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<br />City Council Study Session - 08/21/06 <br />Minutes - Page 9 <br /> <br />coming from building permits and building plan review; with <br />17% from plumbing, water and sewer permits; and 3% from <br />zoning and sign permits; and the remaining from license fees. <br /> <br />Mr. Stark reviewed historic and projected expenses; identified <br />employee salary/benefits (80% of budget revenue as previously <br />identified); 4% expenditures for professional services (attorneys, <br />consultants, etc.); 5% electrical inspectors fees (20% of the <br />outsourced fees); and 10% other expenses (i.e., vehicles, <br />telephone, etc.). <br /> <br />Mr. Stark reviewed the revenues versus expenses, noting that in <br />two of the last five years, revenues had exceed expenses, <br />allowing an annual surplus to be deposited in the fund balance to <br />draw down in future deficit years. <br /> <br />Mr. Stark reviewed the various budget categories from 2004 - <br />2007, noting several line item revisions, but no overall changes <br />from what was requested and the City Manager recommended <br />budget. <br /> <br />Mr. Stark reviewed the missions of each of the Department's <br />divisions; employee cost savings in those departments <br />experiencing turnover; addressed the human resource strains on <br />staff given the number of night meetings required; future <br />renaming of the GIS division to better reflect their <br />communication duties; and the budgetary challenges of the <br />department based on annual benefit and COLA increases greater <br />than the budgetary increases requested from 2002 - 2005. <br /> <br />Mr. Stark further noted that the department's greatest challenge <br />is the overloaded workforce; employee turnover; relatively small <br />staff with an increasing workload; heavy night-time meeting <br />schedule; and lack of an Administrative Aide to alleviate day <br />time duties. Mr. Stark noted that he was not suggesting <br />additional wage increases, but gaining more efficiencies within <br />the department through reinstatement of an Administrative Aide. <br /> <br />Mr. Stark sought Council direction on how growth was projected <br />to occur in the community to allow the department to balance <br />expenses with revenues as they relate to community growth. Mr. <br />