CC_Minutes_2014_0714 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday,July 14,2014 Page 16 being the highest in the metropolitan area, but just needed City actions tied to what was being accomplished to emphasize them. Specific to the Community Center questions and slide, Mr. Morris clarified that the question was related to the concept only, not dollars, which could prove a dif- ferent reality when property tax increases were discussed. Mr. Morris noted that 64% of respondents said the City should consider a community center,it would be important to project market uses in relationship to the percentages under "likeli- hood of use." Mr. Morris reviewed tax increase willingness responses and what additional taxes residents would be willing to pay for a community center (median tax increase of $2.58/month) if a referendum were pursued; noting that a solid 40% stated that they'd support no tax increase for this purpose. If the City was to pursue a com- munity center, Mr. Morris stated that he'd prefer that percentage to be at 30% and suggested consideration by the City Council accordingly. Mr. Morris suggested that the key component in a referendum would be actual amenities versus the cost, which would be a delicate balance. Mr. Morris compared recent survey results in the City's of Shoreview and Chaska specific to a community center; and suggest- ed more extensive community discussion before proceeding with such a project. Regarding "City service ratings," Mr. Morris stated that "people love your city services," with results within the top 10% of all metropolitan cities. Mr. Morris cautioned that only apparent thing to watch in the future would be street repairs and maintenance. At the request of Councilmember Willmus, Mr. Morris con- firmed that the survey did distinguish between city- and county-maintained streets, but could not verify that respondents actually differentiated or not in their responses. Mr. Morris reported that responses indicated that the City's tax climate was "moderate," and would be considered "hostile" if the percentage was above 50%, with some suburbs on the west side of the metro at 70%. Mr. Morris noted that residents still wanted to be made aware of why their taxes may or may not in- crease, but remained open to discussion without totally shutting the City Council out of such options. Mr. Morris noted that, when asked if they were willing to ac- cept a tax increase to maintain services where they were at currently, responses were split, which was comparable to many communities metro-wide, including some in Ramsey County, depending on the history and demographics a communi- ty. Mr. Morris noted that responses indicated a mild negative to tax increases to maintain current levels of service, that would require the City Council to justify why an increase was necessary to maintain services, but could also change de- pending to what the increase was being applied (e.g. street repairs and mainte- nance), some of which may be more acceptable in this climate than others (e.g. code enforcement).