1997-04-23 - CC Packet - (Admin)

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Newsletter - Councilmember Brenner thanked the staff for the help she had received in making corrections to the newsletter after the deadline date. Mr. March thanked the Nuemanns and Mary Jane Lang for the hours they have volunteered to put the Newsletter together. Annual League Conference - Mr. March explained it is time to register for the League of Minnesota Cities Annual Conference. Mayor Wilharber, Councilmember Brenner and Councilmember Powers- Rasmussen voiced interest in attending the conference. Councilmember Helmbrecht explained it's hard to take off work and not be paid to go to the conference. Mr. March explained the registration needs to be postmarked by May 1st. Mayor Wilharber asked the interested Council members to know if they will be attending by the next council meeting. Certification of Local Performance Aid (LPA) - Mr. March explained the City needs to certify that the city is in the process of determining benchmarks to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of our local services. All Cities that sign the form are eligible for this financial aid. Staff will be analyzing items we can use as benchmarks to satisfy the requirements of this unfunded mandate. MOTION by Councilmember Buckbee, seconded by Councilmember Powers - Rasmussen to approve certifying the Local Performance Aid. Motion carried. M.S. Society Charitable Gambling Funds - Mr. March reported the M.S. Society charitable gambling fund has more than $4700 in the account as of January 1, 1997. The first quarter proceeds for 1997 have not been added to the total to date. The M.S. Society would like the to City to spend or commit the funds to specific future projects. This will allow them to keep their accounting system in order and maintain compliance with the State. Some potential eligible projects could be paving trails in the new park extension, handicap accessible restrooms in a senior housing project or a new public works building. Councilmember Helmbrecht asked "Can the funds be used for Meals on Wheels ?" Mr. March explained he will look into spending the funds on projects outside of disability purposes. Mayor Wilharber suggested researching the use of these funds for policing service. Mr. Nuemann, 1989 N. Robin Lane, questioned communications for seniors who are locked into their homes. Mr. Nuemann explained senior communication is something TRIAD has been discussing. This program will allow seniors to stay in their homes longer. The program will be set up to call seniors the same time every day to make sure they're all right. The funds are not available to implement this project therefore if the M.S. funds could be used then this project could be put in motion. Mr. March explained he had requested examples of past M. S. projects. Councilmember Buckbee asked "Can the M.S. Society tell the city what we can do with the funds or are they making a suggestion?" Mr. March commented he will research the issue- 6