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SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
A Special Council Meeting was held on October 30, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. with Council President Bonar
presiding. Members present were Mr. Dixon, Mr. Lynn, Mr. Perza (arrived at 6:32 p.m.), Mr. Slavin,
Mrs. Williams, and Mr. Hutchison. Mr. Anderson, Mr. Lynn, and Mr. Hare were absent.
Council staff members present were Mr. Koenig, Mrs. Mitchell, and Mrs. McDowell. Mayor Carey
was also present.
AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS
Mr. Hutchison moved for approval of the agenda, seconded by Mr. Slavin and unanimously
carried.
PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS RELATED TO CITY-OWNED BUILDINGS
Council President Bonar explained that one of the responsibilities of City Council is to ensure that
the City gets the “biggest bang for our buck” from City properties. The City currently owns two (2)
pieces of property: 1) the former Dover Public Library building located on State Street, and
2) Weyandt Hall on Reed Street, which are in need of significant renovations and are bringing no
tax revenues to the City of Dover. He stated that there had been some discussions with individuals
among Council who would like to have the City explore the possibility of a Public/Private
Partnership (P3) in order to put these properties back on the tax rolls, and to have a discussion
regarding the issues related to City Hall. He reminded members that the City Hall building was more
than 30 years old and required several improvements, which include making it handicapped
accessible, installing sprinklers, and addressing the lack of security. All of these things combined
have the possibility of costing the City many, many thousands, if not millions, of dollars. Given the
City’s current financial situation, he stated that the City was not capable of undertaking those items
in a reasonable fashion. Therefore, he and other members of Council were of the opinion that
discussion regarding the establishment of a P3 seemed be a viable alternative. He emphasized that
Council would not want to make a final decision regarding the establishment of a P3 until all of the
advantages and disadvantages of each alternative had been prudently explored to determine which
option would be in the best interests of the City. It was his opinion that the long-range plan would
be to renovate the former Dover Public Library building to make it usable; renovate and modernize
Weyandt Hall including a new roof and HVAC and electrical systems; and eventually build a new
City Hall, which would provide one (1) building for all of the employees currently working in City
Hall and Weyandt Hall.
Mr. Bonar suggested establishing an ad hoc committee comprised of five (5) members, including
three (3) members of Council and two (2) civilian, resident members, to be appointed by the Council
President and confirmed by Council. The Committee would examine this topic and make a
recommendation to Council.
Mr. Bonar stated that the Governor had expressed that he would like to see a walkable campus in
the downtown area that would include the Delaware Department of Natural Resources (DNREC).
DNREC had expressed interest in a consolidated campus in order to keep their operations
downtown, and noted that a P3 could certainly facilitate such a plan. Mr. Bonar explained that there
had also been discussions about parking, which would be another topic for discussion. He stated the
possibility of getting investors to put parking in, which would alleviate some of the parking problems
in that area of the City, enhance what is currently available, and make it much more convenient for
everyone to work and recreate downtown. He explained that all of these things would be seed for
improving the downtown area of Dover, which he believed all members of Council favored. He
reiterated that establishing a P3 would put buildings which currently pay no taxes back onto the tax
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING OF OCTOBER 30, 2013 PAGE 2
rolls and hoped members would give this matter due consideration. Mr. Bonar stated that
Mrs. Donna Mitchell, Controller/Treasurer, had done some preliminary work pertaining to P3s but
reminded members that he wished to establish an ad hoc committee to examine the possibilities.
Mrs. Mitchell reviewed a presentation entitled “City of Chicago - Inspector General’s Report, GFOA
Best Practices,” (Exhibit #1) outlining the “pitfalls” to avoid when establishing a P3, as well as the
best practices established by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). She noted that
members previously received the full “Report of Inspector General’s Findings and
Recommendations: An Analysis of the Lease of the City’s Parking Meters,” dated June 2, 2009, and
reviewed a summary of the findings. She stated that the report found that many leases have a
revenue sharing provision which helps the operating budget.
Referring to the GFOA Best Practices, Mrs. Mitchell stated that, since P3s are getting more attention,
the GFOA put out an accounting pronouncement on how to account for service concession
arrangements, which involve privatization agreements. For example, she explained that, if the City
did a sale/lease back, the City may be subject to accounting for the liability for the value of the lease
payments as well as the asset.
Mrs. Mitchell referred members to Page 14 of the “PFM University: Public-Private Partnerships”
presentation previously provided and reviewed the recommended steps outlined for the P3 Process,
PFM Project Management Approach.
Mrs. Williams indicated that Mrs. Mitchell is very watchful and already does all of the things that
would be required of the finance officer for the process of creating a P3.
Mr. Hutchison expressed his excitement in exploring the option of creating a P3. However, he stated
that an alternative option would be for the City Manager and Controller/Treasurer to establish a
clear, defined program with policies and procedures for the management of City assets.
Mr. Perza stated that the information provided by Mrs. Mitchell was a good place to start, noting that
the mistakes made by Chicago demonstrated what to avoid when considering a P3 and how to
formulate a process within the acceptable boundaries.
