HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-04-03 PACKET 04.G.REQUEST OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION COUNCIL AGENDA
MEETING ITEM #
DATE 4/3/2013 . G
PREPARED BY: City Clerk Caron Stransky
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD
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COUNCIL ACTION REQUEST:
Consider adopting a resolution approving the Public Purpose Expenditure Policy for 2013.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the resolution.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
❑ MEMO/LETTER:
❑ RESOLUTION:
❑ ORDINANCE:
❑ ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATION:
❑ LEGAL RECOMMENDATION:
❑ OTHER:
ADMINISTRATORS COMMENTS
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City Administrator Date
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COUNCIL ACTION TAKEN: ❑ APPROVED ❑ DENIED ❑ OTHER
V:\nbelscamper\Templates\City CouncilWction Form.doc
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To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator
Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Caron Stransky, City Clerk
March 28, 2013
Public Purpose Expenditure Policy
In January, 2012, the City Council adopted a Public Purpose Expenditure Policy which defines when
and for what purposes, public funds may be spent. The policy establishes a clear set of guidelines
to assist elected officials, employees, and representatives of the City when approving the
expenditure of public funds.
Attached is a newly updated policy which requires annual review and consideration of this policy to
ensure that the City's expenditures have been carefully considered and determined by the
governing body to be for a public purpose. New language added to the policy is underlined and
crossed out wording would be deleted.
Staff is recommending that the Mayor and City Council Members adopt the Resolution Approving
the Public Purpose Expenditure Policy for 2013 as amended.
/Attachment
RESOLUTION N0. 2013-XXX
A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE PUBLIC PURPOSE
EXPENDITURE POLICY
FOR 2013
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Cottage Grove finds it necessary to annually
review and approve a policy to clearly determine the public purpose for expenditures; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that in order to attract, recruit, retain and
motivate employees and community volunteers, the City wishes to recognize hard work and
service through other than monetary payment; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has further determined certain expenditures for typical
business costs are necessary for the effective delivery of public service; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has reviewed and discussed the Public Purpose
Expenditure Policy; now
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Cottage Grove
hereby approves the following "Public Purpose Expenditure Policy" for calendar year 2013.
PUBLIC PURPOSE EXPENDITURE POLICY
POLICY
Pursuant to the provisions of Statutes and the laws of the State of Minnesota which permit
and require the expenditure of public funds for public purposes, the City of Cottage Grove
City Council believes it necessary and appropriate to provide assistance and guidance to the
officials, employees and representatives of Cottage Grove to aid in the determination of
when public funds may be spent for a public purposes.
To provide that assistance and guidance, the Cottage Grove City Council adopted these
public purpose expenditure guidelines for the establishment of operating policies and
procedures and appropriate expenditures of public funds. Based on these guidelines, the
City Council authorizes the City Administrator, Elected Officials, and appointed Department
Heads to establish administrative policies and procedures that are consistent with these
guidelines and the adopted City policies which implement these guidelines.
� •
A public purpose expenditure is one which relates to the purpose for which the City of
Cottage Grove exists and the duties and responsibilities of Cottage Grove, its elected and
appointed officials, employees, and other representatives.
PUBLIC PUROSE GUIDELINES
1. Training and development programs for Cottage Grove empioyees serve a public purpose
when those training and development programs are directly related to the performance
of the employees' job-related duties and are directly related to the programs/services for
which the City is responsible.
2. Payment of employee work-related expenses, including travel, lodging and meal
expenses, serves a public purpose when those expenses are necessarily incurred by
Cottage Grove employees in connection with their actual work assignments or official
duties and those expenses are directly related to the performance of the governmental
functions for which Cottage Grove has responsibility.
3. Appropriate safety and health programs for Cottage Grove employees serve a public
purpose because they result in healthier and more productive employees and reduce
certain costs to the City and the taxpayers of Cottage Grove, including various costs
associated with workers compensation and disability benefit claims, insurance
premiums, and lost time from employee absences.
4. Public expenditures for appropriate Cottage Grove employee and volunteer recognition
programs serve a public purpose because formally recognizing employees and
volunteers who make significant contributions and demonstrate their commitment
during the performance of their duties result in higher morale and productivity among all
Cottage Grove employees and volunteers, and therefore help the City to fulfill its
responsibilities efficiently and more cost effectively.
