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<br />08-03-05. Minutes of Meeting 6:00 p.m.–Council Work Session. Present were Mayor <br />Mary Capra, Council members Tom Lee, Jeff Paar, Michelle Lakso and Rick Terway. <br />Also present were Administrator Dallas Larson and Finance Director, John Meyer. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />1.Finance Director, John Meyer reviewed his draft of a proposed project and <br />financing plan for a downtown redevelopment in Block 7. The project proposes to <br />use tax increments up to 23 years to underwrite the purchase of the property <br />which would be used for a mixed use commercial and residential project. Council <br />expressed concerns over the length of the increment at 23 years. <br /> <br />2.Finance Director, John Meyer reviewed the first draft of the2006 budget. He <br />indicated that about 3% increase in the budget would still result in a 7% reduction <br />in the tax rate for next year. The rate would decline from 52.841 to about 49.2%. <br /> <br />3.Administrator Larson, reviewed the backage road/industrial development project. <br />The Rice Creek Watershed permits for the wetlands impacts appear to be <br />possible, but there remains some uncertainty about whether the project can sustain <br />itself without a city subsidy. A second alternative was suggested by the adjacent <br />st <br />landowner where they would finance up front the cost of 21 Avenue and <br />Fairview Avenue and would be reimbursed with tax increments on a “pay as you <br />go” basis. The Council liked this second alternative and asked that it be pursued <br />in addition to further investigation of the earlier backage road project. <br /> <br />4.The Council reviewed the County’s revised Memorandum of Understanding for <br />the County Road 14 project. While the County had made some concessions, they <br />st <br />have not budged on the major issues of medians, 21 Avenue and pedestrian <br />crossings. The administrator will ask for clarification on the county language that <br />would transfer “uneconomic remnants” property to the City and give first right of <br />refusal at fair market value on other parcels. The meaning of “uneconomic <br />remnants” isn’t clear. The administrator was asked to find out what the <br />requirements are to justify pedestrian crossings. <br /> <br />5.The Council discussed the water hookup policy. It was noted that the ordinance <br />from 1987 required hookup to water on a schedule to be determined by Council. <br />That “schedule” was never determined and as a result, there are 184 homes that <br />have water available that have not chosen to take advantage of it. The ordinance <br />also prohibits new wells or repairing a well where city water is available. Various <br />means of encouraging voluntary compliance were discussed. The Council asked <br />the administrator to determine if the city could do a project to connect homes and <br />then finance it with special assessments. <br /> <br />6.Council reviewed the personnel policy and job descriptions. The administrator <br />proposed a modification to the organizational chart to place the clerk and <br />receptionist under his direct supervision rather than the finance director. The <br />Council seemed satisfied with all of the proposed except asked that the job <br />description for the finance director be changed to provide that he is acting <br />administrator in the absence of the city administrator. These matters will be put <br />on the next council agenda for approval. <br />Dallas Larson <br />City Administrator <br />