CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Red Balloon Found at Airport
The attached notes represent correspondence between Kevin Brock, Street Division Supervisor with the Public Works Department and members of an Olathe second grade class concerning a balloon release the class had as part of a “Say No to Drugs” exercise.
Annual Community Assessment
The attached letter transmits the results of the Annual Community Assessment conducted by HUD for the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Per the letter, “(t)he Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity has commended the City of Lawrence in its efforts to further fair housing choice for all persons.” Additionally, through the Step Up to Better Housing strategy, the City has “demonstrated its effectiveness in program management and oversight and quality control”.
Overweight Vehicles – Draft Ordinances
Per the attached memo from Scott Miller, Staff Attorney, staff has developed a draft overweight vehicle ordinance and a draft ordinance adopting the federal motor carrier safety regulations. This draft ordinance has been requested by the Police Department’s traffic unit and is also viewed as a best practice as part of the City’s pavement management system because overweight trucks can contribute to more rapid pavement deterioration (see attached memo from Tammy Bennett, Public Works Senior Management Analyst). Our next steps in development of this ordinance include meeting with interested stakeholders in the community to discuss possible enactment of the ordinance, and referral of the draft ordinance to the Traffic Safety Commission for a recommendation to be received by the City Commission.
Landlords of Lawrence Presentation
The Landlords of Lawrence invited Barry Walthall, Code Enforcement Manager, and Victor Torres, Neighborhood Resources Department Director, to be guest speakers at their meeting held Monday, November 7. Several items were presented, including:
· A briefing on the Contractor Licensing Program. Information provided included a discussion on insurance, experience, continuing education requirements and contractor class types
· Information regarding the Accelerated Abatement Program currently enforced in the City of Overland Park.
· An update on the Rental Registration program that included, number of registered rental properties, frequently found code violations, inspection procedures and checklists
· The department website was also introduced as a means of obtaining information on the number of programs the department offers.
Pavement Maintenance Information
Vance Brothers has been crack sealing for several weeks in the southwest section of town. The contract included placement of 75,000 lbs. of crack fill material. The cost was approximately $96,000. The specific area is bounded by Iowa (east), Clinton Parkway (north), Wakarusa Drive (west) and 31st Street (south). Project photos are attached.
More Pavement Maintenance News
The attached letter from KDOT announces that the resurfacing project for Iowa Street from 23rd Street to Irving hill Road Overpass and Harvard Rd. to 6th Street has been selected for funding.
New Aquatic Punch Cards for 2006
Attached is a memo from Jimmy Gibbs, Aquatic Manager, which addresses some adjustments to improve aquatic admission options. Implementing a punch card system in 2006 instead of the ticket booklets will allow for better accounting of the tickets and save printing costs. The punch card would be sold at the same discount and have the same number of admissions as the previous ticket booklets. Monthly and season passes and daily cash admissions would also continue at all aquatic facilities. Staff ran this change by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board at their last meeting and it was greeted as a welcomed improvement.
Action Items from 11-15 -05
A report on the action items assigned to staff during the 11/15/05 City Commission meeting is attached, along with an update of previous action item assignments.