City Council

City Council Meeting Minutes

March 18, 2013

 

1. Roll Call

Mayor Roe called to order the Roseville City Council regular meeting at approximately 6:00 pm and welcomed everyone. Voting and Seating Order: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.  Councilmember Willmus had previously advised that he would be unavailable for tonight’s meeting due to vacation.  City Attorney Mark Gaughan was also present.  Acting City Manager Chris Miller filled in for City Manager Malinen, currently on vacation.

 

2.         Approve Agenda

McGehee moved, Etten seconded, approval of the agenda as presented.

 

                                    Roll Call

Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

Mayor Roe announced that the City Council would be interviewing a final applicant for citizen advisory commissions this evening to be considered along with those applicants previously interviewed; and advised that a decision on those applications was scheduled for action at the March 25, 2013 meeting. The City Council interviewed applicant Philip Gelbach for a vacancy on the Parks & Recreation Commission.

 

 

3.         Public Comment

Mayor Roe called for public comment by members of the audience on any non-agenda items. 

 

Kathy Ramundt, 1161 Laurie Road W, Representing Nextdoor.com

Ms. Ramundt, via bench handout, announced an upcoming community meeting on Saturday, March 23, 2013 from 10:00 – 11:30 am in the Roseville Library Community Room to explore ways to use Nextdoor.com.

 

4.         Council Communications, Reports and Announcements

Councilmember Laliberte reminded Councilmembers and staff of the March 21, 2013 meeting of the Ramsey County League of Local Governments (RCLLG), at which a presentation will be heard from a representative of Ramsey County Homeland Security related to cooperative emergency management efforts.

           

Mayor Roe provided a brief overview of a meeting held earlier today of an informal group of the mayors and city managers for five (5) area cities, who have met periodically throughout the last year on issues of common interest and of benefit to those communities.  Mayor Roe advised that the topic of conversation at this afternoon’s meeting had been ways that area communities could lobby for transportation improvements on I-35W in an effort to unclog that artery and traffic stacking, without formal membership with the I-35W Corridor Coalition.  Mayor Roe noted that the City of Roseville had at one time been part of the Coalition, however, had dropped that membership due to the cost of membership and the mission and focus of the Coalition apparently creeping beyond its initial intent.

 

Mayor Roe provided a brief update on the cable franchise renewal process between the North Suburban Cable Commission (NSCC) representing the ten (10) member cities and Comcast, with preliminary negotiation points exchanged informally, and the possibility of initiating the formal negotiation process.

 

5.         Recognitions, Donations, Communications

           

a.            Recognize Human Rights Essay Contest Winners

Mayor Roe welcomed students, teachers and families; and members of the Roseville Human Rights Commission (HRC).  This year’s questions for the essay, the process, and the winning essays were detailed in the Request for Council Action (RCA) dated March 18, 2013.

 

Human Rights Commission (HRC) Chair Gary Grefenberg introduced this year’s topic for the annual Essay Contest for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students within the Roseville Area School District boundaries, with over 180 students entering this year’s contest.  Mr. Grefenberg noted that the essay contest, now in its 17^th year and has become a hallmark and highlight of the Human Rights Program, with the program now sponsored state-wide by the League of Human Rights Commissions.  Mr. Grefenberg also noted that over the last eleven years, eight Roseville students had become State winners.

 

HRC Youth Commissioners Julia Laden and Joann Dao, both seniors at the Roseville Area High School were also present and introduced essay contest winners present at tonight’s meeting. 

 

The third place winning essay was Rose Wagner; second place winner was Grace Smith; and first place essay winner was Nicholas Behrens; with all three students attending Parkview and students of Mr. Lucas Ebert.  Each of these students read their essays.  Honorable Mentions for their essays went to Olivia Digiorno and Heather Knutson, both eighth graders at Parkview and also students of Mr. Ebert; and also to Eli Sailer-Haugland, a seventh grader at Roseville Area Middle School, a student of Mr. Cameron Johnson.  Ms. Dao read excerpts of the honorable mention winners, two of whom were present noting that Olivia Digiorno, was out-of-town and unable to attend tonight’s meeting.  Each honorable mention winner received a certificate in recognition of their essay.

 

HRC Members also present and hosting a reception for participants immediately prior to tonight’s City Council meeting included David Singleton; Scott Becker; Kristin Doneen,  Jill Brisbois, and Wayne Groff; who were introduced by Chair Grefenberg and thanked for their participation.

 

b.            Recognize and Accept a Donation from Hugh and Julie Thibodeau

Mayor Roe introduced and welcomed Hugh and Julie Thibodeau.

 

Police Chief Rick Mathwig recognized Hugh and Julie Thibodeau, and expressed appreciation for their most recent donation of $13,000.00 to the Department to fund acquisition of a new K-9 named Jagr, along with training and necessary equipment to replace K-9 Tasco who passed away in the fall of 2012.  Chief Mathwig noted that the request of the Thibodeau’s was that any funds not needed for the purchase be placed in the Police Department’s K-9 fund for future use.

 

Mr. Thibodeau expressed his family’s ongoing commitment to the K-9 unit and the high value they placed on these efforts in providing safety for Roseville residents and the overall community, as well as his family’s respect, admiration and affection for the entire K-9 unit.

 

Mayor Roe thanked the Thibodeau’s for their continued generosity and support.

 

Etten moved, Laliberte seconded, acceptance of a donation of $13,000.00 from the Thibodeau’s; and expressed appreciation for their ongoing generous support of the City of Roseville Police Department.

 

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

c.            Recognize and Accept a Donation from HealthEast, Hamline Auto Body, and Blue Rock Refinishing Solutions

Police Chief Rick Mathwig noted the recent donation of HealthEast of a 2003 Ford ambulance to replace a previous 1995 Ford box ambulance for use by the Police Department as a command post/SWAT equipment storage vehicle.  Chief Mathwig further advised that Hamline Auto Body offered to paint the vehicle at no cost; and Blue Rock Refinishing Solutions offered to supply the paint, also at no cost.

 

Laliberte moved, McGehee seconded, acceptance of these donations, as detailed in the RCA dated March 18, 2013, and expressed appreciation to HealthEast, Hamline Auto Body, and Blue Rock Refinishing Solutions.

