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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, December 03,2012 Page 15 curred with Councilmember Pust to report the previous year's savings more prominent in reports to the City Council and public. Councilmember McGehee concurred as well. Councilmember Pust reviewed the pre-existing obligations, items included in the original 2012/2013 biennial budget, CIP Subcommittee recommended items, and new considerations (pages 1 and 2 of the RCA), and summarized her find- ings that the only things that were not already committed to and available for tonight's discussion were the two (2) new considerations. Councilmember Pust concurred with public comments made tonight that some employees in this cur- rent economy were not seeing a 2% increase this year, nor had they received comparable increases in the past two (2) years. Councilmember Pust further noted that in several recent years, or the past two (2) years, as was proposed for the City's employees; however, she also noted that in past years, employees did not receive any COLA, and that this 2% increase had been a conscious decision of the City Council majority. Councilmember Johnson noted that this proposed COLA did not fully address union contracts under which the City had an obligation as well. Mayor Roe clarified that not all of the City's work force was eligible for the wage step program. At the request of Councilmember Pust, Mr. Miller clarified that the budget pro- vided a set aside of$55,000 in the 2013 budget to accommodate changes in the employer's cost for employee health care (e.g. premium increases from provid- ers). However, Mr. Miller noted that while negotiations to-date had proven fa- vorable for the City, a significant variable remained in the employee election process to change tiers of coverage and/or for new employees coming on board that could create swings in that fund. Mr. Miller advised that this was the ra- tionale in that allotment until the 2013 election was finalized. Councilmember Pust asked that staff closely monitor that fund, and provide an updated accounting in March or April of 2013 comparing that amount set aside with reality. Discussion ensued on the new considerations, with clarification that the City Council had approved the HRIS software after having deferred it for several years; and the Compensation Study's specific 2013 expenditure for the imple- mentation of the study results. Councilmembers Pust and Johnson concurred that those two (2) new considera- tions remained the only discussion points for tonight.