2008 Annual Report
City of
!:i
Salina
We hope you
enjoy our second
annual special edition of
The Salina Citizen. We believe you
will find the enclosed information helpful
and informative.
Visit Our Website: www.salina-ks.gov
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Spring 2008
Shared Vision Statement and Strate
Visions.
What 15 Strategic Planning?
Strategic planning is a process that
allows community leaders and
stakeholders an opportunity to
determine what the future of their
community will be. It is a tool which
incorporates a long-term vision, goals
and action items that is commonly
used in America's most forward
thinking communities. Salina's process
started with a community visioning
exercise conducted with citizen
stakeholders, the City Commission
and City staff members. These groups
independently addressed 1) Salina's
assets and other positive community
aspects; 2) Salina's liabilities and
other negative factors; and 3) A vision
of Salina's future in a 7 to 10 year
timeframe. This information was
then provided to the City Commission
for discussion and consideration.
Based on this information, the City
Commissioners agreed upon a shared
vision of the future.
The Salina City Commission believes
that using a Strategic Plan will provide
long-term direction and direct benefit
to both our municipal government and
the community. It is their intent that
Salina's Strategic Plan be a dynamic
document that is in line with our
shared vision and reviewed annually
both to ensure performance, and to
respond to ever-changing community
and regional conditions.
City of Salina's Shared Vision Statement for our Community-
please check this web link to see our full strategic plan
http://www.Salina-ks.Gov/filestorage/132/
1461/strategicplan.pdf
Goal The City will create a community of mixed use,
quality development and redevelopment.
UPDATE In late 2007, the City started working on
a new Comprehensive Plan. This document will look
specifically at the feasibility of mixed-use development,
current development impacts, fringe development with
Saline County, community connectivity / trails, housing,
economic development, downtown, quality of life and a
host of other community aspects.
Continued on page 2
V. ·
IS I t Our Citizen
Service Request service on
the City's Website: www.
salina-ks.gov/QAlert
Govern ment................................ 5
Operating Budget Overview ........6
Expenditures .............................. 7
Goal The City will create a uniformly managed
and master planned Kenwood Park / Oakdale
Park destination area featuring recreation,
tourism, entertainment, hotel lodging,
surrounding mixed-use development, green
space and a direct linkage to downtown.
UPDATE Late last year, the City Commission
appointed members to a community planning
team facilitated by the Salina Area Chamber of
Commerce to take a look at this issue. They have
completed a report, which is available for review
on the City's webpage. Their recommendations
include relocating the Saline County Expo Center
to a different location, constructing a community
water park, constructing a Smoky Hill River
trail system, linking the river to downtown and
positioning the Bicentennial Center to host larger
conferences and events. In addition, the City has
started the process of determining the scope for a
new water park facili!y.
..-.,::.._ L
Goal The City will provide the highest
quality of services, consistent with governing
body direction, available resources and staff
commitment to quality.
UPDATE City departments are currently in the
process of establishing measurable performance
benchmarks and related goals. We are reviewing
a means to look specifically at customer service
and how community stakeholders are included in
the decision-making process. This also includes
the method by which we communicate with each
other. Finally, it is anticipated that later this year
we will work on meeting our commitment to
the League of Women Voters with regards to the
review of governmentallser.v.ice_consolidation.
-'-
Goal The City will maintain growth and
development policies that are updated to
reflect current conditions and desired
growth direction.
UPDATE This item is very similar to the first goal
which will be addressed by completion of the new
Comprehensive Plan. However, this item will look
more specifically at policies dealing with utility
connections, annexation, joint roles addressing
fringe (City/County) development, joint land-use
planning areas and identification of areas best
suited for new deveJQpment-and-redevelopment.
2
Goal The City will maintain a commitment
to making downtown Salina a thriving and
vibrant center of the community.
UPDATE The City Commission has recently
approved two new programs to ensure the
vibrancy of downtown. They include a front fa<;ade
renovation program that will leverage funding for
renovations to the fronts of buildings to meet the
desired historical look. A second program provides
funding for business training and investments. Also,
the downtown has been branded the "Lee District"
for regional name recognition, all new traffic signals
with push button pedestrian lights have been
installed, a parking plan has been completed, and a
lighting plan is currently under review. In addition,
cooperation among the City, Salina Downtown,
Inc. and Salina Area Chamber of Commerce has
never been better.
