ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETING
The Annual Council Meeting was held on May 12, 1997 at 7:30 p.m. with Mayor Hutchison presiding. Council members present were Council President Christiansen, Mr. Lambert, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Leary, Mr. Truitt, Mrs. Malone, Mr. Salters and Mr. Hare. Mr. Fenimore was absent.
Council staff members present were Chief Smith, Mr. Lucas, Mr. O'Connor, Mr. DePrima, Chief Carey, Mrs. Boaman and Mr. Rodriguez.
OPEN FORUM
The Open Forum was held at 7:15 p.m., prior to commencement of the Official Council Meeting. Mayor Hutchison declared the open forum in session and reminded those present that Council is not in official session and cannot take formal action.
There was no one present wishing to speak during the Open Forum.
The invocation was given by Councilman Salters, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS
Mr. Lambert moved for approval of the agenda, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried.
PRESENTATION - COUNCILMAN WILLIAM F. HARE
William F. Hare has served on City Council since May 1991 and chose not to pursue reelection this year. On behalf of the Mayor, City Council and City employees, Mayor Hutchison and Council President Christiansen presented Councilman William F. Hare with a City Cup and a clock containing the City Seal. Mayor Hutchison and members of Council expressed their appreciation to Mr. Hare for the many years of service he dedicated on behalf of the citizens of the City of Dover.
Mr. Hare expressed his appreciation for the gifts and stated that it has been an extreme honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Dover and to serve with Mayor Hutchison and every member of City Council.
OATHS OF OFFICE - CITY COUNCIL
The Honorable Henry DuPont Ridgely, President Judge of the Superior Court, administered the Oath of Office to members of City Council, as follows:
First District - Holly L. Malone
Second District - Charles A. Weller
Third District - Robin R. Christiansen
Fourth District - Reuben Salters
(Councilman Philip R. Fenimore will be sworn in at a later date)
STATE OF THE CITY MESSAGE - MAYOR JAMES L. HUTCHISON
Mayor James L. Hutchison offered the following State of the City Message:
“I am certainly proud to give the State of the City Address as we complete the fiscal year for 1997. As this year comes to an end, we can look back and see that much growth has continued to occur which ultimately has placed a greater demand on the infrastructure of the City. As we look at our city, I think we can certainly agree that the highest priority is to maintain the quality of life that we all love very much. One other area of major importance to our city is providing quality customer service to our citizens. Through the efforts of all our employees, we have been able to provide quality customer service and we are doing it better with less resources. Not only do we have full- and part-time employees working for the City, but we also have many volunteers serving on committees, commissions and boards who give up endless hours of their time to work with us throughout the year to help Dover be the best it can be. I thank all volunteers and employees for their dedication and support.
Robbins Hose Company #1, Dover's Volunteer Fire Department, continues its 115-year tradition of providing volunteer fire protection and rescue service to the citizens of the City of Dover. Our exclusive volunteer force continues to answer calls for help and responded to 784 alarms last year. I salute the men and women of the Robbins Hose Company for their dedicated volunteer service to this community.
As part of its ongoing comprehensive planning effort, the Planning Department has published a colorful summary entitled, The Dover Plan: From the People for the People. This publication clearly and colorfully sets forth the goals and desires of the City.
During this past year, hundreds of thousands of square feet for new construction has been approved such as:
(1) 50,000 square feet for the State Archives building in the downtown area;
(2) a community shopping center in west Dover;
(3) a new Economic and Business Administration building at Delaware State University;
(4) approximately 130,000 square feet to be added to the Dover Mall;
(5) a fourth complex at Luther Towers.
I am very proud to mention the fact that our tax rate remains the same and has not risen since July 1993.
Next year, Information Services will be one in which learning and implementing new software will require a 110% effort. During these twelve months, Information Services will be implementing software for most, if not all, of the following city functions: utility billing, cash register based accounts receivables, integrated inventory control and purchasing, general ledger,
accounts payable, payroll, fixed asset management, budget processing, human resources, applicant
tracking, planning and zoning, code enforcement, business licenses, permits/inspections, work
orders, complaint tracking, property records, and tax billing. This project will also include significant data conversion work in order to preserve historical data whenever possible. Also, since several departments will be new to on-line AS/400 software, Information Services will be there to guide each department along the journey.
