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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 08-30-1993 SpecialMINUTES STUDY SESSION AUGUST 30, 1993 A special meeting budget study session of the Plymouth City Council was called to order by Mayor Bergman at 4:30 p.m. in the Council Conference Room of the City Center, 3400 Plymouth Blvd., on August 30, 1993. PRESENT: Mayor Bergman, Councilmembers Edson, Helliwell, Tierney, and Vasiliou ABSENT: None ALSO PRESENT: John Sullivan, Financial Advisory Committee STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Johnson, Assistant City Manager Lueckert, Finance Director Hahn, Finance Office Supv. Leitner, and City Clerk Rauenhorst 1994 PROPOSED BUDGET City Manager Johnson presented responses to questions raised at the initial budget study session held on August 24. He reviewed the list of recommended new positions, including salaries and fringe benefits associated with those positions. He stated there would be savings in currently paid temporary salaries for four of the positions, and the three in- house engineering positions would be funded through fees for service. Two positions would be funded other than from the General Fund, and the proposed Community Development Coordinator position would have an offset savings by elimination of the current Development Services Technician position. Manager Johnson stated that the net cost to the General Fund for all proposed new positions is $319,041, and this equates to 6.29 new positions. Councihnember Vasiliou referenced the request for two additional police officers who would be part of the K-9 program. She stated that she was unaware at the initial budget study session that a K-9 dog program was proposed for 1994. She stated that cities who have dogs indicate that it is very expensive. The City of Wayzata recently discontinued their K-9 program. Although Plymouth's public safety needs are growing, the city should carefully analyze whether a K-9 program would be cost effective. Mayor Bergman requested that information be obtained from similar sized cities that have the K-9 program. He also suggested that this could be a program that could be cost shared with other agencies. Budget Study Session August 30, 1993 Page 2 Councilmember Edson stated he shares concerns about entering this program without fully knowing what is involved and all of the costs. He asked what type of a function the dogs could perform on a day-to-day basis. Manager Johnson stated that one obvious use of the dogs would be in industrial/commercial situations when officers discover unlocked doors and a dog could first be sent in the building. He stated that the greatest need is to get the committed patrol time down, and it is very important that additional police officers be included in the 1994 budget, whether or not the K-9 program is included. The Council further discussed the K-9 issue, and indicated that they would be very reluctant to enter into this program unless the need and cost can be adequately justified. Councilmember Edson suggested reviewing the issue with the Drug Task Force to see if they have a dog available. He stated this would be an ideal program for a cooperative effort. Councilmember Edson questioned the funding sources for the proposed microcomputer support position and the financial analyst position. Finance Director Hahn stated the microcomputer support position would be funded through the water, sewer and utility trunk funds. The financial analyst position would be supported by the investment trust fund through increased interest earnings resulting from better cash flow projections. Councilmember Vasiliou expressed concern about the proposed commercial appraiser position. She asked what specific duties this person would perform. Manager Johnson stated that the City Assessor spends about 30 percent of his time doing commercial appraising, but more could be done. The additional appraisals and analyses could minimize surprises resulting from abatements and reduced values. Councilmember Helliwell asked how often commercial/industrial buildings are appraised. Finance Director Hahn stated that stafftries to appraise each commercial/industrial property every three years. There is a more in-depth analysis on those properties involved in a court rebate process. Councilmember Edson stated that the City of Eden Prairie mails out a questionnaire to all commercial properties. Finance Director Hahn stated that this is done in Plymouth as well about every three years. He stated it could possibly be done on a more frequent basis. Budget Study Session August 30, 1993 Page 3 Manager Johnson stated that the commercial appraiser position is currently contracted, and the budget proposal would expand the number of hours of this contracted service. Councilmember Vasiliou questioned if there could be a conflict of interest involved when the commercial appraising is done by a firm also working in the private sector. She also asked if doing additional appraisals each year would reduce court action or save the City money. Manager Johnson stated it should ensure that the city accurately assesses property, and could eliminate court action in some cases. It should also allow staff to better predict changes in value. Councilmember Edson stated that street maintenance and public safety are top priorities for residents. He requested a comparison of employees per capita of various cities, as well as a comparison to the information in the financial trend report prepared by the Financial Advisory Committee. Councilmember Helliwell also asked for information on how much the city has increased in population the past year. The Council discussed the proposal for the three positions to do some in-house engineering work. Councilmember Edson stated that as long as the City does not pay more than what is currently paid to consultants, this should be a financially positive step. He stated he would also like to discuss where any "profit" received from engineering service fees should be receipted. Councilmember Helliwell stated that businesses are continuing to hire temporary employees rather than full-time employees and she is concerned with adding full-time employees to do the in-house engineering work. She believes the consultants have done a good job. The Council discussed the department justification for the positions of park maintenance worker and data control/cashier. Councilmember Vasiliou expressed concern that the data control position request was based on the possible future plans of an existing employee. She asked if this position could not continue as a temporary position. Assistant Manager Lueckert stated that consistency and accumulation of information