- ~ ~
~
Goal The City will work to make Salina a City
that has connectivityyhysically and socially.
UPDATE The City's new Comprehensive Plan
will include a master plan for community-wide
trails to connect the river with downtown, parks,
the flood control levee, commercial areas and
residential neighborhoods. The City is currently
under contract to review the cost and design
options for the first phase of trails along the river
near downtown, Oakdale and Kenwood Parks. This
summer, we will also be looking at the feasibility of
affordably offering public, wireless Internet access
in the downtown.
- -
Goal The City will recognize the importance of
its natural resources and make practical efforts
to preserve them.
UPDATE The City just received approval to study
the most significant and long-range issues related
to water. This includes an in-depth look at future
water sources, future uses and demand, water
rights, local conservation methods, water reuse,
water pricing, community education and a review
of our emergency water plan. We are currently
reviewing options related to composting of green
waste, including the preservation and possible
enhancement of our current programs. Later this
year, we expect to look closer at community-wide
recycling options and other ways our community
can be considered en:Mironmentally-"greener".
Departm.enta~~ . .
~~~~p~A~&I(~I~~d~e~~~~i:h~p~o~~e trees Wh~
Big Ideas. An Americans for the Arts study large trees in the City's right-of-way ar~ ~
indicates that Salina's arts/cultural industry removed from under power lines. In add~tion ,\~
increases our quality of life, contributes $23.7 they held the second annual Water Festival
million a year to the economy, generates 815 where over 500 students, 38 teachers and 75
jobs and leverages $1 in private funds for volunteers participated at 16 learning stations.
every $1 in programming. Also completed
were a cultural assessment and strategic plan
emphasizing broader program access. Finally,
the Smoky Hill Museum adopted a new
strategic plan and was reaccredited by the
American Association of Museums (AAM).
Building Inspection Service Quality. The Building
Services Division took the first steps
to become an accredited agency and
implemented new contractor licensing rules
to ensure safe buildings for everyone. They
also met their permit review timeline goal Enhanced Community Protection. The Fire
nearly 80% of the time and continue to offer Department conducted a management study
a quick problem resolution (QPR) process. and developed both a strategic plan and
.. major incident plan to enhance emergency
Better Dispute Resolution. The Human Relations . Th . 1 . 1 .
D b . d 1 f operatIOns. ese are crucla steps m mal(mg
epartment 0 tame mutua agreement or th l' . , b
500/ f 11 d' . .. f'l d \ .thl~ e Sa ma FIre Department Kansas est.
/0 0 a ISCnmmatlon cases Ie, ~l
"no probable cause" determination.s~. I... B;tter Healfl1 Awareness. The City-County Health
38.8% of cases, and 16.6% of ca~-l &.~ epartment Implemented a strategIC planmng
administratively. ~....~. .... process and participated in a state pilot
P B d P ~ Th H \\. project to educate parents about children's
ay ase on ellormance. e uman ... .. h lth l'
\ ea lteracy.
Resources Department implemented/ '
new performance-based pay plan and Conserving Waterfor the Long-Term. The Utilities
(with employee assistance) Statement of Department completed an extensive well
Organizational Values, focusing on ethics, field eva!uation due to a dec.line in ~ater ~.
performance and customer service. levels pnor to 2007. Even WIth stabIlIzed
groundwater levels and river flow, the City
is continuing to find ways to address future
water needs through long-term planning,
conservation, re-use and education.
Getting Connected. The Computer Technology
Department quickly and inexpensively
completed a fiber optic network to connect
municipal operations across toyvn in response
to a change in State law that resulted in the
elimination of City access to portions of an
existing, dedicated fiber network owned by
Cox Communications.
A Means To Deal With Overgrown Street Trees. The Parks
& Recreation Department began discussions
with Westar Energy to help property owners
Putting Public Safety First. The Police Department
was recently accredited for a fourth time
by the Commission on Accreditation for
Law Enforcement Agencies, Ine. and cleared
78% of violent crimes (national rate - 44%).
Accreditation and the prosecution of violent
crimes are benchmarks by which successful
police agencies are measured.
Making An Even Better Downtown. With the help of
the Lee District Design Review Board, new
downtown building design guidelines and a
more effective building fac;ade (front) grant
program were created to help make Salina's
downtown (Lee District) one of Kansas' best.
An Easier Way To Pay Utility Bills. The Water
Customer Accounting Division implemented
a voice utility system to give customers 24-7
access to their utility accounts.