I am truly proud of the Dover Arts Council, Dover Art League and Main Street Dover for the impact they have had on our downtown. I certainly wish to draw attention to and recognize the Friends of the Capitol Theater. This group has worked so hard and is truly committed to bringing the performing arts to our city. Hopefully with the support of our community and governments working together, this can and will become a reality.
As you look at our city and listen to some of the problems that have been discussed over the past year, one of the major items that comes to the forefront is the need for more recreational facilities and cultural activities in our city.
As we begin a new year, we must prioritize these areas of concern in order to continue providing the quality of life to which our citizens are accustomed. An area I think we should all be proud of is that government continues to work well together at all levels. The ribbon cutting for the new home of Magistrate Court #7 recently took place. This effort was a positive reflection of State and City governments working together.
I am happy to report that we are only weeks away from completion of the Dover Police Station expansion. I wish to thank all the men and women of the Dover Police Department for their hard work during the year. Having to perform duties while construction was going on created an additional hardship, but the members of the department continued to handle their daily workloads under their adverse conditions with extreme professionalism and dedication.
Looking toward the future of our city under the leadership of our City Manager, we must continue to look for new ways of generating revenue so that we will be able to refrain from increasing taxes.
The City is certainly looking forward, with a great deal of enthusiasm, to our second First Night Dover on December 31st. Our first one was a great success, and this one will be even better. This activity is another example which illustrates the results of government working successfully with members of the business community for the betterment of the entire community.
Out of concern for the future of our education system, I hope the pending issues of the Capital School District will be able to be resolved swiftly and amicably.
I am extremely happy to report that apparently an agreement has been reached among all parties involving the Dover Mall, Boscov's and the Hecht Company. Because of this agreement, the Hecht Company will be coming to the Dover Mall providing a beautiful, new addition to this facility; and Boscov's will be expanding its store.
The City of Dover opened a dialogue with the State regarding the facility located at the old railroad station now occupied by JP Court #7. We are talking about a possible switch of properties between the Water Street parking lot (owned by the City of Dover) and the old railroad station (owned by the State).
Discussions are only in their preliminary stages, but the City is extremely interested in pursuing this issue.
Looking ahead as we move toward the 21st century, I think we must also live under the philosophy that what we have today will not necessarily be here tomorrow. We must continue to meet with our businesses both large and small and keep the lines of communication open in order to retain their business in our city. With the continuation of growth, we must always be concerned about crime and traffic impact. These are areas in which the State, County and City must continue to work together in order to successfully address these issues.
In conclusion we, as the capital city of this state, need to be proud of our accomplishments; but we must continue to work together in order to better protect the future of our families so that they can have that same quality of life that we all love so very much. Together, we can make great things happen.”
RECESS
A short recess was declared for photographs of the Mayor and members of City Council.
ADOPTION OF MINUTES - REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING OF APRIL 28, 1997
The Minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of April 28, 1997 were unanimously approved by motion of Council President Christiansen, seconded by Mr. Leary and bore the written approval of Mayor Hutchison.
PROCLAMATION - NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK
The City Clerk read into the record the following Proclamation:
WHEREAS, public works services provided in our community are an integral part of our citizens' everyday lives; and
WHEREAS, the support of an understanding and informed citizenry is vital to the efficient operation of public works systems and programs such as water, sewer, streets and highways, public buildings, solid waste collection and snow removal; and
WHEREAS, the health, safety, and comfort of this community greatly depends on these facilities and services; and
WHEREAS, the quality and effectiveness of these facilities, as well as their planning, design and construction, is vitally dependent upon the efforts and skill of public works officials; and
WHEREAS, the efficiency of the qualified and dedicated personnel who staff public works departments is materially influenced by the people's attitude and understanding of the importance of the work they perform.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JAMES L. HUTCHISON, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF DOVER, do hereby proclaim May 18, 1997 through May 24, 1997 as "NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK" in the City of Dover and call upon all citizens and civic organizations to acquaint themselves with the problems in providing our public works services and to recognize the contributions which public works officials make every day to our health, safety and comfort.
LEGISLATIVE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT
The Legislative and Finance Committee met on April 28, 1997 with Chairman Salters presiding.