 

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

6.         Approve Minutes

 

a.            Approve Minutes of February 25, 2013 Meeting

Mayor Roe noted several remaining items for discussion in the February 25, 2013 meeting minutes, specifically his efforts in summarizing the public comments from the draft minutes submitted by the recording secretary and staff.  Mayor Roe advised that his summary attempt was not intended to diminish those comments or provide editorial comment on them, but simply to find a balance in recording business being transacted and to streamline and reduce meeting minutes wherever possible, rather than a verbatim transcript.  However, if the Council preferred a more detailed record of the meeting minutes, Mayor Roe stated that he would accept their guidance. 

 

Councilmember McGehee stated that she preferred the draft version submitted by the recording secretary, with minor typographical and grammatical corrections, as a more accurate record rather than a summary.  Councilmember McGehee further stated that she had also submitted her version of a summary of the public comments from that meeting as an alternative to Mayor Roe’s summary; and opined that the will of those City Councilmembers present at that meeting was not to accept that summary either.

 

Mayor Roe noted that it was the Council’s choice as to the content of their official meeting minutes.

 

Councilmember Etten opined that as long as the meeting minutes were electronic, rather than simply paper copies taking up space, he found the more detailed meeting minutes as a useful resource for his research of decision-making processes.

 

Councilmember Laliberte concurred with leaving the more detailed record of the public comments, as amended to include grammatical and typographical editing.

 

In another item, Mayor Roe noted past City Council discussions related to bench handouts and the final determination by the Council as to whether or not they were included in the final record of meeting minutes, further noting that this remained an option for each meeting on a case by case basis.  Mayor Roe stated that his concern in including all bench handouts as part of the official meeting minutes was that some of them became cumbersome and may not be appropriate or necessary to the official record.  As an example, Mayor Roe noted his preference that staff reports provided as bench handouts with corrections or additional information could be more appropriate if substituted in the final meeting packet materials for the record, rather than confusing the issue if more than one report was included for an agenda item, with one in the meeting agenda packet materials and one as a bench handout and attached to the meeting minutes, when those corrected staff reports were available to the public on line and/or as packet information.  Mayor Roe suggested that staff update the official record of packet information, but that those staff reports not become part of the meeting minutes to allow easier tracking of that information.

 

Councilmember Laliberte concurred with Mayor Roe’s suggestion, preferring agenda packet materials, original or updated, all together in the same place.

 

Councilmember McGehee concurred with Mayor Roe’s suggestion also; however, she expressed her preference for materials coming forward from the public as part of public comment becoming part of the meeting minutes, as currently highlighted by the recording secretary and staff as “attached hereto and made a part hereof.”

 

Mayor Roe concurred, noting that as a general practice, that would include not only those items coming forward from the public comment portion of a meeting, but bench handouts provided by the public as well.  However, Mayor Roe suggested that the City Council retain their right of review and consideration of those written materials as part of their approval process for the meeting minutes.

As requested by Councilmember McGehee, Mayor Roe noted that the recording secretary was very conscientious in identifying those submittals and highlighting them in the draft minutes; and suggested continuing the practice as part of the meeting minute review process for City Council decision-making as to which materials were kept as attachments.

 

Acting City Manager Miller clarified the direction of the City Council was to include any bench handout to the City Council in the draft meeting minutes provided to the City Council, and on a case by case basis the City Council would have the final determination as to whether those submittals were included in the official record of the minutes.

 

Mayor Roe confirmed that direction; with the provision that specific to updated or revised staff reports, it would be staff’s responsibility to update those agenda packet materials for the final record rather than attaching those items to the meeting minutes.

 

Councilmember McGehee referenced those additional corrections she had submitted and provided at the February 25, 2013 meeting, and questioned if those revisions could be incorporated.

 

Regarding those items, Mayor Roe advised that he had a question on page 6, lines 34-45 regarding the Hotel and Prostitution Task Force, and whether there had been a vote of the task force making her the chairperson, as indicated on her corrections, or if she was serving voluntarily as a coordinator of the group.  Mayor Roe suggested that Councilmember McGehee clarify that with Administration staff offline outside the meeting.

 

Mayor Roe further noted that, based on tonight’s discussion on attachments, the attachment by City Manager Malinen (legislative agenda, page 30, lines 42-45) should be updated in the meeting packet materials And not included as an attachment to the meeting minutes. 

 

Mayor Roe indicated that the remaining suggested revisions included in Councilmember McGehee’s “Proposed Changes to February 25 Minutes,” as submitted at that meeting were acceptable to him.

 

In conclusion, Mayor Roe advised that the meeting minutes of February 25, 2013 would therefore be revised as noted:

 

                   Item 5.a Public Comment – Gary Grefenberg

·         Remove strike out of public comment transcript from Gary Grefenberg; remove the summary provided to replace it from Mayor Roe; and

Page 30, Lines 42-45

·         Retain strike out of bench handout

Councilmember McGehee’s remaining changes to the February 25 minutes:

·   Make the recommended changes to the draft, confirming the use of the word 

   “Chair” with respect to the Hotel task force item.

         

McGehee moved, Etten seconded, approval of the minutes of the February 25, 2013, meeting as amended.

 

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

b.            Approve Minutes of March 11, 2013 Meeting

McGehee moved, Etten seconded, approval of the minutes of the March 11, 2013, meeting as amended.

           

Corrections:

Page 14, Lines 11 – 13 (Etten)

·         Correct New Brighton Director of Public Safety as Bob Jacobson

 

Councilmember Etten advised that he had several minor grammatical corrections that he would provide offline to Administration staff.

                       

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

7. Approve Consent Agenda

.  At the request of Mayor Roe, Acting City Manager Chris Miller briefly reviewed those items being considered under the Consent Agenda.

 

a.            Approve Payments

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, approval of the following claims and payments as presented.      

ACH Payments	$1,869,196.85
69312 – 69375	241,266.52
Total	$2,110,463.37

                                   

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

b.            Approve Business & Other Licenses & Permits

          Etten moved, McGehee seconded, approval of business license applications for the period of one (1) year, for the following applicants:

                            

Applicant/Location	Type of License
Kyle French at Rocco Altobelli 10 Rosedale Center, Suite 945	Massage Therapist

 

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

c.            Approve General Purchases and Sale of Surplus Items In Excess of $5,000

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, approval of the submitted list of general purchases and contracts for services presented as follows:

 

Department	Vendor	Description	Amount	Budget / CIP
IT	Software House International	Microsoft software licensing renewal (2nd of 3 annual installments)	$30,369.90	Budget

 

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

d.            Approve Amendments to the 2012 Budget

Mayor Roe asked that staff make a correction in the final record to identify the Charitable Gambling amendment from the NSCC to clearly indicate the North Suburban Community Fund.

