Lansdale is On the Move

Lansdale Borough is on the move and, according to borough manager Timi Kirchner, it is worth the investment.

At a borough council work session this month, Kirchner presented how Lansdale is putting the money where its mouth is.

A half-hour PowerPoint presentation showed off Lansdale’s current progress in records management, projects, department goals and more over the past year.

It was a summing up of the events undertaken following the results of a borough operations study last June.

“Six months into my first year as your borough manager, council was receiving and accepting the results of an internal controls review, again directing staff to address deficiencies revealed in that study,” Kirchner said, who also announced it was her one year anniversary as borough manager.

“With council’s strong support, we created an agenda for success that is aggressive, promising major improvements in our operations, assuring accountability throughout,” Kirchner said. “We also promised that our employees and our citizens would know what we are doing, how we are doing it, as we work diligently to keep all informed about and involved with this great community.”

She said consistent and informative communication is important to a community’s success.

“If people are well informed, they are more likely to be involved with positive solutions to the issues and opportunities presented to us daily,” Kirchner said.

The public, she said, is being brought in for their opinions on various initiatives in the borough.

For instance, with the PCTI Project, the borough held meetings on evenings and weekends for input to the final project. With the streetscape project, the borough held public meetings and weekly updates on progress.

Kirchner also cited the new town hall meetings and public meetings for the future development of Madison Lot, and there is the setting up for a community discussion on Lansdale’s branding.

She said the borough has given citizens and employees information on daily operations, services, issues and opportunities through a newsletter, the website, council and committee meetings, quarterly staff meetings and social media.

“Tonight is but on in a long list of examples of holding ourselves accountable by letting you know just what has been accomplished in the last year,” she said. “It is also a reflection that we put our promise into action. Communication is the first action step in our accountability report; it is the first crucial step in promoting full engagement by the citizens of Lansdale.”

Records Management Protocols

Kirchner began the update with a look at the accomplishments and sound business practices of records management to be completed in 10 phases.

“The following is a remarkable example of the ingenuity taken by our records manager Sandy Cox in cooperation with all the departments of the borough. The stunning volume of work done is worth of recognition,” Kirchner said.

In the first completed phase, under requirements of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Cox disposed of 5½ tons of obsolete files, documents and copies dating back to 1997.

At present, Cox is in the second phase: disposing Code Enforcement Committee records from 1950 to 2005.

In the third phase, there is a plan to have a central filing system for the retention of original contacts, agreements, leases and the like from all borough departments.

The purpose, Kirchner said, is to enable the records manager to dispose of obsolete files; allow accessibility by departments when necessary; avoid lost or misplaced files; allow easy access of files for yearly audits and keep the borough departments nimble in their responsiveness to requests for information.

A fourth phase involves creating and maintaining a central file system in the basement of borough hall. The file system will include grant documents; request for proposals; state, local and federal agencies documents; historical materials; previous budgets; union contracts and various studies.

Phase Five of the records management plan is to compile and maintain original and copies of deeds for all borough-owned properties and store them electronically.

A sixth phase involves maintaining all drawings, agreements and specifications for all borough-owned properties, including scanned drawings and plans. All plans and drawings will be uploaded to a server for easy access by other departments.

Phase Seven will involve scanning and making available ordinances on the server for access by all departments. This is followed by an eighth phase where employees will be instructed on the process of scanning and document maintenance within folders on the borough server.

Documents saved on the server will then be disposed of in accordance with state law.

Phase Nine for records management involves cleaning out and disposing of unused items, like vehicles, equipment and furniture.

“The borough will be utilizing the services of Municibid or donating to nonprofit organizations to dispose of these items,” Kirchner said. “Use of Municibid enables the borough to sell items through the company’s website thus eliminating the use of borough funds for advertising and employees normally accrued through the bid process.”

The final phase of records management includes an in-house records retention policy for use by all borough employees.

Nine out of the 10 phases are in process.

“Now that (Cox) has been authorized to move forward with what she knows is a sound business-like approach to the management of government, she’s not taking any chances that it won’t get done,” Kirchner said. “She’s a smart woman on a mission with tremendous support from the departments who agree that a well organized internal system enables the ‘boots on the ground’ to get their work done.”

Borough Department Protocols

Kirchner reviewed the various accomplishments tasked to the departments of the borough.

The Code Enforcement department, she said, is undergoing a “complete overhaul.”

“This overhaul includes moving from consultant services to in-house staff saving the borough money and providing better service; re-organizing the work space for the staff; cleaning out piles of junk that had been allowed to accumulate over the years and creating a better meeting space for the use of all departments and council,” Kirchner said.

The Public Works Department, the Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Electric Department and Lansdale Borough Police have all hired more staff authorized in the 2011 budget, she said.

The Finance Department and the borough manager’s office are the two departments undergoing the biggest changes.

The Finance Department is working on creating a purchasing manual, which will guide the authority of the borough manager as the purchasing agent.

“It will give a clear road map, with strict adherence to state statutes, for all purchases done by this borough,” Kirchner said.

A human resources system is currently in the works. There is a steering committee overseeing this system creation, comprised of the finance department, the borough manager’s office, parks and recreation director Carl Saldutti and Lansdale Police Chief Robert McDyre.

The system, she said, ensures that employees clearly know what their jobs are and provides training to do their jobs better.

She said there is a capital list that acts as a working document for all committees and council. It serves as a record of actions accomplished and work that must be done to maintain and improve services provided by Lansdale.

“It gives the policy makers, our council, the ability to make informed decisions based on a comprehensive list of what must be done to assure good services now and into the future,” she said.