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2006 Upper Arlington Annual Report
The following links are pdf files from the original 2006 Annual Report
City Manager Message | City Council | 2006 Community Survey | Parks & Recreation Strategic Plan | Business & Development | Capital Reinvestment | Other Highlights | Awards & Accomplishments | Financial Report
City Manager's Message
In many ways, 2006 was a year of outreach and reflection – within our organization, for our new City Council, with our residents and our community partners. It was a time for taking stock of where we have come from and hope to go, for gathering feedback on a broad range of issues, and it was a time for planning.
First and foremost, we welcomed new members on City Council and a change in Council leadership. Council immediately began work to determine how it could best address pending policy issues and set our organization on a solid path forward through the 2007-2008 budget process.
A significant outreach component was our 2006 Community Survey, designed to measure resident satisfaction with City services, and to identify important issues for the City to address. Other key areas to undergo detailed consideration in 2006 were plans for our parks and recreation facilities and programs through the year-long “Focus on the Future” strategic planning process, and the initiation of the Solid Waste Assessment process. In true UA tradition, citizens willingly partnered with us on many levels throughout these outreach efforts, providing us with invaluable data on how we’re doing and where we need to head. Details of all three outreach efforts can be found in the coming pages.
In the time I have served as City Manager, our organization has done amazing things. An already professional and dedicated workforce has grown closer and stronger. But building community within an organization is just the beginning of what must ultimately become a sustainable process. To keep the organizational momentum going, we undertook an extensive values finding exercise with Staff. This process evolved over the course of several months, creating an environment in which participants had an equal place at the table and could spend time with colleagues from all corners of the organization. We wanted to afford everyone the opportunity to think differently, sharing and building upon each other’s ideas and suggestions.
The results of this effort are already reaping dividends. Our values shield (see page 11) is just the beginning of our internal collaboration to move our organization forward and ultimately, to serve our residents and corporate citizens to the best of our ability.
As we worked with three of our key community stakeholders throughout the year, it was clear that they too were in the midst of or just emerging from similar community outreach and goal setting endeavors. A change in leadership at the Upper Arlington Schools coincided with implementation of the organization’s third five-year strategic plan, the Upper Arlington Area Chamber of Commerce was readying to undertake its first formal three-year strategic planning process, and the Upper Arlington Library System had undergone its own community outreach and strategic planning process and was readying to begin implementation in 2007.
Together, the City, Schools, Library and Chamber comprise the core framework of services, making significant contributions to the day-to-day operations of a vibrant community. We pick up your trash and keep you safe. We educate your children. We provide you with lifelong learning and entertainment opportunities. We support a thriving business community that enriches our lives with options while providing vital financial support to fund many services.
Each of us is unique, yet we all share common values such as service, respect, innovation, knowledge, enrichment and communication. Likewise we have all set forth similar goals through our respective visioning processes, recognizing the importance of and initiating many community partnerships to help us realize our individual and combined visions for Upper Arlington’s success and that ultimately serve you, our residents.
Sincerely,
Virginia Barney
City Manager
City Council
Upper Arlington’s City Council is comprised of seven residents elected at-large to serve a maximum of two four-year terms. The Council selects a President and Vice President from among its ranks to serve two-year terms.
City Council works hard for the community, providing strong leadership and clear direction on the many projects that touch us all. It is in no small part a reflection of their diligence that the City organization enjoys healthy finances and stability, and remains an excellent place to work.
Following a change in the makeup of Council members at the November 2005 election, in January 2006 the new Council selected Ed Seidel to serve as Council President and Linda Mauger to serve as Vice President for the 2006/2007 term.
A Council Retreat in early February, provided an opportunity for taking a big picture look at how the new Council could best work together as it sets new policy for the City, and to discuss some of the key issues to be addressed in the months ahead.
The primary issues discussed at the Retreat are all items addressed within the 2006 Annual Report:
• Economic Development
• Funding infrastructure needs
• Evaluation of the City’s Solid Waste system
• The Parks & Recreation Strategic Plan process
• Collaborations and partnerships
One year on, our Council has successfully explored many important community issues, asked invaluable questions and positioned itself to set solid direction for Staff in the coming two years through detailed consideration and adoption of the 2007-2008 budget.
Master Plan
The 2005 Master Plan Annual Report reaffirmed how much has already been achieved to realize the community’s vision for its future, with an effective framework in place to direct opportunities for change and development to enhance Upper Arlington’s long term health and success.
