Armando Macias, Jack McCleary, Marvin McCloe, Ken Myers, Gary Nerdig, Mark Proctor, Jim Redondo, Michael Rogers, William Schindler, Pat Temes, Anne Wojcik, Wendy Wood Member absent: Tom Campbell, Gracie Gibson, Gary Nelson, Peter Raymond, Pete Rivera, Barry Spiegel, Paul Studer Regular Agenda Meeting was called to order by Chairman Greg Loper at 6:32 p.m. Mr. Loper reminded members to be sure to sign the attendance roster at each meeting and also to be sure to provide their name before addressing the group. A motion to approve the minutes from the December 19, 2007 meeting was made by William Schindler and Ken Myers seconded the motion. There was no further discussion, and the minutes were approved by a unanimous vote. Budget Director Jeff Tyne provided a brief introduction of Public Works Director Bill Mattingly and City Engineer David Moody and indicated they would be providing an overview of their department projects to the group. Public Works Director Bill Mattingly began his department presentation by providing an overview of the Public Works Department. Mr. Mattingly discussed the mission statement of the Public Works Department which includes providing quality operations while continuing to preserve and enhance the City’s buildings and infrastructure. Public Works develops and designs projects, and then works to maintain the finished projects. The department consists of the Streets, Solid Waste, Transit, Design and Construction, Fleet Services, and Facilities Divisions. The Facilities Division is responsible for the operations and maintenance of City buildings, and Fleet Service is responsible for all City vehicles except the Fire Department vehicles. The Streets Division is responsible for street signage, traffic signals, sweeping, storm drains and street maintenance. Transit Operations includes the City’s Dial-A-Ride program and fixed bus routes. Mr. Mattingly next discussed the streets pavement management system. A good pavement maintenance program can extend the life of a street by ten years. The department does an annual inventory of all City streets and ranks them according to various criteria. The goal is to have all streets scoring at least 55 on a possible scale of 100. Any street ranked lower than 55 after being inventoried needs to be completely redone. The ranking system also considers the overall usage of the roads, and arterial streets are always a first priority for maintenance or repair. Public Works is also responsible for the operation and maintenance of street lights. Street lights, which generally consist of a galvanized steel pole with an attached light fixture can last up to thirty years. The department will be replacing some of the older street light poles and upgrading them to more aesthetically acceptable fixtures. Upgrades will also be required for some of the City’s traffic signal equipment which uses sophisticated electronics with a ten year life cycle. The department is not asking for voter authorization for Solid Waste or the Transit Division. There is a regional plan in place that will handle funding for transit projects and the long range goal is to have a planned fixed route schedule in the twenty year plan. Mr. Mattingly also discussed the City’s need for new facilities and the different uses for these facilities. He also reviewed all of the major facilities design and construction studies completed by the City over the past few years. The City is planning for a North Municipal Support Services Center and a consultant has been hired to determine what type of facilities will be needed. It is estimated the City will require approximately 40 usable acres for the facility and it is more cost effective to review possible sites and acquire the land for the facility now. The facility is needed because as the City’s population expands up north, it is simply not feasible to continue to have City vehicles travel from our current Municipal Operations Center located at 79th Avenue and Olive. It is also possible that in the future, the City may have corporate partners to share some of our facilities and also share in the cost and maintenance of those facilities. There are planned renovations for facilities such as the Peoria Sport Complex, City Court, Council Chambers and City Hall. An example of one of the City’s recently completed projects is the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. Additionally, renovations were recently completed at the existing Municipal Operations Center to upgrade and expand that facility. Mr. Mattingly completed his presentation with a summary of those projects requiring bond authorization. These include: City parking lot asphalt replacement, land purchase for the North Municipal Support Services Center, Municipal Court expansion, Peoria Sports Complex asphalt replacement, Deer Valley Road reconstruction and overlay, Peoria Main Library and Council Chambers renovations, upgrade and replacement of HVAC system at Sports Complex team clubhouses, various Sports Complex improvements and the Community Center building addition. Jack McCleary inquired as to what possible sites are being considered for the land purchase related to the North Municipal Support Services Center. Some possible sites under consideration include Lake Pleasant and the Loop 303, Lake Pleasant and State Route 74, or Happy Valley Road and the Loop 303. Frank Bohall inquired as to how many employees are in the Public Works Department. Mr. Mattingly responded that within the six divisions, there are 144 employees. Mark Proctor commented that builders are selling their land at lower prices right now and asked if the City could take advantage of the current market situation. Mr. Mattingly responded that the City currently does have some bond authority available and if additional authority is recommended and approved, with the direction of Council, staff will move forward with purchasing the required land for the northern facility. Michael Rogers inquired as to whether Northern Parkway is included on the project list for bond authorization. City Engineer David Moody responded that the Northern Parkway project already has some funding available, but bond authorization and approval will be required for the project. Ann Wojcik asked if there were any plans within the City to implement trolley service for visitors. Mr. Mattingly responded that at this time, there