2002_1209_packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Parks & Recreation Devartment M 0 Eliminate On-Line Registrants would be required to register by phone or Program Registrations in person. $ Eliminate Summer Program information distributed to the community Brochure would be limited. 142000 Eliminate 4 of July Fireworks Decreased emnhasis on 4t'of Julv Celebration 77000 Eliminate Aggressive Skate Park Less recreational amenities 1 0,000 The Skating Center (Oval) is 10 years old and in need of improvements. Delaying improvements further will Eliminate Skating Center lead to added maintenance and higher repair costs in Improvements the future. 6300 Less recreational/cultural amenities available to the Eliminate Nature Center Community. 7500 Reduce the Park Provides playground equipment and other capital Improvement Program needs in city parks 10 0,0 0 0 Additional City-wide Budget Reductions ❑ Reduce amounts set aside for contingency. The current budget has $165,000 set aside for contingency purposes. This represents 0.5% of the operating budget (excluding debt and TIF payments). By contrast a typical construction project has a 5-10% contingency level. ❑ Reduce the COLA from 3% to 2%. This would result in approximately $80,000 in lower costs city-wide however only $40,000 in levy reductions would result (the remaining portion provides reductions in non-tax program costs). This action could potentially place added strain on negotiations with the City's collective bargaining units and may be detrimental to recruitment and retention efforts. Discussion Items Staff undertakes considerable long-term planning efforts to ensure that the timing of certain expenditures coincides with diminishing needs elsewhere. To the greatest extent possible, all programs and services are continually evaluated to find new efficiencies and cost-saving measures. However, it is acknowledged that other factors external to the organization and beyond the City's control exist and play a role in determining the City's funding needs for the upcoming year. These factors oftentimes do not lend themselves well to planning efforts, and can arise relatively quickly. Some of these factors include; commitments made in prior years, unfunded mandates, and losses in state/federal aid. Some of these factors are explained in greater detail below. Lew Impact Due to Lost State and Federal Aid The proposed levy increase is partially due to the anticipated loss in state aid. The City currently receives $40,000 in Local Government Aid (LGA) from the State. These monies are used to support the General Fund activities which include Police, Fire, and Public works. Given the 5