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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7-10-23 Special Study Session Agenda PacketSPECIAL STUDY SESSION AGENDA CITY COUNCIL CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO 7500 W. 29th Ave. Wheat Ridge CO July 10, 2023 This meeting will be conducted as a virtual meeting, and in person, at 7500 West 29th Avenue, Municipal Building immediately following the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting. City Council members and City staff members will be physically present at the Municipal building for this meeting. The public may participate in these ways: 1. Attend the meeting in person at City Hall. Use the appropriate roster to sign up to speak upon arrival 2. Provide comment in advance at www.wheatridgespeaks.org (comment by noon on July 10, 2023) 3. Virtually attend and participate in the meeting through a device or phone: • Click here to join and provide public comment • Or call +1-669-900-6833 with Access Code: 831 8506 4712 Passcode: 418989 4. View the meeting live or later at www.wheatridgespeaks.org, Channel 8, or YouTube Live at https://www.ci.wheatridge.co.us/view Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to participate in all public meetings sponsored by the City of Wheat Ridge. Contact the Public Information Officer at 303-235-2877 or wrpio@ci.wheatridge.co.us with as much notice as possible if you are interested in participating in a meeting and need inclusion assistance. Public Comment on Agenda Items 1. Staff Report(s) a) 2023 Jefferson County Multi-Hazard Plan annual report 2. City Clerk’s Office staffing capacity 3. Elected Officials’ Report(s) 1 Memorandum TO: Mayor and City Council THROUGH: Patrick Goff, City Manager FROM: Mark Westberg, Projects Supervisor DATE: June 28, 2023 SUBJECT: 2023 Jefferson County Multi-Hazard Plan Annual Report ISSUE: Natural hazards in Jefferson County and the City of Wheat Ridge have historically caused significant disasters resulting in damage to property and natural resources, and in some instances, loss of life. Undertaking hazard mitigation actions in accordance with a multi-hazard mitigation plan reduces the potential for harm to people and property from future hazard occurrences. Council adopted the current Jefferson County Multi-hazard Mitigation Plan (MHP) on November 8, 2021. The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires that an annual report be completed as a condition of future funding for mitigation projects under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) pre- and post-disaster mitigation grant programs. The City of Wheat Ridge has made progress on some actions and has fully participated in the annual report of the 2021 Jefferson County Multi-hazard Mitigation Plan. BACKGROUND: Rather than provide an update on all the projects for all the member agencies in the MHP, this annual report focuses on just highlighting the grants that had been received by all the member agencies related to mitigating natural hazards. The City didn’t receive any hazard mitigation grants in the last year, so City specific information isn’t included in the annual report. However, progress has been made on some actions, so the City’s project table has been updated to reflect the current status of the listed actions, see Attachment 1. The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program managed by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The CRS program recognizes and encourages locally managed floodplain management that exceeds minimum NFIP standards and in turn provides discounted flood insurance rates to the City. Participating in the MHP, including providing an annual update to Council, helps to maintain the City’s CRS Class 5 rating and the resulting 25% discount that the City’s flood insurance policy holders receive. Only ten other communities in Colorado and 199 communities nationwide, of 1,510 CRS communities nationwide, are rated at a Class 5 or above. The multi-hazard mitigation plan is an essential component of the City’s CRS program and provides a significant number of points, 240, towards reaching the minimum 2,500 points needed for the City’s current Class 5 rating. The multi-hazard mitigation plan also satisfies one of the pre-requisites to reach a Class 4 rating, with a resulting 30% discount. Another pre-requisite for Class 4 is preparing a Watershed Master Plan, which staff is exploring, and may provide enough points to reach the minimum 3,000 points to be a Class 4 CRS city. There is only one community in Colorado and 25 communities nationwide with ratings above a Class 5. Keeping the City’s high Class 5 rating and 25% discount is critical as flood insurance rates continue to rise for many policy holders due to ongoing changes in how those rates are calculated with FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0. The primary goal of Risk Rating 2.0 is to have the rate for each property to be such that it accurately reflects the risk for that particular property. Although rate increases will still be capped at 18 percent/year for most policy holders, many rates will rise at that maximum of 18% annual amount until the rate reaches full risk rate for that particular property. For some of the highest risk properties immediately adjacent to Clear Creek or Lena Gulch, the full risk rate could be over $10,000 thousand dollars annually. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Mitigation Actions 2023 Annual Update MItigation Actions 2023 Annual Update Action Number Mitigation Action Title Desciption Hazard Mitigated Responsible Division & Partners Sub-Action City Costs Total Costs Funding Source Priority Timing 2023 Status 2023 Notes Mapping $13,000 in 2016 $148,000 CIP & 2016 MHFD IGA Unknown Stalled Revised maps adopted in 2023. No timing on starting FEMA process. Masterplan $25,000 in 2023 $50,000 CIP & 2022 MHFD IGA 2024 Not Started Awaiting kick-off meeting with MHFD. 2 Sloan’s Lake floodplain mapping and master plan Revise the floodplain maps for the Sloan's Lake basin to reflect the updated FHAD that was completd in 2019. The revised maps will more accurately depict the actual flood risk for properties. Flood Engineering & MHFD NA $17,000 in 2016 $200,000 CIP & 2016 MHFD IGA Low 2022 Completed Revised maps adopted by FEMA in 2022. 