~
3
2007 City Awards and Recognitions
~,
Kansas Recreation ~nd Parks
Association awarded local
citizens Jeff and Paula
. \
Knox the Distinguished Public
Service Award for their wJrk i~ lWO City of Salina employees
raising funds for the Salinal ~~c}er \ earned prestigiAus awards
Complex. They were recognized ~ at the annual Kansas Water
in Wichita at the Kansas Stat~ ~EnVirJnment Association (K'EA)
Conference in January. confer~nce held i~ Topeka in
~riI20~8. L I
Snow Roadeo- The Kansas . Cathy Rider WWTP Chemist
, II , ,
Chapter of APWA sponsors a was awarded the "Laboratory
Snow Roadeo for equipment Analyst Excellencl Award"
operators each year. The 2007 which recogniz!s individuals
Snow Roadeo was held at Milford for ~utstandin~performance,
lake and Salina shared the Overall profe~sionalism ~ndl
Award with Riley County. Of the co~rib~tio~s to the water
nine years that the computation qu~lit~ analysis profe[sion.
V 1"\/
. Martha Tasker, Director
of Utilitie!, was awarded
,
the "A~thur Sydney Bell
Award" which acknowledges
, d' I'
extraor mary persona service
t~ the Association. Qualifications
I
for the award are based on
leadership, administrative
service, membership activity
and stimulation of technical
programs.
The Kansas Human Relations
Association, on occasi~
. ~f'
recognizes a city. or Its
A PWA North Ohio Overpass spedarnr...,o;;p.dal programs.
Award-The Kansas ~he av;;rd is' ~cognize a CitY
. Chapter of t~e ~erica~or ~pport that isprogressive
Public Works Assoclat!.!!.!!J~PW~and shows that the City supports
has notified us th~the '!North Human Relations in their
Ohio RailroadOverpass" Project community~such as equal
~,., .. I
h~ be~n selecte<!!or the opportunity, equal employment
Transpor!ation Award in the $10 opportunity! fair housing and
to $100 millioiiCii"tegory. The City positive conlmunity relations
~;' ."- " " . .
ofjallna, Wilson & Company' and The primary benefit of the
Kin( Co'ristruction were hon;r.ed \. award is RECOGNITION that the
~ 1 d d' . N wt '
at an awar s mner m e on City is involved and successful
inl Ma~. The North Ohio Overpass in promotion of thele ideals.
Pr~ject\vill now be forwarded on The Kansas Human Relations
ili N~tion)1 APWA as a nominated Association nominated the City
\, " ,. I
p~oJe~ct of th~e year at the National ~f Salina for an award f~r its
level. Second Review Process at the
~ A~~UalleagUe of Munici~~lit~es in
For the 17th year in a row,.......... October 2007. The second review
th C'ty f"'S""'I' ~ ~.. 's 's n' program~that has been offered, Salina has
e loa ma was___ -............ proce s I a u Ique
named Tree City USA i~he City of Salina implemented won the Overall Award six times
2007. We are proud to be part of about 10 years ago to assist the""",and tied for this honor last year.
h. . . 'I d C't '\'th th 't t f Several of our employees earned
t IS prestigious natlona awar . I Y WI e recrul men 0 ~
. . . .j individual recognition in various
Trees m our City help clean the mmonty employees. The award . , . . ,
.. J . diVISions of the competition.
air, conserve soli and water, was presented to Mayor Alan Jllka
moderate temperature and bring at t~ Diversit~ Breakfast at the ...
nature into our daily lives. They league.~ren~fh). City of ~alma United Way
are such a vital component of ;Team received awards for
the infrastructure in our City The Salina Parks and . -a~u~standing job of te~m
and provide environmental and Recreation Department and w~rk. The C~y~T~am. was proVided
economical benefits. We recognize the Chamber of Commerce with the Campa~g~ Team of the
these benefits and provide needed collaborated to host the ASA 12U Year award, SiI~e.r level Aw~rd
care for our trees. This award is Class B Fastpitch Softball National o~ ~xcelle.nce a1dlOptstandmg
sponsored in cooperation with Tournament held at Bill Burke Citizenship A~a~d, Th~se were
the National Association of State Complex July 31-August 3. Travis a result of an mc~etse m overall
Foresters and the USDA Forest Scheele, Athletic Supervisor for ~iving of,33% anit ~a s'!pni~c~nt .
