June 30, 2009
CITY OF SHELBY
STRATEGIC PLAN
GOVERNMENT PUBLIC MEETING #1
Thursday—June 18, 2009
Shelby Chamber of Commerce Conference Room 142 North Gamble Street – Suite A
The first public meeting of the Strategic Plan Government Topic was held at 5:00 PM on June 18, 2009 at the Shelby Chamber of Commerce conference room.
Attending: Pat Carlisle, Garland Gates, Carol Knapp, Crystal Lybarger, Chris McNary, and Steven with the Globe.
Crystal Lybarger and Chris McNary led the meeting, assisted by Carol Knapp and Pat Carlisle.
Due to the many components of the government portion of the strategic plan, a SWOT analysis was not completed. General conversation regarding city government took place.
Storm Water Management
Chris advised that additional personnel may be needed due to EPA mandates regarding storm water management. Storm water is not permitted into the sanitary sewer system and by-pass is no longer permitted. Additional resources (equipment and personnel) will be needed to address these regulations. Storm water management is being looked at countywide and by watershed. The countywide and watershed efforts could help Shelby. Shelby would need to pay a portion of storm water management costs at that level. Over the next 30 years, equipment upgrades will be needed.
Sewer System
Shelby’s present wastewater treatment plant is more than adequate to meet the present demands. The facility has the capacity to treat 5 million gallons per day.
Infiltration issues still exist at the wastewater treatment plant. 1 inch of rain results in 1 million gallons of increased water at the treatment plant.
“Smoking” for infiltration will be happening in Shelby to help address the infiltration issue.
Back-flow valves seem to be very effective for the property owners that have installed them. These valves help keep sanitary sewers from backing up into basements because the sanitary sewers have so much storm water infiltration from down spouts that are not supposed to be attached to the sewer system.
Lift stations may become necessary at some point in the future. The disadvantage of lift stations is the maintenance expense. The advantage of lift stations is increased growth capacity outside of gravity restrictions.
There are still septic systems within the City of Shelby. There are presently plans to connect homes on Mickey Road to the City sanitary system. Additional septic systems are located on West Main Street to Stambaugh and at other locations throughout the City.
The age of infrastructure is an issue that all communities are facing. Shelby has been proactive since the 1970s and 1980s in addressing the aging infrastructure. There is current a US Senate bill to allow millions in federal dollars for cities to upgrade water and sewer infrastructure because the aging systems are public health hazards.
Water
The capacity of Shelby’s water treatment facility is more than adequate to meet the present demands and is good for additional residential and industrial growth.
The EPA wants looping of water lines. Presently, Shelby has 41 “dead-end” hydrants that need to be flushed each month.
Electric
Shelby has been proactive in addressing the growth and capacity of our electrical services with the two new tie lines. Generation has been a concern and hot topic for many years. Distribution is a definite plus for our City. Crews do a fantastic job of addressing issues with distribution.
Garland pointed out that with electric generation we need to do what is best for the ratepayers (customers). The issue is whether it is cheaper for the ratepayers to buy purchased power or power generated in Shelby.
General
The City has been departmentalized as a proactive approach to address issues. Sanitary sewer issues are covered by the Sanitary Sewer Department; Water issues are covered by the Water Treatment Department, etc.
The City Charter was adopted in 1921 and “borrowed” from Ashland. Garland recommended that everyone read the Charter. Charter changes can be made by petition or by City Council and requires voter approval.
Title 7 of the Ohio Revised Code covers things not covered in the City Charger. Shelby Codified Ordinance Titles 2, 4, 6, and 8 address other governmental issues.
Meeting adjourned at 6:00 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol A. Knapp
Strategic Plan Coordinator
CITY OF SHELBY
STRATEGIC PLAN
GOVERNMENT PUBLIC MEETING #2
Monday—June 22, 2009
Shelby Chamber of Commerce Conference Room 142 North Gamble Street – Suite A
The second public meeting of the Strategic Plan Government Topic was held at 5:30 PM on June 22, 2009 at the Shelby Chamber of Commerce conference room.
Attending: Pat Carlisle, Marilyn John, Carol Knapp, Cohen Lewis, Crystal Lybarger, Derrin Roberts, and Steven with the Globe.
Pat started the meeting with a recap of the information Garland Gates shared with us about city structure and how the City’s charter was developed. Presently, we do not have a Charter Review Commission. It is City Council’s responsibility to review the Charter and recommend changes. Changes to the City Charter can be made by petition or by City Council and must go before the voters for approval. Pat advised that police officers read the Charter as part of their training. The Charter needs to be reviewed regularly for out-datedness and conflict with the City’s Codified Ordinances. Adam Hill and Garland Gates used to hold “Charter Night” to discuss the Charter and provide information to the public. This event was appreciated by the council members in attendance.
Pat explained how the Commissions of the City work. The commissions receive direction from City Council on the particular topic. They do not set their own agendas.
