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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976 09-15 CCM Special Session MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA SPECIAL SESSION SEPTEMBER 15, 1976 CITY HALL Call to Order The Brooklyn Center City Council met in special session and was called to order by Mayor Pro Tem Jensen at 7:30 p.m. Roll Call Mayor Pro Tem Jensen, Councilmen Britts, Kuefler, and Fignar. Also present were City Manager Donald Poss, Director of Finance Paul Holmlund, and Administrative Assistants Leon Beasley and Ronald Warren. Mayor Pro Tem Jensen announced that Mayor Cohen would be late for this evening's meeting. 1977 Budget Hearing Mayor Pro Tem Jensen reconvened the budget hearing and the City Manager proceeded with a review of the 1977 General Fund Budget. He commented as to the philosophy cnd policies reflected in the proposed budget and stated that the budget was prepared in a manner similar to the prudent way a family would budget their financial affairs. He expounded on the plight of some other local jurisdictions that have not been as prudent over the years in their bud- geting decisions.' The City Manager recalled that Brooklyn Center eventually benefited from the Legislature's 1975 changes in the 'Tax Levy Limit Law, reminding how the City's action of reducing taxes artificially low in 1971 had been to its disadvantage, when that ear was desig as the base y ear for the Y �Jn Y levy limitations imposed by the State Legislature. He next referred to the longstanding City Council policy of using Revenue Sharing funds for capital outlay items only rather than for financing ongoing programs and related operational costs. The City Manager stated that the proposed budget has been prepared with a view toward the present impact of budget proposals, as well as their long range financial effects. In response to a question by Councilman Kuefler the City Manager stated that the proposed budget is approximately a quarter of a million dollars under - the levy limits. He added that this is a preliminary and conserva- tive estimate. Councilman Britts inquired as to what this quarter of a million dollars represents in terms of mills. The City Manager responded that it represents approxi- mately 2 -1/2 mills below what could be levied under the City's present levy limitation. A brief discussion ensued relative to cash reserves and Revenue Sharing funds. The City Manager reported that present policy provides for a working capital amount equivalent to two months' expenditures in order to pay for current operating costs. He also reported that the City is right on schedule in terms of its planned use of Revenue Sharing funds. -1- 9/15/76 Councilman Britts inquired as to when it might be feasible t s - - o use Revenue n o e u Sharing f funding o R n e S r one-time or short-te � s rt rm projects. The City Manager responded that the City may be approaching the time when it can feasibly utilize Revenue Sharing in this manner, provided Revenue Sharing is extended for a reasonable period of time. A brief discussion ensued relative to capital improvement bonding. The City Manager responded that it is important, when planning bonding for facilities, to take into consideration the operational costs associated with these facilities as part of the package. He explained that the operational costs must go hand -in -hand with the capital costs or the results in terms of future budgeting under the present restraints may be deva- stating The City Manager next reviewed the local government aid formula which is based on a product of three components as compared with all other municipalities in the County; The municipality's 1970 population, the municipality's tax effort (average mill rate for levy years 1973, 1974, and 1975), and the municipality's 1975 aggregate sales ratio (ratio of the 1975 Assessor's limited market value to respective sales prices) He commented that a community that imprudently sets out to cut its mill rate may in the long run hurt itself and its taxpayers. He explained that Brooklyn Center's major advantage in this formula is the aggregate sales ratio because the City's Assessor has been able to keep the assess- ments up to date. A discussion ensued relating to the necessity for building adequate cash reserves Councilman Kuefler questioned if any consideration had been given to establishing a replacement reserve for equipment to avoid the natural peaks and valleys of equipment acquisition. The City Manager responded that serious consideration has been given to such a reserve and that hopefully in 1977 it will be possible to recommend such an equipment replacement reserve program. In this context, the City Manager briefly reviewed the fixed asset control module being developed through LOGIS which will make it possible to obtain a current listing of all - the City's fixed assets. He stated that this system will allow the City to depreciate fixed assets and to in turn set up a replacement program on a scheduled basis. The City Manager next proceeded with a detailed review of the proposed individual appropriations accounts. He briefly commented as to the numbering and coding of the accounts and referred to the classification and description of object codes contained in the budget document. The first account reviewed was the Council account. The City Manager reported no significant changes in the account except in the area of professional services where it is recommended that r this item be increased by $20,000, from $10,000 to $30,000. He explained this additional appropriation is intended to finance the' anticipated consulting and planning services needed to meet the 1 requirements of the recently enacted Mandatory Planning legislation. Councilman Fignar inquired if this would be the proper time to consider Council salary increases. He stated he would like information such as a salary comparison with other City Councils to evaluate the possibility of adjusting the Council's salary. 