Laserfiche WebLink
• <br /> Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, June 15, 2015 <br /> Page 26 <br /> fort with projected levy increases or fee increases, Mayor Roe noted the move- <br /> ment toward using reserves for one-time expenses to address particular issues and <br /> with the understanding that they won't be repaid. Mayor Roe advised that he <br /> didn't anticipate use of reserves as part of the City Manager's recommended <br /> budget at the beginning of the process, while it may come up later. <br /> If the intent was not to pay back reserves, Councilmember McGehee asked that <br /> the City Council make themselves clear; and since a giant piece of the picture was <br /> the CIP that had a huge levy impact based on the commitment made, she consid- <br /> ered it to be an important part of the discussion process at the front end versus lat- <br /> er in the process. <br /> Mayor Roe agreed that made sense; and as the process was standardized, staff <br /> would address that from their perspective, and address unknown staff needs early <br /> on. <br /> Finance Director cautioned the City Council that the Finance Commission was <br /> still reviewing the CIP, at the City Council's directive; and while having prelimi- <br /> nary data, it was still in process and he was unsure if ramping up that timetable <br /> would allow sufficient time for them to complete their work. Mr. Miller noted <br /> that there were still large components to work through, and if the City Council <br /> wanted that complete review, it probably and realistically would not be available <br /> before August. <br /> Mayor Roe recognized that timetable, and suggested the work could begin earlier <br /> in the process for subsequent budgets. <br /> Finance Director Miller noted part of the issue was the timetable or staff to pro- <br /> vide information to the Finance Commission as the year progressed. While the <br /> 20-year CIP was adopted through 2034, Mr. Miller noted the handicap of not <br /> knowing the 2016 CIP, including the addition of park & recreation needs and fa- <br /> cilities that needed to be part of the recommendations, with a projected increase to <br /> the levy for just those purposes of$210,000. <br /> Preliminary Tax Levy Amount: Decrease,No Change, or Increase <br /> Councilmember Laliberte expressed her personal preference for no levy increase, <br /> which had been her consistent theme. While recognizing the need to get the CIP <br /> funding adequately on track, Councilmember Laliberte opined it would be her <br /> preference to factor that in early enough to accommodate that dollar amount ver- <br /> sus adding it on to the end numbers. <br /> Councilmember Etten expressed his interest in shooting for near inflation, with <br /> the exception of the capital pieces needed for investment to make up for past de- <br /> ferrals. Councilmember Etten expressed his preference for ongoing budgets to be <br /> held at a reasonable level long-term and tackling challenges in an honest, straight- <br />. <br />