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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,June 9,2014 Page 19 Park Board issue and discussions, and opined that it should remain on the table as a potential option down the road. Since this Park Board issue came up, Mayor Roe stated that he'd struggled with it, even though appreciating the work, research and comparisons done by the Com- mission to-date. In using the HRA comparison as a model reference, Mayor Roe opined that was a minor portion of the City's annual budget and staffing needs compared to the significant chunk of the budget represented by the Parks & Rec- reation Department. Mayor Roe stated that he also had concerns with such a significant part of the City's operations not being under direct control of the City Council, City Manager and the process used to manage the rest of the City's government. Mayor Roe noted that he found this troubling, not because he didn't think the Park Board would do a good job, but for him it created too much distinction that would create more problems than it solved. However, Mayor Roe stated that he did like the idea of joint powers agreements for specific facilities, and joint efforts and pro- jects with other communities. Mayor Roe advised that his preference would be not to pursue establishment of a Park Board further, but to seriously look at those opportunities. Mayor Roe noted that the City was now making significant strides in addressing previously inadequate funding of Park & Recreation maintenance and infrastruc- ture needs, especially in getting those CIP needs out over a twenty-year span. While that process needed to continue improving, Mayor Roe opined that part of his response was based on the need to continue those efforts and recognize them in the overall funding picture. Mayor Roe stated that he liked the idea of meeting more often, and suggested that regarding the CIP projections, the natural re- sources component was an excellent place to address those community needs and program them accordingly. Overall, Mayor Roe stated that his response would be to use the tools already available and to the best of our ability. In terms of a future City Council not being as responsive to Park & Recreation needs, Mayor Roe opined that they needed to be held accountable by the community as they served or sought to serve on the City Council, especially in recognizing how parks &recreation aspects fit into the overall community and were not a second-class portion of the City of Roseville. Regarding unification efforts, Councilmember McGehee opined that parks was an important part of the community and should be considered an essential service, and planning for its needs was an integral part of the City, not off on its own. Councilmember McGehee also supported the idea of joint powers agreements, es- pecially for the southwest portion of Roseville, who frequent the Falcon Heights community park system, given its location directly across the street, and a way to address that neighborhood's needs rather than expending funds to acquire a small