Service. the City of Salina and Tiffany mcrease m c~mpalgn participation
B . S t C d' t & to nearly 70%. last year, $22,748
enlen, por s oor ma or lor _
the Salina Chamber of-Commerce was r~ised with about 62%
were recognized for their efforts pa~cipa~. Thi~ year City
'th N t' IT t fth employ'ees raised $31,312.
WI a a lona ournamen 0 e ~_
Year Award during the ASA State r ~
Conference, held in Topeka on
March 15,2008.
4
In addition, 13 out of 15 permitted
ind~stries in Salina received
awar~s for their success in treating
their facilities wastestreams.
Our Form of Government
n he Salina City Commission is made
up of five citizens who are elected
at large. Every two years, two City
Commissioners are elected to a
four-year term, and one Commissioner to a
two-year term.
Each April, the City Commissioners select
a Mayor from among the five seated
Commissioners to serve as the chair of the
Commission and represent the City at many
events throughout their term.
The City Manager is appointed by the City
Commission and is responsible f()r the daily
operations of the City, as well as"implementing
programs and policies established by the
City Commission. Among those duties is the
preparation and implementation of the
annual budget.
In 1921, Salina adopted the
Commission-Manager system of local
government, nationally known as the
Council-Manager plan.
Volunteer Boards,
Committees and Comissions
Appointment Process
The successful functioning of citizen boards,
committees and commissions is a cornerstone
of democratic local government. The Salina City
Commissioners have adopted a formal policy guiding
appointments to and administration of a strong
and effective citizen board system. In this way, the
Commissioners intend to attract the broadest possible
spectrum of qualified citizens for board service and to
make membership on such boards a constructive and
rewarding experience for those appointed.
Solicitation of Interest
Names of persons willing to serve the City in the
capacity of volunteer board, committee or commission
members are obtained by both formal and informal
advertising designed to reach as many citizens as
possible. Each individual who wishes to be considered
must complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) form
and submit it to the City Clerk. Those presently
serving on a board or commission interested in
reappointment are also asked to submit an EOI. These
forms can be found on our website.
Interested citizens can go to the City's website, www.
salina-ks.gov and fill out an Expression of Interest
form. It can be returned to the City Clerk's Office,
Room 206 in the City-County Building, 300 West Ash.
Boards/Commissions Available
....Accessibility Advisory Board
.... Salina Airport Authority
....Animal Control Advisory & Appeals Board
....Arts & Humanities Commission
....Building Advisory Board
....Business Improvement District No.1 Board
....Business Improvement District No. 1 Board of
Design Review
.... Community Art & Design Advisory Committee
.... Convention and Tourism Committee
....Disciplinary Advisory Board
_"'Heritage Commission
....Housing Authority
....Human Relations Commission
....Library Board
....Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
....Planning Commission
~... Salina Economic Development Incentives Council
.... Solid Waste Management Committee
.&-. Tree Advisory Board
....Board of Zoning Appeals
5
2008 Operating Budget Overview
II otal 2008 net revenues are
$63,412,428. This includes
property and sales taxes, fees
and grants.
2008 expenditures are $67,408,321. This
represents the amount the City pays
for personnel, materials and vendors.
Reserves held to be carried into 2009 total
$16,408,270, with a planned reduction of
$3,995,353 for capital projects.
The City will also make internal transfers
totaling $11,012,063. These are used to
Revenues
Other
Revenue
4%
The City of Salina has six major groups
of revenues. The largest of these are fees
and charges, accounting for more than $28
million, or 44 % of total revenues. More
than half of the fees and charges ($14.5
million) are generated by the Water and
Sewer Utility. Revenues raised by the
Water and Sewer Utility must be used
for Water and Sewer purposes. The
rate schedule for both water and
sewer increased by an average
of5%.
Other significant fees and
charges include court fines
and fees (unchanged),
EMS charges (increased
5%), refuse collection fees
(increased 4%), solid waste
disposal fees (increased 3.6%),
and Bicentennial Center fees.
The next largest revenue class is sales
taxes, which contribute a little more than
$14.7 million to the City operation. This
is 23% of total revenues, and is based on
both the City's % cent tax, and the City
portion of the 1 cent County sales tax.
Property taxes, including both real
estate and motor vehicle tax, contribute
Intergov't.
