SPECIAL NOTE – On July 22nd, the South Carolina Policy Council and the State of South Carolina Comptroller, Richard Eckstrom, recognized the City of Aiken for posting financial information on the city web site. We are one of only a few cities in the State to post financial transactions on line. See for yourself what is available: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/index.php?page=financial-transparency.
NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME STATISTICS. Wes Funderburg, our City Web Administrator, in cooperation with Public Safety staff, has completed an update for the listing of neighborhood crime statistics: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/crimeanalyzer/statistics.aspx. The neighborhood areas are shaded in different colors and identified by name. Users of this site are also able to zoom in to a specific area of the city and view the crime reporting data that our Aiken Department of Public Safety reports to the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the FBI. Over 49 areas of the city are covered in the current application. Viewers can click on the “Crime Data Viewer” on the home page of the web site or use the link above.
I applaud the City staff for setting the standard for municipal transparency. It is also very important that these transparency programs are meaningful to our city residents. Please take the time to check these links and give us some feedback. These programs are made for your benefit and we want to make sure they meet your needs.
CROSLAND PARK UPDATE- At present the City has purchased 32 homes and is holding options on 67 more; 30 are in the process of negotiation. In total, 129 properties are part of this project so far; in one stage or another.
PARKWAY STORMWATER PROJECT – The South Carolina Health and Environmental Control Division has approved our preliminary work of our proposed use of our parkways for stormwater runoff abatement. This means that we qualify for the grant award to install low impact development features, including bioswales, in the Park Avenue parkway between Laurens and Chesterfield Streets. This is another innovative project which should bring national attention to the City of Aiken in its efforts to deal with strormwater runoff.
NEW SECURITY MEASURES AT H. O. WEEKS ACTIVITIES CENTER – Our Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department (APRT) is taking new security precautions at the H.O. Weeks Center. Effective August 3rd all doors at the Center were locked except for the main entrance door immediately in front of the Front Desk and Lobby.
APRT is undertaking renovations to the restroom facilities located at the Northeast corner of the building complex to make them readily available for playground, walking track, and outside court visitors. The renovation should be completed this fall.
We are continuing to study additional measures to implement in order to have our citizens’ visits to this facility become as satisfactory as possible. The two new Community Services Officers, approved by Council last month, began work at the end of July.
HOOK A KID ON GOLF – Dr. Joseph D. Spencer, Program Coordinator for Hook A Kid On Golf, has written a complimentary letter on behalf of Public Safety Officers Sgt. Clark Smith and Cpl. Bryan Griswold for their work this summer to benefit this six-year program. The Officers were cited for the instant rapport they established with the participating youths and the important safety lessons they taught. Over 238 youths participated and mot heard from Sgt. Smith and Cpl. Griswold. In addition Lalita Ashley encouraged six Police Athletic League youths to also participate in this program. We all owe thanks to Dr. Spencer, Sgt. Smith and Cpl. Griswold for their efforts in helping young people in Aiken.
BUSINESS LICENSE RECAP – As of July 31, 2009, the City of Aiken business license collections are ahead of last year’s collections by over $130,000. Based on these results, we should exceed our business license budget by over $100,000. This is a great indication of the strength of the economy in the Aiken area. Last year we received slightly over $2.3 million in business license revenue and we hope by the end of this fiscal year that our economy will continue to pick up and that we will be able to exceed this amount ever so slightly.
AGENDA ITEMS FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2009 – For a list of all Agenda topics refer to the following link: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/weblink7/docview.aspx?id=109442.
APPROVAL OF COPS HIRING PROGRAM GRANT – Last week the City received a letter from the United States Department of Justice approving our grant for four officer positions over a three year grant period totaling $568,280. This will allow the City to fill all of our vacant positions. The grant will pay the full salary and benefits for these officers with no matching funds required. Our only requirement is that after the grant expires, we will need to maintain the employment of these four officers for at least one additional year. The City would normally have added these three positions through the period of this grant.
APPROVAL OF CLEMSON GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROPOSAL – Council will consider approval of a Clemson Stormwater Infiltration Monitoring Evaluation Phase II City of Aiken proposal in the amount of $126,359. This money will come from the Local Option Sales Tax Program and will provide stormwater monitoring services, and a means to evaluate the landscape architectural design for this infrastructure project, These services will let us know how effective the green infrastructure is in reducing the amount of water going into the Sand River storm basin.
APPROVAL OF FIRE TRUCK PURCHASE - City Staff is asking for approval to purchase n new fire truck in the amount of $250,000. There is more than enough money in the Depreciation Account to pay for this truck. It will replace one of two fire trucks that have been in use since 1989. Both older vehicles have been fully depreciated and the City’s Risk Manager and Safety Committee have both recommended replacement of these vehicles.
No comments:
Post a Comment