 

At the request of Mayor Roe, Mr. Miller confirmed that the Fire Relief Fund contribution had been entirely offset by unanticipated revenues, allowing for no need for use of City reserves to offset the deficit triggered by the previous year’s fiscal shortfall in pension dollars.

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, approval of year-end amendments to the 2012 Budget as follows:

 

Fund	Expense	Amount	Description
General	Fire Relief	$100,000.00	Additional contribution per actuarial
General	Police Wages	15,000.00	Special law enforcement detail (offset by grants and forfeiture funds)
General	Engineering Wages	95,000.00	Contractual services to Falcon Heights (offset by contributions from the City of Falcon Heights)
Community Development	Contractual Services	30,000.00	Additional electrical inspection services
Community Development	Temporary Wages	28,000.00	NEP Program reimbursed by the HRA
Community Development	Professional Services	149,000.00	Pass-through grant for Sienna Green (Livable Communities Grant from the Met Council)
Charitable Gambling	Contributions	6,500.00	Additional contributions to the NSCC (donations received by the City from the 10% profit contributions from lawful gambling organizations, donated to the NSCC Fund for eventual distribution to the City of Roseville)

 

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

e.            Approve No-Parking Resolution

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, adoption of Resolution No. 11056 entitled, “Resolution Prohibiting Parking on County Road D between Lexington Avenue and Victoria Street;” prohibiting parking on the south side between Lexington Avenue and Hafner Street.

 

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

f.             Approve a Resolution for the Final Acceptance and Maintenance for Public Improvements Constructed for Josephine Woods

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, adoption of Resolution No. 11057 entitled, “Final Acceptance and Maintenance for Public Improvements Constructed for Josephine Woods.”

 

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

g.            Approve the Repurchase of 180-188 Elmer Street W by Cottonwood Holdings, LLC from Ramsey County

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, adoption of Resolution No. 11058  entitled, “Resolution Approving the repurchase of 180-188 Elmer Street W by Cottonwood Holdings, LLC from Ramsey County;” as detailed in the RCA dated March 18, 2013, and Attachment A.

 

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

 

8. Consider Items Removed from Consent

 

9. General Ordinances for Adoption

 

10. Presentations

 

a.    Receive Roseville Visitor’s Association (RVA) Annual Report

Mayor Roe apologized for technical problems in the Council Chambers that would not allow display of the RVA presentation in the council chambers.  However, Mayor Roe noted that it would be available for the home audience and at the City Council dais.

 

Mayor Roe welcomed RVA Executive Director Julie Wearn, who in turn introduced RVA Board Chair Ken Gaye.  Ms. Wearn’s presentation included a review of 2012 highlights, testimonials, and an overview of plans for 2013, including launching of the RVA’s new website and proposed revisions in the holiday lighting display.

 

At the request of Mayor Roe, Ms. Wearn reiterated how the RVA is funded, with 95% of its revenues coming from a 3% dedicated tax on hotels and motels in the Roseville area.  Ms. Wearn noted that the more occupancy of those venues, the more funding available to the RVA.

 

As an option for the annual OVAL illumination program during the holiday season, Ms. Wearn noted that this year would be the 20^th anniversary of the OVAL and suggested it be celebrated with a new holiday tradition in Roseville.  Ms. Wearn proposed that the RVA take advantage of the high visibility in Roseville, with daily traffic counts of 25,000 vehicles along County Road C during October through March by providing a low cost, free public light display.  Ms. Wearn advised that for a minimal cost of approximately $9.00 per day, various local artists, families, businesses, and faith communities be invited to personally decorate a tree.  Ms. Wearn suggested a community pride contest and trophy sponsored by the RVA for the community’s most favorite tree.  Ms. Wearn noted this would allow various non-profits and others to promote their organizations.

 

Noting the diversity of the community, Councilmember McGehee expressed her preference that no promotion of religious holidays be encouraged if this illumination project proceeded.  Councilmember McGehee advised that she and Ms. Wearn had previously discussed an opportunity to tie the lighting with ways to give back in the community, (e.g. food shelf donations, breast cancer awareness or other charities of choice); and suggested that this type of activity should also be promoted in partnership with various Roseville Area High School efforts and classroom projects of similar purpose.  Councilmember McGehee noted that this would encourage a season of giving no matter one’s faith.

 

Ms. Wearn advised that the intent was for a “holiday” display, and to keep the prices for participation low enough that anyone could participate, and that participants would be encourage to decorate according to their faith or background, concurring with Mayor Roe’s request that the decorations be within normal and reasonable bounds.

 

Discussion included having trees available for children to decorate without having to pay a fee, or donated by the community for that purpose; with Ms. Wearn noting interest had already been found from several organizations (e.g. Bridging) for a tree sponsored by a corporation for the benefit of those organizations, or for donation to a specific cause by providing funds to an organization with or without decorating a tree.  Ms. Wearn noted that the RVA already had some lights that they owned and that could be made available for that purpose, since the RVA holiday lighting program had been occurring for the last twelve (12) years.

 

Mr. Gaye advised that the promotion was in the conceptual stages at this time, but it could prove to be a growth display, but anticipating that the first year may be a learning opportunity and need course corrections as it grew.  Mr. Gaye noted that the effort would require partnerships with the RVA, and sought assistance from various organizations, as well as potential labor and assistance from the City’s Parks and Recreation Department.  Mr. Gaye noted interest in the current lighting was diminishing, and these efforts were intended to return it as a special and unique Roseville opportunity.

 

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte, Ms. Wearn advised that the anticipated lighting would be installed around November 15, at the time the ice rink was flooded, and removed around the end of January, depending on weather conditions.

 

Mayor Roe thanked Ms. Wearn and Mr. Gaye for the presentation and for the work done on behalf of the community’s hospitality industry and for those visiting Roseville.

