HomeMy Public PortalAboutCM Department Report - May 2019Memo /
To: City Council
From: Anette Spickard, City Manager
Date: May 2, 2019
Re: Monthly Department Report – May 2019
FY 20 Budget Preparation Process Underway:
Linda Stokes, Treasurer, and I are working through the budget preparation process and have conducted our first round of departmental budget reviews using the parameters given to us by
Council at your May 24 budget workshop. Next steps are for us to finalize revenue forecasts and resources available for operations and determine resources available for the Capital
Improvement Plan. The Council’s next budget workshop is scheduled for July 26th.
Employee Recognition:
I am pleased to announce that the Chamber of Commerce awarded the Larraine Gardner Hawes Distinguished Service Award to Kurt Wolf at their spring membership breakfast. This award recognizes
a community member who goes above and beyond to serve the community through partnership and collaboration. Chamber President Gary Thompson spoke of Kurt as an example of servant-leadership
during his remarks and I couldn’t agree more.
Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee of Idaho Legislature Visit:
On May 17, the full membership of the state’s Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee visited McCall. The legislators toured several sites representing new investment in the McCall
area such as the expansion of the Salmon River Brewery, the hospital expansion, and the downtown core reconstruction project. I was able to give them a brief presentation on the effectiveness
of the tools provided to us by the legislature such as the Local Option Tax authority and Urban Renewal. The Chamber of Commerce and the West Central Mountains Economic Development
Council presented the results they can achieve with funds they received from the Department of Commerce. By all accounts the Committee members enjoyed the visit and learned a lot from
seeing the projects in person.
High Speed Internet Conference:
On May 17, I attended this panel discussion moderated by Next Century Cities, a non-profit technical assistance organization based in Washington, DC that promotes and supports the extension
of high speed internet in rural areas. Attendees from a broad range of backgrounds, both public and private sector,
attended. Topics included the Ammon, Idaho model of providing an open internet platform as well as the challenges we face to address the “middle mile” connection of our area to internet
hubs in Boise. It was a great discussion that has generated momentum for the municipal fiber project here in McCall.
Governor’s Office Meeting Regarding State and City Priorities:
The Governor has established an office for intergovernmental relations to build working partnerships with cities and other jurisdictions throughout the state. The Mayor and I met with
his representative to discuss our City’s goals and priority areas. Topics discussed included our interest in Highway 55 improvements and a plan to eventually “trade” for Deinhard/Boydstun,
our interest in the public transit system and the need for state support for transit, our interest in the health of Big Payette Lake and state boat inspections for invasive species,
and our efforts to improve coordination with the Department of State Lands, our partnership with the Forest Service smoke jumper base and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) award
of $11 Million towards our taxiway relocation project, to name a few.
Big Payette Lake Water Quality Council Meeting:
I attended a meeting of their newly formed board at their invitation. Their discussion focused primarily on their interest in preserving and protecting the health and water quality of
Big Payette Lake. At this meeting, I learned there are two projects proposed to be conducted on the lake this summer by graduate students from different universities. One student will
attempt to measure the rate of erosion of the shoreline at Payette Lake and Cascade Lake. Another student will attempt to measure wave energy from different types of boats. The State
Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is aware of the two projects and is assisting the students with data and other research support but the DEQ is not officially sponsoring these
projects and did not develop their methodologies.
Human Resources Update:
The application period for the Airport Manager position has closed. Applications are being screened and a first round of telephone/skype interviews will happen by mid-June. Finalists
will be invited to in-person interviews at the end of the month.