General Government Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The General Government Committee met on January 14, 2014, at 11:00 AM, with Kay presiding as Chair. The committee addressed four agenda items during the session. The November 5, 2013 Committee Summary was approved, while three additional items—Move Human Resources (Links/Gorton), Barrier Free Parks (Links/Gorton), and Items Referred—were deferred for future consideration. The committee took six motions and votes and heard five public comments during the meeting.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on January 14, 2014:

• Kay
• Scutchfield
• Gorton
• Ford
• Akers
• Beard
• Myers
• Clarke
• Lane

Lawless was absent from the meeting.

No attendees arrived late.

Votes and Decisions

The committee took the following actions during the meeting 6:03:

Approval of the November 5, 2013 Committee Summary Motion by Myers, seconded by Lane. Passed by voice vote.

Removal of Group Health Insurance Requirement from Qualified Adult Benefits Motion by Gorton, seconded by Akers. Passed by voice vote.

Insertion of Unmarried Status Requirement for Qualified Adults Motion by Myers, seconded by Gorton. Passed by roll call vote with 8 ayes and 1 nay. - Voted in favor: Kay, Scutchfield, Gorton, Ford, Akers, Beard, Myers, Lane - Voted against: Clarke

Recommendation for Approval of Qualified Adult Benefits as Amended Motion by Gorton, seconded by Akers. Passed by voice vote.

Authorization of Audit on Employee Dependants Motion by Gorton, seconded by Akers. Passed by voice vote.

Removal of Qualified Adult Benefits from General Government Referral List Motion by Gorton, seconded by Clark. Passed by voice vote.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed several financial matters related to employee benefits and playground safety infrastructure.

Employee Dependent Audit

An appropriation of $19,000 to $30,000 was approved for the cost of an audit for employee dependants to be conducted by Benefit Insurance Marketing (BIM).

Playground Safety Surfacing

The meeting discussed playground safety surface options and associated costs:

• Poured-in-place surfacing installation: A projected contract cost of $2.9 million to install poured-in-place surfacing on all playgrounds
• Engineered wood fiber safety surface: An annual purchase cost of $45,000 for the engineered wood fiber safety surface option
• Poured-in-place surfacing amortized cost: An annual purchase cost of $400,000 for poured-in-place surfacing, amortized over a 7-year life span

These figures represent the comparative costs of two different playground safety surface approaches under consideration.

Public Comment

Several council members raised questions and suggestions regarding park improvements and planning during the meeting.

Vice Mayor Gorton inquired about the definition of "barrier-free" playgrounds and whether the term primarily refers to poured-in-place surfacing 36:29. He also asked about the status of a $40,000 budget allocation designated for Castlewood Playground.

Councilmember Clark addressed the relationship between hard access surfaces and soft safety surfaces at playgrounds 42:24. He questioned whether neighborhood associations could play a role in assisting with installation efforts.

Councilmember Scutchfield suggested exploring grant opportunities and potential collaboration with neighborhood associations to support park improvements and secure additional funding 46:21.

Vice Mayor Gorton expressed a desire for a centralized, transparent capital projects master plan for parks similar to the existing sewer grid 49:07. He indicated this approach would improve transparency and help build public support for park initiatives.

Councilmember Myers proposed using motion sensor cameras to collect data on park usage patterns, particularly for tennis courts 53:56. He suggested that hard usage data would help inform prioritization decisions and guide resource allocation for park improvements.

Contested Items

The meeting included two contentious votes regarding the eligibility criteria for qualified adults.

Qualified Adult Benefits and Group Health Insurance Requirement

A significant disagreement emerged over whether qualified adults should be required to not have group health insurance. Some members argued that this requirement was inequitable. The body held a vote on removing this clause, which passed 8-1, indicating broad support for eliminating the group health insurance restriction from the qualified adult benefits eligibility criteria.

Marital Status Requirement for Qualified Adults

A second contested item concerned whether qualified adults must be unmarried. A motion to impose this marital status requirement was put to a vote and passed 8-1. Clarke voted against this motion, representing the sole dissenting vote and reflecting a clear division on the issue. The outcome established that qualified adults would be required to be unmarried under the eligibility criteria.

November 5, 2013 Committee Summary

The committee reviewed and approved the summary from the November 5, 2013 meeting. 6:03

Outcome

The committee approved the summary without dissent. No corrections or amendments were offered by committee members.

Move Human Resources - Links/Gorton

6:03

The committee discussed the possibility of elevating the Human Resources division to a standalone department. Key participants in this discussion included Clark, Gorton, Ford, Beard, and Myers.

The committee considered the feasibility and structural implications of separating Human Resources from its current organizational placement. Rather than reaching a final decision, the committee determined that further analysis was needed before proceeding.

The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) was tasked with assessing the feasibility of this proposed change and developing recommendations on how such a department restructuring would be organized and implemented. A report on these findings was expected to be presented at the next committee meeting.

The outcome of this agenda item was deferred, allowing time for the CAO to conduct the necessary evaluation and provide the committee with detailed information to inform future deliberations on this matter.

Barrier Free Parks - Links/Gorton

23:59

The Parks Department presented on the progress of barrier-free playgrounds during this agenda item. The presentation covered the use of poured-in-place surfacing, maintenance practices, and capital improvement plans for making parks more accessible.

Key speakers in the discussion included Coopreiter, Gorton, Clark, Scutchfield, and Myers. The committee engaged in discussion regarding several aspects of the barrier-free parks initiative, including funding mechanisms, the phasing approach for improvements, and the need for a comprehensive master plan to guide future development.

The outcome of this agenda item was that it was deferred, indicating the committee did not reach a final decision and chose to postpone further action on this matter for consideration at a future meeting.

Items Referred

The committee reviewed a list of referred items during this portion of the meeting 55:02. Key speakers included Gorton, Clark, Myers, and Scutchfield.

The committee decided to retain several items on the agenda for future discussion:

• Restructuring of the Division of Budgeting
• Vacant positions in Parks
• Enterprise programs
• Standardized cell phone procurement process

The outcome of this review was to defer these items, keeping them active for continued consideration rather than resolving them at this meeting.