As the City moves into the long-term implementation phase and readies for the next update process, several key factors play a role in how and when some of the pending objectives and strategies can be moved forward:
• Limited funding availability affects many key areas, including: the costs for supporting the Capital Improvements Program; the disparity between available resources and those required to support economic development efforts in the City’s commercial districts; the human and financial resources required to support the addition or expansion of desired facilities and services.
• With the updated Zoning Map and related development approval processes in place through the Unified Development Ordinance, key Master Plan goals for our commercial districts are now dependent upon the private sector and market forces initiating change. City leadership and Staff are continuing efforts to encourage discussions in the hopes of bringing together a complementary mix of property owners, businesses and developers in order for redevelopment to occur.
Most agree with the primary directives of preserving and enhancing the community’s quality of life while assuring fiscal stability over the long term. However, there is no “one size fits all” solution to how pockets of our community could and should evolve. By its nature, the Master Plan is subject to interpretation. It provides guiding principles and long-term aspirations, but was intentionally created in a way that allows for its evolution over time. Discussions arising from Master Plan implementation efforts are a sign of a healthy, engaged community at work.
Upper Arlington is fully developed and aging – today’s reality is finding ways to revive and reinvest in what we already have. Just as homeowners are modernizing their older homes to meet today’s living standards while preserving architectural integrity, Upper Arlington must modernize the community to meet today’s quality of life and services standards, while preserving the unique fabric that has been created over the course of many decades. Our Master Plan gives us a long-term vision to head toward, and many of the tools to take us successfully on that journey.
The entire Master Plan document and annual reports can be accessed at www.ua-ohio.net under the Master Plan section.
2006 Community Survey
Staff at the City of Upper Arlington takes great pride in its responsiveness to the community’s needs, and the high caliber of services provided to residents. Periodically surveying residents allows the City to measure how it’s performing and to identify where adjustments or a change in direction might be needed to stay in tune with the overriding desires of the community. In 2006, the City commissioned a community survey, with the following goals:
• To assess how well services are meeting needs;
• To help prioritize resource allocation;
• To identify service areas in need of improvement;
• To assist City Council in the policy making process, so that decisions are reflective of broad community opinion.
While the 2006 survey built on the findings of earlier surveys, it also explored new areas of interest to tap perceptions of the City’s role in promoting redevelopment of crucial areas of Upper Arlington, and satisfaction with and perceived gaps in the park and recreation opportunities to provide supporting data for the Parks & Recreation Strategic Plan process.
An exciting change was a shift to collecting most of the data via the Internet, an option widely promoted to the community during the data collection phase. This approach provided every household an opportunity to participate, while allowing for a cost effective process. To ensure scientific integrity, a randomly selected sample of 2,000 households received postcards encouraging participation.
Overall, 555 randomly selected households participated, yielding a response rate of 29.1%, well in line with the typical rate we receive from our active and engaged citizenry. Demographic information from the surveys was compared to 2000 U.S. Census data to verify that sampled respondents were in alignment with the demographic makeup of the City as a whole. A further 369 households self-selected into the survey, bringing the total response to 924 households.
The key findings outlined here are excerpted from the 2006 Community Survey Executive Summary, prepared by the Strategy Team. The entire survey document is available at local libraries or can be viewed at www.ua-ohio.net under the About UA / Community Surveys section.
Key Findings
1. Residents are highly satisfied with the services and opportunities provided by the City of Upper Arlington.
The City’s core purpose is providing services to keep residents safe and thriving. Overall, residents are pleased with the quality of City services. Public safety services (Police, Fire, EMS) top the list in services perceived to be of high quality (rating 6 or higher on a 7-point scale, with 7 = very high quality). Additionally, ratings of City and neighborhood parks, recycling and weekly trash collection, cleanliness of streets, snow removal, and an overall assessment of “quality of life” received high marks.
For the majority of City services, quality ratings remained stable and positive over the past three years, indicating the City is continuing along the right path and for the most part, residents are highly satisfied with City government. Regarding the condition of City streets and roads, residents provided more positive ratings when compared to 2003. Consistent with this, 42% believe the City has made improved efforts to repair/upgrade aging roads. Additionally, 35% believe the City has improved its communication to residents.
Respondents also demonstrated increased positivity about City governance. For all three issues included (fiscal responsibility, communication from City to residents and degree to which City Council represents citizens and their interests), respondents expressed greater positivity than in 2003. This is especially true for evaluations of how well the City handles its finances, with 52% agreeing somewhat or very strongly with the statement, “The City does a good job of managing its finances.”
