Grant Writing Policy for the City & Commission Presentation

    Last week I was asked to write the grant writing policy for the City.  The purpose of the policy is to establish guidelines for the indentification, application, administration and reporting of grants from various federal, state, and private sources. The policy starts at the very beginning of the process when department heads have discovered a grant opportunity for something that fills a need in their department or the City.  The policy provides a step by step guide from the initial grant research through the completion and submittal of the application to the grantor; from the award and acceptance by the Commission; the implementation; and finally to the close-out of the grant at the end.  It provides a detailed listing of the responsible person for each of the steps along the way.  I found the process quite informative as I plan to write grant applications after I finish my degree.  Earlier today, I met with Lunda who was pleased with the policy as it was written, but suggested the addition of a clause creating policy to address the procedure to be taken when the City has added service that was funded by a grant and now the grant period has expired.  This happened earlier this year when the previous grant funding for a Victim's Assistance program expired and the City Commission felt it was a beneficial program for the community, but there was no money allocated in the budget for it.  The City Commission now faced a decision to either find funding to continue the program or to discontinue it and cut two paid positions.  Fortunately, the grant money was received from another source and the program was renewed at the last minute.
     Tomorrow I am to meet with the City's grant writer to fine tune the terminology, form names, and employee titles to specifically fit Newton.  Once it has passed this stage, Lunda will look at it again.  He has already informed me that I will be presenting it at the City Commission meetings.  I anticipate that this will take place on April 24th as I will be in Arizona during the next meeting of the City Commission on the 10th.  City Manager Randy Riggs has definitely kept his promise to make this a meaningful internship...and Thank you, Lunda!!

Board of Directors Meeting

Yesterday I attended the Board of Directors Meeting for the Harvey County Economic Development Council with the City Manager of Newton.  Mickey Fornaro-Dean is the dynamo that seems to be in charge.  They will be holding a Transportation Roundtable at the Meridian Conference Center for the purpose of educating regional industries on the transportation advantages/synergies the Kansas Logistics Park and her partners can offer with barge traffic, railroads, trucking, Foreign Trade Zone, etc.  Concerns were expressed about the planned discontinuance of the federal government's wind energy tax abatement program and the impact it will have on wind industries and the KLP.

Another point that was brought up concerned a commitment from the YMCA to build a facility in the medical complex anchored by a state-of-the-art hospital, Newton Medical Center.  The Directors see this as another element in a regional "health and wellness complex."

There were between 20 and 25 member present.  This board has representatives from the county and all of the small cities and towns in Harvey County with many different industries represented.  I am still amazed at how progressive this area has become.  They work hand-in-hand with Newton's city staff and Newton is the largest city in Harvey County which has a population of approximately 33,000.  Unemployment rates for January 2012  - Harvey County 6.6%, State of Kansas 6.4%, and the United States 8.3%

For those of you who follow my blogs, a gentleman came up to visit with me after the meeting.  It appears that we have a shared interest in water and that he is on several water boards, including the Kansas State Water Board.  He told me about a monthly meeting for the Lower Arkansas River Basin that is held monthly in a neighboring community on the second Tuesday of every month.    

Newton's Fox Theatre

This message is for those of you out there who may not be from Arizona State University, but have picked up this blog as Newton is in the title.  It is hoped that you still share in a love for our community.  Barb Burns,  Newton's Coordinator of Community Advancement, has taken on the task of rejuvenating our beloved historic Fox Theatre.  As you may know, the Class of 1965 valiantly struggled to restore the Fox Theatre to its former splendor.  Mike Penner spear-headed the efforts, but with the death of Dan Suderman and limited funding, this became an insurmountable task.  A non-profit group now owns the Fox so any contributions would be tax deductible and results in an asset for the community.  I am hoping that other Newton High School classes and the community as a whole will support this effort and support it financially whenever possible.  The restoration of the Fox is an extension of Newton's long-term planning process or ReNewton 2030 which was made possible through the efforts of 1,700 local community members.  During the process, the Fox Theater was lifted up as a key element in the plan and considered instrumental in the promotion of our community's vibrancy.

