City Council - 10/19/2004 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES
EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP/FORUM
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2004 CITY CENTER
5:00—6:25 PM,HERITAGE ROOM II
6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER
CITY COUNCIL:
Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher, Ron Case, Jan Mosman, and
Philip Young
SCHOOL BOARD:
Carol Bomben, Chair; Jill Scholtz, Vice Chair; Phil Rose; Barbara Gabbert; Greg Olson;Ann
Haines; Tim Fox
CITY STAFF:
City Manager Scott Neal,Police Chief Dan Carlson,Fire Chief George Esbensen, Public Works
Director Eugene Dietz,Parks and Recreation Director Bob Lambert, Community Development
Director Janet Jeremiah, Communications Manager Pat Brink, Assistant to the City Manager
Michael Barone, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters
Heritage Room H
I. JOINT MEETING OF THE SCHOOL BOARD/CITY COUNCIL
A. School District Referendum Presentation &Bud2et Reduction Timelines
School Superintendent Melissa Krull presented a PowerPoint that explains the
school district referendum questions. Question 1 asks for approval of a$20
million for deferred maintenance bonds issue and$4.6 per year for 10 years for
a capital projects levy. Question 2 is an operating levy. If approved the money
will be used to:
■ Address funding shortfalls in general fund operations and building
maintenance
■ Modernize and update technology
Krull said the school district's funding shortfall is a result several factors,
including:
■ No increases in state funding for the past three years
■ Changing demographics within the district
■ Increasing costs for salaries,healthcare benefits,property insurance and
utilities
City Council Workshop—October 19,2004
Page 2
Krull reviewed measure the district has already taken to address budget
shortfalls. She also explained the district's four phases of reductions. During
the first phas,e several administrative positions were eliminated, resulting in
$700,000 in cost savings. During phase two a committee identified and
prioritized potential reductions amounting to $5.8 million. Phase three is the
referendum itself, and phase four will consist of finalizing reductions of either
$2.8 million or$5.8 million, depending on the results of the referendum.
Dean Edstrom and Sonja Anderson,members of the community group working
to help pass the referendum, spoke about their efforts to educate the community
about referendum.
B. Eden Prairie Reads
Community Education Director Jeanne Zetah provided details of the Eden
Prairie Reads initiative. This is the first year of the program and the book
chosen for discussion is Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn. There are a
number of events taking place during October, including appearances by the
author.
C. City Growth and Development Plans
Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah distributed a map that details
current development and redevelopment activities in the city. She also
discussed what types of activities the City expects to see over the next few
years.
D. City Connections with Eden Prairie School District Students
City Manager Scott Neal provided an overview of ways in which the City is
connecting with school district students, including:
■ Swimming and other athletic programs
■ Star Mentor Program at Central Middle School
■ Students on Commissions Program
■ Guest speaking in the schools
Council Chamber
II. OPEN FORUM
No one was scheduled to speak at Open Forum.
III. OPEN PODIUM
No one requested to speak at Open Podium.
IV. ADJOURNMENT