Overall, a survey such as this provides a current snapshot of residents’ attitudes and opinions regarding their City as well as the issues they see facing it. Such attitudes, however, are not created and stored in a vacuum – they are guided and updated by experiences over time. In the researchers’ opinion, many of the increased positive perceptions of City services and City governance noted in the 2006 Community Survey may indicate the City’s increased focus of effort, energy, and application of resources in recent years is starting to be noticed by residents.
2. Residents continue to report a strong concern about business development within the City in general and at Kingsdale specifically.
While the City is widely perceived to effectively manage its resources, there is concern among residents regarding the City’s economic base: 27% of respondents identified the City’s economic base and a perceived need for additional businesses as one of the major issues facing the City. Specifically, residents continue to voice concern about the Kingsdale Shopping Center, with 20% identifying Kingsdale as one of the most important problems facing UA. These themes are consistent with results from the 2003 Community Survey and a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Library system.
3. Residents want the Kingsdale property to be redeveloped to feature a variety of uses – not just retail and restaurants. Residents support the City’s use of economic incentives to assist with this redevelopment.
Overall, the 2006 Survey revealed strong support for how Upper Arlington’s Master Plan has zoned Kingsdale to be redeveloped in a mixed-use manner. When first queried about Kingsdale and presented a series of possible redevelopment approaches and their benefits, 47% reported they wanted a mixed-use development combining retail, restaurant, entertainment, office, and other uses, while another 30% just wanted Kingsdale to change for the better. When provided with additional information on possible benefits that could result from different development schemes (e.g., primarily retail/restaurant, primarily office/medical, a mix of both), support for a mixed-use development increased to 63%.
Knowing there is substantial residential support for the current zoning requirements provides clear guidance to the City to “stay the course.” This information naturally leads to another question, though. What action, if any, should the City take to facilitate the redevelopment of Kingsdale? Residents were presented with four possible courses of action, along with a general statement as to each option’s likely cost to the City, likely benefits to the City, and how much control the City would have over development at the site. After processing this information, residents do not seem to want the City to purchase Kingsdale in part or in whole (only 31% prefer these approaches) while a majority (50%) would like the City to use financial incentives to encourage the property owner/developer to redevelop the site. Keeping the status quo – which means simply enforcing the current zoning requirements – was preferred by 18% of respondents.
4. Supporting the findings of the “Focus on the Future” strategic planning process, residents are most likely to report the City needs an indoor swimming facility, more biking/ walking/running paths, and a facility featuring exercise/weightlifting equipment.
With respect to the Parks & Recreation Department, two main issues were addressed: awareness of the “Focus on the Future” planning process led by the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board; and current use and perceived need for amenities/facilities.
Regarding the resident driven “Focus on the Future” Strategic Plan, about half of residents indicated they were somewhat or very aware of this planning process and 11% of those reported they had participated in some way. Among those who have participated in the process, there was a stronger feeling their views were being well represented.
When asked to identify facilities and amenities the City needs more of, the top three requests were indoor swimming facilities (39% of respondents), biking/walking/running paths (34%) and exercise and weightlifting equipment (29%). Regarding indoor swimming and exercise equipment facilities, almost a third of residents report using facilities outside the City. When the need for biking, walking and running paths was discussed in a post-survey focus group, this perceived need included both paths within City parks and paths to connect parks to their local neighborhoods. When discussed further, participants were more positive to the idea of sidewalks connecting neighborhood parks and schools to their immediate residential areas than to a community-wide comprehensive sidewalk initiative.
Parks & Recreation Strategic Plan
Following the successful completion of the Reed Road Water Park in 2005, City Council’s Pools Committee and City Council as a whole decided the City should develop a comprehensive plan for all parks, facilities and programs. The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) was charged with this undertaking. In early 2006, PRAB created the “Focus on the Future” Parks & Recreation Strategic Plan Task Force, comprised of three City Council members, all PRAB members and nine at-large residents. A key goal was to have community representatives develop the strategic plan.
Throughout 2006, the Task Force undertook extensive community outreach efforts to gather input from residents and stakeholders, hosting town meetings and user group interviews, and conducting numerous surveys.
Key Strategic Plan characteristics included:
• Obtaining an inventory of existing conditions.
• Engaging in extensive community dialogue to provide opportunity for participation in the process by all stakeholders.
• Identifying community needs and desires.
• Establishing realistic short-term and long-term goals.
• Developing strategies for responsible resource allocation to achieve the community's goals.
