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With City Council consensus affirmative with his comments, City Manager <br /> Malinen further clarified that the water usage rate had been excluded from <br /> this action; however, the water base rate as recommended would be adopted <br /> for 2013. <br /> With City Council consensus affirmative with his comments, Councilmember <br /> Willmus also clarified that this action would also reduce the 2013 residential <br /> customer recycling rate to $6.00 per unit per quarter. <br /> Councilmember McGehee requested a more in-depth discussion in 2013 <br /> regarding storm sewer and sanitary sewer rates. <br /> Mayor Roe noted that there was nothing preventing the City Council from <br /> changing its rate structure beyond statutory requirements. <br /> Councilmember McGehee opined that the extensive additional fees and <br /> increased levies asked of Roseville residents in 2013, whether tax-supported <br /> or non-tax-supported, were significant. While addressing many of the <br /> business model shortcomings from the past through the CIP <br /> recommendations adopted, Councilmember McGehee opined that general <br /> operations needed to be reviewed for funding sources in the future. As a <br /> taxpayer and resident of Roseville, Councilmember McGehee stated that she <br /> didn't think the City should have giant blips on the screen if operations were <br /> being managed properly; and going forward, a business model should be in <br /> place that provided a direct pass through for costs that provided transparency <br /> for the public to be fully aware of the rationale for any increase in fees, as <br /> well as to provide a means for the City to capture all expenditures for the <br /> services it sold. Councilmember McGehee stated that she supported what the <br /> City Council was doing now; however, she wanted additional discussion in the <br /> near future. <br /> Councilmember Johnson stated that he was in agreement with the first <br /> portion of Councilmember McGehee's statement; acknowledging that the <br /> actions taken by the City Council were harsh; however, they were necessary <br /> to get the City on a sustainable track; and it was necessary to turn that <br /> corner. Councilmember Johnson noted that the discussions held and public <br /> testimony received about that major step taken and impact on taxpayers and <br /> residents had been taken seriously by the City Council last year, and had <br /> served as the impetus for enacting those changes over a two-year period, <br /> versus the original recommendation for implementing them in one year. <br /> Councilmember Johnson.concurred with Councilmember McGehee that <br /> management needed to be carried forward and annually scrutinized; and now <br /> that the base had been put in place, the City Council needed to move forward <br /> accordingly and the conversations needed to continue. <br /> Mayor Roe noted that the whole point of the actions taken by the City Council <br /> over the last two (2) years were to avoid the spikes from unexpected <br /> expenses coming from the system, and to manage things better. Mayor Roe <br /> opined that the City was now on target to achieve that. However, in order to <br /> do so, Mayor Roe noted that sometime it needed to be initiated, thus the <br /> action of the City Council over the last two (2) years, even though a difficult <br /> decision for all involved. <br /> 9 <br />