 

b.    Receive Presentation from Attorney Mark Gaughan Discussion Open Meeting Law, Data Practices and Electronic Communications

City Attorney Mark Gaughan’s presentation was detailed in the RCA and attachments, dated March 18, 2013; and preliminary as an overview to a more in-depth presentation scheduled in the very near future for all of the cities advisory commissions.

 

Attachment A entitled, Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13D (Open Meeting Law); Attachment B entitled, “LMC handout from 2013 Leadership Conference for Newly Elected Officials, ‘Legal Realities,’ presented by Attorney Tim Kuntz;” Attachment C entitled, “LMC Memorandum, ‘Electronic Communications between Councilmembers,’ dated September 2009;” and Attachment D entitled, “City of Roseville Policy on Councilmembers’ Electronic Communications, adopted August 2009.”

 

Data Practices Privacy Law

At the request of Councilmember Etten regarding how to define “organization,” Mr. Gaughan advised that it would be more appropriate to define “individual,” and whether they were representing the community/group or as an individual.

 

At the request of Mayor Roe as to whether an individual was communicating on behalf of another individual, Mr. Gaughan advised that he was not aware of a definitive answer, but would need to be based on the best interpretation on a case by case basis, since the law did not provide great clarity.  

 

Open Meeting Law

Mr. Gaughan advised that there were only five (5) reasons for a closed meeting: 1) employee evaluation; 2) attorney/client privilege regarding litigation or threatened litigation; 3) to discuss the sale or acquisition of property, usually real property; 4) labor negotiations or strategies related to those negotiations; and the most recent option, 5) for issues related to security or emergency response.  Mr. Gaughan noted that the City Council must identify who or what is involved in the closed meeting, which are typically taped unless specifically excepted, with reasonable notice obligations for posting and/or publishing the date, time and content of those meetings.  Otherwise, Mr. Gaughan noted that all other business was intended for discussion in an open meeting, with some precise exceptions for emergency meetings.   Mr. Gaughan advised that those members of the public or other organizations having previously requested notification of any meetings, needed to be noticed, even for emergency meetings; and noted the need for staff to ensure that those people were included in those notice requirements and practices.

 

If there were omissions in providing those notices, and in meeting Open Meeting Law requirements, Mr. Gaughan advised that there were applicable penalties upon determination if the omissions were intentional or unintentional.  In some cases and depending on the circumstances, Mr. Gaughan advised that an individual Councilmembers could be subject to a civil penalty if found in violation, rather than the government entity itself, and if three violations occurred, they could be removed from office for a time equal to the amount of time they had served to-date.

 

Mr. Gaughan specifically reviewed e-mails among and between Councilmembers and referenced State Law as well as the City of Roseville Policy on Electronic Communications.  In the Roseville Policy, Mr. Gaughan referred to Section 6 (page 2) as the most important provision, and cautioned that often perception was more important than actually reality and often the most difficult area to address.  Mr. Gaughan further referenced a great resource used by the City Attorney firm and available to individual Councilmembers at IPAD.State.MN.US, a state agency providing guidance on State Statute and some of the more murky issues.

 

Mayor Roe cautioned that individual Councilmembers should never “reply all” in their e-mail communications, even questions to city departments, but should instead send those questions to the attention of the original sender only for his distribution, and responses provided by his office to the entire City Council.

 

Mr. Gaughan concurred, noting that provided for an internal chain of command for City staff.

 

If information was intended by an individual Councilmember for submission and inclusion in an agenda packet, Councilmember McGehee asked how to do so in advance of a packet delivery.

 

Mr. Gaughan advised that this would be fact-specific, and the best practices for any communications was to be overly cautious and to follow the procedure previously addressed, and whether well-meaning or not, to not e-mail the entire City Council, but to go through the City Manager and request that he distribute it to the entire City Council from his office if he feels appropriate.  If for some reason, he deems it to be inappropriate, Mr. Gaughan advised that it can then be discussed in open meeting format by the entire body.

 

Responding to the request by Councilmember McGehee as to whether newspaper articles could be forwarded to all, Mr. Gaughan advised that those were a matter of public record, and typically it would be fine.  However, Mr. Gaughan noted that this pertained only to the article itself, and not any additional comments included.  Mr. Gaughan reiterated that it was best to err on the side of caution, and use the best practices method of sending everything through the City Manager’s office.

 

Councilmember Laliberte questioned recent advice she had been provided at the League of Minnesota Cities Workshop for Newly-elected Officials, and an option to send e-mails separately to individual Councilmembers. 

 

Mr. Gaughan suggested to not follow such a practice, as it could be perceived as a serial meeting, similar to socializing with individual members to possibly know how each intended to vote at the open meeting.  Mr. Gaughan again suggested that sending information through the City Manager was a much more open and safe practice, or to have the discussion at an open meeting.

 

Mayor Roe noted the need for the City Council as a body to make sure a policy/procedure was in place to ensure best practices are followed by individual Councilmembers, the entire body, and for clarity for staff of that practice.

 

At the request of Councilmember McGehee regarding meetings by individual Councilmembers with the City Manager, Mr. Gaughan advised that this was a common practice, and depending on the actual intent of those communications, were usually considered a general briefing and not construed to be serial meetings.  Mr. Gaughan noted the need to ensure that the City Manager was not perceived as a conduit for the intent of a serialized meeting.

 

Mayor Roe thanked City Attorney Gaughan for his informative presentation.

 

11. Public Hearings

           

12. Business Items (Action Items)

 

1. Award Contract for Human Resources Information System Services

Human Resources Manager Eldona Bacon provided an update from the March 11, 2013 meeting regarding the proposed contract with PerfectSoftware for web-hosted HRIS services as detailed in the RCA dated March 18, 2013, and presentation materials provided as a bench handout.

 

Ms. Bacon advised that staff had been successful in negotiating more of a fixed cost with the vendor, as requested by Councilmembers, and achieving a projected cost savings and reduced not-to-exceed costs based on the complexity of the setup for programmers to write the link between the City’s Springbrook software used for payroll, and PerfectSoftware, as well as ongoing maintenance for that link by Springbrook.  Ms. Bacon advised that employee insurance carriers would not charge additionally beyond the PerfectSoftware charge of $1,250.00; and should facilitate the $20,000.00 anticipated annually in budget over the next three (3) years of the contract.