• Producing a strategic document that is accountable, flexible and best reflects the overriding wishes of the community.
The Strategic Plan document was scheduled for presentation to City Council for adoption early spring 2007.
Full details can be obtained at www.ua-ohio.net under the Parks, Recreation & Leisure section.
The City wishes to thank members of the Parks & Recreation Strategic Plan Task Force for their participation in this important process:
• Parks & Recreation Advisory Board: Chair John Simpson; Vice Chair Maureen Lorenz; Georgia Bruce; Mary Hoyt; Tim King; Debra Marsh; Joy Peterson; Duncan Snyder.
• City Council Representatives: Donald B. Leach, Jr.; Timothy S. Rankin; Wade Steen.
• At-Large: Pat Casto; Kate Diday; Meg Graves; Jim Jennings; Nikki McNary; George Rooney; Amy Sharpe; David Thompson.
Key Findings
• High community satisfaction with the Parks & Recreation Department.
• The department offers a variety of facilities and programs.
• Many facilities and programs are heavily used.
• Many recreation users must go outside UA to access public and private facilities.
• Many facilities/programs operate on a “pay to play” or self-supporting basis.
• UA has little remaining undeveloped land.
• Many facilities/programs rely on relationships with other civic institutions.
• The population is unlikely to change significantly in the foreseeable future.
• Public input suggests an extensive list of recommended actions.
Guiding Principles
Recognizing that plan implementation will be influenced by different factors over time, a series of guiding principles were established to provide direction and a consistent decision-making framework. These principles were derived from public input and key findings throughout the strategic planning process:
1 Provide diverse facilities/programs that serve community interests and a healthy lifestyle.
2 Protect scarce open space.
3 Partner wherever possible.
4 Act as a good environmental steward.
5 Act as a prudent custodian of existing facilities.
6 Make every park count.
7 Distribute facilities and uses wisely.
8 Minimize cost to taxpayers: “Pay to Play.”
9 Maintain responsiveness with City Council and the community.
10 Coordinate efforts with other municipal departments and plans.
Goals
The Strategic Plan maps out broad goals, with more detailed implementation objectives assigned:
1 Improve access to road connectivity with parks and other recreational opportunities.
2 Enhance the provision of high quality aquatics facilities and programs.
3 Improve availability and range of field-based activities.
4 Provide indoor leisure/recreation opportunities for year-round use.
5 Improve park facilities and infrastructure.
6 Enhance nature-oriented areas, environmental programs and park aesthetics.
7 Enhance cultural- and art-based components of park facilities and programs.
8 Improve the facilities for and operation of LifeLong Learning courses and other recreation-education programs.
9 Enhance the department’s administrative and management practices.
Immediate Recommended Actions
The Strategic Plan recommends the following first steps to ensure its implementation over time:
1 Formal adoption of the Plan by City Council.
2 Present the Plan to community groups.
3 Develop a detailed 2007-2008 implementation work plan.
4 Develop a master plan for Langston/Sunny 95 Park.
5 Form a community task force to undertake a feasibility study for a Northam Park recreation hub.
6 Establish a Field Sports Advisory Committee to facilitate field programming and development.
7 Establish a central field scheduling process with property owners and user groups.
8 Create an annual progress report and work plan, to be presented to City Council during budget discussions.
2006/2007 Solid Waste Assessment
The City’s Solid Waste services garnered high marks from residents in the 2006 Community Survey. Recycling service received a mean of 6.4 and refuse collection 6.2, with 7 equating to “very high quality.” In fact, since 1992, the “pay as you throw” approach coupled with free recycling, has put UA ahead of most communities for minimizing how much refuse ends up at the landfill.
While we can be proud of the current program on many levels, the costs for providing Solid Waste services have been outpacing revenues in recent years. With the program designed to be self-funded, Staff began to evaluate the City’s options in the fall of 2006.
A volunteer Staff Advisory Group was formed to assist the process, comprised of residents with various levels of professional expertise beneficial to the review process.
Primary goals of the Assessment are:
• To continue to provide exceptional, cost effective and environmentally friendly Solid Waste Services.
• To evaluate existing Solid Waste Services and explore alternative service delivery options to identify an approach that best meets the community’s needs.
• To undertake a process that allows for community and organizational stakeholder involvement.
• To develop a mechanism for annually reviewing and monitoring the provision of Solid Waste Services.
• To recommend to City Council the implementation of a cost effective delivery system of Solid Waste Services.
