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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, December 5, 2016 Page 15 to follow its policy for COLA; and agreed with Councilmember Willmus that a 2% increase more closely follows the policy than the proposed 2.75%; therefore, she stated she supported Councilmember Willmus' motion. Councilmember McGehee spoke in opposition to the motion for what she stated was a variety of reasons. Councilmember McGehee noted that, in the course of 2016, she had made two proposals which together could have saved every resi- dential property owner of a median priced home approximately $400 annually. However, Councilmember McGehee noted that the City Council had chosen not to support her proposals or act on either one; but instead had chosen to present a 2017 budget and levy for which those same residents would pay more. Coun- cilmember McGehee opined that neither of her proposals reduced any amenities in any way or diminish what residents continued to desire in their community; and would have in fact helped many residents with a less than median valued single- family home. Councilmember McGehee stated that she strongly supported staff and would con- tinue to do so, opining that they were the community's primary asset. Councilmember McGehee stated another example was the License Center that provided benefits to the community, and was highlighted by customers by noting their satisfaction with customer service and service by city staff. Councilmember McGehee stated that she had sat with this City Council when it authorized and received a comparative study for staffing related to compensation with other communities, indicating the need far improved parity. However, even after receiving those results, Councilmember McGehee noted that the City Coun- cil continued to annually languish in taking action to retain non-union staff at 98% of the average of peer cities; and year after year continuing to heap insult on injury with this type of proposal, essentially saying the city's non-union staff is not worthy to be at 100% parity with employees in peer cities performing similar jobs and establishing a policy of 98% of the average. In addition moving forward from that point three years ago the Council has annually chosen to give non- union staff less COLA than other peer cities. Councilmember McGehee opined that this pattern of COLA reduction has continued to depress staff salaries in terms of their parity with peer cities, and with the projected levy increases of those peers (Cities of Edina and St. Louis Park for example) and with comparable retail businesses proposing a 7% levy increase for 2017. Having suggested sev- eral options to reduce the levy and burden on taxpayers, Councilmember McGe- hee stated that she was not happy to do so on the back of the city's non-union staff; stating that she hadn't approved of the original convoluted way the City Council had initiated its policy. Councilmember McGehee noted that those pre- viously identified cities were offering their employees 3% and 2.7% COLA re- spectively; and for the City of Roseville to propose a 2% COLA, when looking at 2.75% for the Police� and maintenance workers was not appropriate. Coun-