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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-07-22 CC MIN Special Meeting City of Stillwater Special City Council Meeting July 22, 2008 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a Special Meeting of the City Council of Stillwater, Minnesota, was called to order by Mayor Harycki on Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in the Stillwater City Hall. Present were Councilmembers Gag, Milbrandt, Nyberg, Polehna and Mayor Harycki. Staff present were L. Hansen, S. Harrison, D. Magnuson. BudQet Discussion EnQineerinQ, Streets, Parks. Sanitary Sewer. Storm Sewer and SiQns/LiQhting ManaQement Information Systems St. Croix Valley Recreation Center Stillwater Public Library City Attorney Mayor and Council Motion by Councilmember Milbrandt, seconded by Councilmember Nyberg to direct staff to utilize the 90-day out clause with the current lobbyist. All in favor. FinancelWashinQton County Recycling Administration City Hall Unallocated Special Events The meeting was adjourned at 9:03 p.m. ATTEST: ~ nsen, City Administrator Ollwater T"I IIllT"'LACE OF MINIIEIOTA City of Stillwater Special City Council Meeting July 22, 2008 Mayor Harycki called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. Present: Councilmembers Gag, Milbrandt, Nyberg, Polehna and Mayor Harycki Staff: City Administrator Hansen Finance Director Harrison City Attorney Magnuson OTHER BUSINESS BudQet Discussion EnQineerinQ, Streets, Parks, Sanitary Sewer. Storm Sewer and SiQrls/LiQhtinQ Finance Director Harrison referred to her memo highlighting the significant changes in the proposed budget. Public Works Director Sanders stated for the Engineering Department, the actual decrease in operating budget from last year is $24,000, a 6.2 percent decrease. Mayor Harycki noted that some of that decrease is a result of transfer of salaries; Mr. Sanders said the salary transfers relate to part-time, summer help charged to construction projects. In the Street Department, Mr. Sanders said the proposal represents an overall decrease in the operating budget of $25,000 from last year, and that includes taking into consideration the increase in fuel cost and the personnel changes that have been requested. There was discussion of the personnel changes and level of service. There was discussion about the use of summer interns and the duties that interns can perform. Councilmember Milbrandt said at some point he would like to see a breakdown in hours spent on duties/functions to consider in a decision to possibly outsource some functions. Mr. Sanders explained the requested capital purchases, which includes a loader to replace a grader and replacement trailer for asphalt patching. Regarding the Parks Department, Mayor Harycki asked about the operation/programming of Teddy Bear Park and whether the City had assumed that role. City Administrator Hansen said park donor, Mr. Armstrong, had committed to continuing the programming at least through 2009; the City will make a contribution of $15,000 for next year for maintenance. Mr. Hansen also stated the City will be making an increased effort to promote the rental of the building at Teddy Bear Park, as requested by Mr. Armstrong. There was discussion of the cost of park/play equipment and possibly placing money in reserve for future replacement. Mayor Harycki raised the Special City Council Meeting July 22, 2008 recycling containers in the parks; Tim Thomsen reviewed the City's various recycling efforts. Councilmember Polehna described the use of recycling containers in County parks. Councilmember Milbrandt asked about a proposed expenditure for "other services;" Mr. Sanders explained that is for the services of the City Forester. There was discussion of park maintenance; Councilmember Nyberg pointed out that one of the Park Board's priorities is irrigation of high-use parks, but that has been limited by budget constraints. Councilmember Milbrandt suggested that perhaps the staff person for the Parks Board should be from the Public Works Department, rather than Planning/Community Development. There was discussion of .the possibility of beginning work on Lowell Park before the completion of the levee wall project. Mr. Sanders noted that Sanitary Sewer is a revenue fund; there is a proposed 2.9 percent, $35,000 increase in the operational budget due to increases in fuel cost, electricity, etc. Councilmember Gag asked about oversight of rate increases; Mr. Sanders said that is through public hearings conducted by the Met Council. City Administrator Hansen stated City increases are due to the larger number of houses served each year, a number that reflects what the City is charged by Met Council; Mr. Hansen said the intent is to basically break even with the sanitary sewer rate. There was discussion about lining the sewers in the downtown area. Ms. Harrison reviewed some changes in the Storm Sewer budget due to the Surface Water Management program/law. There were no questions regarding Signs/Lighting. Mayor Harycki recapped issues with these proposed budgets as recycling in the parks and use of interns/seasonal help. There was discussion of break times and efficiencies. There was discussion about possibly trading some winter hours for summer hours, the possibility of hiring additional summer seasonal help or outsourcing some duties. Councilmember Nyberg spoke in favor of putting money away for future park equipment replacement. Mr. Sanders addressed the issue of rising fuel costs and said there are opportunities for some cost savings, including the possibility of participating in a consortium for the purchase of fuel. ManaQement Information Systems MIS Specialist Holman reviewed her memo regarding computers for the police squad cars and the reasons for going to a new system. It was noted there is not