CC_Minutes_2017_1204 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday, December 4,2017 Page 10 Councilmember Etten stated his appreciation for Mayor Roe putting forward his proposal; opining that it was no secret that he was personally concerned about the amount of proposed reserve use outlined in 2018 estimates by Finance Director Miller. Councilmember Etten stated his preference to only use reserves for one- time expenditures and retain flexibility in reserve balances and balancing those dollars directly to the budget without getting too close to the 35% target based on uncertainties going forward from year to year. Councilmember Etten noted the correlations between this decision-making and the city's bond rating, repeating his interest in not playing significantly with those margins. During last year and since the beginning of the year as the school district went through its facility planning process, Councilmember Laliberte noted her con- sistent cautioning of the potential impact to residents regardless of responsibilities of the City Council related to city spending. Councilmember Laliberte noted that the public had spoken in various ways, and she was sensitive to the need to strongly support the schools, and take into consideration those impacts in the broader city decision-making for 2018 and beyond. Councilmember Laliberte stated her support of the City Manager Recommended original budget, but not specifically to use of the whole $580,000 as proposed. While appreciating the graphs and charts provided and various ways to show im- pacts going forward, Councilmember Laliberte also expressed her interest in the time and discussion held by and with the Finance Commission on that specific re- quest for review; all of which would be weighing on her mind over the next week as well. Councilmember Laliberte noted her support for using reserves for one-time costs whenever possible without spending them down to an uncomfortable floor with- out a cushion in place for any unforeseen needs. However, Councilmember Laliberte noted that she had also often stated that those are taxes already collected without any need for their replenishment in the future. Specific to staff costs, Councilmember Laliberte noted that the City Council had a policy in place that had been adopted for COLA increases, and asked that staff provide updated numbers; with City Manager Trudgeon advising that those num- bers were available tonight. Councilmember Laliberte stated that she absolutely agreed that renovations to the License Center were needed to provide a presentable place for customer transac- tions that was not the case right now. However, while being supportive of a solu- tion, Councilmember Laliberte noted that when the original estimate came in at $500,000, she had voted against moving forward to consider specific bid options, even though she had been among the dissenting vote with the bid process continu- ing forward. When the bids came in even higher, Councilmember Laliberte noted