I was with Barb when she met with Brenda Hague (Hague Paint and Decorating) and Patrick Johnson to discuss remodeling ideas.  Although I am not artistic, the ideas being bantered around were inspirational.  As I see it, the community has no option other than to restore the Fox Theatre unless they wish to see it decay in front their eyes or demolish it leaving an enormous hole in the buildings along Main Street.  For those of you who may be interested in assisting with this project, you may contact Barb at City Hall or e-mail her at BBurns@newtonkansas.com.

If you are wondering who shares these concerns, my name is Vivian Spencer but you may remember me as Vickie Benton.   Currently, I am doing an internship with Newton's City Hall while completing my Masters of Public Administration from Arizona State University.  You will be pleased to know that "our little town" is being well-managed by a team of caring professionals.  Due to their efforts Newton has prospered even during this financial downturn while being poised for the next economic upswing.  Although there have been changes, there are still many things in Newton that will trigger special memories of our youth.  Come for a trip down memory lane, come on home.
  

Another Thought - Newton Received A1 Bond Rating

I was so thrilled to be able to listen to the teleconference with the bonding analyst from Moody's.  Newton has received an A1 bond rating which is the best a city of its size can get.  A person in the next seat to me during the flight back to Phoenix for the Capstone made the mistake of asking me about my internship in Newton.  This led into a dissertation ending with how thrilled I was about being present when Lunda presented our community and its management in such a positive, but realistic, manner.  She actually yawned...guess city finances aren't interesting to everyone.

Thoughts about Newton & Patrick Ibarra

Although I have written enough blogs to satisfy the course requirements, I felt the need to write about how ASU's course on Organizational Change and Development (PAF 529) has heightened my appreciation of the City Management in "my little town."  As you have probably guessed from my previous blogs, I think Newton is fortunate to have its current management team.  Patrick Ibarra teaches this on-line course and our first written assignment was to assess the present conditions at our current job (or internship, in my case).  I would think that it would be easier to find areas needing improvement if your job was in the private sector or in a larger city.  In my case, it proved to be the opposite as Assistant City Manager Lunda Asmani actively practices organizational change and development; he has implemented changes relative to HR while iinteracting frequently with the supervisors of those subunits he oversees.  As the Finance Director, Lunda prepares the Annual Adopted Budget Book; he also prepares a "Popular" version for the City Commission and interested residents with a condensed version which is easier to read and understand by all.  There appears to by a healthy blend of top-down and bottom-up management interaction.  Of course, the final decisions are always made by the the City Manager or one of the two Assistant City Managers.  The City Manager, Randy Riggs, has charged Lunda with making my internship meaningful...and he has.  This has been a wonderful experience for me and it has certainly provided me with a "real world" perspective on city management.  I would highly recommend doing an internship with a small community as you are able to experience a broader scope of city services.  I would also recommend taking PAF 529 from Patrick Ibarra as it makes one think below the surface of the organization.  Patrick Ibarra is even more dynamic in person as he spoke in one of my classes, but he is still good on-line.  Before I started this internship, I had determined that I would either really love or hate Newton....I still love my "little town."  I hope you all are enjoying your internships too.      