much change in the MIS proposed operating budget. Councilmember Milbrandt asked about the difference in cost between a computer for the Streets Department and one for the Engineering Department; Ms. Holman said that was a typo, it should be two computers for Engineering at a total cost of $2,400. There was discussion of cabling upgrades versus wireless. Councilmember Gag asked Ms. Holman if she saw any major needs in the future; Ms. Holman responded that she thought the server would have to be replaced, speaking of problems created by the room where the server is located. Mayor Harycki asked about the library computers; Ms. Holman explained the City's and Washington County's responsibility for the library service. Page 2 of 6 Special City Council Meeting July 22, 2008 St. Croix Valley Recreation Center Finance Director Harrison told the Council that Recreation Center revenues exceeded expenditures by $276,000 in 2007. The excess revenues will be applied to the debt service, it was noted. It also was noted that money is set aside each year for replacemenVupgrade of equipment, such as turf for the field house. Doug Brady, manager, reviewed some of the programming and rates for the coming season. There was a question about the proposed purchase of a skid loader; Mr. Brady explained half the money for the purchase had been put away last year (2008). There was discussion about sharing equipment with Public Works. There was a question about clocks in the locker rooms; Mr. Brady said the clocks had been removed from the budget. Stillwater Public Library Lynne Bertalmio, Director, informed the Council the library had received donations to enable the purchase of 300 chairs and tables to seat 300 to get the library's rental program off to a good start. In addition, the donors have agreed to pay a year's cost for a coordinator to market the rental program. Ms. Bertalmio reviewed the library budget request, with a major component being the restoration of Sunday hours and materials purchase. Ms. Bertalmio reviewed the areas of increases, noting that 72 percent of the library's budget is personnel. She also spoke to an upcoming increase in insurance costs. There was a question about janitorial services. Councilmember Milbrandt asked about the proposed purchase of an additional self-checkout machine; Ms. Bertalmio responded that there are lines waiting for self-checkout and machines are less expensive than people. There was a question about computer replacement; Ms. Bertalmio said the library is on a four-year replacement schedule so they are hoping to replace one-quarter of the computers. A correction in figures was noted: $10,000 in new public computer stations and $18,000, rather than $23,000, for replacement computers. There was discussion about wedding rentals and the noise issue. City Attorney City Attorney Magnuson said the only proposed increase is the increase in fixed retainer. He provided a breakdown of prosecution efforts and hard expenses, which were up 10.25 percent due to increases in rent, wages, etc. It was noted there has been a marked decrease in billable work due to the slowdown in development. Councilmember Nyberg asked about the cost of wages, withholding, etc.; Mr. Magnuson said that is not his salary, he pays a bookkeeper, two secretaries, another employee- out of pocket expenses - as is the rent. It was noted that the proposed increase in retainer is a 3 percent increase. Councilmember Nyberg asked about having a city attorney on staff; Mr. Magnuson stated that outside of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the only metropolitan area city that has done that is the City of Bloomington, and he addressed the reasons for suburban cities not having an attorney on staff. There was discussion of the possible impact of the City's new administrative citations. Mr. Magnuson also spoke to difficulties created by the state and county budget cuts in the court system. Page 3 of 6 Special City Council Meeting July 22, 2008 Mayor and Council City Administrator Hansen pointed out that with the upcoming elections; family insurance had to be added to the budget for at least one member, possibly two, as it is not known who will get elected. The only other change, he said, is the addition of $6,024 for membership in Metro Cities. He noted that under contractual services, there is $33,500 for lobbying efforts, which the Council has indicated it wished to discuss. Councilmember Milbrandt suggested dropping membership in the National League of Cities to cover the cost of membership in Metro Cities. There, was discussion about lobbying efforts; with Mayor Harycki pointing out that lobbying efforts related to the new bridge ought to be focused in St. Paul and Madison and questioned efforts related to the levee wall given the position of the Corps of Engineers. The Mayor noted that the third previous effort - an armory - has taken care of itself. Mayor Harycki suggested that what remains to be done on the three issues could be done by the City/Council. Councilmember Milbrandt suggested giving the lobbyist the required 90-day notice. Mayor Harycki suggested keeping some of the lobbying budget money in reserve for bridge-related efforts. There was discussion about the levee wall project and the cost of federal funding. Motion by Councilmember Milbrandt, seconded by Councilmember Nyberg to direct staff to utilize the 90-day out clause with the current lobbyist. All in favor. There was a question about the line-item for other professional services; it was agreed to put this as a follow-up item for August. It was also consensus to drop the National League membership. . FinancelWashinqton County RecyclinQ Finance Director Harrison said her budget increase basically is due to personnel and contractual rate increases. Ms. Harrison noted that the recycling fund is a grant from