3 Stormwater CIP - Wadsworth drainage improvements As a part of the Wadsworth Widening project, the 1950 storm sewer will be replaced with a larger capacity system that includes a water quality pond before discharging into Clear Creek. Flood Engineering & Federal, CDOT, JeffCo, WRWD, & WRSD NA $27 million total project 2015 thru 2025 $81 million total project Multiple IGAs with funding partners High 2025 In Progress Construction started in 2021. 4 Improve Wheat Ridge CRS rating to a Class 4 Wheat Ridge is currently a Class 5 CRS community with residents in the floodplain receiving a 25% discount on their flood insurance premiums. Improving to a Class 4 would result in a 30% savings. The additional program elements in order to raise the rating results in the community being more aware, better prepared, and more resilient from flooding. Flood Engineering NA $50,000 $50,000 CIP Medium Unknown Not Started Awaiting revised floodplain maps to start Watershed Master Plan, a Class 4 prerequisite. Clear Creek $2.75 million $5.5 million CIP & ???? MHFD IGA 2026 Not Started Awaiting updated master plan. Lena Gulch $1.625 million $3.25 million CIP & ???? MHFD IGA 2025 Not Started Awaiting updated master plan. 6 Become a Storm Ready Community Participate with Jefferson County in becoming Storm Ready Communities. Extreme Temps, Tornado, Hailstorm, Lightning, Severe Winter Storms, Windstorm Engineering & Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management NA $0 $5,000, if needed for equipment, training, or to host trainings Emergency Managers Partners grant Low Unknown Not Started Awaiting JeffCo obtaining grant. 7 Channel 8/ Website Updates Provide general, non-emergency information to help plan, mitigate, and cope with the ongoing nature of hazards.All Engineering NA Ongoing Ongoing General Fund Medium Ongoing In Progress Updating website to be ADA accessible. 8 Stormwater Program and Maintenance Operations Manage the federally mandated stormwater program to minimize pollutants entering waterways and maintain the City's stormwater facilities to reduce the risk of flooding. Erosion and Deposition, Flood Engineering & Operations NA Ongoing Ongoing General Fund Medium Ongoing In Progress Ongoing operations. 9 Lena Gulch floodplain mapping and master plan Revise the floodplain maps for Lena Gulch to reflect updated flows. The revised maps will more accurately depict the actual flood risk for properties along Lena Gulch. Flood Engineering & MHFD NA $30,000 in 2021 $260,000 CIP & 2021 MHFD IGA High 2024 Not Started Awaiting kick-off meeting with MHFD. 10 Streetscape Conversion to Xeriscape Replace existing sod based streetscape with native, drought tolerent xeriscape plan materials. The landscaping that will be installed with the Wadsworth Widening project will serve as a pilot project. Drought Engineering & Parks NA $27 million total project 2015 thru 2025 $81 million total project Multiple IGAs with funding partners Low 2025 In Progress Construction started in 2021. High Medium 5 Floodplain Projects – Clear Creek and Lena Gulch After the master plans are completed for Clear Creek and Lena Gulch, implement identified projects to reduce flooding and/or maintenance. Flood Engineering & MHFD 1 Clear Creek floodplain mapping and master plan Revise the floodplain maps for Clear Creek to reflect the 30% reduction in the regulatory flows that was approved by FEMA in Jan 2017. The revised maps more accurately depict the actual flood risk for properties along Clear Creek resulting in several properties that were added to the floodplain in 2014 being removed. Flood Engineering & MHFD ATTACHMENT 1 Memorandum TO: Mayor and City Council THRU: Patrick Goff, City Manager FROM: Steve Kirkpatrick, City Clerk Gerald Dahl, City Attorney Allison Scheck, Deputy City Manager DATE: July 10, 2023 SUBJECT: City Clerk’s Office Staffing Capacity ISSUE: The demands of the City Clerk’s Office (CCO) have evolved over the last several years due to an active constituency, business community and legislature. Additionally, recent events such as the pandemic and the cyber-attack have placed greater focus on the need for the modernization of processes. In recognition of this, City Council has requested the topic of the CCO staffing and capacity be studied to determine if altering the structure and or staffing is warranted. PRIOR ACTION: At their retreat in February 2023, Council briefly discussed whether to take a question about the elected Treasurer and City Clerk roles to the voters. Council decided not to further explore adding a question to the 2023 ballot, and instead agreed to reconvene on this matter in future years. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The 2022 CCO actual budget was $148,153 and the 2023 CCO adopted budget is $186,649. The staffing currently includes one elected City Clerk (salary of $29,000 per City Code) and one Deputy City Clerk. DISCUSSION: To aid Council in preparation for this discussion, information pertaining to the CCO is separated by topic as follows: duties of the CCO; summary of structure and staffing of CCO’s in other Colorado municipalities; Charter and Code considerations; and options for consideration. Duties of the City Clerk’s Office The CCO is responsible for the following activities on a daily basis. The City Clerk’s duties are described formally at Charter Sec. 3.8 and Code 2-22; however, the following list describes those duties in practical terms: Staff Report: City Clerk’s Office Staffing and Capacity July 10, 2023 Page 2 • Manage all aspects of conducting municipal elections including coordinated elections working with the Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder’s Elections Division. • Provide and maintain forms for petitions required by Charter or ordinance • Certify all resolutions and ordinances passed by Council • Manage the City’s liquor licensing program, work with Wheat Ridge Police Department on investigations of possible liquor code violations and background checks for license applicants • Liaison to the Liquor Authority Board • Manage and certify petitions and referendum processes • Manage amusement licenses and amplified sound permits • Act as the City’s records custodian and manage the record retention program • Respond to requests for public information • Publish all notices and other matters required to be published • Serve as the Elections Commissioner and chair of the Election Commission • Manage the processes to fill vacancies, reappoint members whose term has expired, and appoint new members (annually in March and as needed) for all City boards and commissions. • Serve as clerk to the Council, attend Council meetings, and record, maintain and distribute Council meeting minutes • Serve as the secretary to the Police Pension Board • Administer oaths of office • Supervise staff under his/her jurisdiction • Certify Proof of Life forms for oversees citizens living in Wheat Ridge Structure and Staffing in Colorado Communities Of the 273 Colorado municipalities, five have an elected City Clerk and the remainder have a mix of Council appointed, City Manager hired, or City Manager hired and Council confirmed City Clerks. The cities with elected City Clerks include the City and County of Denver, Idaho Springs, Walsenburg, Victor and Wheat Ridge. The Wheat Ridge CCO is staffed with an elected City Clerk who may serve up to two four-year terms. The Deputy City Clerk is a professional staff position that currently reports to the elected City Clerk. While the Deputy City Clerk assists with all duties of the CCO, this position applies particular focus to liquor licensing and serves as the liaison to the Liquor Authority Board. The administrative team including Executive Assistant, Assistant to Mayor and Council and Administrative Specialist assist the CCO where possible and when requested. The following chart briefly summarizes the CCO staffing of neighboring and similar jurisdictions. It is important to remember that the duties of the Clerks Office vary. For example, some manage licensing of areas that are managed by the Finance Division in Wheat Ridge and others manage municipal court functions. In some of the cities listed below, the Clerk is hired by the City Manager and confirmed by the Council. Staff Report: City Clerk’s Office Staffing and Capacity July 10, 2023 Page 3 Municipality Population Type of City Clerk Total Professional Staff Arvada 123,436 Staff 4.5 Edgewater 4,951 Staff 1.5 Englewood 33,516 Staff 4 Golden 19,871 Staff 3 Lakewood 156,605 Staff 9 Lone Tree 14,206 Staff 3 Louisville 20,975 Staff 3.25 Westminster 114,561 Staff 7 Wheat Ridge 32,722 Elected 1 Charter and Code Considerations The duties and powers of the City Clerk are codified in Sec. 3.8 of the City Charter and in several places in City Code, most prominently in Sec. 2.22. Similar to the City Treasurer’s duties, both Sec. 3.8(h) of the Charter and Sec. 2.22(f) of City Code state that the City Clerk “shall supervise the staff under his jurisdiction.” Until the early 2000’s, the City Treasurer supervised finance staff. At that time, a change was made to align finance staff under the City’s personnel structure, ultimately reporting to the Administrative Services Director. No change was made to the Code, yet the determination was made to no longer assign staff to the elected position. The City Treasurer delegates certain authority and responsibility to the staff for the day-to-day operations of finance and licensing. Today, members of the finance team execute programs under the Treasurer’s authority, and the delegatory letter in place provides guidance on when and how the Treasurer should be directly consulted on specific issues. Options for Consideration As the City moves into its next chapter, Council may want to consider the following options for the CCO: 1. Continue with the current staffing structure. In this scenario, the elected City Clerk remains as the lead of the department and the Deputy City Clerk remains as the sole professional staff in the office. The administrative team will continue to support the CCO when requested by the elected City Clerk and Deputy City Clerk. 2. Replace the elected City Clerk with a professional City Clerk in future years. Recalling that Council decided at the 2023 strategic planning retreat to avoid a ballot question this November, Council could keep the structure as it is currently and ask the voters in a future election to eliminate the elected City Clerk position and replace it with a Council or City Manager appointed professional clerk. Staff Report: City Clerk’s Office Staffing and Capacity July 10, 2023 Page 4 3. Add a professional clerk to the CCO in 2024. In this scenario, Council would add a professional position to manage the day-to-day business of the CCO and supervise the staff. This position could report to the Deputy City Manager or similar senior staff. Similar to the City Treasurer, the elected City Clerk would be consulted on matters involving the CCO and would delegate day-to-day management to the staff. While a job description needs to be finalized so the position can be graded, costs of adding a professional position would range from $110,000 - $150,000 inclusive of salary, benefits, technology, training and memberships. NEXT STEPS: The City Clerk and staff are requesting direction from Council regarding any possible changes to the staffing structure of the City Clerk’s Office.