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<br />City Council Special Meeting - 12/27/04 <br />Minutes - Page 6 <br /> <br />negotiating agreement and future development agreements for <br />cost responsibility assignments; vehicle replacement fund <br />allotments and depreciation charges and the need to stabilize the <br />fund; possibility of moving employee David Windle from the <br />Community Development to Information Technology <br />Departments and whether stafP s analysis of such a move would <br />make long-term operational sense; potential central fund pooling <br />of revenues and budget expenses; and determination and review <br />of levy-neutral and/or tax-supported funds and departments. <br /> <br />Councilmember Ihlan referred to a Council resolution dated <br />December 8, 2003 related to consulting fees and Rottlund <br />Home's obligation to pay third-party consulting fees; and <br />expressed concern regarding the City currently paying consulting <br />fees that she opined were the responsibility of and for the benefit <br />of the private developer. Councilmember Ihlan expressed her <br />frustration with exorbitant consultant fees, and requested that the <br />City Council, as part of the budget process, call for an <br />independent review of expenditures and determine if all public- <br />use expenditures were being properly authorized per Council <br />policy. <br /> <br />Councilmember Schroeder concurred with Councilmember <br />Ihlan's concerns as to the process the City Council uses to <br />approve the budget, but focused on the entire budget spread over <br />all departments and expressed a desire to more prudently review <br />all departments in an effort to realize the impact. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Dennis Welsch noted that the <br />Community Development Department and Tax Increment <br />Financing (TIF) Districts were under the scrutiny of the City's <br />Administration Department, and the State Auditor, and that <br />expenses were posted to the Community Development <br />Department until a TIF project or developer was determined and <br />TIF administrative costs could be applied to a specific District or <br />project and the City reimbursed. <br /> <br />Councilmember Ihlan reiterated her concern in consulting fees <br />and costs to-date that should be born by the developer. <br /> <br />Mayor Klausing refocused the discussion to the final levy and <br />