 

At the request of Councilmember Etten for clarification, Ms. Bacon advised that since implementation in 2013 would be later than anticipated, only about $10,000.00 of the allotted $20,000.000 would be used; or approximately $34,000 in 2013 for initial implementation and annual maintenance of the system; without any additional cost by medical carriers for ongoing connections.

 

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte regarding the type of reports staff will be able to generate electronically versus hand-reporting through this new system compared to the existing payroll system, Ms. Bacon advised some would include EEO required reports and any other employee related data that is not numeric or finance based, since the payroll system was numerically-based.  Ms. Bacon provided several examples of data that would be more readily available once all data had been entered into the system.

 

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte as to whether staff investigated whether this same type of system and data tracking would be available through the current payroll system and whether a second vendor/system was required, Ms. Bacon advised that this had been researched by staff.  Ms. Bacon advised that the research had found that none of the stakeholders found Springbrook intuitive as it was very much a financial package; and since employees would be personally entering some data and managers using that data, it would create a long function rather than a logical function for those employees and be unable to meet the needs based on how that software was driven.  Ms. Bacon advised that Springbrook software would also not provide online performance reviews as a function; with management staff hoping to have that function to improve timely reviews for employees, as well as options for employees to perform their own self-evaluations online and maintain that data in-house.

 

Mayor Roe noted that last week’s discussion indicated that there would not be any offset savings in Human Resources functions through this HIRS, but that it would just allow that work to be done more efficiently, and asked Ms. Bacon if this was a fair assessment from her perspective.

 

Ms. Bacon concurred, opining that it was a misnomer that software and electronics saved people time, it just allowed use of time in a different fashion.  Ms. Bacon noted that someone needed to enter that data, and it would take time to do so.  Ms. Bacon suggested that the time savings may be found at the back end for leadership in how they were able to manage their staff and do their budgeting and planning for their departments by being able to pull reporting and analytics for better decision-making.

 

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte, Ms. Bacon confirmed that other vendors would not incur any additional costs, and that the $1,250.00 previously quoted represented the total cost.  If the City were to change insurance carriers in the future, Ms. Bacon advised that staff would negotiate with that vendor to provide a similar link if they were interested in providing coverage.

 

Councilmember Laliberte opined that, from her experience with similar systems and her research, the initial implementation would be very time-consuming and could add to staffing costs this year.  However, Councilmember Laliberte noted that she did not see that cost factored into the system.

 

Ms. Bacon concurred, noting that as an exempt employee, the onus would fall to her and would indeed be a very large project, and expressed appreciation that Councilmember Laliberte recognized that.  Ms. Bacon, while admitting that it would be quite an undertaking, advised that staff was ready to accept that challenge to have a better system that what was currently available.  Ms. Bacon advised that the administration team was ready for the challenge, and looked to Finance Director Miller and his team to participate in implementation.

 

At the request of Councilmember Etten, Ms. Bacon provided several examples of advantages with a link with health care providers and employees, especially during the fall open enrollment season and time-sensitive nature of getting that information submitted as required.  Ms. Bacon advised that it would save time for her and employees in having the electronic option and their ability to complete paperwork online at home or by phone, as well as saving paperwork.

 

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, award of a contract to PerfectSoftware for HRIA services and maintenance; and directing staff to prepare the necessary documents for execution, subject to City Attorney review and approval as to legal form; as detailed in the RCA dated March 18, 2013.

                                   

                                    Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.

Recess

Mayor Roe recessed the meeting at approximately 8:40 p.m. and reconvened at approximately 8:50 pm in Work Session format.

 

13. Business Items – Presentations/Discussions

 

a.    Review Strategic Plans

In addition to Councilmembers, Department Heads present included Finance Director and Acting City Manager Chris Miller, Public Works Director Duane Schwartz; Fire Chief Tim O’Neill; Community Development Director and Housing & Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Patrick Trudgeon; Police Chief Rick Mathwig; and Parks and Recreation Director Lonnie Brokke.

 

Mayor Roe reviewed the intent of tonight’s discussion as the process has evolved since last year’s development of individual department strategic plans based on City Council Directives and Community Aspirations for the 2014/2015 biennial budget and beyond.  Mayor Roe noted this was in line with the budget calendar and process, and thanked Department Heads for their attendance tonight.

 

Mayor Roe suggested that individual Councilmembers take this opportunity to provide comment or seek additional information from each Department Head based on the “New Initiative Summary to the 2014-2017 Strategic Plan (Attachment A).  Mayor Roe noted more detailed descriptions were available in the Strategic Plan Document itself, available on line as well as distributed as a bench handout tonight.

 

Administration Department

Councilmember McGehee noted that the HRIS system remained budgeted t $20,000 across the board, and based on tonight’s action, suggested that it should be reduced in accordance with that action to more accurately reflect realities.

 

Finance Director Miller advised that there were two options: to adjust this summary or the Strategic Plan itself.  Mr. Miller suggested that the Strategic Plan, originally presented in August of 2012, not be changed, but that the actual request would be reduced and incorporated as part of the City Manager-recommended budget that would come before the City Council in August of 2013.  Mr. Miller advised that there was some value in preserving these original estimates as presented and based on the best information available at that time.

 

Mr. Miller concurred with Mayor Roe’s observation that this would be accelerated from 2014 to current.

 

Mayor Roe noted that a number of Administration items had associated personnel costs provided by additional staff time, and questioned if these represented or documented new costs for new initiatives or redirection of current costs.

Mr. Miller responded that some were new costs based on the City Council initiatives from their Strategic Directives, with some necessitating reallocation from other staff costs but still part of the process.

 

Councilmember Etten expressed his appreciation for the formatting used in the Public Works Department Strategic Plan, opining that the Action Plan was nicely laid out, clearly defining existing resources or if additional funding was needed, and suggested that other departments follow that clear definition.  While he was able to eventually determine those differentials with the Strategic and Action Plans for other departments, Councilmember Etten noted that he found the Public Works Department formatting to be the easiest to follow, and suggested it could be followed moving forward.

 

Mayor Roe referred councilmembers and staff to pages 81-84 of the original Strategic Plan for that detail.

 

In response to Mayor Roe’s request for specific questions for staff or any additional follow-up needed for Action Plans and impacts, Councilmember Etten suggested that in some instances, it may be advantageous to provide options in short-term initiatives for how personnel or equipment could be shared among departments.  As an example, Councilmember Etten noted the proposed hiring of a full-time volunteer coordinator in both the Administrative and Parks & Recreation Departments, and questioned if there was any potential in combining that position, or through sharing mechanics among the Public Works and Parks Departments.