Community outreach efforts in 2006 included a series of Town Meetings, held in November, to begin collecting input on the current approach and ideas for improvement, with opportunities for residents to provide their input at any time through the City’s Web site.
In 2007, a second set of Town Meetings are scheduled for the spring, at which time a set of service scenarios will be presented for resident discussion and feedback. A final report to City Council is scheduled for the early summer.
To date, the Solid Waste Assessment process has uncovered a complex mix of information, presenting a challenging set of circumstances to balance within the mandate of a self-funded program. It is hoped a solution can be found that will meet residents’ needs in a cost effective manner, while preserving the City’s commitment to recycling waste materials.
Solid Waste Assessment details can be found at www.ua-ohio.net.
The City wishes to thank members of the Staff Advisory Group for their participation in this important process: Carolyn Casper-Duvall; George Frecker; Thomas Hoyle; Philip Musser; Christina Redmen; Elisa Thomas; Ned Timmons.
Business & Development
Development Highlights
- Development processed a total of 376 residential and commercial permits in 2006, with a total construction value of approximately $75.9 million, continuing the high level of activity experienced in recent years.
- Residential construction reached an all-time high at $39.8 million, reflective of the continued reinvestment homeowners are making in single-family homes. Permits were issued for 21 new single-family homes along with over 280 addition and renovation permits to the City’s existing residential housing stock.
- Commercial activity continued to indicate a substantial level of development. Major projects leading the way included: the redevelopment of First Community Village, completion of 20 condominium units at Towncenter Place, ground-breaking for the five-story, 56 unit condominium Arlington Crossing project on Tremont, renovation of the Miller Park Library, and new Sky Bank on Northwest Boulevard.
- Residential and commercial activity combined totaled 2,472 construction permits processed through the department. More than 3,800 building, heating, fire protection, sewer tap, driveway, demolition and sign inspections took place in 2006 – an average of 15 inspections per day.
2006 Economic Development Highlights
- The last piece of developable commercial land in the City was purchased from the Community Improvement Corporation (CIC). Located in the commercial district at the corner of Riverside and Henderson roads, the Central Ohio Medicine Building Associates, LLC and Central Ohio Primary Care Practice purchased the land for $700,00, with plans to construct a 15,000 square foot medical practice at the site. The project represents over $3 million in investment, and will initially house 32 employees, resulting in more than $2 million in annual payroll and generating approximately $40,000 annual employee withholdings. The project was granted a 50 percent tax abatement on real property improvements and a 50% TIF for up to 30 years to pay for public improvements made in the area. The TIF should be satisfied within 12 years. The 10-year net impact of the project on the City is expected to be $440,000 in revenue and $260,000 in public improvements. In addition to the 15,000 square foot building, the final development plan included a Phase Two, 6,000 square foot office building.
- Arlington Falls, LLC completed construction of the second of five office condominium buildings available for purchase, and began construction of a third building. Adams, Babner & Gitlitz purchased 6,364 square feet of Building Two, to house the law firms of Adams, Babner & Gitlitz, The Dickerson Law Group, and John Bingham Racing. In addition, Teamwork Solutions purchased 3,300 square feet of Building Two, enabling this local company to move from leased to expanded owner-occupied office space to meet its growth needs.
- Dancor, Inc. a commercial printing company that had outgrown its Dublin Road location, purchased and improved space on Riverside Drive, bringing with it additional tenants including EnCompass Publishing and In[Vision]. A $50,000 Large Business Loan/Grant was approved by the Community Improvement Corporation to support this project.
- Matthew Kovalcik, Stephen Geraghty and James Hyre purchased the second story of a building at the Mallway, to be converted into an office condominium that will house a branch of Raymond James Financial Services and Hyre and Associates.
Kovalcik, Geraghty and Hyre (KGH) applied for a Large Business Loan/Grant to assist them with costs related to building renovation and the move to Upper Arlington. At the April 20, 2006 meeting of the Upper Arlington Community Improvement Corporation, the Board voted unanimously to recommend that City Council grant KGH a $50,000 Large Business Loan/Grant.
Capital Reinvestments
A significant portion of the City’s reinvestment in Upper Arlington is to protect and enhance those investments already made as the community grew and took shape over the course of many decades – our underground and surface infrastructure, public facilities and parks.
The City remains committed to improving its aging infrastructure through its Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Thanks to solid financial planning, CIP funding averages $5 million annually through 2012.
New Fire Station
Preparations began for building a new fire station to replace the aging facility on Reed Road. City Council authorized $6 million in bonds to support this project, to be repaid using revenues from the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Billing Program. Tentatively, construction will begin late 2007 or early 2008, with a 2009 completion date.
