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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, December 2,2019 <br /> Page 7 <br /> agreed that this comes to a decision tonight, but he thought it is also a discussion <br /> that Mr. Trudgeon and he have had over the course of the past year and perhaps <br /> others as well. It is something that has been on the radar before this evening. He <br /> wanted to take some concrete steps tonight to set the city on a path where the city <br /> needs to be. <br /> Mayor Roe asked if there were any other topics within the budget to discuss. <br /> Councilmember Willmus indicated he talked to Parks Director Brokke on the five <br /> million dollars in the budget for the skating center. Because those are not dollars <br /> the city has or dollars that the city is going to have, he is struggling with this a lit- <br /> tle bit. The city has looked to State bonding to help there but he was torn to the <br /> perspective of having it in the city budget. He asked whether that improves the <br /> city's chances at the Legislature or does it perhaps hinder the chance. One of the <br /> things that is also in the back of his mind, in any given year, is that if funds come <br /> from the State bonding, what percentage of those improvements will the city be <br /> able to make within any given year. Also, should the city be tailoring the budget <br /> numbers closer to what the city may actually be able to do in any given calendar <br /> year versus the lump sum of five million dollars. <br /> Parks Director Brokke explained there was discussion this afternoon between him <br /> and Councilmember Willmus about how the five million dollars might be struc- <br /> tured. This is a five-million-dollar budget for the improvements and staff is as- <br /> suming that the State will fill that budget number so the city can get started right <br /> away with improvements. If the city were to do it, this would be structured over a <br /> few years. Priorities will be made regarding repairs once the city receives the <br /> bond funding from the State. This has been a partnership with the State for a long <br /> time, the State has participated in the capital improvements, the city has handled <br /> all of the operating costs, and staff would assume no different moving forward. In <br /> terms of budgeting, his department has submitted this as a part of the budget and <br /> the City Manager's budget includes the five million dollars. The Council could <br /> spread the amount out over a few years because it is not funded in the budget. <br /> Mayor Roe asked if the city is impacted in the decision making at the State level <br /> by not having it in the budget. <br /> Mr. Brokke thought it would benefit the city by having the funds in the budget <br /> because this is not something that, at this point, is unforeseen. The facility is <br /> twenty-six years old and these components have outlived their useful life. He <br /> would think it benefits the city because the city did the condition assessment re- <br /> port, the city knows the condition, is prepared for it, and requesting the funds <br /> from the State in order to do the repairs like it has been done in the past. <br />