Mr. Bonar reminded members that the establishment of an ad hoc committee to study the future of
City Hall, Weyandt Hall, and the former Dover Public Library was scheduled for consideration
during the Council Meeting of Tuesday, November 12, 2013.
In response to Mr. Slavin, Mr. Bonar confirmed that the language regarding the charge, duration and
other details pertaining to the ad hoc committee would be provided during Council’s consideration
of the item.
Responding to Mr. Perza, Mr. Bonar clarified that Council would be considering the creation of
two (2) separate committees, an ad hoc Committee to study the future of City Hall, Weyandt Hall,
and the former Dover Public Library, as well as an ad hoc Financial and Operational Advisory
Committee.
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING OF OCTOBER 30, 2013 PAGE 3
By unanimous consent, the Special Council Meeting adjourned at 6:48 p.m.
TRACI A. McDOWELL
CITY CLERK
All orders, ordinances, and resolutions adopted by City Council during their Special Meeting of
October 30, 2013 are hereby approved.
CARLETON E. CAREY, SR.
MAYOR
/TM
S:\AGENDAS-MINUTES-PACKETS\Council-Minutes\2013\10-30-2013 SPECIAL.wpd
Exhibit
Exhibit #1 - “City of Chicago - Inspector General’s Report, GFOA Best Practices” Presentation, Provided by
Mrs. Donna Mitchell, Controller/Treasurer
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EXHIBIT #1
Special Council Meeting of 10/30/2013
CITY OF DOVER
COUNCIL WORKSHOP
OCTOBER 30, 2013
EXHIBIT #1
CITY OF CHICAGO - INSPECTOR GENERAL’S REPORT
GFOA BEST PRACTICES
Special Council Meeting of 10/30/2013
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PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (P3)
• Comprehensive reports on the subject noted two
serious areas of concern:
• The failure of government to thoroughly review the costs
and benefits of a P3 before deciding to lease public assets.
GAO study recommends governments engage in an
advanced, transparent, deliberative process to determine
whether leasing a public asset is truly in the public interest.
• The temptation of entering into P3’s in order to receive
large, upfront payments that solve short-term financial
problems, without properly considering the long-term
implications of the deal.
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CHICAGO PARKING METERS
• Summary of findings –
• A dubious financial deal
• Lease payments were considerably under valued when compared to
the long-term value of 75 years of parking-meter revenue.
• Failure of the Chief Financial Officer to calculate the value of the
parking-meter system to the City to determine if this deal was in the
best interest of the City.
• Failure to consider lease alternative that still solved the budget
problem.
• Shorter lease with revenue sharing provisions
• i.e. 20 year lease with 50% revenue sharing
• Lack of any meaningful and deliberative process in the City Council.
• Presented to Finance Committee one day after publicly announcing the
lease.
• No meaningful review of the merits outside the CFO’s & Mayor’s Office
• Twenty-four hours later, following a one-day hearing, City Council voted
on the matter.
• The budget approved one month earlier included $150 million in
revenue from the potential lease deal.
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GFOA BEST PRACTICES
• The Finance Officer should play a central, functional role
in considering the feasibility of a long term Privatization.
• Many if not most privatization initiatives are driven by a
government’s financial needs and constraints.
• The finance officer is well positioned to function as the lead
member of the government team exploring privatization.
• The finance officer acts as a steward to protect the long-term
public interest associated with the asset.
• Privatization agreements may also involve intra-governmental
financial decisions that include major, complex financial
matters. (Use of proceeds, public debt defeasance,
accounting-financial reporting, etc.)
• Finance Officer is the interpreter and communicator of the
financial results to elected officials and the general public.
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GFOA BEST PRACTICES
• Finance Officer should lead the development of a
process to evaluate and implement a potential
privatization
• Finance Officer helps establish a competent, experienced
team to assist in the entire privatization undertaking.
• Team charged with –
• Clear documented objectives with measurable standards
• Thorough feasibility analysis
• If justified, broadly competitive and transparent solicitation of
private entities to serve as privatization counterparty(s)
• Assessing financial strength and viability of all bidders
• Include appropriate enforcement measures to promote service
quality and compliance with all standards and requirements.
• Incorporate suitable accounting, auditing, and financial reporting
requirements and standards in the privatization agreement.
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GFOA BEST PRACTICES
• Finance Officer should provide options and policy
recommendations for the prudent, sustainable application
and use of all financial benefits expected as a result of the
privatization agreement.
• This policy should be in effect prior to the receipt of any funds by the
government.
• A plan for the funds BEFORE the funds are received.
• Establish a dialogue on how to apply that cash, including the creation
of an “endowment” or permanent reserve. This helps to facilitate the
decision-making process and how financial benefits will be applied.
• Potential danger that government will raise service levels or lower
taxes to apply the money to. (e.g. reduce or eliminate one-time
unfunded liabilities instead of taking for short-term benefit).
• Keep the City Manager and other elected officials apprised to help
decision-makers fully understand the type and nature of the give and
take occurring. Helps to ensure priorities are laid out in advance and
prevents ill-informed decisions.
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