the County that is used to fund the residential recycling efforts. Councilmember Polehna suggested some of the grant money could be used to purchase recycling containers for the parks. . Administration City Administrator Hansen stated salaries are down due to the position freeze. Part-time salaries are up a little bit, due to the recording secretary position. Maintenance cost for equipment also is up, otherwise there is little change, he said. The good news is that the budget is down significantly. There was a question about the.increase for other professional services; Mr. Hansen noted that is for the labor attorney and all six union contracts are up in 2009. Councilmember Milbrandt questioned the proposed purchase of a projector; Mr. Hansen stated he would get more information regarding the request. Page 4 of 6 Special City Council Meeting July 22, 2008 City Hall City Administrator Hansen noted there is no longer an employee for City Hall for maintenance. He said the $25,000 under contractual is for cleaning services and generally the contract for service is working well, with some assistance from Public Works. Other professional services relates to an agreement for heating and cooling systems, he said. Mr. Hansen requested to carry over $69,000 for water proofing. Unallocated Unallocated, Mr. Hansen said, relates to retirees' medical expenses; he noted that anyone hired prior to 1988 is eligible for that benefit. He noted that Community Volunteer Services and Youth Service Bureau also is included in this category, and based on Council direction, the agencies were given a zero percent increase. There was a question about funding for the Lucy Winton Bell complex. Mr. Hansen said that last year, the Council eliminated funding entirely for that facility. Councilmember Milbrandt said he would like to put $5,000 in funding for the athletic complex, if possible. There was discussion about a possible increase in funding for the Youth Service Bureau. Special Events There was discussion about the City's 35 percent share of the Lumberjack Days' gate revenues. The professional services portion of the budget, Mr. Hansen said it relates to the outside police and fire personnel hired for Lumberjack Days. Under fireworks, he said the City's share was increased to $40,000. Ms. Harrison reviewed her information regarding the general tax levy. She said the exact figures won't be known until August, as the County's tax base won't be known until then. She reviewed the debt service levy and fiscal disparities funding. Using the local taxable value the County estimated back in April, about'a one percent increase, results in a tax rate of 48.402, she said. City Administrator Hansen noted that last year's budget process was made more difficult by the loss of $300,000 in LGA. Mayor Harycki reviewed undecided items from the previous budget requests, including the vehicle purchase in the Fire Department, fire inspection fee, and future fire station. Mayor Harycki spoke to some potential overlaps in a new fire station and new armory and having a conversation to find out if there are any possibilities for a cooperative effort of some sort. Councilmember Nyberg said his priority would be the levee wall and fire station versus an armory. Councilmember Polehna spoke of the need for other communities to become involved if the City were to proceed with some type of community facility in conjunction with an armory. Councilmember Milbrandt said he would not be opposed to a "phone call" to explore the possibility of a fire station/armory, but said he would not be in favor of expending additional resources for a new fire station. Councilmember Nyberg said he would support a stand-alone fire station for the Page 5 of 6 Special City Council Meeting July 22, 2008 future. Councilmember Gag said at some point the Council needs to communicate the need to plan for a future fire hall or take the issue off the table, rather than continuing to circle the issue. City Administrator Hansen said he would make a call regarding the armory suggestion. Regarding the fire inspection fee, Councilmember Milbrandt suggested that for events such as Summer Tuesdays, there should be a flat fee, but said he wanted information on the current fees before making a decision on an alternate fee. There was discussion about the justification for the fee; Mayor Harycki stated the fee should not be a revenue producer, just cover cost. Councilmember Gag pointed out that last year, the Council directed Chief Glaser and other department heads to find ways to generate additional revenue. City Administrator Hansen pointed out that if the Council eliminates the fee entirely, it will have to find another $50,000 to cover the estimated lost revenue. There was discussion of the cost of inspections. Mayor Harycki summed up the discussion regarding the fire department budget: it was consensus to approve the requested vehicle purchase, remove the $100,000 related to the fire station, and get more information on the current insp~ction fee. There was discussion about increasing funding for street projects. Councilmember Nyberg asked about assessing city-wide for street projects. City Administrator Hansen said that is not possible because an increase in value has to be shown when assessing. There was discussion about possible ways to implement Councilmember Nyberg's suggestion. City Attorney Magnuson spoke to legal issues involved. Mr. Hansen talked of possible levy limits coming into play, and Ms. Harrison spoke of the impact on the tax rate. It was decided to discuss this further at another meeting. It was decided to address the remaining open budget items at a workshop session or special meeting in August. Ms. Harrison noted the hope is to adopt the budget the first meeting in September. The meeting was adjourned at 9:03 . . ATTEST: Page 6 of 6