5. Public expenditures for food and refreshments associated with official Cottage Grove
functions serve a public purpose when the provision of food or refreshments is an
integral part of an official Cottage Grove function and the provision of food or
refreshment is necessary to ensure meaningful participation by the participants.
6. Public expenditures for appropriate community and customer outreach and similar
activities serve a public purpose when those expenditures are necessary for Cottage
Grove to ensure the efficient operation of its programs/services, promote the availability
and use of City resources, and promote coordinated, cooperative planning activities
among and between the public and the private sectors.
SPECIFIC PROGRAMS AND EXPENDITURES
Every City of Cottage Grove expenditure must be valid based upon the public purpose for
which it was purchased. The following items are deemed to meet the Council definition of
public purpose expenditures.
A. Employee Recognition Program
The Cottage Grove City Council recognizes the hard work and service perFormed by the
employees of the City through a formal Employee Recognition Program. The City Council
believes the benefits of attracting, retaining and motivating employees through an Employee
Recognition Program support employee job satisfaction, which in turn impacts cooperation
and productivity. The result is to provide excellent public and customer service to better
serve the interests of the citizens of the community.
The Employee Recognition Program is considered "additional compensation" for work
performed by employees but is entirely dependent on receiving funding from year-to-year. No
provisions of this policy, or its administration, shall be subject to review under the grievance
or arbitration provisions of any collective bargaining agreement.
The Program may include:
1. City employees completing 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years of service receive a gift
certificate for a designated amount, as approved by City Council Resolution No.
2000-207. The City supports recognition plaques in recognition of long-time service
or retirement.
2. Annuallv, in conjunction with the presentation of service awards, the Citv max
sponsor an Employee Recognition event for City employees.
3. Annually, the City will sponsor a Volunteer Recognition Dinner(s) to promote
teamwork and coordination amongst the City Council, Department Heads,
Commissions/Committees, and employees. This dinner and a token gift for invited
participants and their guests also serve as a de minimus compensation for the
service provided by the volunteers.
4. Annually the City will sponsor a Holiday Party for City employees. The City may
sponsor an annual employee picnic.
5. The City supports other events that are planned and paid for by employees. Examples
of such events include the holiday gatherings, golf, and bowling tournaments.
6. The City supports programs that may provide discounts to employees for use of
certain municipal facilities including the golf course and ice arena °n,� c��iimmiv�rt
�ssl. Any discounts would be recommended bythe responsible Department Head
and approved by the City Council. Such discounts not only provide a tool to motivate
and retain employees through enhancing job satisfaction, but can also serve as a
marketing tool for the applicable City operation.
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8. The Citv supports the allocation of up to $50.00 for a cake and beverages in
recognition of long-time service or retirement of employees, volunteers or elected
officials.
The cost of the elements of the Employee Recognition Program will be included as a
separate line item in the City of Cottage Grove Community Programs Budget. This line-item
will be approved annually by the City Council as part of the overall budget process lA/�
B. Employee Weliness and Safet,��rams
The City Council recognizes the importance of employee fitness and health as it relates to
the overall work and life satisfaction of the employee and the overall impact on the City's
health insurance program. As such, the City Council supports the Employee Wellness
Program, which has been designed to educate employees on fitness/health issues.
The Employee Wellness Program is considered "additional compensation" for work
perFormed by employees but is entirely dependent on receiving funding from year to year. No
provisions of this policy, or its administration shall be subject to review under the grievance
or arbitration provisions of any collective bargaining agreement.
The cost of the Employee Wellness Program will be included as a separate line item in the
City of Cottage Grove Community Programs Budget. This line-item will be approved annually
by the City Council as part of the overall budget approval process ���"�^" �n^'� ��'°° °�� �"'�^
The Employee Safety Program is funded by the self-insurance budget. The City supports
programs created by the Central Safety Committee to promote and retain a safe work
environment.
The Citv of Cottage Grove will provide emplovees access to exercise equipment for use at
City Hall, subject to the employees meeting the requirements of the exercise room polick
C. Meeting Food/Meals
The City Council recognizes that situations in which City business needs to be discussed can
and do occur during meal hours (i.e. luncheon meetings). In addition, there are public and
employee meetings and events in which reasonable refreshments may be necessary to a��
��, �,,,,,,o�� nf+ho moo}ir�rf onrl Inr o„o�+ ��.� create a more productive ���^�'��
environment and to be responsive to participants' time schedules. The following items are
deemed to meet the Council definition of public purpose expenditures in regards to food and
meals.
