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City staff present fourth-quarter 2024 performance reports; commission asks follow-up questions
Summary
Department directors reported Q4 2024 activity and performance metrics across finance, utilities, public works, OMA and public safety. Commissioners asked for additional data on municipal court revenue categories, pole and cart counts and online access to documents. The consent agenda was approved by voice vote.
Department directors presented fourth-quarter 2024 reports covering finance, utilities, public works, police, fire and the Ottawa Municipal Auditorium (OMA). City staff described stable sales-tax and utility revenue, continued hiring, and operational highlights across departments.
Assistant Finance Director Rebecca McCurdy summarized investment activity and said the finance team purchased short- and medium-term investments in December as part of a laddering strategy, noting three new investments including a six‑month and an 18‑month instrument (each roughly $1 million by purchase date in the dataset). Melissa Reed, city clerk, said open-records requests continue monthly and that December showed higher activity.
Other highlights included: the neighborhood and community service division reported 412 inspections, 85 building-plan reviews and 13 new home permits in the quarter; 146 active nuisance-abatement violations (94 for grass and weeds); public works completed 77 projects and mowed 339 acres; utilities reported maintenance of over 35,550 feet of sewer line; OMA reported roughly 220 events with nearly 9,000 attendees in the fourth quarter, about 700 volunteer hours and additional year-round activity; police and fire departments showed downward trends in long-term crime metrics and continued emergency-response activity.
Commissioners asked several follow-ups. One commissioner requested the underlying data behind municipal-court revenue charts (page 33) and staff said the full datasets and supporting documentation are available and will be provided on request. Commissioners also asked whether strategic and operational plans are posted online; staff said many documents will be searchable after the website migration but that some materials are withheld for infrastructure-security reasons. Other questions included pole counts and work-order details for utilities; staff said pole-count figures and more granular work-order types would be provided on request.
Votes at a glance
- Consent agenda (minutes of Jan. 29, 2025; 11/18/2024 Board of Zoning Appeals minutes; agenda approval): motion to approve made and seconded; voice vote taken, outcome: approved ("all in favor, aye; motion carries"). No roll-call tally recorded in the transcript.
No new ordinances or resolutions were voted on during the Q4 report presentation; staff will return with requested datasets and specific items flagged for future action.