Bond Rating Conference with Moodys

     Well this is my final required posting for my internship.  What a way to end it!  I was included in this teleconference between the Assistant City Manager (Director of Finance), the Deputy Director of Finance, the City Clerk, and a bond analyst from Moodys.  This is done annually and Newton currently has an A1 rating which is the best rating for a community of its size.
     The first thing the agent wanted to discuss was the local economy.  Newton is part of the Wichita Metro area with an economy that is aviation-based.  Newton School District, with 850 employees, is the largest employer and second is Newton Medical Center, with 575 employees.  Newton has a 6% unemployment rate.  The City experienced 2.2 million in new residential construction in 2011. 
     MAJOR PROJECTS
     The Newton airport, jointly owned by the City and Harvey County, has a $2.3 million annexation scheduled for September as part of the overall Master Plan.  The City has an Airport Fund has the following funding structure:  95% by the FAA, 2.5% by Harvey County, and 2.5% by Newton.  Hangars are leased and the revenues derived from this are used to pay the debt.   
     The Kansas Logistics Park (KLP) is a 400-acre industrial park project that is under construction with commitments from two tenants.  At a cost of $66 million, KLP will be the site of the 6th largest facility of the Tindall Corp, a manufacturer of elevated concrete bases for wind turbines.  Tindall plans to employ 405 within 3 years.  The other construction project in this area is a $20 million facility for the New Millennium, a manufacturer of wind turbines.  It expects to have 350 employees by year 4.  In all, this is expected to create 800 jobs in the local economy with the only top management personnel being transferred in from other locations.  Although both of these corporations are related to wind energy, the focus of the KLP is logistics as Newton is centrally located in the U.S. with accessibility by rail, roadway, air, and water.  Yes, water here in the middle of Kansas as they have entered into an agreement with Port of Catoosa, the largest U.S. inland port with waterways leading to the Gulf of Mexico.
    The Meridian Conference Center has been a useful marketing tool in bringing events to Newton.  The Meridian, the KLP and the expanded airport combine to make Newton a marketable force nationally.  This is further enhanced by the new Holiday Inn Express and Comfort Inn motels.  Bed taxes have increased 25% since the construction of these facilities.   
     Newton has entered into numerous partnerships on the federal and state levels focused on economic development.  The federal government contributed $63 million to the KLP in the form of road upgrades and repairs.  KDOT has spent $49 million on KLP related projects.  The FAA spent $7.6 million to renovate and remodel the runway at the airport and another $500,000. on the airport master plan.  
     Well, this is only about half of my notes on the teleconference with the bonding analyst.  I will have to say that I was most impressed with the ease Assistant City Manager Lunda Asmani handled any questions as he was very well prepared.  He closed with comments about the management of Newton.  He said some might say that Newton was "lucky" to have garnered so much in grants, but he felt it was the result of strategic financing.  Newton has greatly benefited from good management as Randy Riggs, the City Manager is a credentialed City Manager with 23 years experience and Tim Johnson (the other Assistant City Manager) is also credentialed with 20 years of experience.  Lunda has had 10 years of experience with a focus in the financial sector of Public Administration.  Management is conservative with a look to the future. 
     I have had a wonderful experience.  I believe I currently have completed approximately 250 hours.  This is a wonderful place to work as everyone gets along well and they are doing exciting things!  I hope you all are enjoying your internships too!
    

Discovering Your Collective Leadership Edge - Session 3

          This was the final session of the leadership course that the City of Newton enabled me to attend.  The focus of this session was diagnosing our 360 leadership assessment results.  Prior to the beginning of the course we had to give them names and e-mail addresses of six persons.  It was with the intent of assessing our leadership skills from our supervisors, those we supervise, and those we consider lateral to our positions.  Well, I have been at the City (at this time) about two weeks and I don't supervise anyone.  Consequently, I found the discussion to be a waste of time as my results were without basis.  I could have listed my former boss at Geological Consultants, Inc. and my former assistant (who is now my husband's Administrative Assistant), but both would have given me really good marks as we are friends and they would want to make me look good.  What I did take away from it was material to think about and consider in my dealings with others.  At the end of this blog, I will list several of the areas we were to grade ourselves or others in.  There were 4 categories that were on the evaluation:  management of self; ability to diagnose situation; ability to intervene skillfully; and ability to energize others.  Surprisingly, there was no mention of ethics as this is a topic that is brought up in every PAF course that I have taken.   Although they asked for suggestions to improve the course, they did not seem to interested in adding ethics to the mix.  Here are a few of the categories that we were asked to grade others and ourselves in:
*  Actively listen to diverse points of view
*  Ask open-ended questions of multiple people
* Ask for feedback on your conclusions or thinking
* Offer alternative ways to proceed
* Show awareness of the emotional state of others
* Remain calm and in control of emotions
* Seek to identify my strengths and weaknesses
          In all there were 40 questions.  Some of these questions dealt with internalized feelings that one might not show to others so therefore your observers might rate you much differently than you did yourself.  I sat with the City Clerk who rated herself consistently lower than her observers rated her.  My final assessment on this was that it gave me something to think about but was otherwise pretty useless.