 

In response, Parks & Recreation Director Brokke advised that the allotment in both areas was intentional, and anticipated more than enough work for two (2) volunteer coordinators in various areas.  As a way to initially implement the position, Mr. Brokke concurred that it may be more appropriate to start off with only one position and build from there.

 

Councilmember Etten noted the significant budget increases represented by the cumulative Strategic Directives, and questioned how they could be achieved without significant tax increases.

 

Mayor Roe noted that this would be accomplished by the prioritization and ranking exercise by the City Council, the next step in the budget process.

 

Councilmember McGehee noted the inclusion of a Sustainability Coordinator position in Administration, as well as expanding recycling opportunities in the Parks and Recreation Department’s Strategic Plan; and questioned if this wasn’t actually an overlap.

 

In response, Mr. Brokke advised that Zero Waste events were performed by the Administration Department’s Recycling Coordinator, while the Parks & Recreation Department performed recycling in city-wide parks, representing container available and maintenance versus administrative coordination.

 

Councilmember Laliberte questioned the Administration Department item “Perform and Implement Compensation and Classification Study” and whether there would be an additional $95,000.00 cost on top of the original cost.

 

Mr. Miller responded in the negative, clarifying that this cost was associated with estimated costs for implementing the Compensation Study once it came back to the City Council in April if a number of positions were found to be below the marketplace; and this item was intended would then be destined for the City Council’s direction as part of future base budgets.

 

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte, Mr. Miller clarified that the community input solicitation (e.g. survey) was scheduled as a bi-annual survey.

 

At the request of Councilmember McGehee related to the Compensation Study being divided into two pieces, Mayor Roe clarified that there would be no funds budgeted for implementation costs in 2013, with potential implementation in 2014, if adjustments to positions was indicated, as previously outlined by Mr. Miller.

 

Mr. Miller concurred, however, he advised that when or if to implement those adjustments could be a policy decision of the City Council in 2013 or 2014.

 

Mayor Roe questioned if the Sustainability Coordinator position in Administration could be overlapped with the Environmental position in the Public Works Department.

 

Public Works Director Schwartz advised that there could be some potential overlap; however, it was the intent of his department that other needs would be addressed by the Storm Water/Environmental Needs Engineer in the Public Works Department.

 

Mayor Roe noted that that position signified substantial personnel cost, and would mean the City Council would need to determine priority, depending on how it fit in the overall picture.

 

Community Development

Regarding the item “Development Economic Development Strategies for Twin Lakes,” Councilmember Etten questioned if this staff cost was partially addressed in the HRA’s added staffing and refocus on the business community, or if new how it fit in to those initiatives.

 

Community Development Director / HRA Executive Director Trudgeon advised that this item needed further vetting to determine the specific role of the HRA beyond their current role in building rehabilitation and training toward those economic development efforts. Mr. Trudgeon advised that the $105,000 anticipated a dedicated staff person specifically for economic development (e.g. salary, supplies, and office) similar to the position eliminated approximately three (3) years ago, but with a focus on new directives.  Mr. Trudgeon advised that the HRA had only set aside funds to-date for consultants and studies for economic development initiatives; but whether the function should be HRA or CDD funded remained pending.  Mr. Trudgeon clarified that the CDD operations were funded primarily out of permit revenues and not impacting tax levies; with the HRA having a levy impact.  From his perspective, Mr. Trudgeon advised that there needed to be a more clearly-defined role for the HRA and City as well as where the funding sources would come from.  Mr. Trudgeon opined that the HRA would at least fund a portion of it depending on competing priorities.

 

Mayor Roe noted that the original Economic Development position had been eliminated due to significantly reduced permit revenues.  Mayor Roe suggested defining a steady funding source independent of permit fees to prevent those spikes.

Councilmember McGehee opined that the ups and downs of the department could be a City Council policy discussion about restructuring the department to provide a more stable source of income than permits.

 

Mr. Trudgeon noted that this had been the intent when the Code Enforcement Officer had been reallocated from the CDD to the General Fund as an ongoing function that should not be subject to revenue spikes; in addition to the previous cuts made throughout the CDD, creating the current stability and always allowing room for improvement in the future.

 

Mayor Roe noted that some development fees were more predictable on an annual basis and those fees could more adequately sustain the Department.  Mayor Roe suggested that other programs, such as housing development fees and other funding programs could be investigated with the HRA, with the potential for a number of those options outside tax levy funding.

 

Mr. Trudgeon concurred with Mayor Roe’s observations; noting that some of those options could become self-sufficient (e.g. revolving loan funds), with many current HRA funds now self-sustaining once the initial seed funding was provided.

 

Finance/Information Technology

At the request of Mayor Roe, Mr. Miller clarified that while most of the network engineering staff would continue to be funded through Joint Powers Agreements (JPA’s), it was becoming evident that one of those positions should be exclusive to the City of Roseville.  Mr. Miller suggested that the City Council may see such a proposal coming before it in the near future to address some major needs of the City that had been deferred up to now and may make it increasingly difficult to sustain current workloads without looking at a local resource to address those needs.

 

Fire Department

In response to Mayor Roe’s request for clarification on whether or not replacement of outdoor warning sirens was already included in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) as new equipment or an added cost, Fire Chief O’Neill responded that none of those costs had been incorporated into the CIP to-date.  Chief O’Neill advised that some of the 4-5 sirens determined to be in the worst condition had been replaced a number of years ago, no additional replacements had occurred over the last 4-5 years.  Chief O’Neill advised that all existing sirens would need converted into the current model, and that was the intent of that line item.

 

At the request of Mayor Roe, Mr. Miller advised that he would add that to the CIP to ensure adequate future funding as adequate.

 

At the request of Councilmember Etten, Chief O’Neill provided more detail on the compensation/benefit package for part-time firefighters, some including implementation of the federally-mandated Health Reform Act.  Mayor Roe noted that the department’s August 20, 2012 Strategic Plan provided some of that detail.