Road and Infrastructure Improvements
In 2006, the Engineering Division coordinated another busy road and infrastructure construction season. Projects included:
• Mountview Road from Fishinger Road to McCoy Road was reconstructed.
• Zollinger Road was resurfaced from Riverside Drive to Tremont Road.
• Plans for the reconstruction of Kenny Road north of McCoy Road to the City’s northern boundary were delayed until 2007. This project had originally been reviewed in 2005 as part of the Infrastructure Policies Committee, which considered how best to review and incorporate a number of elements into road improvements to further goals of the Master Plan and Transportation Plan. Following this, Staff was directed to incorporate into the design possible inclusion of a multi-use pathway along the west side of Kenny. Council chose to delay this project until the 2007 construction season to allow for further study of available options during budget discussions.
Parks and Public Facilities
Work continued in 2006 to maintain and improve the community’s parks and public facilities:
• Burbank Park was completed, adding two much-needed athletic fields into the park system, as well as a shelter with restrooms, a multi-use pathway connecting Burbank to Northwest Park, and additional parking. Burbank Park was made possible by a partnership/joint venture of the City and Schools, formed as part of the City assuming ownership of the community’s three outdoor pools in 2003.
• Three Eagle Scout projects helped enhance public access in natural park areas: Mark Simon designed and built a replacement bridge in Smith Park; Joe Ferguson designed and built a boardwalk in Thompson Park that improves enjoyment of the vernal wetland located in the middle of the park; Adam Kattoua coordinated trail improvements, litter control and invasive honeysuckle removal in Smith Nature Park.
• A new City gateway was installed at the corner of Riverside and Henderson roads.
• A multi-use pathway was installed in Reed Road Park.
• A short section of sidewalk was added to the north edge of Wyandot Park along Lane Road, making it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to cross Riverside Drive between UA and the Columbus parks along the Scioto River.
Other Highlights
Citizen Police Academy
The Police Division hosted its first Citizen Police Academy in the fall. Over the course of 10 weeks, 12 participants found themselves immersed in a hands-on, behind-the-scenes look at various aspects of law enforcement. Topics included use of force, search and seizure, traffic enforcement, booking procedures, interviewing and interrogation, and ride-alongs with officers. The program went on to receive the 2006 Community Safety Award. In addition, participants went on to establish an alumni group to provide support to the division and the community in a variety of ways.
Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival Celebrates 40th Anniversary
Recognized by many as the premier one-day arts festival in the region, the City’s Cultural Arts Division and its Cultural Arts Commission were proud to celebrate the event’s 40th anniversary. Each year, the community comes together to peruse and purchase a variety of artwork from 200 vendors, to enjoy musical entertainment, hands-on arts activities and much more.
Police Survey
The Police Division conducted a small survey of UA residents to help gauge awareness of and satisfaction with services, and to identify any issues that may require additional attention.
When asked about the competency of the division: 87% believe UA officers are professional and positive; 86% stated that UA officers are approachable; 91% believe frequent police patrols are important to suppressing crime; and 88% believe UA officers are doing a competent job.
Community Events
The Parks & Recreation Department expanded its special event programming to include four seasonal events. The Spring Fling was added to compliment the existing Summer Celebration, Fall Fest and Winter Festival. New in 2006, the Tree Lighting Ceremony was combined with the Winter Festival activities at the Mallway. An official holiday day made its debut, planted next to Fire House 71.
Popular Annual Financial Report
The Finance Department produced its first Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, produced as a special edition of the City Insight newsletter and mailed directly to all UA households. The PAFR achieved its goal of providing a quick, easy-to-understand overview of a complicated topic, leading 2006 Community Survey respondents to express positive opinions on how the City manages its finances.
Natural Gas Aggregation
The City’s natural gas aggregation program continued on residents’ behalf, embarking on its second contract year in 2006. With energy prices at all time highs, a stable rate was set at 1.352 per ccf. Negotiations for the 2007 contract were able to secure a lower rate of 1.189 per ccf.
Online Auction - www.govdeals.com
The City now uses an online auction service for the sale of used, surplus and confiscated goods. This enables all departments to post items as they come available throughout the year, significantly reducing storage issues. In 2006, revenues in excess of $90,000 were realized.
