The City of Salida is pleased to announce Michael Yerman has accepted the position of Community Development Director and will start June 25. Yerman served as Salida city planner from July 2008 to July 2011 and, most recently, served as Buena Vista town planner. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Urban Planning.

On his new position with the City, Yerman said, “I’m excited about working with the community and business owners on their projects and creating an ‘open for business’ culture in the City. I look forward to working with the city council and planning commission, and I’m truly grateful for the support and confidence in allowing me to come back to Salida as Community Development Director.”

Filed under Community Development, Jobs, News

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/yerman-accepts-community-development-director-position/

Doug Bess, 18-year career firefighter with the City of Salida, is the Interim Fire Chief following the resignation of Don Taylor. Taylor is the new fire chief for the City of Black Hawk. Bess was promoted to interim fire chief May 16, and he will begin his day schedule May 30. Hired in 1994 with the Salida Fire Department, Bess was promoted to captain in 1996.

In addition, Paul Ottomer was promoted to interim captain, and Dan Distel from the reserve corps was temporary hired to serve the department.

Dara MacDonald, city administrator, said results from the fire services assessment is expected by the end of the month. She said the City is waiting to see recommendations from the report before advertising the position.

To contact Bess, please call the fire department at 539-2212.

Filed under Fire, News

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/bess-promoted-to-interim-fire-chief/

All responses must be submitted prior to 2:00 PM on Friday, June 22, 2012 to the Finance Director, City of Salida, 448 East First Street, Suite 112, Salida, CO 81201.

Background

The City of Salida, located in south-central Colorado, has a population of approximately 5,300. The City operates enterprise or business-type funds in addition to the general fund and a conservation trust fund. The City employs 53 full-time and approximately 50 part-time workers who provide the following municipal services:

• Water and wastewater treatment and distribution
• Planning and community development
• Streets and infrastructure maintenance and improvements
• Police and fire protection
• Municipal court
• Municipal swimming pool and recreation programs
• Event center
• Vital statistisc

Charges and fees for all services are billed and collected in-house Approximately 3,100 customers are served by Salida’s water and/or wastewater services and, of those, approximately 300 are signed up for ACH. The City is considering paperless billing as well as on-line payment and credit card payment options. The City imposes an occupation tax on short-term lodging (14 motels and 50 vacation rentals) and collects various franchise fees and intergovernmental revenue. In 2011, the City processed 2,100 accounts payable checks and 100 on-line bill payments and prepared 152 W-2s and 32 1099s.

The City’s current billing system is used to generate water and wastewater service billings and to process daily cash collections with an interface to the general ledger. A primary goal of the software conversion is to eliminate staff’s reliance on Excel and Word to heavily supplement the software packages for miscellaneous billings and tracking supplemental financial data and key metrics.

The City’s current system runs on a Dell Power Edge 1900 4GB Server (Quad Core Xeon Processor E5310 2x4MB Cache, 1.60GHz, 1066MHz FSB) with the Windows Server 2003 operating system (standard edition), 2008 Media.

Requirements

Salida’s operations require a system to provide the following functionality:

1. General Ledger
2. Budget Preparation (with multiple version capability)
3. Financial Reporting Analysis
4. Billing
   1. Utility Billing – Water Wastewater (Badger meters)
   2. Occupational Tax on Lodging
   3. Other (eg. planning zoning fees, lab testing, bulk water, park rentals, recreation programs, reimbursements, meeting room rentals, etc.)
5. Cash Receipts
6. Accounts Payable
7. Fixed Assets

Additional functionality that may be considered include:

1. Court Fines / Payment Tracking
2. Payroll
3. Human Resources
4. Event Management
5. Sales Tax

Vendor Response Format and General Proposal

Responses should be prepared in a simple and straightforward manner. Reviewers will expect a concise description of the vendor’s ability to meet the requirements of this request for information. Please see the complete RFI for all requested information and the manner in which it is to be presented.

Evaluation Process

Prior to awarding a contract, staff shall complete a thorough evaluation of system capabilities, training and support offerings, on-going maintenance, vendor financial stability, references from other customers and total costs for each system.

Product demonstrations of the software functionality will be required prior to any bid acceptance. The City shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by the vendor during the evaluation process. The City will perform whatever research it deems necessary to thoroughly assess the vendor’s history, financial viability, customer service capabilities and the software’s performance and reliability.

The City may request additional information to further clarify, explain or validate the contents of any proposal. All information must be submitted to the City in writing within three working days of the City’s request.

Bid Acceptance or Rejection

The City reserves the right to reject all proposals, or to reject any proposal in part or in whole, and to award the proposal to the most responsive and responsible firm as deemed in the best interest of the City. Further, the right is reserved to waive any formalities or informalities contained in this proposal.

