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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 06/05/2001 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP/FORUM TUESDAY,DUNE 59 2001 5:00-6:55 PM, CITY CENTER HERITAGE ROOMS I&H CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Jean Harris, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher,Ron Case,Jan Mosman, Nancy Tyra-Lukens CITY STAFF: City Manager Chris Enger,Public Works Services Director Eugene Dietz, Community Development and Financial Services Director Don Uram,Management Services Director Natalie Swaggert,Public Safety Services Director, Jim Clark,Parks and Recreation Services Director Bob Lambert, City Attorney Ric Rosow,Recorder Lorene McWaters I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER—MAYOR JEAN HARRIS Mayor Harris was not present at the beginning of the meeting, so acting Mayor Nancy Tyra- Lukens called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. H. APPROVAL OF AGENDA III. BUDGET DISCUSSION Biannual Budget Process City Manager Enger said the Council and staff are currently developing the 2002/03 budget and 2002/08 CIP. The 2002 budget and CIP will be formally adopted this year, and the 2003 budget and CIP will be formally adopted next year. Financial Services Director Uram noted that this is the City's third time through the biannual budget process. Advantages Enger noted the following advantages to the biannual budget process: ■ Strategic planning occurs every two years ■ A longer-term perspective is fostered ■ Financial planning is improved ■ Processes are-streamlined ■ Staff and Council have more time to focus on other critical issues Limitations Biannual budget process can have the following drawbacks: ■ Revenues and expenditures are less certain this far in advance ■ Budget decisions may become outdated ■ Economic conditions may change Enger said staff would will incorporate the following goals in the budget planning process: ■ Coordination of the budget with the Strategic Plan ■ Compliance with any new tax legislation ■ Maintenance of reasonable tax impacts ■ Funding of necessary services/staffing ■ Funding of capital improvements COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES June 5, 2001 Page 2 CRITICAL BUDGET-RELATED ISSUES Legislation Uram said the legislature will likely reinstate levy limits. Since the City expects the levy increase to be in the same range as last year, levy limits should not adversely affect the City. Personnel Management Services Director Swaggert discussed potential budget impacts related to the following issues: ■ Increasing employee turnover and retention costs ■ Rising healthcare costs ■ Renegotiation of many of the City's 2-year employment contracts ■ Increasingly complex and changing technology,which translates into increased staffing demands ■ Management-level staff exiting to the private sector as they hit the governor's salary cap Public Safety Services Public Safety Service Director Clark noted the following: ■ Acceleration of technology resulting in increased demands on staff and resources ■ Police and fire departments are experiencing a significant number of retirements ■ Increased state-mandated training ■ Recruiting volunteer firefighters to cover day-time calls and keep response times down continues to be a challenge(Clark said he feels strongly that the City should try every means of maintaining a volunteer fire force, even if in combination with other options.) ■ Recent changes in firefighter pension laws(Uram expects the Firefighter Relief Association to ask the Council for pension increases in the near future.) Human Services Increased cultural and socio-economic diversity within the community are resulting in higher human service costs. Technology E-government, an upgraded City website, GIS and Mobil Computing Devices are all under consideration. Uram said IT staff is developing cost estimates for implementation of these applications, and will present them to the Council for further direction. Transportation Public Works Services Director Gene Dietz said staff continues for forecast about$10 million in unfunded road construction projects over the next several years. Contingent Expenditures Enger said the City typically budgets $150,000 a year for unanticipated costs. Enger said the Council may want to consider increasing this amount, since contingent spending will likely be significant for 2001 and on into 2002. COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES June 5, 2001 Page 3 Enger said staff is looking for input from Council on all of these critical issues,particularly contingency expenditures. Unlike past the past three years when budgets have been presented to the Council at a more policy level,Enger anticipates presenting a budget that is in the more formative stages to the Council. He said this will respond to some Councihmembers' preference for more involvement in the earlier stages of the budget. Uram presented the following timeline: Jul 13 Budget workpapers due Aug 7/21 Budget/CIP Workshops Sep 4 Preliminary levy adopted Oct/Nov Final Budget/CIP Preparation Nov/Dec Truth-In-Taxation Hearing Dec Adoption of Biannual Budget/CIP Dec 28 Certification of Levy IV. COUNCIL FORUM John Mallo,Eden Prairie resident and Eden Prairie School District bus driver, spoke about school bus arm passing violations. He said there are between 50 and 60 bus arm violations each day in Eden Prairie. He cited one incident in which a driver passed a stopped bus on the sidewalk. He said bus drivers don't write up complaints about the violations they observe"because nothing is done about them." Mallo referenced a January 2001 letter to Police Chief Jim Clark asking for a police car to be present at locations identified as having frequent violations. Mallo said a three-prong approach must be taken to curb violations: education, enforcement, and engineering. Regarding engineering, Mallo said a$5,000 investment would allow for five activity buses to be equipped with video cameras. He said since fines for bus arm violations range from $300 to $3,000,the City could see an almost immediate payback. Mayor Harris thanked Mallo for bringing the topic to the Council's attention. Councihmember Butcher said the Eden Prairie Foundation may be a possible source of funds for video cameras on buses. Councihmember Tyra-Lukens said she would like to see drivers education courses also emphasizing the importance of following bus arm rules. Police Chief Clark suggested checking with the City Prosecutor for input on whether or not installation of video cameras on buses would be a good tool to back up enforcement. Another school bus driver,Ray Lindquist, spoke of initiatives the City of Minnetonka was considering,including have officers ride school buses. V. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Harris adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m.