City Council - 04/20/2010 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM
TUESDAY,APRIL 20, 2010 CITY CENTER
5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOM II
6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER
CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Phil Young, Council Members Brad Aho, Ron Case, Jon Duckstad, and
Kathy Nelson
CITY STAFF: City Manager Scott Neal, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George Esbensen,
Public Works Director Eugene Dietz, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and
Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Finance Manager Sue Kotchevar, Communications Manager
Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters
BUDGET ADVISORY COMMISSION: Annette Agner, Eapen Chacko, Richard King (Vice Chair),
Jon Muilenburg, Richard Proops, Gwen Schultz, Don Uram(Chair)
Heritage Room H
BAC Chair Don Uram was absent.
I. JOINT MEETING WITH THE BUDGET ADVISORY COMMISSION
Budget Advisory Commission (BAC) Member Jon Muilenburg reviewed a memo that
outlines the Commission's proposed 2010 work plan. The work plan is divided into four
sections. The first section consists of tasks related to the BAC's key mission: Review and
comment on the Capital Improvement Plan and the 2011 Operating Budget.
The second part of the plan includes a prioritized list of seven areas the BAC is interested in
studying over the next year. Those areas are:
• Utility Rate Study
• Fire Department Duty Crew Proposal
• Storm Water Management
• Eden Prairie Community Center
• Assessing Services
• Fleet Services
• City Comparisons
In the third part of the work plan memo, the BAC identifies two additional topics they
consider important, but feel the Council is already addressing: Public Service Answering
Point(PSAP) Dispatch Services and the Fire Relief Association. The BAC asked to be kept
informed of the status of these two areas.
City Council Workshop Minutes
April 20, 2010
Page 2
There are four topics the BAC considered addressing, but decided not to prioritize for study
this year. They are:
• Internal Service Fund Capital Expenditures
• Human Services Grants
• Ambulance Service
• Customer Service Standards
Council Member Kathy Nelson said she would like to see long term funding,particularly for
parks and streets, addressed as part of the BAC's review of the Operating Budget. Neal said
long term funding will also be considered as part of the Utility Rate Study.
Council Member Jon Duckstad said storm water management seems to be a volatile area
with the potential for a great amount of additional workload. Public Works Director Gene
Dietz said it is unclear how extensive storm water management work will be. He noted that
there is a$160,000 professional services agreement with Wenck & Associates on the City
Council Agenda tonight for storm water pond inspections in the Staring Lake Watershed.
Duckstad noted that there is also a $45,000 agreement for pavement evaluation on the City
Council Agenda. He asked whether or not that work could be done in-house. Dietz said that
since this work is conducted every three years, it would be difficult to staff for it in-house.
Case said he likes the prioritized list of study subjects. He said it might be a good idea to
have another group, such as the BAC, take a look at the assumptions the Fire Relief
Association is functioning under. Mayor Young said many of the assumptions are statutory
or driven by actuarial studies. He said he does not think the variables of benefits are up for
change, so he does not know if there would be value in having the BAC study it. Duckstad
suggested looking at the defined benefit plan versus the monthly plan. Young said this
would require a great deal of study and it is something the Fire Relief Association Board is
already looking at. BAC Commission Member Dick Proops asked who is looking at the
details of how some of the alternatives would develop. City Manager Scott Neal said the
Fire Relief Association Board, along with their professional advisors, is looking at
alternatives. BAC Vice-Chair Rick King noted the BAC considered studying this subject,
but the Commission feels it is not necessary since two Council Members serve on the Fire
Relief Association Board.
Aho said he also likes the proposed work plan. He asked if how long vehicles are kept will
be considered as part of the fleet services study. Proops said the commission has received
this type of information in the past,but that they will look at it again as part of this study.
Aho said it is a good idea to review fund balances periodically. He would like the BAC to
review fund balances again this year and forward any recommendations they may have.
Duckstad agreed that a review of fund balances would be a good idea.
Duckstad asked for clarification of what the BAC has in mind as far as studying Assessing
Services. Muilenburg said economies of scale might be possible by having assessing
services done through Hennepin County. The BAC would like to evaluate that. Neal said
he thinks residents have come to expect a certain service level that is provided by the City.
City Council Workshop Minutes
April 20, 2010
Page 3
The City Council will need to make a decision on the value of that service level. Nelson
said she does not feel that the County would have as much detailed knowledge of
neighborhoods and local trends as City assessors.
Regarding the study of outsourcing fleet and assessing services, King said the BAC does not
have a bias either way. They simply feel it is worth comparing the costs of how things are
done now with the alternatives.
Nelson said she would like to see the Community Center moved up on this list of priorities.
Regarding city comparisons, she said she is not sure Eagan is a good one to use. She would
suggest using Minnetonka or another community with more similarities to Eden Prairie. She
thinks using a city in the same County as Eden Prairie would also be valuable. King said the
BAC does not have a specific City in mind,but they would like Council input on the idea of
doing a comparison.
There was general agreement among the Council Members that the work plan priorities look
good.
Council Chamber
II. OPEN PODIUM
III. ADJOURNMENT