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/software-request-for-proposals/

Salida Public Works Department will close G Street from First Street to Sackett Avenue starting Tuesday until further notice. The closure is to change the one-way section of street for two-way traffic. All cars must be removed from the area before May 22 to allow Public Works to make the necessary changes. Questions may be directed to Brenda at Public Works, 539-6257.

Filed under News, Public Notices, Public Works

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/g-street-closed-beginning-tuesday/

by Dara MacDonald, City Administrator

The public is invited to the grand opening of the Milk Run Trail on Thursday, May 24.  The event will last from 4-6 p.m. with the ribbon cutting at 4:30 at the intersection of Starbuck Circle and the trail.  Refreshments will be provided.

The Milk Run Trail is a new connection from the end of the Monarch Spur Trail in the field behind Wal Mart.  The new section of trail connects from the old dead-end to Starbuck Dairy Subdivision, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Wal Mart and the intersection of Hwy 50 and CR 111.

The Monarch Spur Trail was constructed on former railroad right of way that was obtained by the City when the line was abandoned.  The City obtained the land they could at that time and acquire grant funding to install the existing trail.  It has been a popular trail for many years but has surprised many first-time users when they reach the abrupt end and were forced to turn back.  The addition of the Milk Run Trail will allow users to connect from downtown to Highway 50 and all of the neighborhoods between.

One might think that it is a simple process to construct a logical trail extension; however, like many projects it was not simple to fund or complete.  The City obtained the land for the trail extension in 2006 as part of the negotiation for the development of the Starbuck Dairy Subdivision.  The City was eventually awarded $156,400 in grant funding through the Colorado State Trails program towards construction of the trail.

Pridemore Construction was awarded the contract for the project and construction is nearly complete.  We hope that you can join us for the grand opening on May 24^th and if not, that you will enjoy the new trail in the near future.

On a separate note, it is my honor to now serve this community as the City Administrator.  Our family was pleased to have the opportunity to move to Salida in 2005, and we continue to enjoy being able to call this community our home.  I look forward to working with the Mayor, City Council and all citizens to maintain the services and facilities we enjoy and make improvements where necessary or desired.

We have a wonderful city, and I am confident that together we can overcome the challenges that will inevitably come and continue to create new improvements such as the Milk Run Trail to celebrate in the future.

Filed under Administration, Milk Run Trail, News

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/milk-run-trail-grand-opening/

Join us Wednesday, May 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers (448 E 1^st Street) for the second in a series of meetings to create a master plan for Salida’s Chisholm Park.

Chisholm Park is located at 324 Hunt Street, between Maxwell and Chilcott. Last summer, the old house burned down, and the City plans to use insurance money and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) funds to update and refurbish the park. Your thoughts on park design are desired in the process to re-build.

If you cannot attend but would like to be heard, please e-mail your thoughts to: theresa.casey@cityofsalida.com.

Filed under Chisholm Park, News, Recreation

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/chisholm-park-master-plan-meeting/

I wanted to give an update on our department and the activities for this summer. I would like to introduce our newest member of the police department, Oliver Williams. He started in February of this year. Oliver comes to us from Eagle, Colorado, and we are very glad to welcome Oliver to the department. Currently, our manpower is down one officer, and we are in the process of hiring a new officer.

I wanted to take an opportunity to talk about Salida City Codes and Property Maintenance issues. In recent months, the City has reviewed all of the Salida City Codes and has done a major clean- up of the Code book. Most of the codes were updated and, in some cases, modified. This project was much needed.

Our department handles the enforcement issues on most code issues such as Animal Laws, Parking Issues, Weed and Junk Code Violations, Advertising Sign Codes and Junk/Abandoned Vehicles, etc. Each of these has specific code regulations on the books, and I encourage anyone wanting further information on the codes to contact Salida City Hall or the Salida Police Department.

The one area that I see as a growing issue is the Junk and Weed violations. As you drive around town, it seems there are a great deal of properties with junk piled on the property. A good deal of properties have uncontrolled weeds growing. This is very concerning to me as I believe it would also be concerning to the citizens of Salida. We will continue to actively enforce the code laws, and we will give warnings or notices where we can. In most cases of code law violations, the outcome desired is to come into compliance.

I would like to ask all the citizens of Salida to look around your property, and if you have issues with junk and weeds,  take care of them before we notify you. If you are in need of information on people who might assist you with junk and weed issues, contact our department as we can supply you with information in that area.

