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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — NOVEMBER 18, 2019 8 <br />Finance Director Bauman stated the General Fund is the primary operating fund of the City and <br />its main source of revenue is property taxes. The 2020 revenue budget is projected to increase by <br />$92,300 over 2019 to $4,896,720. This increase is mainly due to the proposed tax levy increase <br />which increases the General Fund revenue by $146,920. <br />Finance Director Bauman reported expenditures are projected to increase by $26,920 over 2019 <br />to $5,018,310. Besides personnel costs, the increase is mainly due to public safety costs. The <br />police contract is expected to rise by 7.7%, or $95,870 for 2020. This is due to the following: <br />addition of another investigator ($18,000), investigator squad ($5,700), increase in the County <br />garage rate ($2,800), body worn camera equipment ($16,000), additional personnel for body worn <br />camera program ($8,180), wi-fi and office space ($4,500) and COLA and PERA rate increases. <br />The fire costs are expected to rise by 8.2%, or $47,310 for 2020. This increase is partially due to <br />an increase in evening/weekend shifts ($7,000) in preparation for staffing a third station; an <br />increase in fire run compensation ($1,900) based on recent trends; and an increase in training <br />costs ($3,400). Staff commented further on the Special Revenue, Enterprise and Capital Projects <br />Funds and requested feedback from the Council. Staff described how the proposed budget and tax <br />levy would impact the median value homeowner and requested comments or questions from the <br />Council. <br />Councilmember Holden requested further information regarding contractual services for <br />Planning and Zoning. <br />Finance Director Bauman reported this included professional services such as utilities, <br />accounting, and legal fees. <br />Councilmember Holden stated she did not support $200,000 being set aside for I&I given the <br />fact the City was not being fined and there were no matching funds available. She suggested these <br />funds be pushed back a year. <br />Councilmember Holmes recommended $350,000 be allocated for the chiller in 2020. <br />Councilmember Holden indicated she could support a 4% tax levy in December. <br />Mayor Grant and Councilmember Scott both supported a 5% increase. <br />F. Elections Discussion <br />City Administrator Perrault stated following discussions with the City Council, City Staff has <br />been reviewing the current polling places for Arden Hills. The current polling locations are <br />Presbyterian Church of the Way (Precinct One), North Heights Lutheran (Precinct Two), and the <br />Ramsey County Public Works Facility (Precinct Three). During the recent election held on <br />November 5, 2019, City Staff received concerns regarding Precinct Two and Precinct Three <br />including, but not limited to, poor access, insufficient signage, and issues with the facilities <br />themselves. <br />City Administrator Perrault explained City staff has requested Ramsey County Elections Staff <br />review alternate locations for polling places within the City. Ramsey County has preliminary <br />