HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 06-07-2005 SpecialAdopted Minutes '
Special Council Meeting
June 7, 2005
Mayor Johnson called a Special Meeting of the Plymouth City Council to order at 7:00 p.m. in
the lower level of City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard, on June 7, 2005.
COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Johnson, Councilmembers Willis, Hewitt, Black, and Stein.
ABSENT: Councilmembers Slavik and Bildsoe.
STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Ahrens, Community Development Director Hurlburt, Public
Works Director Cote, Finance Director Hahn, Deputy Fire Chief Hurr, Financial Analyst Kohn,
Finance Manager Jacobson, Police Chief Goldstein, Park and Recreation Director Blank, and
City Clerk Paulson.
Discuss Budget Priorities
City Manager Ahrens stated one of the Council's goals for 2005 is to evaluate budget principles.
and City program priorities, with emphasis on Council input, prior to discussion. She introduced
Jim Rice, a former Plymouth resident, who has volunteered his services to assist as a facilitator
for exercises this evening that would work towards that goal.
Mr. Rice worked with the Council and staff with three different exercises. With the first
exercise, Council and staff voted on 22 different areas, with the question being "how concerned
should we be over the next three to five years?" After the voting, the following topics were
listed at the top 10 areas:
1. Funding needs for replacement of aging infrastructure for streets, water, sewer,
buildings/facilities.
2. Securing funding for major capital needs, such as County Road 47, Vicksburg Lane, Peony
Lane, Highway 55, Northwest Greenway, and fourth fire station.
3. Strategies to address transportation/mobility congestion.
4. Risk of decreased State aid/State levy limits.
5. Economics of rising employee healthcare/benefit cares.
6. Complexity of updating our Comprehensive Plan for Northwest Plymouth.
7. Providing services to population with expanded service expectations.
8. Cost of responding to unfunded mandates.
9. Reduction in dependence on "utility trunk fund" to meet some of our operating cost needs
salaries allocations).
10. Providing services for growing number of residents.
The second exercise involved ranking six areas below in terms of "relative philosophical
priorities to guide planning and budgeting." Listed below are how the areas ranked:
Adopted Council Minutes
Special Meeting of June 7, 2005
Page 2
1. Community safety: including safe drinking water, street maintenance, safe playground
equipment, building code enforcement, in addition to services provided by police and fire.
2. Resource management: people and financial, in addition to infrastructure such as water
mains, roads, sewers, storm water management.
3. Sustainability: ability to maintain what we have now and to deliver at the same levels in the
future, including infrastructure and services.
4. Planning and Community Development: growth, land use, redevelopment.
5. Community enrichment: facilities and services to enhance quality of life, such as parks and
recreation and housing programs.
6. Collaboration: working with other agencies and organizations to achieve mutual
benefits/economies.
The last exercise involved ranking 23 items, and these items involved specific programs to
protect or be at the most risk of reductions relative to priorities. The following items were
ranked as the top 10 programs that could be the most vulnerable to cuts if necessary:
1. Eliminate "Level A" Hazardous Material Response Team (savings of $4,000).
2. Eliminate discretionary funding for housing projects from HRA tax levy (savings of
110,000).
3. Eliminate staffing of warming houses and ice rink maintenance (savings of $225,000).
4. Eliminate median maintenance (savings of $40,000).
5. Reduce trail plowing by 50% (savings of $100,000).
6. Eliminate lifeguards at beaches (savings of $32,000).
7. Reduce rent subsidies for Plymouth Towne Square (savings of $150,000).
8. Explore joint powers of services and/or key positions (savings of $50,000).
9. Reduce social service contributions — retain only HomeFree (savings of $79,000).
10. Eliminate DARE/GREAT Program (savings of $19,000 plus more patrol hours).
Following the above exercises, the Council and staff commented that this was a good exercise as
the City begins to prepare the 2006 budget. This would assist in developing future budgets by
knowing what the priorities, values, and challenges are facing the community.
City.
Adiournment
Mayor Johnson declared the meeting adjourned at approximately 9:10 p.m.
andra R. Paulson, City Clerk