Where properties are left in disrepair, broken windows, near collapsed sheds, etc – I firmly believe this creates an environment that attracts crime. We see criminal mischief cases, trespass cases, arson cases and more in areas that are basically run down and look abandoned. So, I urge citizens to clean up your property, and let’s all take pride in our very nice community.

As I close, I wanted to make a brief mention on the summer time traffic issues, as the volume increases and the number of bicyclists and pedestrians do as well. Please be careful and obey the rules of the road. I have noticed a positive difference in traffic behavior since my last article on bicycles and vehicle traffic. Thank you to those who are paying attention and doing the right thing.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun summer. We welcome anyone with questions or concerns to stop by the police department at 448 E. 1^st St., Suite 274 in Salida or call in at 539-6880.

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/salidacitycodesandpropertymaintenance/

Experience and knowledge with hand tools and small-motorized equipment is a plus.  Applicant must possess a valid driver’s license.  Applicant must supply a current copy of MVR with application. Current opening is for 40 hours per week. Position will run Tues- Sat.  Pay is $10 hour.  Full job description is available at the Public Works Department.  For further information call Public Works Department at 719-539-6257.  Applications will be accepted at Public Works or via email at brenda.wallis@cityofsalida.com until May 23, 2012.  EOE

Filed under Jobs, Public Works

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/full-time-seasonal-parks-position/

“The crew here worked very hard,” Casey said, “to try and make the deadline, but circumstances kept us from reaching our goal. We are sorry to miss out on the Mother’s Swim Free event planned for Mother’s Day.” The event may be rescheduled.

The first questions concern the parts of the water bills that reference maintenance and service.

Question #1:  What are they for and how are they different?

Answer: The charges were determined based upon rate studies conducted by the City’s engineering firm. The studies take into consideration all operating and capital costs of the water plant and distribution system.

• A water maintenance fee for residential customers is charged to cover costs incurred each year to maintain the distribution system throughout the city. Specifically, the water maintenance fee pays costs within the public works organization. Equipment and personnel are necessary to maintain the water distribution system and read meters. Every year, lines are flushed, leaks need to be fixed and some frozen meters need to be repaired. The maintenance fee is based on historical costs divided by number of customers.
• A water service fee is charged to pay for salaries, supplies, outside services and capital improvements along with general and administrative expenses associated with operating each plant.
• Until the new rates were implemented in April 2011, the City had followed a revenue model whereby quarterly fees paid for operations and routine maintenance or upgrades. Development fees paid for capital improvements and debt service on those improvements.  In recent years, development related revenue has not kept pace with the capital needs and debt service requirements.  The City had to increase quarterly service fee to cover debt service obligations, capital projects and begin to rebuild some reserves.
• In summary, “maintenance” and “service” are different in that they are based on different components of the total cost of providing water service.

Question #2: Where did these words come from (i.e. the process from which they were derived)?

Answer: The terms “Maintenance” and “Service” have been used on the bills longer than our current staff members have worked for the City, so we’re not certain of the exact history of the words. However, they would have been derived through staff proposal and deliberation several years ago.

We are limited in the number of characters that can be printed on the bill.  However, we believe these terms briefly describe the nature of the charges.

Starting last year, we began showing more detail on the bills for greater transparency about the rates. Previously, the service fee and usage charges were combined on one line, rather than shown on separate lines of the bill. No new charges were added.

Question #3: How much money from each fund has been collected since these terms on the bill first appeared?

Answer: Each line item on the bill does not represent a separate “fund” for accounting purposes.  All money collected for the water and sewer bills are used to operate the water and sewer systems, respectively.  The City has one “enterprise fund” for water and sewer services but manages them as separate businesses.

Although the money associated with each line item of the water bill is not tracked separately, all money collected from water bills is used exclusively for costs associated with the water system.  Likewise, all money collected from sewer bills is used exclusively for costs associated with the sewer system.

Question #4: How did the City use each of these funds?

Answer: Please see the answer to Question #3 for a general answer about the funds. For details about all the uses of the money collected over the past few years, please see the City’s past annual budgets and audited financial statements. A substantial amount of money has been spent in recent years for water rights and capital projects including the high zone water tank and pump station, new transmission lines, radio-read meters and numerous other system improvements.

Likewise, a substantial investment is currently being made to the City’s sewer system to bring it into regulatory compliance. Effluent from the plant is discharged into the Arkansas River and must meet standards set by the state.

The City Council established a Water and Wastewater Enterprise, meaning these city-owned utilities are operated as a business. The Water and Wastewater plants are both operated as independent enterprise funds or companies. All funds billed and collected are retained in the respective “company” and exclusively for water or sewer business activity.

Question #5: How are the winter water rates estimated?

Answer: Winter water rates are not estimated.  The amount billed for water usage is determined by actual meter readings each quarter. The maintenance and service fees are the same each quarter.

