Richmond council adopts FY2019 budget, advances Ridgeway and waterline projects and updates land-use and building codes

The Richmond City Council spent 2018 moving a set of infrastructure projects, budget items and code updates from planning into action.

At the council’s direction, staff completed and the council adopted the FY2019 budget, which front-loads funding for streets, water and wastewater work and modest employee adjustments. City Administrator Tonya Willim told the council the plan includes quarterly progress reports tied to the goals the council set at a fall work session. The council adopted the budget and an associated goals resolution in October; the vote was unanimous.

Public-works projects were a central focus. After a competitive bid process and engineer review, the council awarded the Ridgeway Drive construction contract to VF Anderson Builders LLC for $267,133; Olsson Associates recommended the low bid as the most responsible. Councilors also awarded a separate contract to Engage Services LLC to rehabilitate a 16-inch transmission main for $117,875. Both contracts passed on unanimous council votes.

The council moved to limit recurring sanitary sewer overflows at the city’s second-largest lift station. In February it authorized a $53,671 flow-and-rain monitoring work order with Olsson Associates to analyze the 210 and Hill Street lift-station basins and recommend fixes. Olsson later presented findings and several remediation alternatives to the council; staff and consultants identified updates and repairs that could reduce sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), and the council discussed next steps.

The water system also required reactive repairs. After a teardown inspection of Well No. 6 showed more extensive damage than anticipated, council approved a repair package not to exceed $30,215 that included pump rebuild options and motor inspection fees.

Council business included several other routine and one-time purchases the mayor and council said were needed to maintain services: a new 2018 Ford Explorer police vehicle after a crash, a replacement Mack dump truck, rooftop HVAC replacements for municipal buildings, replacement firefighter self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), and recreational equipment for Hamann Park. The council also approved a three-year Mediacom Internet contract at Hamann Park to support park camera/security hardware.

Several ordinances and procedural changes cleared council review. Community Development Director Lisa Hastings led a months-long rewrite of zoning, subdivision and building code chapters. The council approved the revised Title IV land-use chapters and a reorganized building-code chapter and fee schedule to streamline permit processing and bring Richmond’s codes into alignment with state model codes.

On finance, the council approved the year-end FY2018 budget amendment, a taxable revenue bond authorization for a Harp’s Food Store economic development project (bond principal not to exceed $4 million), and an updated residential solid-waste contract (Heartland) extension. Finance Director Rebecca Hoeflicker summarized city debt-service and use-tax trends; she told the council earlier in the year that the city’s participation in KCPL’s demand-response program had generated a prior rebate of $23,817.88 and projected about $8,000 for the next season.

Residents raised issues during public comment. Multiple neighbors in March complained about a chip-seal overlay on E. Dauxville Drive—citing loose gravel, uneven surface and drainage problems—and asked the council for an overlay instead of chip seal. The council recorded those comments and directed follow-up from public works.

Other actions included awarding the FY18 mill-and-overlay contract to Advanced Asphalt ($330,822.92); approving final payouts and change orders for sidewalk and Ridgeway contracts; authorizing demolition of a condemned property at 507 Jabez; and directing the sale of two surplus vehicles via public auction. Several appointments to planning and boards were made or renewed during the year.

What’s next: the council has the Olsson lift-station recommendations as a technical starting point and will consider capital funding options alongside other priorities in the coming fiscal year. For procedural changes, the new code chapters and fee schedules are in effect; staff said they will monitor implementation and return to council with suggested tweaks if needed.

Attributions: Council votes and motions in this article are taken from the council minutes. Rebecca Hoeflicker reported the KCPL rebate figure to council as: “We received a rebate of $23,817.88” (Feb. minutes). Auditor Rita Russell told the council the FY2017 financial statements were “materially correct” and that the city received a clean opinion; she also recommended segregation-of-duties improvements.

The city clerk and staff will publish meeting minutes and ordinance texts on the city website; future council agendas are expected to include follow-up items on the 210 lift-station alternatives and the Ridgeway closeout.