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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 08/15/2000 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE, CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP/FORUM TUESDAY,AUGUST 15,2000 5:00-6:55 PM, CITY CENTER HERITAGE ROOM III CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Jean Harris, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher,Ronald Case,Ross Thorfinnson,Jr., and Nancy Tyra-Lukens CITY COUNCIL STAFF: City Manager Chris Enger, Parks & Recreation Services Director Bob Lambert, Public Works Services Director Eugene Dietz, Community Development and Financial Services Director Don Uram, Director of Public Safety Services Jim Clark, Director of Management Services Natalie Swaggert, City Clerk Kitty Porta, Financial Operations Manager, Sue Kotchevar, and Recorder Lorene McWaters I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER—MAYOR JEAN HARRIS Mayor Harris called the meeting to order at 5:20 p.m. H. APPROVAL OF AGENDA III. ELECTION UPDATE City Clerk Kathleen Porta provided an election update, including a demonstration of the new Model 100 voting machine. As soon as the polls close on election night,the election judges will be able to transmit election results to Hennepin County. The real-time results will be posted on the Hennepin County website. Porta will be conducting public accuracy tests and will be testing ballots in each precinct prior to both elections. Porta said she has 83 first-time judges scheduled to work the elections. Student judges will also be used in Eden Prairie during the general election in November. Training for 200 election judges will begin the last week of August. Porta noted that voter registration cards are available online through Hennepin County, including Spanish, Somali and Russian versions. Non-English-speaking voters will also be allowed to bring a helper with them into the voting booth on election day. Porta said absentee voting began on Friday,August 11. The City expects to process about 1,500 absentee ballots for the general election. Porta said the Council has from November 8 through November 14(the week following the general election)to convene and certify the election. COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES August 15, 2000 Page 2 IV. YOUTH ON COMMISSIONS Director of Management Services Natalie Swaggert provided an update on youth serving on City Commissions. Ads publicizing the openings for youth on Commissions will be placed in the Sun Current and Eden Prairie News beginning next week. The cutoff for applications is September 22. Swaggert said students will have the opportunity to sit on the Heritage Preservation Commission,the Human Rights and Diversity Citizen Advisory Commission, and the Parks and Recreation Citizen Advisory Commission as non-voting members. The application students fill out is an abbreviated version of the general boards and commissions application. Councilmember Tyra-Lukens asked why students have the opportunity to serve on only three commissions. Swaggert said these are the commissions that have been well attended by student representatives in the past. Swaggert also noted that the Programming and Planning Boards are in their first year under the reorganized Boards and Commissions structure and are still feeling their way through the new process. Tyra-Lukens said she would still like to consider seating students on Planning and Program if enough interest is expressed. Swaggert said one alternative might be to put more than the standard two students on the three suggested commissions. Tyra-Lukens said she liked the idea of allowing more than two students per Board or Commission. V. BUDGET Financial Services Director Don Uram outlined current budget strategies,including: • Using one-time revenues for one-time expenses • No subsidy of new programs • Maintaining a balanced budget model • Reducing the rate of increase in operating expense • Funding current expenditures with current revenues • Continuing to fund the capital improvement plan • Completing the first multi-year budget cycle Uram explained the current multi-year budget process,which allows for development of a longer-term perspective and improved financial planning. Uram reported that use of this streamlined budget process resulted in a savings of 500 staff hours this year. Uram provided an overview of the 2001 adjusted budget,which reflects a 2.5 percent difference from the original budget document. Uram noted that this budget includes increased expenditures for fuel and hospital insurance as well as unanticipated Community Center maintenance and repair costs. The budget also reflects $315,000 in debt for the new fire station and$170,000 for a hook and ladder truck. The combined 2000 adopted budget and proposed 2001 adjusted budget would require a six percent increase in the levy. This figure is consistent with the City's levy increases over the past several years. This would translate into an approximate$15 increase in taxes on the median Eden Prairie home. COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES August 15, 2000 Page 3 Enger said a 6 percent increase in the City levy would cover budget needs for 2001. An additional one percent increase would provide about$200,000 for a transportation"seed fund." This fund could be used to leverage public and private partnerships to begin tackling the projected$40 million in transportation projects over the next 20 years. This increase would translate into a$25 total increase in taxes on the median home. Enger noted that the City's past practice has been to match the City's levy for SWMT, and that staff recommends a seven percent increase for both the City and SWMT. Mayor Harris asked how staff planned to leverage the$200,000 for transportation. Enger said he envisions special partnership "demonstration"projects that could leverage three to five times the City's contribution. Councilmember Case asked if it was possible to pull monies from the liquor enterprise fund to boost the proposed transportation fund. Enger said that the one percent levy increase was just one source of funding under consideration, and that other sources will be explored. Enger said that at this point staff was looking for general direction from the Council. Tyra-Lukens said that while everyone hates tax increases, she believes that if the City does a good job of educating citizens on what will be done with the additional money there will be less resistance. Uram said the planned purchase of the hook and ladder truck could be funded internally for a few months,which would temporarily free up another$200,000 for the proposed transportation fund. Mayor Harris stated she agrees the City needs to set aside funds for transportation. Councilmembers Butcher and Tyra-Lukens said they are comfortable with a one percent increase in the levy if the additional money is used for transportation. Case said that educating citizens about where the money will be used is very important. Uram reported that Eden Prairie has a lower general fund balance than any adjacent community, and that the City is looking into ways of increasing that level. The CIP fund balance is approximately$5.5 million,but money will shortly begin to be withdrawn to fund the A and B CIP projects. Uram also noted that the CIP is scheduled to be reviewed with the Council again this year. Enger asked why there is no prescribed yearly rate increase in the utility fund. Public Works Services Director Gene Dietz noted that with continued growth in the customer base, an increase hasn't been required. He said the fund balance is currently two times what staff had projected. Tyra-Lukens asked if the City is still under sprinkling restrictions considering the recent wet weather. Dietz said the City has had watering restrictions continuously since 1987 as a matter of policy. He noted that 250 violation notices have been written this year, 100 of which were warnings. Uram reviewed the liquor fund budget,noting that staff are working on improving gross profit percentages through inventory control. Uram said one goal has been to increase wine sales because it has a higher profit margin. Uram also noted that the liquor store at the corner of Highways 4 and 5 is being renovated and will have outside access in place by Thanksgiving. Councilmember Thorfinnson asked about the possibility of using liquor store retained earnings for a transportation fund. Uram said that is a possibility. COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES August 15,2000 Page 4 V. OTHER BUSINESS Dietz updated the Council on the Cedar Forest Special Assessment item scheduled for the Council Meeting. Staff is recommending withdrawal of adjacent properties from the assessment at this time since final costs have not yet been determined. At this time, staff is proposing to assess only the 45 lots actually in the Cedar Forest development. The assessment would be approximately$10,000 per lot for streets only. Dietz further explained that staff will tabulate any objections lodged during the public hearing and recommend whether or not the Council should award the contract at the meeting or postpone award. Dietz said it is his impression that most property owners are"on board" and he expects few objections. VI. COUNCIL FORUM V111. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Harris adjourned the meeting at 6:45 p.m.