 

Chief O’Neill reviewed those items most pressing based on the Health Care Reform Act soon to be implemented, as well as other options for the department to continue services today. Chief O’Neill noted that some part-time firefighters already work in excess of thirty (30) hours/week, and they would therefore be qualified for coverage under the Act, and the City would have to offer them health care coverage beginning as early as 2014.  Chief O’Neill advised that this opened the question as to whether the City would only offer health care coverage for those individuals or classify them as full-time employees with paid time off (PTO) also built in along with other benefits of full-time City employees.  If that was done, Chief O’Neill advised that between 8-15 employees would reach that thirty-hour criteria annually, depending on their ability to provide that much time to the City on an annual basis.  Whether or not they were able to provide those services to the community would impact the department and City’s staffing models, including current firefighter wages of between $9.00 and $13.00, with Chief O’Neill noting that wage rate had been a discussion point for some time.  At this time, Chief O’Neill advised that he had provided three (3) options for City Manager Malinen, Finance Director Miller and Human Resources Manager Bacon to review and consider to enhance the department and bring stabilization to its staffing, with his recommendation falling within the $400,000 range and addressing mandates and achieving that stability.  Chief O’Neill noted that one potential result of not addressing wages or PTO for firefighters could include their unionization, a result he would prefer to circumvent through addressing it in advance and taking control of the situation.  Chief O’Neill noted the options for offering only health care would be approximately $82,000.00, with a full-time staffing model at the $1.2 - $1.4 million range, with his three options somewhere in the middle of those two extremes, of which his recommendation would fall within the $400,000.00 range as previously noted.  Chief O’Neill advised that the overall goal is to ensure and stabilize the future of the department and the community well into the future.

 

Mayor Roe noted the other consideration in conducting a study to determine future opportunities for medical services (e.g. ambulance service) that could provide a revenue source while recognizing that there would also be costs associated with such a step.

 

Chief O’Neill concurred, and reviewed current legislation for opening up Provider Service Areas (PSA’s) and various considerations as to whether the City should get into the transportation industry or pursue other options, which would be the purpose of the proposed study to evaluate those future opportunities.  Prior to considering the capital costs of starting down the PSA road, Chief O’Neill noted that how to ensure revenues to offset those ongoing costs to the Fire Department would be needed through such a study.

 

At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Chief O’Neill reviewed the purpose of a shared services study, cautioning that there may be areas to consider beyond the current mutual aid agreements provided among St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Lake Johanna Volunteer Fire Department and Roseville.  While part of the study would be to determine whether feasible or not, Chief O’Neill noted that City Councils in those areas may not necessarily be receptive to such a joint venture or share a positive perspective for combining departments, even though the departments worked cooperatively on a regular basis.

 

Mayor Roe concurred that it made good sense to have those conversations sooner rather than later at the City Council level.

 

Parks & Recreation

Mayor Roe sought clarification on the increased maintenance costs outlined in the summary,  presuming they were directly related to the Park Renewal Program.

 

Parks and Recreation Director Brokke advised that this was true overall; however, it also included replacing park maintenance personnel previously lost in past budget cuts.

 

At the request of Mayor Roe for elaboration, Mr. Brokke advised that the three additional FTE’s in the Forestry Division were proposed to respond the community’s request to upgrade maintenance, including a part-time technician for the Forestry area and the other positions to address new programs and services expanding through the Renewal Program.

 

At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Mr. Brooke clarified the energy management system for the Skating Center to facilitate the additional geothermal system.

 

Councilmember McGehee spoke in support of adding solar panels to run the geothermal system for a quicker payback.

 

Mr. Brokke advised that staff continued to research multiple systems.

 

Mr. Miller advised that he and Mr. Brokke had found the inadvertent omission of one position in the larger Strategic Plan that was not included in the Summary Sheet, that of a Recreation Coordinator position, projecting a $105,000 impact in 2016 and 2017 with $95,000.00 for the position and $10,000.00 for associated supplies).

 

Mr. Brokke concurred with Mr. Miller, noting the need was a result of more uses and programming to keep up with.

 

At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Mr. Brokke reviewed the inclusion of a Community Center Feasibility Study, identified by the community during the Master Plan process and included as the Renewal Program was formulated.  Mr. Brokke advised that the discussion and action indicated was to exhaust all efforts for a potential local sales tax option to fund a community center; and if found not feasible through that avenue, it could potentially become a referendum of the community.  However, Mr. Brokke noted that the first step was to solidify a site, what components should be included realistically, and the interest and financial feasibility.  Mr. Brokke clarified that the Master Plan had looked at a community center as a concept, but this would drill down deeper into the community to understand the desire and how to fund it and whether the community had a realistic desire to fund it and recognize that every component would not be a realistic option.

 

Councilmember Laliberte opined that once the City was back on track with the bi-annual survey process, community interest could be gauged through that as well.

 

Mayor Roe noted, and Mr. Brokke concurred, that the consultant cost for the entire Park Master Plan was comparable to that proposed for the community center feasibility study.

 

Police

Councilmember Etten advised that, following his ride-along and multiple visits to Rosedale as part of that exercise, he was more cognizant than ever of the need for a Retail Patrol Officer.  Councilmember Etten sought comment from Chief Mathwig on how such an officer could relieve other police functions in the City to achieve greater efficiency and avoid multiple squads responding from other parts of the City to Rosedale.

 

Police Chief Mathwig advised that part of his response was based on the dominance of Roseville and its first-ring suburb location, as well as the strong retail community in Roseville.  Chief Mathwig admitted that the department spent considerable time addressing those retail influences as well as the results of being a first-ring suburb exacerbating the entire conflict. 

 

Chief Mathwig noted that the department had a commercial patrol position in the late 1990’s, and ultimately removed by the former Police Chief during budget cuts; and advised that the department had sought to re-establish that position since.  Chief Mathwig reviewed this option and intent of adding two (2) commercial officers providing two (2) squads/officers working during specific times during their shifts to deal with problem retail issues based on documentation of those specific times.  Chief Mathwig predicted that redevelopment of the Twin Lakes area even beyond WalMart would become predominantly retail, and from his perspective, crime would also follow that.  Chief Mathwig advised that he would prefer to have officers available to deal with that specifically and address those heavily-detailed retail areas.