5%
6
allocate costs for the City self-funded
health insurance plan, centralized fleet
maintenance services, self-funded worker's
compensation, and other internal services.
The City employs 511 full time staff,
along with 15 part-time positions. In
addition, a significant number (about 200)
of temporary-seasonal staff are employed,
primarily through the spring and summer
months.
Total Revenues
-
$11,013
.
-
..
-
I Internal Transactions
Net Total Current Resources
less Total Expenditures
Fund Balance Used
only about $10 million, or 16% of total
revenues. Real estate taxes are calculated
by applying a mill levy to the assessed
value of property. In Salina, the mill levy
for 2007 was established at 23.96 mills,
unchanged from last year. The table on
page 8 calculates the amount of property
taxes for homes with different market
values.
The "Other Taxes" designation includes
franchise fees (a fee the City charges a
private utility for the use of public right
of way), and the transient guest tax (a 5%
tax levied against hotel and motel room
rentals). Other taxes are only 8% of the
total revenue and produce about $4.5
~illion per year.
Intergovernmental revenues include
grants and other payments from other
governmental agencies. Intergovernmental
revenues produce about $2.8
million. The largest single
source is the Special
Gas Tax received
from the State of
Kansas ($1.5 million)
which must be used to repair and maintain
streets. The City of Salina also receives
a contribution from Saline County to
supplement the Countywide EMS service
operated by the City.
Expenditures
By Class of Expense
Class of expense refers to what kind of
goods and services will be purchased.
The City identified several classifications,
including salaries, benefits, supplies,
services, capital outlay, debt service and
other.
Class of
Expenditures
Net Total Expenditures
$67,407
By Function
Debt General
Service Government
9% 3%
Other
15%
Public Works
9%
Community
Development
4%
Culture and
Recreation
7%
Expenditures by function describes
the general purpose for which funds
are budgeted. Each function includes
several more specific activities. Capital
outlay expense is not included within
the functions, but is totaled as a separate
category.
Function
General Government $2,490
~~~~b~~:~~~-=~--~_=lL~~~J
Health and Sanitation $5,668
r~~~e ~~~;(~a~i~~~L=~
Community Development " $3,649 ·
~ ~~;~~ ~ -.-- ~L~.=~~~?~-I
Water and Wastewater $11,615
~;~ ----..-=:=~-~.JL~~~~~~~J
Capital Outlay $8,233
r P~I~~ "--~.'-~l['-=~;;]
I Total Planned Expenditure II $78,420 J
Expenditures
Continued on page 8
rNet External Expenditures
I
7
How "City" Property Taxes are Calculated
for Residential Properties
Multiply the fair market value times the assessed value, divide the result by
1,000, and multiply this number by the property tax mill rate.
Expenditures
Continued from page 7
Debt Service is the scheduled
repayment on debt issued previously
by the City for construction of various
major projects. The amount budgeted
for 2008 is $6.8 million or 9% of the
total budget.
Capital Outlay. This includes all
cash capital item acquisition for all
activities, including vehicles, equipment,
buildings and major building repair,
as well as infrastructure (streets, water
and sewer lines, ete.) construction and
replacement. Expenses are projected to
Articles were written by city staff, with
editing by LaDonna Bennett and design
by Arrow Printing Co. Questions/
Comments? Please call the
City Manager's office at
(785) 309-5700.
.....
City Commissioners Want
to Hear from You.
Members of the Salina
City Commission are
always interested in your
comments and suggestions
on city services and policies.
Each Commissioner welcomes letters
and telephone calls. Write them at P.O.
Box 736, Salina, KS 67402-0736, or email
them at citycommission@salina.org.
total about $8.9 million or 11 % of the
budget in 2008.
Capital Improvements
Program
Each year, in addition to the annual
operating budget, the City plans for
future major projects, typically to be
financed through the sale of long term
bonds or various grants that may be
available. Projects currently scheduled
include:
Capital Project Schedule
For Completion in 2008
-
North Broadway & East Pacific
Improvements
II
2.6
Initiated in 2008:
-
South Ohio Construction
from Magnolia to Schilling Road
~ !i1
3.4
Projects Initiated in 2009:
South 9th, Phase IV
"
5.0
Projects Initiated in 2010:
East Magnolia Road
3.0 I
II __
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CAR-RT SORT
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SALINA, KS
Permit No. 400
RESI DENTIAL PATRON
SALINA KS 67401