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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,August 22,2011 Page 17 Council continue to look for opportunities to shore up capital funding mechan- isms to stay at the forefront. Mr. Miller advised that restoration of the Receptionist position was very welcome for the Finance Department; and opined that it would have been a tremendous dis- service to not have that position filled full-time, when the public relies on that person for her institutional knowledge, and he considered it a core service. Mr. Miller noted that over the last ten (10) years, his department had eliminated two (2) positions, and reduced three (3) positions; creating internal issues within the department and a lack of ability to respond to long-term strategic planning, providing timely analyses and reports for the City Council; with any discretionary time was used to cover vacations and sick leave. City Manager Bill Malinen, Administration Department City Manager Malinen expressed his personal appreciation to staff for their feed- back; noting that this was his fifth budget year, and each year became more diffi- cult. Mr. Malinen noted that most of the Department Heads had experienced ten (10) years worth of reductions; and while there may be a minor reprieve from some of those reductions; they were all great employees and continued to provide the services and programs the community wanted. City Manager Malinen noted that the City Council would be asked to set a prelim- inary levy on September 12, 2011; and while it was currently proposed at 1.8%; he suggested that the City Council may want to set their not-to-exceed levy at 3.4% to allow latitude between September and December for necessary adjust- ments as discussions continue. Mayor Roe noted that the proposed park bonding or potential fire station bonding was not included in the not-to-exceed levy at this point. City Council Discussion Mayor Roe noted that the City Council could consider three (3) options at this point: 1) Continue to follow the CIP Task Force recommendation to reduce opera- tions by 2% and apply it toward the revised CIP or increase the tax levy to accommodate the CIP,with or without additional cuts in the operations; 2) Follow the revised City Manager-recommended budget and restore cuts based on additional funds realized through elimination of the MVHC; or 3) Increase the levy or spending further. Councilmember Pust questioned if Mayor Roe's options took into consideration the City Council not having voted yet tonight on the parks bond or the proposed CIP; and whether that influenced the caps.