10-10-11-WS Draft Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 10, 2011 7 • C. 2012 Budget Updates Elections City Administrator Klaers reported that staff had discussed the costs and risks associated with conducting municipal elections including the recently proposed Voter ID legislation, the liability and financial exposure to the City to lawsuits related to recounts and contested election procedures, and the need for including an election requirement/experience in the position description for the Deputy Clerk position. Those discussions led to a conversation with Joe Mansky, Ramsey County Elections Manager, regarding the City contracting with the County for election services. Ramsey County personnel are full-time professionals in the elections business and already do school board elections for Arden Hills. Additionally, Administrator Klaers noted that the County has contracted with Mounds View and Roseville for the 2012 elections. The proposal from the County for all of the required elections services is $31,000 or $15,500 per year. He recommended the City pay half of the 2012 election expense in 2011 and the other half in 2012 to even out the expenses on an annual budget cycle. He explained that excluding staff time, the 2008 and 2010 elections averaged$20,000 or $10,000 annually. The difference between those expenditures and the County's rate is more than covered when staff time is included. City Administrator Klaers explained that a side benefit to contracting with the County is that all election equipment will be stored by the County which frees up significant storage space in City Hall. Another benefit is that the Deputy Clerk will be free to take all City Council meeting minutes which saves the City about$9,000 per year in Timesaver's bills. • City Administrator Klaers stated that staff thinks the contract from Ramsey County represents significant benefit to the City and they support the proposal. Councilmember Holmes questioned if Arden Hills election judges will continue to be utilized as there are several who not only enjoy the task but are very good at it. City Administrator Klaers stated that the County intends to use many of the judges that have worked for the City in past elections. Councilmember Holden questioned if the contract can be for more than a one year period. City Administrator Klaers stated that staff will discuss this issue with the County after the 2012 elections. After further discussion, the Council agreed to have this item placed on the October 31St Consent Agenda for approval. Engineering Services City Administrator Klaers stated that he, Terry Maurer and Sue Iverson have been discussing the cost of engineering services that the City receives from the City of Roseville through the 2005 Joint Powers Agreement (JPA). The JPA calls for Arden Hills to receive a minimum of 1,670 • hours of engineering staff time. This is equivalent to 80 percent of a full time employee. The staff time hourly wage is then multiplied by a 1.9 factor to include overhead expenses. The industry norm for consultants is a 2.5 factor. Early on, in 2006 and 2007, Arden Hills may have struggled