Laserfiche WebLink
<br />City Council Special Meeting -12/27/04 <br />Minutes - Page 14 <br /> <br />Further discussion included comparing the City with the <br />proposed adoption of a nine percent levy with other <br />communities. <br /> <br />Kough moved a further reduction of two percent among each <br />department to bring the levy down to seven percent. <br /> <br />The Chair ruled the motion out of order. <br /> <br />Kough moved amendment to the motion that each department <br />reduce the levy by two percent over and above the nine percent <br />levy increase; reducing the levy to seven percent. <br /> <br />The Chair ruled the motion failed for lack of a second. <br /> <br />Mayor Klausing noted his displeasure with the budget before the <br />Council for consideration, but noted that recommendations made <br />by the City Manager were not considered (i.e., alternative <br />revenue sources or franchise and utility fees). Mayor Klausing <br />opined that a nine percent levy was too much on top of inflation, <br />but recognized that an adopted budget was necessary to keep city <br />business moving forward; and that spending down reserves <br />needed to come to a halt. <br /> <br />Councilmember Maschka noted the struggles required by the <br />City as the major tax shift had been brought from the state to the <br />local level of government. Councilmember Maschka opined <br />that, while no funding from the state was probably a good thing <br />in the long run, the implications of that shift and other various <br />issues (i.e., tax shift from three to one percent on non-residential <br />properties; and commercial property valuation reductions) the <br />impacts to taxpayers was compounded. Councilmember <br />Maschka noted his preference for addressing the structural deficit <br />through up-front taxes, rather than through implementation of <br />hidden taxes through other revenue sources and fees (i.e., utility <br />or franchise fees). Councilmember Maschka opined that, if you <br />take out the voter-approved referendum, the City hadn't <br />increased the levy in the last two years, even though facing <br />double-digit health care cost increases and salary increases; <br />further opining that half of the nine percent levy was to correct <br />