CCP 12-16-1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I' ~ ~~ ~1 Ie ARDEN HILLS TRUTH-IN-TAXA nON - DECEMBER 5. 1996 5 I Mayor Probst eXplained the City does receive monies as part of the cable fees which are paid by 1 residents. This is a standard procedure in all Cable Commission communities. The City is restricted by Law to only use those funds for purposes associated with Cable. The cost which appears in the Budget is the cost associated with televising the Council meetings. The City intends and hopes to 1 use some of these funds to pay for the audio visual needs in the new City Hall for broadcasting of City Council meetings. I Mayor Probst explained the hours allocated in the Enterprise Fund versus the General Fund are done based on how much Staff time is expended over the course of the year. Staff tracks their time based on what they are doing and charges it against the fund to which it is expended. I Mayor Probst noted there are many different ways in which the City could choose to budget and account. The choice the City has made is an accepted methodology for communities of this size. 1 Mayor Probst stated he did not believe the City would be looking at doing multiple accounting. Mayor Probst explained the increase in the Planning and Zoning area over the past two years has 1 resulted from the planning work which has been done at TCAAP and this year $50,000 is being spent on the Comprehensive Plan Update which is required by State Law. The City also has a strong motive for wanting to pursue the Update and that is that the City now has an understanding and -- agreement based on the work that the City Task Force did as well as what Congressman Vento did in terms of the new proposed reuse plan for the TCAAP facility. That needs to be officially I recorded. Mayor Probst stated he believed there will be activity at the TCAAP facility in a relatively short period of time. I Mr. Aiken asked if the changes involved would provide revenue back to the residents. Mayor Probst stated he could not assure immediate revenue but can assure this is a significant step I toward protecting the residents against future costs. Mayor Probst explained the decision to hire a full-time Building Inspector is planned to save the City I of Arden Hills significant dollars. If there is a point when it is no longer saving money, the decision will again be reevaluated. The 15% paid to engineers for projects is a standard rate. I Mr. Aiken asked why an engineer was not hired to be on Staff. I Mayor Probst stated the City did not believe that the expertise provided for the street projects could be provided by one person. The projects require expertise in design, documentation, and field observation. He noted the City has instituted a program of review of all consultants on a regular I basis to ensure the City is contracting with the appropriate people. Mayor Probst explained in regard to the legal representation, the City has in fact retained other firms " for specific areas of need when they have felt the usual contracted legal services are not qualified. I