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Regular City Council Minutes - 2/24/03 Page 10 Further discussion included concerns regarding a two-year contract; financial situation of the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and there not being in the Stanton V survey for comparisons; the City of Roseville's healthy fund reserves and lack of dependence on state aid; and anticipated loss in Local Government Aid (LGA) and city budget ramifications, projected at less than $720,000. Councilmember Kough expressed his concern that the City not get into a labor dispute at this time. Mayor Kysylyczyn stated that further negotiation was part of good-faith bargaining, and Councilmembers should consider a counter-offer. Councilmember Kough encouraged inclusion of a provision in the contract that would be for wage negotiation only if necessary, rather than cutting jobs for those with low seniority. Further discussion included whether to amend the motion or meet in Closed Executive Session. City Attorney Anderson provided guidelines for calling a closed Executive Session to allow for public information. Councilmember Maschka opined that the City should not choose an adversarial approach versus an open negotiation. Councilmember Maschka expressed his opinion that the City of Roseville was in a unique situation in not being dependent on LGA, having a strong tax base and strong reserves. Councilmember Maschka stated that while he supported approval of the contract and wage increases to stimulate the economy, he was aware of the private sector currently being flat in raises; and expressed an uncertainty in what the scenario would be in 2004. Councilmember Maschka further opined that a two-year contract made sense and the proposed contract was not out of range; stating that the City of Roseville needed to do what was best for the City, not concentrate so heavily on the State level.