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City Council Study Session — 08/16/04 DRAFT Minutes - Page 11 Mayor Klausing requested cooperation of audience participants to hold their questions and comments until staff had made their presentations, and Councilmembers had received clarification and responses from staff related to the City Manager's recommendations and staff impact comments. City Manager Beets initiated his comments by reviewing the impacts to individual municipalities of recent state budget crises and elimination of state aid to municipalities. Mr. Beets noted that the annual impact to the City of Roseville, since 2003, was a reduction in funding of $700,000. Mr. Beets recommended a permanent structural budget revision to address this funding issue in the 2005 Preliminary Budget as follows: 1) A 5% levy increase. Mr. Beets noted that the City had implemented no levy increase for two years, while continuing to experience increased operating and inflationary costs. Mr. Beets clarified that the voter- supported referendum for City facility improvements and construction was a separate levy, and included in this discussion. 2) An increase in user fees. 3) A reduction of $500,000 in overall City expenses, realized by a reduction of five full-time employees and their corresponding programs. PUBLIC WORKS City Manager Beets' recommendations for the Public Works Department included, consolidation of snowplowing efforts under the direction of the Streets Division within the Public Works Department; addition of a third skid steer (Bobcat) to the City's fleet of maintenance vehicles; elimination through attrition of two full-time employees in the Public Works and Parks & Recreation Maintenance; authorization for a feasibility study to create a street light utility effective January 1, 2005; and authorization for a feasibility study to create a City franchise fee effective January 1, 2005 for electric and gas utility lines in public rights-of-way with proceeds to be deposited in 2005 to the City's General Fund, with a study undertaken in 2005 to consider dedicating those funds to undergrounding above-ground electric utility lines on public and private property.