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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, October 20, 2014 <br /> Page 8 <br /> but not seen as a permanent ongoing savings beyond those shared in the 2015 City <br /> Manager recommended budget, which had factored in that information. <br /> Finance Director Miller advised that, upon Councilmember Willmus' prompting, <br /> the Council's updated information provided clarified numbers than the original <br /> draft. <br /> At the request of Councilmember Etten, Finance Director Miller reviewed the ad- <br /> ditional monies, if any, realized from open positions and positions funded mid- <br /> year but anticipated in 2014; and any operating savings from retirements or sever- <br /> ance for accrued time, which typically offset any savings from vacant positions. <br /> Mr. Miller noted that some departments (e.g. Police) had certain staffing levels <br /> they needed to maintain, and if positions were vacant, the department incurred <br /> overtime to keep those staffing levels up. Therefore, Mr. Miller noted the trend- <br /> ing indicated only a small operating surplus was foreseen in 2014. <br /> At the request of Mayor Roe, Finance Director Miller confirmed that the antici- <br /> pated $100,000 savings was specific to the tax-supported side. <br /> Councilmember McGehee requested information on any tax increment financing <br /> (TIF) Districts that could be closed, opening up those funds. <br /> Finance Director Miller advised that, from his recollection, only one was coming <br /> due for decertification, but those dollars would not come available until 2016, al- <br /> lowing for the one year lag time in decertification of a TIF District. <br /> At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Finance Director Miller confirmed <br /> that it was at the City Council's discretion to close TIF Districts early if they were <br /> paid off; but suggested discussing several districts that may provide other oppor- <br /> tunities, which staff had previously explored with the City Council and others to <br /> address some of the City's economic development needs before decertifying those <br /> districts to meet community needs. <br /> Mayor Roe noted that TIF Districts were categorized by poolable versus non- <br /> poolable; and as pointed out by City Manager Trudgeon, unpooled excess TIF <br /> funds were intended to help finance the former fire station/Dale Street project, <br /> with that information coming forward to the City Council in the near future. <br /> At the request of Councilmember McGehee, City Manager Trudgeon advised that <br /> solar options were currently under consideration by the Public Works, Environ- <br /> ment and Transportation Commission (PWETC), including specific to the City <br /> campus as well as community solar options, with some of those options depend- <br /> ent on tax credits and funding cycles. <br />