are no plans for trolley service within the City. Armando Macias asked how funding is determined for Peoria’s projects. The City develops a list of projects and the anticipated costs. The plan is then taken to the voters for approval, and if approved, the projects are then put into place. Gary Nerdig asked if the project costs presented were expressed in today’s dollars. The proposed project costs are listed in current dollars. Mr. Nerdig then requested that staff go over some of the project costs in more detail. Mr. Mattingly used the Council Chambers renovation as an example. The Council Chambers requires renovations and upgrades of the heat and cooling system and the cost for this is higher because you are modernizing and upgrading the equipment to today’s standards and working on a building that is still in operation. Jeff Tyne asked Mr. Mattingly to explain how the estimates are created. The estimates are put together utilizing a construction cost index which provides a price per square foot. The department has collective staff experience in this area and also utilizes outside sources to come up with the project costs. Many of the buildings on this campus are approximately twenty years old and need to be renovated so they can comply with newer building code standards and provide adequate handicap access. William Schindler asked how staff reports the City’s specific capital needs to the public. Deputy City Manager John Wenderski responded that once a list of project recommendations from the committee has gone to Council and been approved, staff will develop town hall presentations to be provided at various locations throughout the City to inform the public. Chief Financial Officer Brent Mattingly added that the City develops a media campaign that includes town hall meetings, brochures, citizen newsletters and Channel 11 informational videos. Gary Nerdig requested that more detailed cost information be provided for the projects presented. Chairman Greg Loper responded that more detailed information is available in the handouts provided, but staff will develop additional information as well. Mr. Loper then requested this discussion be deferred until the next meeting so that staff could continue with the scheduled project presentation. City Engineer David Moody began his department presentation by providing a summary of his work experience and an overview of the Engineering Department. The department has four divisions: Development Engineering, Capital Engineering, Traffic Engineering, and Inspection Services. The Development Division works with the private sector as developers do approximately 80-90% of the building within the City. The Capital Division is responsible for City development. Private and City development both require inspections for water, sewer and roads. The Traffic Division is responsible for the design and study of the City’s traffic systems. Mr. Moody also explained that he has two staff members in his department to negotiate and purchase all easements and right-of-way requirements. Mr. Moody discussed some of projects previously completed and funded with bonds. Alan Doreshel asked how much money was paid by developers for the 2000 bond projects listed. Mr. Moody explained that for the Westbrook Village sound wall, all project funding was provided by the City. For the Lake Pleasant Parkway street widening project, some funding was provided by Maricopa County funding through Proposition 400 funding. Engineering with Budget and other governmental entities to identify funding sources as there generally is more than one funding source for most projects. These sources can include impact fees, county or state monies, developer contributions and general obligation bonds. Staff will provide information to identify all of the funding sources for the projects presented at a future committee meeting. Alan Doerschel asked if the committee would be able to change the prioritization of funding. The committee will have the ability to change priorities and this will be discussed in more detail at a future committee meeting. Mr. Moody discussed some of the planning documents that are used to set up the arterial street network for the City of Peoria. Some of the City’s roadway needs are identified through a level of service system which accounts for daily traffic flows and volume. Staff also rank intersections and how long it takes traffic to travel through a light. The ranking indicates what types of roads need to be built. Mr. Moody continued his presentation with an explanation of street classifications. By using street classifications, staff can use all of the information available and determine how much a road project will cost. Inflation is currently impacting the City’s street construction projects. Some of the required materials such as steel, asphalt and concrete have almost tripled in cost. Mark Proctor inquired as to why the City is requesting voter authorization for work on Northern Avenue because it is one the border between Peoria and Glendale. Mr. Moody explained that the City is not funding a large portion of the project which is a regional project. The funding for Northern Parkway is shared and a percentage of the cost is shared by four cities. There was further discussion on Northern Parkway and other street projects, but Chairman Greg Loper requested that committee members hold their questions until the next committee meeting. Deputy City Manager John Wenderski then addressed the group to discuss what will be covered at next week’s meeting. At the next meeting, time will be provided for committee members to have their additional transportation project related questions answered. Additionally, staff will provide more detailed project information and discuss how construction costs are calculated. Staff will also discuss project priorities and go over the process of developing a financial plan. Chairman Greg Loper made a call to the public. There were no requests to address the group. Mr. Loper announced the next meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 16, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. Being no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 8:28 p.m. ________________________________ Greg Loper, Committee Chairman Submitted by: ________________________________ Michelle Grieb, Executive Assistant Finance Department