Laserfiche WebLink
Regular City Council Meeting <br />Monday, November 16, 2009 <br />Page 13 <br />the instant survey process, while remaining interesting. As a Citizen organization, <br />Mr. Neprash advised that the RCL was disappointed in the participation, but more <br />important were pleased that the opportunity was made available, an opportunity at <br />which many RCL members were able to participate. Mr. Neprash advised that <br />RCL members also had participated in Roseville University, and to a person, were <br />very impressed with the information provided and the commitment to the program <br />by staff; and the RCL strongly recommended that the City continue that program, <br />and recommended attendance of any Roseville resident seeking to know how their <br />City operated. Mr. Neprash, on behalf of the RCL, opined that they were im- <br />pressed with the budget materials included on the City website, with the informa- <br />tion detailed and well-organized, and helpful in understanding the decision- <br />making for a budget process in an understandable manner for residents. <br />In recent conversations with RCL members, Mr. Neprash advised that residents <br />have a high level of confidence in staff and City Councilmembers, and recognized <br />how they had successfully addressed serious issues in the past and expressed con- <br />fident that they would be able to address them now. Mr. Neprash suggested that <br />this may be why it seemed that so relatively few people have become more in- <br />volved in the budget process this year. <br />In conclusion, Mr. Neprash advised that the RCL commends the City for increas- <br />ing its offerings in programs to inform citizens, and urged staff and Councilmem- <br />bers to continue to build on those programs in the future. <br />Bob Willmus <br />Mr. Willmus expressed his desire that citizens could come before the City Coun- <br />cil tonight with detailed recommendations on where to spend money, opining that <br />last year when he served on the City Council, it was majority opinion that the <br />budget process was opaque and lacking in transparency, thus the change in meth- <br />odology to the BFO process. However, Mr. Willmus opined that this was not a <br />BFO process and still lacked transparency in providing the outcomes within the <br />budget summaries. Mr. Willmus confessed that he was at a loss on what to com- <br />ment on; and expressed his hope that more detailed budget information (i.e., line <br />items) would be forthcoming and prove helpful. <br />Mr. Willmus advised that, when looking at summaries to-date, it was his percep- <br />tion that this proposed budget would have a devastating effect on the City's Park <br />and Recreation Deparhnent budget, programs and services. Mr. Willmus noted <br />that there were still shortcomings in staff funding; no funding for outdoor rinks; <br />and expressed his efforts to balance this proposed budget and weigh it against <br />other years. Mr. Willmus noted that between 2003 and 2009, the department's <br />full-time equivalent (FTE) employees had been reduced from approximately 27 to <br />23; and asked that the City Council balance that with other increases since 2009, <br />using as an example the City's public safety services administration budgets (Fire <br />and Police) and operations increasing by close to 60%. Mr. Willmus questioned <br />