HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-09-02 PACKET 03.A. REQUEST OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION COUNCIL AGENDA
MEETING ITEM # � �
DATE 9/2/2015 � +
PREPARED BY: City Clerk Joe Fischbach
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD -.
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COUNCI� ACTION REQUEST:
City Council Meeting Minutes Approval—July 29, 2015 Special Meeting.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the request.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
❑ MEMO/LETTER:
❑ RESOLUTION:
❑ ORDINANCE:
❑ ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATION:
❑ LEGAL RECOMMENDATION:
� OTHER: Draft Minutes.
ADMINISTRATORS COMMENTS:
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City d inistrator Date
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Cottage
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MINUTES
COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL
COUNCIL CHAMBER
12800 RAVINE PARKWAY SOUTH
JULY 29, 2015
SPECIAL MEETING - 6:00 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER
The City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota, held a
special meeting on July 29, 2015, at Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Parkway
South. Mayor Bailey called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m.
ROLL CALL
The following were present: Mayor Myron Bailey, Council Member Steve Dennis,
Council Member Justin Olsen, Council Member Jen Peterson, Council Member Dave
Thiede (Arrived 6:15 p.m.).
Also present were: Craig Woolery, Interim City Administrator; Brian Bluhm, IT
Coordinator; Aly Brinkman, Management Analyst; Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City
Clerk; Pete Koerner, Deputy Public Safety Director/Police Captain; Jennifer Levitt,
Community Development Director/City Engineer; Brenda Malinowski, Assistant Finance
Director; Greg Rinzel, Deputy Public Safety Director/Police Captain; Rick Redenius,
Deputy Public Safety Director/Fire Chief; Robin Roland, Finance Director.
Mayor Bailey presided over the meeting.
WORKSHOP SESSION — OPEN TO PUBLIC
Administrator Woolery began with an outline of strategic and operational opportunities
from the Council's Strategic Planning workshop in January and priorities arising from
the administrative staffing changes which have occurred since then. He highlighted
opportunities for organizational and cultural changes, maintenance of long term financial
policies and planning, top Council priorities of commercial redevelopment, pavement
management and Highway 61 maintenance, and municipal facilities (HERO center and
Fire Station 2).
CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE . 12800 Ravine Parkway . Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016
www.cottage-grove.org .651-458-2800 • Fax 651-458-2897 . Equal Opportunity Employer
Director Roland then gave an overview of the proposed 2016 levy and its components.
At $14,699,500 the proposed levy is a 9.68% increase over the 2015 adopted levy; debt
levy is proposed at $890,000, PSCH InterFund loan at $500,000, EDA levy at $111,500
and the balance of$13,198,000 to the General Fund. With tax capacity growth of 3.3%,
the `average' household value = $227,000 and city tax with the proposed levy would
increase by $85 for the year.
Director Roland reviewed the General Fund revenues and expenditures proposed and
outlined the assumptions included.
Public Safety budget discussion began with Police and Animal Control. Deputy Director
Koerner led with the Humane Society contract and savings we have seen in Animal
Control because of it. He went on to discuss the budget addition of a 41St officer starting
in mid-2016 or the ability to back fill a current open position due to a legislative leave of
absence. Council Member Dennis expressed a desire to discuss Community Oriented
Policing and other service level issues. Council Member Olsen asked if we had seen the
results we desired from the switch away from primary medics in the police department
and to firefighter/medics. Deputy Director Rinzel identified that this year was the first
"true bid" of shift schedules and that we were now able to better accommodate a move
from 12-hour shifts to 10-hour shifts and different `power' shifts. There was discussion
on the request to phase in a new K-9 using funds currently earmarked for that purpose
in the Fund Balance. Mayor Bailey requested data on call outs of the K-9.
Facilities discussion included an update on the HERO center, with Woodbury taking a
holistic look at what we need, and an RFQ to be sent out and returned by October 20tn
There was discussion on consolidation of Fire Stations.
Next, the City Council discussed the Fire Department budget and EMS operations. The
addition of the 8t" full-time paramedic/firefighter would go forward as planned.
Discussion went on to longer term (2017) capital outlay in a 95-foot aerial platform truck
for $1.3 million which Council members had seen in a demonstration recently. Council
member Olsen described his concern for life-safety issues and noted that during the
demo, a firefighter had identified "several occasions" where the current 75-foot ladder
truck had been insufficient to meet their needs. Council Member Thiede asked for
utilization information for a potential aerial or platform fire truck and opportunities for
collaboration with surrounding communities.
Discussion of the forfeiture fund included the identification of the squad camera
replacement project which would be partially funded from forFeitures in 2016 and 2017.
This lead into a discussion of the IT fund budget. Coordinator Bluhm discussed the
upcoming investments in capital outlay for police including replacement of dedicated
public safety servers, warehouse data server, and abilities for redundant data. He
further discussed his vision for IT in consolidation, network security, having a mobile
workforce, a customer-centric environment and increased training for IT staff.
There was a short break.
2016 Budget discussion resumed with identification of$25,000 for a community survey
in 2016 provided for in the Mayor/Council budget, a change in the communications plan
to more online newsletters and switch to quarterly mailed newsletters, a shift of the
organizational initiative to more City-wide training provided for in the Community
programs division.
Director Levitt discussed the Community Development Department, Engineering and
Recycling Fund budgets.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Council Member Olsen, second by Council Member Dennis, to adjourn the
meeting at 10:05 p.m. Motion carried 5-0.
Minutes prepared by Finance Director Robin Roland.