Pat shared that the City’s Codified Ordinances have not been updated since 2006. There were no updates in 2007, 2008, or 2009. Codified Ordinance books used by Council members and the public have not been updated nor has the City’s web site. In 2008, a complete re-codification was requested. It has not yet been completed. A re-codification of the ordinances was suggested every ten years. Updates were suggested every six months. It is the law director’s responsibility to review the ordinances when they are re-codified.
Pat advised that at one time there were 35 or more copies of the Codified Ordinance books. It was suggested that the Codified Ordinances be updated on the web site every six months. It may be possible to eliminate the number of hard copies of the Codified Ordinances by providing Council members with the ordinances on CD format if they prefer. Hard copies of the ordinances would be provided to Council members that have that preference.
Meeting adjourned at 6:30 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol A. Knapp
Strategic Plan Coordinator
CITY OF SHELBY
STRATEGIC PLAN
GOVERNMENT PUBLIC MEETING #3
Tuesday—June 23 2009
Shelby Chamber of Commerce Conference Room 142 North Gamble Street – Suite A
The third public meeting of the Strategic Plan Government Topic was held at 5:00 PM on June 23, 2009 at the Shelby Chamber of Commerce conference room.
Attending: Pat Carlisle, Garland Gates, Dave Hoover, Marilyn John, Carol Knapp, Cohen Lewis, Crystal Lybarger, Chris McNary, Derrin Roberts, Steve Schag, and Steven with the Globe.
Further discussion was held on the City of Shelby Charter, City Council responsibilities, Committees, Commissions, and Boards. Title Eight of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Shelby identifies the Boards and Commissions of the City as follows:
The City of Shelby web-site identifies Shelby Board and Commission members as follows:
Boards
Commissions
Committees
??
Shelby City Council recently passed legislation to develop a Flood Plain Management Commission to address flood issues. This Commission will consist of nine members.
Commission and Board members are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by City Council.
Boards and Commissions are determined by community needs of the time. For example, the newly formed Flood Plain Management Commission.
Discussion was held regarding the lack of knowledge by the general public on what boards, commissions, and committees the City has, who the members of these boards, commissions, and committees are,and what the responsibilities of each board, commission, and committee is. An outreach program was suggested to provide this information to the citizens. Marilyn John proposed a leadership program similar to the one in Troy, Ohio. Classes on “government” were suggested as well to provide an educational opportunity for Shelby citizens and perhaps encourage community involvement in City government. A segment in the paper featuring the various boards, commissions, and committees was suggested as well. This segment would provide the opportunity for citizens to recognize the members (their neighbors) and understand better what each board, commission, and committee does. With knowledge of these boards, commissions, and committees, interest in participating may be peaked.
A “From the Mayor’s Desk” column was suggested as well with an article from the mayor appearing weekly. Although the mayor gives a report at council, sometimes the information is “lost” with all the other topics covered at a council meeting. It was also suggested that City Council meetings be videotaped and put on the web. This would allow the opportunity for more citizens to understand Council activities. This could be with the addition of some equipment, software, and expertise in this area.
At the second public government meeting, a proactive approach to reviewing the Codified Ordinances and Charter was discussed. Shelby has never had a Charter Review Commission. Garland informed us that in the early 1990’s a Charter Commission was developed with 15 members elected to (re)write the Charter. This is an unusual situation for a Charter Commission to be developed for a City that already has a Charter. The Charter Commission re-wrote the City’s Charter to allow for a City Manager rather than Mayor. Shelby citizens voted down the Charter rewrite. Garland explained the structure of government with a City Manager. Rather than an elected mayor, the City Manager is hired by City Council. This type of governmental leadership is similar to a corporation with Council in the role of the Board of Directors and the City Manager in the role of CEO. It totally changes the level of accountability. Dave Hoover suggested one change to the City Charter that would provide for staggered council and mayor terms. At the present time, terms for all council members and the mayor are the same which creates the slight potential for a whole new council and mayor at the same time. Garland suggested that Dave talk with Lee Shepherd about this Charter change.
The next government public meeting will cover public utilities on Monday, June 29 from 5:30 to 6:30. The final government public meeting will cover safety services on Tuesday, June 30 from 5:00 to 6:00 PM.
Meeting adjourned at 6:00 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol A. Knapp
Strategic Plan Coordinator
CITY OF SHELBY
STRATEGIC PLAN
GOVERNMENT PUBLIC MEETING 4
Monday—June 29
Shelby Chamber of Commerce Conference Room 142 North Gamble Street – Suite A
AGENDA
Public Utilities
CITY OF SHELBY
STRATEGIC PLAN
GOVERNMENT PUBLIC MEETING 4
Tuesday—June 30, 2009
Shelby Chamber of Commerce Conference Room 142 North Gamble Street – Suite A
AGENDA
Safety Services