City Council Planning Sessions

MEMORANDUM TO: Record FROM: Susan Bishel, Public Relations Coordinator SUBJECT: Feb. 27, 2017 City Council Planning Session Minutes DATE: Feb. 28, 2017 CC: Mayor and City Council, City Manager, City Clerk, Department Heads The Planning Session took place in the Council Chambers, Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St., Wheaton, Illinois. Those attending the Planning Session included: Mayor Gresk, Councilwoman Fitch, Councilman Prendiville, Councilman Rutledge, Councilman Saline, Councilman Scalzo and Councilman Suess. Also in attendance were City Manager Dzugan, Assistant City Manager Duguay, Director of Planning & Economic Development Kozik, Director of Public Works Laoang, Director of Finance Lehnhardt, Director of Engineering Redman, Senior Project Engineer Lagvankar, Water Superintendent McMillen, Streets Superintendent Wakefield, Public Works Administrative Superintendent Wallace, Management Intern Kowalke, and Public Relations Coordinator Bishel. The session began at 7:00 p.m. and concluded at 8:00 p.m. The following items were discussed: I. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Gresk. II. Approval of February 13, 2017 Planning Session Minutes The Council approved the February 13, 2017 Planning Session Minutes. III. Public Comments There were no public comments. IV. Cobra Streetlight LED Replacement Public Works Administrative Superintendent Wallace stated the Public Works Department has replaced 582 incandescent City streetlights in the past two years with LED streetlights. The neighborhood streetlights the City replaced had become obsolete, and replacing them with LED fixtures reduced the amount of energy used by about one-half, also providing substantial savings in energy costs. The City has learned of a state grant opportunity that would assist the City in replacing 553 Cobra streetlights, and the funding incentive is doubled for projects that can be completed in the next few months. The model of streetlights the City would like to use are the same type that ComEd has recently used to replace some of its streetlights in Wheaton. In response to Council questions, Public Works Administrative Superintendent Wallace stated the color temperature of the LED fixtures is slightly more blue than the incandescent lights that are currently used. She stated the lights proposed for replacement are on portions of parts of President, Manchester, Wiesbrook, East and West Loop Road, Scottsdale, and North Main Street. The City’s total investment in this project would be $117,000, and the City estimates the investment would be paid back in 3 years due to the energy cost savings the City will realize. In response to Council questions, Public Works Administrative Superintendent Wallace stated the fixtures would be under warrantee for 10 years, but the fixtures’ life expectancy is at least 20 years. Street Superintendent Wakefield stated maintenance costs would also be decreased because with the incandescent fixtures, the City has to maintain the ballast and the light, but the LED fixtures do not require the same level of maintenance. In response to Council questions about whether the City could replace more lights, Street Superintendent Wakefield stated the proposed project would replace all of the City-maintained Cobra fixtures except for those on Roosevelt Road. The City does not believe replacing the lights on Roosevelt Road would be feasible for this grant, as the Illinois Department of Transportation would require the City to have engineering studies done prior to replacing lights on Roosevelt Road. The City is unsure if grant money will be available after May 8. City Manager Dzugan stated this is a federally-funded project, and the City has already been pre-approved by the state for this project. The City Council expressed interest in proceeding with this project and directed City staff to place the item on the March 6 City Council meeting agenda for the Council’s formal consideration. V. Five-Year Capital Improvement Program Assistant City Manager Duguay presented an overview of the Five-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which City staff is creating as a long-term planning tool tied to the City Council’s goals of funding capital project needs and providing reliable infrastructure systems that support the community’s expectations. The CIP will provide a methodical and strategic process to plan projects, prioritize them and plan for their funding. Assistant City Manager Duguay stated the projects were divided into the categories of new, replacement or maintenance. He also reviewed some of the recent infrastructure studies the City has done, which have allowed the City to develop long-term plans and determine funding needs. 2/27/17 Planning Session 2 Assistant City Manager Duguay reviewed the steps the City staff has taken to produce the CIP, which included working with each department to identify their capital needs. Director of Finance Lehnhardt reviewed the project categories that staff identified, including different types of infrastructure improvements, facility improvements and more. In terms of funding the capital projects, Director of Finance Lehnhardt stated staff is still developing funding strategies. Some of the options the City could consider are pay-as-you-go financing, debt financing, using the City’s existing funding sources (such as property taxes), and funding for capital projects. Director of Finance Lehnhardt reviewed the City’s main funds, including the General Fund, capital projects funds, motor fuel tax fund, TIF District funds, debt service fund, enterprise funds and replacement funds. In response to a Council question regarding the amount the City has spent in the past two years that are considered capital improvement projects, City Manager Dzugan stated this amount is approximately $12 million. Director of Finance Lehnhardt reviewed the breakdown of projects by type and by proposed funding source. The majority of the projects are related to infrastructure. In response to a Council question, Director of Finance Lehnhardt stated the projects beyond the first two years could not be completed without additional funding allotted. City Manager Dzugan stated while the City has identified the projects that staff recommend the City address over the next five years, staff is still developing the suggested funding for future projects. The Council can work to decrease operating expenses, increase revenues, reduce the amount of projects, or some combination of these. Assistant City Manager Duguay showed examples of the worksheets staff is using for CIP projects. The worksheets include justification for the project, immediate and future impacts on the City’s budget, and factors to help staff determine if the project needs immediate action. They also include criteria to help staff prioritize projects using a scoring system. In response to Council questions about projects that require immediate action, Assistant City Manager Duguay stated between 10% and 20% of CIP projects were classified as needing immediate action. 2/27/17 Planning Session 3 City Manager Dzugan noted that no major stormwater projects are included in this plan, as City staff still needs to complete stormwater studies before being able to create a plan for how to proceed. City Manager Dzugan stated an updated CIP will be presented to the Council every year in conjunction with the annual budget review process. VI. City Council/Staff Comments City Manager Dzugan recognized the City’s Management Intern Brandon Kowalke for receiving Northern Illinois University’s intern of the year award. VII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m. 2/27/17 Planning Session 4