 

At the request of Councilmember Etten to have those retail businesses be part of that financial solution, Finance Director Miller advised that any such function would have to be on a largely volunteer basis on the part of those retailers.  Mr. Miller advised that past discussions had included a dedicated tax levy for this that would be borne by all Roseville taxpayers; as well as a mechanism to create a Special Services District to target higher levels of service.  However, Mr. Miller advised that such a District would require a minimum of 60% of those affected property owners agreeing to that higher level of service and being willing to pay for it.  Mr. Miller advised that those areas would be defined by their geographic designation, not a specific zoning type, similar to one in place and since dissolved in the Lexington/Larpenteur Avenue area in the 1990’s.  Mr. Miller advised that the former district was a partnership between area business owners and the City.

 

Councilmember Etten questioned if, in the case of Har Mar or Rosedale, that would be 60% of the individual businesses or the complex itself; with Mr. Miller responding that it would typically be a percentage of those parcels impacted.  Mr. Miller cautioned that there were several considerations to address, including that those businesses felt that already paid a larger amount of taxes of the overall city’s tax base in their geographical areas.

 

At the request of Councilmember Etten, Finance Director Miller advised that he could further research options and report back to the City Council, including City Attorney Gaughan, Community Development Director Trudgeon, and Police Chief Mathwig.  Mr. Miller advised that Special Taxing District language in State Statute was very specific, and there were defined steps in implementing such a District.  Mr. Miller advised that the tricky part was to get businesses to agree, with Chief Mathwig having many discussions over the years with Rosedale to achieve a partnership with the City in addressing this situation.

 

Chief Mathwig concurred, noting that during his discussions, as well as those by former Chief Sletner, Rosedale representatives and owners had politely responded, “No thank you.”

 

Mayor Roe recognized their position that they already paid significant taxes in Roseville based on the size of their property.  Mayor Roe sought future clarification from staff on the breakdown by property or taxpayer and how many would consider agreeing to it.

 

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte specific to the current negotiated agreement with WalMart for commercial patrol services, Chief Mathwig addressed the specifics of the agreement, emphasizing that WalMart had voluntarily agreed to it over a three (3) year period, and consequences to the agreement if and when a commercial patrol officer was hired by the City.  Chief Mathwig addressed the duties of off-duty officers currently performing those duties.

 

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte, Chief Mathwig clarified reserve officers and community service officers performing currently performing approximately 90% of transports and document service rather than sworn officers.  However, Chief Mathwig noted that there were only so many of them available during a 24-hour period; but whenever possible ancillary duties had been greatly reduced for sworn officers.

 

At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Chief Mathwig advised that there were already limitations of department responses at retail businesses, with many of them done by phone or through written documentation by business owners.  For major incidents (e.g. crashes), Chief Mathwig advised that current practice was for other agencies to be called in to provide assistance, a standard operating procedure.  However, Chief Mathwig advised that it was inherently difficult for him or his officers to refuse service, but their expectations were that business owners provide a base level of service on their own.  In recognizing that Rosedale, as one example, already paid a large amount of taxes, the department had to be cognizant that they could file civil litigation against the City and department if they were able to document their receipt of limited or reduced services.

 

Councilmember McGehee suggested that someone already inside and paid by Rosedale should handle their own shoplifting issues, unless there was a physical threat, with City officers coming in after the event to finalize paperwork.  Councilmember McGehee questioned what the actual requirements were of the department from a legal perspective.

 

Chief Mathwig responded that in the State of MN, there was a distinction between arrest powers versus private citizen protection; with private security guards not allowed to do public police work, but law enforcement powers necessary.  Chief Mathwig clarified that there were already some stores in Rosedale that hired off-duty Roseville Police Officers to assist with their in-store security needs; but even with that option, there remained issues that off-duty officers could not handle on their own, whether due to volume or regulations.

 

Public Works

Councilmember Etten sought clarification of those items italicized versus those not (e.g., page 82, August 20, 2012 Strategic Plan, Existing Resources, Goal 3).

 

Public Works Director Schwartz advised that they were italicized to define them as part of the City Council’s Strategic Directives and Goals versus those of the department.

 

Councilmember Etten reiterated his preference that each department follow suit and provide that distinction.

 

Finance Director Miller clarified that this was already done by each department if a Community Aspiration could be tied back to what was done in that department, with others identified as staff-generated.

 

Mayor Roe also noted that those City Council Directives were developed in conjunction with staff.

 

Mayor Roe sought clarification on the pathway construction and improvements, and whether any of those were depicted in the Park Renewal Program in the first few years or if they were in addition to the program.

 

Mr. Schwartz responded that as the CIP recommendations came out, a number of years were included as part of the Master Plan process.

 

Mayor Roe noted that, in the Strategic Plan detail, the build out of the Pathway Master Plan become more aggressive in the 2016 and 2017 budget years, with major constructions costs in those years for that build out.

 

Mr. Schwartz clarified that the maintenance portion costs also needed to be emphasized.

 

Mayor Roe suggested separating the construction and maintenance portions to ensure maintenance costs were not overlooked in the future during decision-making.

 

Finance Director Miller advised that the intent was to highlight cost ramifications as identified by the City Council last year, some or all of which may end up in the City Manager-recommended budget.  Between now and then, Mr. Miller emphasized that individual Councilmembers and the corporate body provide staff with their comfort level the amount of funding and which initiatives they could support, as well as how they prioritized those initiatives.  Mr. Miller advised that this would be critically important and useful in development of the City Manager-recommended budget.

 

Mayor Roe concurred that the prioritization process was key to the next step, and needed to be incorporated in the entire budget so those priorities were clear to staff.

 

Councilmember Etten noted that since this is a small part of the picture as each department budget was considered, it became evident of the need for additional detail to be aware of budget implications, revenue sources, and how to best provide for educated experience in the overall impacts to the City Manager-recommended budget and individual City Councilmember responses to it.

 

Councilmember McGehee concurred with Councilmember Etten.

 

Mayor Roe noted that Attachment B provided Community Aspirations component to the picture.

 

Councilmember Etten thanked staff for their participation and tonight’s very productive discussion from his perspective.

 

14. City Manager Future Agenda Review

Mayor Roe noted that a ‘Future Agenda Report’ had been emailed to the council this past Friday.

 

15. Councilmember-Initiated Items for Future Meetings

 

16. Adjourn

Laliberte moved, Etten seconded, adjournment of the meeting at approximately 9:55 pm.

 

                                                Roll Call

            Ayes: McGehee; Laliberte; Etten; and Roe.

            Nays: None.