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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL—DECEMBER 6, 2010 4 6.A Truth-In-Taxation Hearing and Presentation (continued) Tom Mulcahy, 3530 Siems Court, felt the Truth in Taxation hearing was unhelpful to the public. The hearing should be more meaningful to the public. The information provided this evening was too technical. He requested the information be broken down and reported simply to allow the Council to remain transparent to the public. Mr. Okahee expressed concern with the increase in staff members given the state of the economy. He requested the City provide a staff head count which could be broken down by department for the public to review. He felt the City was grossly overstaffed. Mr. Okahee suggested the City create a subcommittee for residents to oversee the financial tendencies of the City. In addition, he requested that five-year projections be included in -- the budget to provide a more thorough view of the budget. Russ Bertsch, 4419 Amble Circle, commented that the budget increase was greater this year based on the reduction of property value for commercial property. He questioned if the increase was 6% for 2011 and if any other changes were expected to the levy. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson explained the preliminary levy was sent out to the residents this fall and the final levy was reviewed this evening. She stated the shift between commercial and residential property values did increase residential property taxes approximately 6%. She recommended Mr. Bertsch contact City staff if he desired to further review his proposed property taxes. Mayor Harpstead closed the public hearing at 7:03 p.m. Mayor Harpstead commented that the City staff head count was broken down by department and the information was available on the City's website. He thanked all those present for providing comments this evening. 7. NEW BUSINESS A. Emergency Management Proposal City Administrator Klaers summarized the Emergency Management Proposal with the Council. Staff met with three individuals to review and discuss the emergency management needs in Arden Hills. He recommended Lance Ross and Emergency Preparedness Resource Group (EPRG) to meet the emergency management needs of the City. Lance Ross, Emergency Preparedness Resource Group (EPRG), addressed the Council stating his organization had practical experience in real world events and could greatly assist the City of Arden Hills. He was familiar with the needs of the City and had response experience both with man-made and natural disasters. Mr. Ross indicated he completed an assessment with Staff and recommended several training sessions for Staff to prepare them to handle an emergency situation. Councilmember Holden questioned how many training courses were recommended at this time. Mr. Ross stated one six hour table-top seminar was recommended to refresh staff of necessary emergency information.