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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, November 17, 2008 Page 10 Councilmember Ihlan spoke in opposition to the motion; opining that she could not support increasing taxes for consulting fees that did not directly benefit tax- payers. Mayor Klausing spoke in support of the motion; questioning Councilmember Ih- lan's rationale that the park and recreation system was not an integral part of the City's infrastructure system; and opining that it was the City Council's responsi- bility to perform planning through the use of staff and outside experts in how to most-effectively use taxpayer funds on a priority basis. Mayor Klausing opined that, with the City's operations and staffing kept as lean as possible, often it was not possible to perform such analyses in-house without outside expertise. Councilmember Willmus spoke in support of the motion; opining that if it was the intent to fix what was broken, it was necessary to know which things were bro- ken, and how best to prioritize, plan and proceed. Councilmember Willmus ac- knowledged that additional discussion would be necessary to determine payment options and revenue sources over the next few years. Councilmember Roe concurred with those comments of Mayor Klausing and Councilmember Willmus; opining that planning was critical in times when tight budgets were required and in spending money on long-term strategic issues. Councilmember Roe spoke in support of being faithful to citizens in keeping in- frastructure in place and maintained. Councilmember Roe acknowledged that, if the cost came in too high, proceeding with the RFP process itself did not mean that additional expenditures would be approved; and opined that it would be a tough decision in the future if that were to prove to be the case. Councilmember Roe opined that the first step was to determine the actual cost and allocation over the next three years; then to make a decision on how to pay for it. Roll Call Ayes: Pust; Willmus; Roe; and Klausing. Nays: Ihlan. Motion carried 13. Business Items -Presentations, Discussions a. Code Enforcement Update Community Development Director Patrick Trudgeon provided preliminary comments related to the City's Code Enforcement activities in 2008 and recommendations for 2009. Mr. Trudgeon noted that the efforts had truly been a team effort between the City Council, Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), staff and citizens. Permit Coordinator Don Munson, along with Building Inspector Rick Talbot, were also present.