Parks & Recreation Program Catalogs
Parks & Recreation partnered with Community Affairs to upgrade the department’s primary marketing tools. Recreation’s Get Rec Get Set Go! catalog and the LifeLong Learning & Leisure catalog both received significant facelifts. A new catalog, Center Stage, was created to promote Senior Center programs. Accompanying enhancements were made to support marketing activities and results tracking. To date, results were already indicating the new approach’s success, with fall registrations increasing by over 24% from the previous year. The Recreation Division alone reported a 33% increase in revenue for the year.
Police Division Introduces Internet Predator Safety Seminars
In response to the rising trend in child pornography and Internet predator cases both locally and nationally, the division developed and launched an Internet Predator Safety Seminar which can be tailored to meet the needs of both youth and parents.
Parks & Forestry Prepares for the Emerald Ash Borer
The Parks & Forestry Division, in collaboration with the City Tree Commission, developed a proactive preparation approach for the impending arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer, integrating a targeted, phased-in replacement of ash trees as part of its annual Street Tree Replacement Program.
Organizational Values
The entire City organization came together in the fall to develop its own unique set of organizational values. Eighteen work groups mixed staff from various departments for sessions of creativity, brainstorming and fun. From these activities, the values shield (pictured above) was developed.
The values process marked the beginning of many meaningful conversations and steps to keep our organization healthy and working toward the common good. In 2007, plans are in the works for the launch of a UA University that formalizes growth opportunities for Staff using internal experts and existing resources, and the seven values are to be incorporated into employees’ annual reviews.
2006 Awards & Significant Achievements
City Manager's Office
• The City Manager’s weekly editorial in the UA News received an Award of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America.
• The 2006 State of the City Address garnered an Award of Excellence from the City-County Communications and Marketing Association.
• Assistant City Manager Joe Valentino received a Service to Youth Award from the Upper Arlington Leadership Program.
• Deputy City Manager – Community Affairs Emma Bramley was awarded a Service to Seniors Award from the Commission on Aging.
Development Department
• Roger Eastep was elected Director for the Central Ohio Code Officials Board of Directors.
Finance
• Finance received its 19th Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its 2005 Comprehensive Financial Report.
• The department received an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting from GFOA, for the City’s first Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for 2005.
Fire Division
• Travis Johnston was named Liberty Mutual Firefighter of the Year.
• Captain Jeff Young received the Larry Parlett Award as the top Franklin County firefighter.
• Fire Captain Dan Strohl was named to the Board of Directors for the International Code Council.
Parks & Recreation
• Parks & Forestry received its 17th Tree City USA Award and its second annual “Growth Award.”
• Parks & Recreation was ranked a Top Healthy Ohioan Community from the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA).
• The department received second place in the printed material category from OPRA for its revamped program catalogs, Get Rec Get Set Go!, the LifeLong Learning and Leisure catalog and the new Center Stage catalog promoting activities for older adults.
Police
• Officer Keith Hall was named Police Officer of the Year, and Brooke Page as Civilian of the Year.
2006 Community Award Winners
Each year, the City presents a series of awards to recognize and
celebrate those organizations and members of the community who contribute to our quality of life in a variety of ways.
Congratulations to our 2006 Community Award recipients:
Business of the Year
Huffman’s Market
Huffman’s Market continues to be an exceptional business citizen. Tim and Glenda Huffman are both active in community organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and Tri-Village Rotary. Year-round, they sponsor various community events through in-kind donations, and play an instrumental role in the annual pancake breakfast at Tremont Center.
Community Enrichment
Connie Freeman
As a Northwest Partners volunteer, Connie helps homebound seniors with transportation in and around UA. She can be seen cheerfully taking two separate adults grocery shopping, because they have some disabilities and need hands-on help. She also helps another frail and elderly woman with doctor appointments. Connie’s delightful, caring personality enriches many older adults living in the area.
Community Safety
Citizen Police Academy
Chief Quinn and his division have been expanding community outreach efforts, with the most significant new program taking shape in the form of the first annual Citizen Police Academy. Over the course of 10 weeks, 12 residents enjoyed many fascinating hours of behind-the-scenes, hands-on insight of the division and the many ways officers work to keep the community safe. The program received rave reviews from participants, creating new friendships and resulting in formation of an Academy Alumni group.
Super Senior
Jim Jennings
Jim has been actively involved in numerous community projects: as a past Board member and Chair of the Senior Advisory Council; as a participant of the Community Vision Partnership, the community based group that led the creation of the City’s Master Plan; as a member of the Community Improvement Corporation; and most recently as a member of the Parks & Recreation Strategic Plan Task Force. Jim regularly attends City Council meetings and ensures he is up-to-date on City projects so that he can participate fully in making informed decisions for the good of the community.
