City Council - 01/18/2011 (5) APPROVED MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP& OPEN PODIUM
TUESDAY,JANUARY 18, 2011 CITY CENTER
5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOM II
6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER
CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher
Wickstrom, Ron Case, and Kathy Nelson
CITY STAFF: Interim City Manager Jay Lotthammer, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George
Esbensen, Public Works Director Eugene Dietz, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah,
Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters
I. COUNCIL DISCUSSION OF BUDGET ADVISORY COMMISSION WORK PLAN
Mayor Tyra-Lukens called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. Tyra-Lukens asked if other
Council Members are interested in applying for Eden Prairie to serve as a host City for the
Minnesota League of Cities "Cities, Services & Funding: Broader Thinking, Better Solutions"
program. Council Member Case said he is interested. The application deadline is February 11.
The Council will decide at their February 1 meeting whether or not to apply.
Interim City Manager Jay Lotthammer provided a handout that outlined the meeting's
objectives and assumptions and guiding principles for the Council to consider in discussing
the Budget Advisory Commission's (BAC) future role. Lotthammer also provided a
proposed timeline for the 2011 budget process.
Lotthammer said there have been concerns about the BAC's role on the part of both the City
Council and the BAC. He said some Council Members believe that the BAC has received a
level of detailed information not provided to the City Council. Lotthammer said that the
Capital Improvement Program is 90 percent about protecting the City's infrastructure.
Lotthammer said he and City staff believe the BAC could play a valuable role in exploring
what sources are available for funding infrastructure maintenance and improvements. He
said decisions concerning the operating budget need to remain in the domain of the City
Council. Finance Manager Sue Kotchevar provided an overview of topics the BAC has
addressed since it was formed in 2007.
Lotthammer said the proposed budget timeline is more "front-loaded," and it includes staff
making their budget recommendation to the City Council in June. Lotthammer said the
upcoming Planning Session could be used as an opportunity for the City Council to provide
direction to staff on what they would like to see in the budget. Staff also proposes a joint
meeting of the City Council and BAC in April and a presentation of the BAC to the City
Council in July. Lotthammer said this schedule provides time in August and September for
the City Council to give staff additional guidance on the operating budget.
City Council Workshop Minutes
January 18, 2011
Page 2
Council Member Nelson said the City Council needs to have the opportunity to prioritize
items on the CIP list. She also said the City Council needs detailed knowledge of each
department in case services or programs need to be cut. She said she does not want the BAC
to receive information that the Council does not have. Council Member Butcher said she
does not wish to micromanage the budget, and does not feel it is the Council's job to look at
the budget line by line. Case said that if the Council is faced with cutting back on services,
it is the job of staff and the BAC to present alternatives but not necessarily
recommendations. Butcher said the Council will get valuable information on what services
residents value from the community survey results, which will be presented on February 1.
Aho said he agrees that it would be valuable for the City Council to have a high-level
understanding of what each department does. He said a line-by-line explanation is not
necessary,but that a look a major projects and initiatives would allow the City Council to
look at adjusting timing, etc. Aho said he would like to see the BAC explore several areas
including sustainability issues, fee structures, and health care benefits.
Mayor Tyra-Lukens asked Lotthammer to bring a proposal, based on tonight's discussion,
on the BAC's role to the February 1 City Council meeting.
Council Chamber
II. OPEN PODIUM
1. Scott Carlston—Issues Relating to School Boundaries
Carlston said he is seeking personal clarity on the school boundary issue. He is a
real estate agent, and he is working with people who are expressing concerns about
the community. He said some people feel they need to send their children to private
schools. He said he plans to transfer his sixth-grader to Benilde next year. He said
he believes the community has been lied to by people involved with the boundary
issue. Mayor Tyra-Lukens and Council Member Case advised Carlston that the
School District and the City of Eden Prairie are completely separate entities.
2. Gary Johnson—Taxes and Salaries
Johnson said he agrees that bussing is a bad idea. He said he was unable to attend
the December 7 meeting at which the public was invited to provide input on the
budget. He said he was surprised to learn the City Council increased salaries by 2
percent. He said it appears that government employees are untouched by the
economic downturn. He asked how his 2011 property value can go down at the
same time his property tax is increasing. Staff offered to meet with Johnson to go
over the particulars of his tax situation.
III. ADJOURNMENT