Summer sewer usage for residential customers, however, is calculated by using an average of the “winter months” water usage.  The assumption behind this methodology is that customers are watering outside lawns and gardens during the summer and that water is not flowing through the sewer system.

Question #6: Are you planning any more water hikes in the very near future?

Answer: Barring any unforeseen contingencies, water and sewer rates will remain constant until the first of next year.

The charges are based on rate studies completed by our engineering firm. The studies anticipated annual increases of approximately 5%. We will evaluate future rates annually as part of the budget process. At that time, operating costs and various economic factors will be evaluated to determine rates for 2013. Should we be able to identify cost savings or should development activity improve, it is possible that our customers could see less of an increase in 2013. However, you should plan for moderate increases at the beginning of each year. The costs paid by the City for various chemicals, supplies, energy costs, etc. that are necessary to operate the plants generally increase each year. In order to keep pace with inflation in costs to operate the plant and maintain infrastructure, we anticipate the necessity to increase rates annually.

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/city-responds-to-water-bill-questions/

The City currently has a full-time opening for the Community Development Director. This individual is a key member of the management staff reporting directly to the City Administrator.

This position provides direction, leadership and general oversight to the City’s Community Development Department.  Plans, organizes, coordinates and directs the development activities of the City to ensure the orderly development, economic health and vitality of the City.  Serves as a member of the City’s management team.  Performs a variety of supervisory, technical and administrative tasks such as planning, budgeting, coordinating and directing the overall operations and activities within the Community Development Department.

The qualifications for this position include a Bachelor’s degree in Planning, Geography, Urban Studies, Public Administration or related field.  Master’s degree in Planning or a related field is preferred. Five (5) years of experience in Planning or a planning related field, or any combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.  Experience should be progressively responsible including project management and supervisory experience. Previous municipal management experience is preferred.  AICP membership preferred. Please see the job description for more information.

This is a full-time, exempt position with benefits. The working hours are generally Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; also requires attendance at some public meetings during evening hours up and occasional weekend call outs. Starting salary range is $61,426 – $76,783 plus medical / dental insurance, life insurance, defined contribution benefit plan and other benefits.

Submit cover letter, resume and application to jobs@cityofsalida.com with the subject Community Development. The position will remain open until we find the right candidate. EOE.

Filed under Jobs

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/job-opening-for-new-community-development-director/

The Salida Tree Board is pleased to announce that for the 25th consecutive year, Salida has received the Tree City USA award from the National Arbor Day Foundation. This award recognizes those communities that have a tree board or forestry department, a tree-care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The community is also required to spend at least $2 per citizen on tree planting and maintenance.  In 2011, the city spent over $18,000 on tree related activities.

This year, Arbor Day in Salida will be celebrated at 1:45 p.m. May 10 in the K Street Pocket Park between K Street and Angelview Circle at 13th Street. Students from Michelle Ludwig’s fourth-grade class at Longfellow Elementary will help Curtis Milstein of Colorado Sticks and Stones plant a Sensation maple. Mayor Don Stephens will read the Arbor Day proclamation, and the Tree City USA award will be presented to the city.  The public is invited to participate, enjoy the fun, and learn how to properly plant a tree.

Last year, with the generous Arbor Day donations from Salida residents, businesses and organizations, the Tree Board purchased and planted two hackberry trees in Alpine Park.  Arbor Day donations received this year will be put towards the cost of the new tree in the K Street Pocket Park.  Arbor Day donations may be sent to the Salida Tree Board, 448 E. 1^st Street, Suite 112, Salida, CO 81201.

Salida has nearly 1,900 trees in our parks and on the city rights of way that are valued at over $3 million. Urban trees provide shade, protection from the wind, homes and food for wildlife, hold the soil in place, add privacy, increase the value of our homes, and utilize carbon dioxide.  Unfortunately, the average tree in the city is 80-100 years old.  To compensate for the all-too-frequent loss of trees due to old age, insects and disease, the Salida Tree Board, through its Adopt-a-Tree program every year, plants young trees in the city right-of-way for homeowners who are willing to care for the new tree.  Since 1999, the Tree Board has planted over 200 trees!

Information about tree planting and care is available at the Tree Board website at www.cityorsalida.com and in a pamphlet, “A Guide to Salida Trees”, that is available for checkout at the Salida Regional Library. Citizens who are passionate about trees and would like information about joining the Salida Tree Board or becoming a tree steward and helping to care for Salida’s young trees can call 539-9195 for more information.

Article source: http://cityofsalida.com/2012/05/salida-celebrates-arbor-day-25th-tree-city-usa-award/