Youth Award
Tiffany Epps
Tiffany has been a quiet leader at the High School, seldom receiving recognition. Her volunteer efforts include feeding the homeless, preparing and delivering food baskets for needy families during the holidays, fund-raising for non-profit organizations, volunteering for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank and painting house numbers on curbs as a safety service to the community. Recently, she was selected to be a volunteer at Children’s Hospital and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Volunteer Program.
2006 Distinguished Service Award Winners
Each year, the City encourages employees to nominate fellow co-workers who have gone above and beyond to serve the Upper Arlington community to the best of their ability. In 2006, the following individuals received Distinguished Service Awards: Danny Dyer, Solid Waste Worker, Solid Waste Division; Cheryl Hyatt, Program Assistant, Recreation Division; David Tidd, Parks Maintenance Specialist, Parks & Forestry Division.
Financial Report
Upper Arlington’s fiscal health remains strong, thanks to sound financial policies, a commitment to a balanced budget set within conservative revenue projections, and an astute awareness of present and pending challenges to various revenue sources and the steps necessary to prepare for these changes.
The City’s income tax revenue was slightly above budget projections for 2006 at $12.9 million, but down from the 2005 revenue total of $14.1 million. Most of this decrease was attributed to a significant reduction in net profits tax.
Every six years, and most recently in 2005, Franklin County completed its re-appraisal of existing real estate. The appraisal resulted in a 19% overall increase in the valuation of property within the City, and produced an additional $1.3 million of property tax revenue.
The City collected $1.1 million more in estate tax revenue than the annual projecting, with the overage directed to the Estate Tax Improvement Fund to support capital improvement projects.
Continued favorable short-term interest rates resulted in an investment earnings increase of more than $200,000 from 2005.
The City’s operating expenses came in under budget by approximately 8%.
Financial Highlights
In its second year of implementation, the Income Tax Delinquency Program, a joint effort between the Finance Department and City Attorney’s Office, collected more than $330,000 in taxes due the City.
The Community Improvement Corporation sold its land holdings at Horizons Drive. The City is optimistic about the future income tax revenue to be gained from this commercial site.
The City’s EMS Billing Program generated more than $550,000 in its second full year of operation. Plans are now underway for the design and construction of a new fire station on Reed Road.
City Council re-examined the sewer surcharge utility rate, which had remained unchanged since 1996. Effective January 2007, the surcharge changed from a flat fee of $4.90 per metric cubic foot (MCF) to an 18% surcharge of the commodity billed the City, to better match the costs of operations and debt payments for the related infrastructure.
City Council made the decision to raise the trash sticker price from $2.50 to $3.10 effective January 2007, in an effort to keep the Solid Waste Fund self-sustaining. Recognizing that costs associated with Solid Waste services continue to rise beyond expectations, the City began a Solid Waste Assessment process in the fall, with a report to City Council scheduled for the summer of 2007.
The City received more than $125,000 in grants and other outside funding in 2006, speaking to another active year seeking out the means to begin or enhance programs and services.
Summary of 2006 Budget Activity
(un-audited)
RECEIPTS
Operating Revenues:
Income Tax $12,947,784
Property Tax $10,107,450
Estate Tax $3,231,655
Local Government Fund $2,517,222
Gas Tax & Motor Vehicle License $1,539,334
Water, Sewer, & Stormwater Fees $1,491,428
Solid Waste Stickers $1,713,494
Swimming Pool Fee $624,253
Investment Earnings $1,857,283
Charges for Services $1,527,385
Other Revenue $3,549,556
Total Operating Revenues $41,106,844
Other Receipts:
Sale of Notes $3,997,218
Total Receipts $45,104,062
Expenditures
Operating Expenditures
Public Safety $13,578,528
Parks & Recreation $3,446,882
Public Service $5,168,612
Development $854,175
Administrative Direction $2,303,402
Administrative Support $3,893,211
General Administration $1,414,211
Total Operating Expenditures $30,659,021
Capital Expenditures
Capital Equipment $958,536
Capital Improvements $5,134,404
Total Capital Expenditures $6,092,940
Debt Service Payments $7,581,115
Total Expenditures $44,333,076
Excess of Revenues over Expenditures $770,986
Updated 7/07
City Manager's Office
City of Upper Arlington
3600 Tremont Road
Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221
Phone: 614-583-5040
Fax: 614-457-6620
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