4.2. SR 07-14-1997City of
iver
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Item # 4.2.
MEMORANDUM
Mayor and City Council
Steve Ach, City Planner..~g2
July 14, 1997
Consider Hiring Planning Intern
Three months ago, a request was presented to the City Council to consider
advertising for a planning intern position. The Council approved this request
and since that time, applications have been reviewed and considered for the
planning internship position. After reviewing applications received from
Mankato State, St. Cloud State, and the University of Minnesota School of
Landscape Architecture, a candidate has been selected to fill the position as
the planning intern.
Brady Halverson is a landscape architecture student at the University of
Minnesota. Brady is in his third and final year of obtaining his master's in
landscape architecture and is expected to graduate in the spring of 1998.
Brady has gained experience by working with various landscape contracting
companies, as well as technical design skills which will benefit some of the
efforts the Planning Department has been wanting to accomplish over the
past few years.
The program through the School of Landscape Architecture introduces
students to several land use, design and spatial techniques necessary for
complementing city planning. For example, Brady has worked on a project
through school for the Grey Cloud Island in Washington County which is
currently being gravel mined by Shiely Corporation. Brady's involvement
included a complete land use analysis and reuse of the current gravel mining
operation. This exercise could also be applied to Elk River's situation where
the city has roughly 2,500 acres of gravel mining that will ultimately be
converted to some other use. I think these types of long range projects are
important to begin thinking how these areas can be reutilized consistent with
the property owner and city's long range plans. In addition to the gravel
mining exercise, various planning tasks and other design projects can be
accomplished through this new position.
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
Memo to the Mayor and City Council
July 14, 1997
Page 2
As requested back in April of this year, the position would have a beginning
salary of $10 per hour. It is requested the planning intern be hired at $11
per hour for the one year planning internship position. The Planning
Department will be requesting to add a full time position in 1998; therefore,
if the internship position works out over the next year, there may be the
opportunity for the intern to fill the new position.
Recommendation
It is recommended the City Council approve hiring Brady Halverson as the
planning intern at $11 per hour for the one year internship position.
Attachments
· Excerpt from budget
· Memo to the City Council dated April 28, 1997
f:\shrdoc\council\item.doc
PLANNING
Provides the principal contact between the developers of residential,
commercial, and industrial properties. Coordinates staff reports
for Planning Commission and City Council deliberations
concerning zoning, variances, platting, waivers and conditional use
permits. Program efforts relate to everyday relationships between
planning, implementation and development of the city.
Serves as liaison for the Planning Commission, reviews and makes
recommendations on current activities, and develops long-range
plans to guide the physical development of the municipality.
Provides for City Planning Consultants to offer input, when
requested, on planning proposals, and special long and short range
planning projects.
1997 BUDGET COMPARED WITH 1996 BUDGET
This departmental budget is:
Proposed in the amount of $165,700;
A $21,500 or 15% increase compared to the adopted 1996 budget;
Approximately 3.6% of the total General Fund expenditures.
Almost 90% of the expenditures in this budget are for personal services. The
personal services category is proposed to increase bye. The maiorim
of the increase in personal services is for the addition o~ a ~'lann~ng Intern in
~the spring. The planning department currently has three employe'es: U~ty '
~~,',~ssistant City Planner, and Planning Secretary;.
The largest operating expenditure is for the public hearing notices to be
published in the local newspaper. The other professional services category
has increase~by $1,500 to a total of $3,000 and expenditures in this line item
call for the hiring of a planning consultant to work with staff on a :aighway
corridor, landscaping, and pedestrian trail study.
City of
iver
MEMORANDUM
Item #
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Mayor & City Council
Steve Ach, City Planner
April 28, 1997
Consider Advertising for Planning
Intern
Two months ago during the Planning Department's annual report to the City
Council, I indicated a request would be forthcoming for a planning intern. It
has been approximately 18 months since Troy Langer left the department to
pursue other career opportunities. Since Troy's departure the department
has managed to survive the peaks and valleys of the development cycle,
however, I believe we would be much better off with that additional staff
member as we were in 1995.
The 1997 budget included expenditures for an internship position. Spring is
the best time to hire an intern as a majority of the students are graduating
and are looking for internship or entry level positions.
In the past, the city has contacted the planning programs at Mankato State
and St. Cloud State to obtain applications of interested candidates. I will be
contacting those same schools again this year, as that process seemed to work
out well in the past. However, in addition to the two schools mentioned
above, I have also contacted the landscape architecture program at the
University of Minnesota to see if there would be any interested candidates
that could possibly fit a unique position with the city. This position would
still be considered a planning intern, however it would have slightly different
credentials geared more towards an urban design/landscape architecture
background. This position would still perform various planning duties in
addition to other special design projects. Besides the typical planning
functions, this design/landscape architect could provide the following
services:
on various city projects, consulting costs could be reduced or
eliminated by having this position in house and lending their
expertise to complete necessary plans;
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
· assist in the development review process and work with developers
on alternative designs (if necessary) for projects;
· assist the director of economic development with marketing items
and conceptual development plans for redevelopment projects,
industrial park concepts, etc.;
· participate in streetscape projects or other urban design corridor
projects;
· work on various park development plans for the Park and
Recreation Commission; and,
· prepare various graphics and illustrations as a supplement to the
zoning and sign ordinance.
As mentioned above I will still be contacting Mankato State and St. Cloud
State in the event an urban design/landscape architecture candidate cannot
be found. Typically this is a difficult position to fill with such a diverse
background, however, I think it is worth the effort to post a notice at the
landscape architecture school to see what type of response the city receives.
Once I have had a chance to review the applications for the planning intern
position and have selected a qualified candidate, I will present this to the
City Council for approval.
It is anticipated that the position would have a beginning pay close to $10 per
hour plus time and one-half overtime for attending various meetings. After a
six month orientation period the performance review may justify a pay
increase. Also, if this position works out to the satisfaction of the Council, I
would request the Council consider this as a full time position after a years
time. I will be in attendance Monday night to answer any questions the
Council may have regarding this position and the process we will be going
through.
shrdoc\council\pintern.doc