CDBG - Action Plan and Proposed Resolution
A proposed resolution was submitted for approval of the Community Development Block Grant Action Plan which includes the City’s request for its $303,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement. A summary of the spending plan and a copy of the Action Plan was also submitted for the committee’s approval. Contained in the Action Plan is the proposed use for the funds, along with certain required policy statements and certifications. This Action Plan conforms to the priorities set forth in the Consolidated Plan.
The following is a summary of the CDBG Advisory Committee recommendations, as outlined in the 1997 Action Plan:
Project ID# Project Amount Awarded: Amount Awarded:
Services/Admin. Acquisition & Rehab.
97-1 Dover Police Dept. $29,810
Community Policing
97-2 NCALL Home Ownership $ 6,550
Counseling
97-3 City of Dover Closing Cost/ $63,020
Down payment Grant Program
97-4 Program Administration $60,600
97-5 City of Dover Housing $30,040
Rehab. Grant Program
97-6 City of Dover Transitional $ 50,000
Housing Grant Program
97-7 City of Dover Economic $ 62,980
Development Loan Program
TOTALS $36,360/$60,600 $206,040
TOTAL CDBG Grant $303,000
The committee recommended approval of the Plan and adoption of the proposed resolution.
Mr. Salters moved for approval of the committee’s recommendation, seconded by Mr. Leary. By a unanimous roll call vote (Mr. Fenimore absent), Council approved the committee’s recommendation and adopted the following Resolution:
WHEREAS, the City of Dover is entitled to $303,000 through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program; and
WHEREAS, the City of Dover is in favor of utilizing the Community Development Block Grant funds for community development purposes in accordance with the National Community Development objectives of benefiting low and moderate income families, eliminating slums and blight, and meeting other community development objectives; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the City of Dover to submit a Consolidated Plan for Application for Federal Assistance including the proposed use of funds and including certain certifications and policies to obtain its $303,000 entitlement; and
WHEREAS, the City of Dover has prepared the attached Application for Federal Assistance, and presented it at an advertised public hearing held on April 22, 1997.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOVER approve the application for Federal Assistance included in the Consolidated Plan, along with certifications and attached policies, and authorize its forwarding to the United States Department of Urban Development for consideration.
ADOPTED: MAY 12, 1997
Mr. Salters moved for acceptance of the Legislative and Finance Committee Report, seconded by Mr. Leary and unanimously carried.
UTILITY COMMITTEE REPORT
The Utility Committee met on April 28, 1997 with Chairman Lambert presiding.
Property Liens for Unpaid Water Bills
At the request of a citizen, Mr. Lambert requested that the committee review the City’s current policy for property liens on unpaid water bills. Apparently the property owner rented the property to a tenant who failed to pay the water bill and the outstanding bill has been placed as a lien against the property. Mr. O’Connor informed the committee that a duplicate bill can be sent to the property owner at their request.
Mr. Lambert stated that the current practice may encourage a property owner to be more selective in choosing a tenant. Agreeing, Mrs. Malone stated that landlords typically collect a security deposit which should help to offset such types of expenses. There are also other courses of action such as using the court system to assist in collection. She stated her feeling that the City also has
a responsibility to our other customers to take every available action to collect an outstanding bill so that our uncollected accounts are kept as low as possible.
Mr. Pitts felt that the current policy not only protects the City, but it also encourages property owners to monitor water usage so that an excessive amount of water is not used.
Mr. Salters stated that a landlord always has the option of paying the water bill and recouping the costs through rent receipts. This practice would give the property owner more control over the possibility of a bill going unpaid for any length of time, thus accumulating until service is ultimately discontinued.
The committee recommended no action on this matter.
Utilizing the consent agenda format, Mr. Lambert moved for approval of the committee’s recommendation, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried.
Mr. Lambert moved for acceptance of the Utility Committee Report, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried.
COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS - 1997/98
Council President/Vice-Mayor
Mr. Lambert moved to nominate Robin R. Christiansen as Council President, seconded by Mr. Leary.
Mr. Leary moved that nominations be closed, seconded by Mr. Lambert and unanimously carried (Council President Christiansen abstained). The motion was unanimously approved and Robin R. Christiansen will serve as Council President for 1997/98.