is one reason to move toward a more permanent position. This largely aids the City in the area of customer service. Budget Study Session August 30, 1993 Page 4 The Council discussed the request for six additional firefighters. Councilmember Vasiliou stated she would like to see the city move toward a zone response system. Manager Johnson stated that Plymouth is at the low end of the minimum number of fire personnel per vehicle by federal standards. Councilmember Vasiliou cited an article from American City and County which indicated that advances in fire fighting are now largely through education, not through increasing the number of personnel in fire stations. Manager Johnson stated that some cities, such as Scottsdale, Arizona, have instituted a very aggressive sprinkling ordinance. Councilmember Edson stated this may result in fewer fires, but it would be difficult for a city such as Plymouth to have a higher standard for sprinkling than its neighboring communities. Councilmember Tierney asked if the number of fire response calls is increasing. Manager Johnson stated he recommends adding the six firefighter positions because response time is slow by community standards and Plymouth is at the low end of the number of firefighters per population. Councilmember Edson requested that staff report back on Plymouth's fire rating because the rates paid by commercial properties for insurance are largely based on that rating. Councilmember Helliwell asked if there was a particular need at one station for the six new firefighters, or where they would be assigned. Councilmember Vasiliou stated that the City of Maple Grove once discussed the possibility of having ajoint fire station with Plymouth near the Plymouth/Maple Grove border. This could bean item of discussion for the upcoming joint meeting with Maple Grove. Manager Johnson stated the City also has a plan to acquire park land in the area, and it may be possible to combine resources with the city of Maple Grove for that as well. Councilmember Helliwell stated that she will support the additional firefighter positions, however, she still has questions with respect to the clerk typist position. Manager Johnson stated that this individual is needed to file fire plans and keep them up- to-date. Budget Study Session August 30, 1993 Page 5 Mayor Bergman asked if the Fire Chief program has been implemented. Finance Director Hahn stated that the data entry for the program will start soon. Councilmember Helliwell stated that grant funds are available this year to train and purchase dogs for the K-9 program, but she would like further information on the ongoing costs. Manager Johnson stated that staff will investigate the entire K-9 issue further and report back. Staff will also provide responses to other questions asked by the Council at this meeting. Councilmember Vasiliou requested additional information on the funding requests received from human service agencies. She noted that the Teens Alone program is new, and asked staff to check if all cities in the 284 school district are contributing to this program. Councilmember Vasiliou noted that the proposed contribution to InterFaith Outreach would be increasing somewhat; however, they are serving a major portion of the community. She compared this to the proposed increase of 30 percent for Home Free, and asked whether staff had obtained information on the alternate organization that some cities are now using. She stated that Home Free receives about 50 percent of Plymouth's contribution budget, and serves only about 150 residents. She stated this is a very worthwhile program, but she wants to ensure that Plymouth is not picking up the share from other cities leaving the program. She also questions whether Plymouth is meeting its fair share of human service needs in the community. Councilmember Edson stated he has concerns about large increases for the Northwest Hennepin Human Service Agency and the West Hennepin Human Service Agency. He would support reallocating some of the contribution funds if justified. Councilmember Tierney stated she is concerned about the various human service agencies taking on more paid staff and relying less on volunteers. Councilmember Vasiliou concurred, but stated that InterFaith Outreach still guarantees that $.86 of every dollar goes back directly to services in the community. She stated she is also concerned about the administrative salaries of some of these agencies, as well as duplication of services. Councilmember Edson requested that staff obtain information from each agency requesting funding for 1994 indicating what portion of their budget goes to administration, planning, fund raising, and direct program services to individuals. Budget Study Session August 30, 1993 Page 6 Manager Johnson reviewed information contained in the budget on employee benefits and salaries. Personnel Coordinator Sobania reported on the State of Minnesota contracts. She stated that the union agreed to zero percent the first year and 3 1/4 percent the second year; however, all step increases will be granted both years. She believes that at least 40 percent of all state workers would receive an increase under the step system. She noted that the state also pays 100 percent of single coverage and 90 percent of family coverage for health insurance, which is more than the City pays. She stated there are questions on the actual settlement percentages. Councilmember Vasiliou stated she is opposed to setting aside a lump sum of money in the budget for negotiating purposes. She would like a written report from staff on the results of the state contract. Manager Johnson asked if the staff can obtain information on what the state contract actually contains, whether the council would consider a similar proposal. Councilmember Edson stated he would be against assuming additional liability on the city's part for dependent coverage for insurance. The Council supported entering into multi-year contracts with the various bargaining units this year. Councilmember Tierney stated that the attorney's fees have increased over 25 percent since 1991. She feels this is very high and should be discussed by the Council. Manager Johnson stated that over half of the increased cost is related to criminal prosecution. Councilmember Edson requested that staff prepare a prioritized list of items totaling 200,000, should the council decide to further reduce the budget. Manager Johnson stated that approximately $127,000 would need to be reduced from the budget so that an average valued home would receive no city tax increase. The Council set the next budget study session for noon on Sept. 9, 1993. The meeting was adjourned at 6:53 p.m. City Clerk