1. Meals and refreshments are allowed at City meetings and events that have a
purpose of discussing City issues. These meetings would normally have a pre-
planned agenda.
2. Meals and refreshments are allowed at employee meetings and events that have a
purpose of discussing City issues or are a part of an employee training. These
meetings would also normally have a pre-planned agenda �Cvnmr�loc ;,,,,�,,,�o +�o .,n
o,�,r�,,,,00 moo�Finrto �h,� +�o Qorof,+� c�,� � These meetings could include new
employee receptions to introduce new employees to existing employees, provide an
orientation to the City, and promote teamwork and cooperation. This does not include
routine staff ineetings.
3. Meals and refreshments are allowed when they are part of a breakfast/lunch/dinner
meeting for official City business when it is the only practical time to meet. Usually
these meals involve meeting with City Council Members. Committee/Commission
Members, or �lec-�I-business�fY°+°Y�°' ^�,�°^;°°+;^^� civic organizations. Payment for
fees relating to a special event, such as the EDA golf tournament or a Chamber of
Commerce event may also be allowed when approved by the City Administrator and
when attendance is deemed to meet the public purpose guidelines for community or
customer outreach and marketing of the City.
4. Meals and refreshments may be provided during official meetings of the City Council,
City Advisory Boards/Commissions, and Taskforces that have purpose of discussin�
City business. These meetings would normally have a pre-planned agenda and be
properl�posted.
5. Travel expenses for employees are outlined in the Cottage Grove Personnel Policy.
6. Meals and refreshments are allowed where employees or volunteers are participating
in a City-sponsored special event, participating in an outside event as an official
representative of the City, or working additional hours and where the Department
Head deems appropriate as recognition of efforts above those normally required.
Because emergency personnel are often called to perform for extended periods of
time and duties where refreshments are important to duty performance, emergency
response personnel may be provided refreshments or food when it is deemed
appropriate by the City Administrator or Department Head to assure the delivery of
quality emergency response service.
7. No purchase of alcoholic beverages is allowed.
The cost of these meals or fees is included in the departments' travel/training line-item in
the City of Cottage Grove budget. These line items are approved annually by the City Council
as part of the overall budget approval process ���"�^" ��^'���'°° °�iih "°^Y;r,� ^� +"°
-�e�ed-I�' '�
D. Membership, Dues, and Donations
The City Council has determined that the City will fund memberships and dues (individual or
organization) in professional organizations and City social and community organizations
when the purpose is to promote, advertise, improve or develop the City's resources and
relationships ^�'��°�� and not interest or gain.
The cost of inemberships/dues is included in the departments' dues and subscriptions line-
item in the Cottage Grove Budget. These line-items are approved annually by the City Council
as a part of the overall budget process, `"'hinh ;,,,,�,,,�o� � h„h�,,, �o„�,,,,� „„ +ho ��„r„���,
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All donations must be approved by the City Council during the annual budget process and/or
by City Resolution. Donations provided by the City must be for programs that serve our
citizens and are deemed to meet the public purpose guidelines.
E. Education Reimbursement
The Personnel Policy contains guidelines for an education reimbursement program. Job
related advanced education meets the public purpose guidelines of this policy. The amount
available for this program shall be considered annually. The cost of this program is
contained in the Community Programs Budget.
F. Clothing and Other Sundry Items
Employees may receive t-shirts and other sundry items of nominal value ($5.00) when these
items are made available to the general public or if these items are determined by the City
Administrator to be important to the successful involvement of employees in special City-
sponsored or City-supported events. For example: Night to Unite, Cottage Grove Strawberry
Fest, EDA Golf Tournament, etc. Employees may be supplied with uniforms, clothing, boots,
and other gear necessary for the perFormance of their job.
G. Conclusion
The Cottage Grove City Council has determined that the above expenditures are valid and
serve a public purpose.
Adopted this 3rd day of April, 2013.
Myron Bailey, Mayor
Attest:
Caron M. Stransky, City Clerk