City Solicitor
Mr. Leary nominated Nicholas H. Rodriguez to serve as City Solicitor, seconded by Mr. Salters. Mr. Leary moved that nominations be closed, seconded by Council President Christiansen and unanimously carried. The motion was unanimously approved and Nicholas H. Rodriguez will serve as City Solicitor for 1997/98.
Deputy City Solicitor
Mr. Leary nominated William Pepper to serve as Deputy City Solicitor, seconded Mr. Pitts.
Council President Christiansen moved that nominations be closed, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried. The motion was unanimously approved and William Pepper will serve as Deputy City Solicitor for 1997/98.
Fire Marshal
Council President Christiansen nominated David Truax to serve as Fire Marshal, seconded by Mr. Leary.
Mr. Salters moved that nominations be closed, seconded by Mr. Pitts and unanimously carried. The motion was unanimously approved and David Truax will serve as Fire Marshal for 1997/98.
City Clerk/Alderman
Mr. Lambert nominated Debrah J. Boaman to serve as City Clerk/Alderman, seconded by Mr. Leary.
Council President Christiansen moved that nominations be closed, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried. The motion was unanimously approved and Debrah J. Boaman will serve as City Clerk/Alderman for 1997/98.
Assistant City Clerk/Deputy Alderman
Council President Christiansen nominated Janice C. Green to serve as Assistant City Clerk/Deputy Alderman, seconded by Mrs. Malone.
Mr. Leary moved that nominations be closed, seconded by Council President Christiansen and unanimously carried. The motion was unanimously approved and Janice C. Green will serve as Assistant City Clerk/Deputy Alderman for 1997/98.
Treasurer/Finance Director
Mr. Salters nominated Mike Karia to serve as Treasurer/Finance Director, seconded by Mr. Lambert.
Mr. Leary moved that nominations be closed, seconded by Council President Christiansen and unanimously carried. The motion was unanimously approved and Mike Karia will serve as Treasurer/Finance Director for 1997/98.
Assistant Treasurers
Mr. Salters nominated Debrah J. Boaman and Janice C. Green to serve as Assistant Treasurers, seconded by Mr. Leary.
Mr. Lambert moved that nominations be closed, seconded by Mr. Leary and unanimously carried. The motion was unanimously approved and Debrah J. Boaman and Janice C. Green will serve as Assistant Treasurers for 1997/98.
COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS - MAYOR
Dover Public Library Advisory Commission - Council Liaison Member
Mayor Hutchison requested the reappointment of Council President Christiansen to serve as the Council Liaison member to the Dover Public Library Advisory Commission.
Mr. Salters moved for approval of the reappointment, seconded by Mr. Leary and unanimously carried.
Election Board
Mayor Hutchison requested the reappointment of William H. Willis to represent the First District on the Election Board for a three year term (term expires 5/2000).
Mr. Lambert moved for approval of the reappointment, seconded by Mr. Salters and unanimously carried.
Noting that Mr. Charles Harris has requested that he not be reappointed to the Election Board, Mayor Hutchison requested that action be deferred on the appointment of a Second District representative to the Election Board.
Silver Lake Commission
Mayor Hutchison requested reappointment of the following Silver Lake Commission members:
Edward J. Bennett Robert Gorkin
Baxter J. Hill Don Knox
Michael Malkiewicz John C. Stith
Sherman Townsend
Council President Christiansen moved for approval of the reappointments, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried.
Downtown Dover Development Corporation
Mayor Hutchison requested the reappointment of Councilmen Leary, Salters and Fenimore, City Manager O’Connor and City Planner DePrima to the Downtown Dover Development Corporation.
Mrs. Malone moved for approval of the reappointments, seconded by Mr. Leary and unanimously carried.
COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS - COUNCIL
Council President Christiansen relayed his appreciation to City Council for his reappointment as Council President. He requested that Council Committee appointments be deferred until the Council Meeting of May 27, 1997 and that current members remain until the new appointments are made.
Mr. Salters moved for approval of deferment of the appointments as requested, seconded by Mrs. Malone and unanimously carried.
Mr. Leary moved for adjournment, seconded by Council President Christiansen and unanimously carried.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:15 P.M.
DEBRAH J. BOAMAN
CITY CLERK
All orders, ordinances and resolutions adopted by City Council during their meeting of May 12, 1997, are hereby approved.
JAMES L. HUTCHISON
MAYOR
/DJB