9/15/76 -2- Councilman Britts supported a review of salaries and noted that any salary increase adopted by the present City Council can become effective only after the annual elections. Councilman Kuefler inquired if the $10,000 base figure for professional services would be adequate to fund the necessary planning and - consulting services required for a possible bonding program relating to the present park improvement program that is being reviewed. The City Manager responded that the $10,000 base should be a sufficient amount. He explained that the cost for professional services directly relating to the bonding improvement program, such as that of an architect, would be part of the bonding itself while the use of a planner or consultant would be more of an operating expense with the costs coming out of this item. Councilman Britts stated that he did not like aspects of the Mandatory Planning legislation that require a local unit of government to undertake expensive planning projects without making funding available. The City Manager commented that there was a good possibility that the costs associated with this planning endeavor may qualify as a special levy. He explained that the State has appropriated some money for the metropolitan area in the form of loans and grants to be utilized in conjunction with the Mandatory Planning legislation and that the Metro Council is urging a larger appropriation. The next account considered was that of the Charter Commission. The City Manager reported that there were no major changes to this account, and that the statutory amount was recommended. The next account reviewed was that of the City Manager's office. The City Manager explained that many items are budgeted as lump sums under this account for the entire City General Fund operation, such as central supplies, general communications, printing, Workmen's Compensation and various insurance coverages. A brief discussion ensued relative to Workmen's Compensation with Councilman Jensen requesting a report within the near future relative to the actual Workmen's Compensation costs in preceding years. The City Manager next briefly reviewed the personnel services portion of the City Manager's Office budges and explained that, as in other accounts, this portion of the operational department budget lists the proposed personnel classifications and complement which cannot be exceeded. He commented that the salaries listed throughout the budget reflect the 1976 salary rates and that final salaries are not approved by the Council until the last meeting in December. Mayor Cohen arrived at 9:00 p.m. The City Manager next referred to the capital outlay portion of the City Manager's Office budget and commented as to the proposal to replace the existing City copy machine. He explained that different approaches to replacing this machine are presently being analyzed, such as purchasing a new machine or acquiring one on a lease basis. He stated that if a new.machine is acquired on a lease basis, -3- 9115/76 it would be an operating expense rather than a capital outlay item . The Brooklyn Center City Council recessed at 9 :10 p.m. and Recess resumed at 9:40 p.m The next accounts considered were those of Elections and Voters Registration, Assessing, Finance, Independent Audit and Legal Counsel. - During the review of these accounts the City Manager briefly reviewed City policy pertaining to the ,use of staff cars and the reimbursement for the use of personal autos. He also reviewed the management information system, LOGIS, and noted that the per unit costs associated with this system have gone down due to the increased efficiency and effectiveness of this operation. Regarding the Legal Counsel account the City Manager explained that an underestimation of prosecution costs in 1976 has led to the recommendation that the personal services contract with the City Attorney be increased by $10,000 to $45,000. Councilman Britts inquired as to what portion of that $45,000 is attributed to the City Attorney's salary. The City Manager responded that the City Attorney is not paid a salary but rather is under a contract for service He explained that the City Attorney is paid on an hourly basis of $37.50 for prosecution services and $40 an hour for civil cases. Councilman Britts further inquired if it would be more economical to have a full -time City Attorney rather than the present contract arrangement. The City Manager responded that theoretically it would be less expensive to have a full -time City Attorney, but in a practical sense it would not at this time. He explained that Just the cost for an in -house City Attorney and a secretary would be cheaper, but that when you add to this the cost of furnishings, supplies, and the inevitable staff expansions, the cost for an in -house City Attorney would probably exceed the contract arrangement. Mayor Cohen commented that the contract arrangement in effect also purchases - the services of a law firm, in that other members of the firm also handle some of the legal: work for the City such as various prosecutions. The City Manager stated that an in -house attorney, in most instances, is assigned duties such as ordinance and resolution drafting that the City staff presently handles. In response to a question by Councilman Jensen regarding a break- down in legal expenses s c s � such as prosecution costs, Council costs, and administrative costs, the City ,Manager stated that approximately 75% -. 80% of the costs are related to prosecutions Councilman Britts requested information relative to cost comparisons of other City Attorneys and also a breakdown of legal expenses for the year. The next account reviewed was that of Government Buildings. The City Manager noted that the major increases in this account are in the area of energy costs. He briefly reviewed various energy conservation measures instituted within the past few years such as limiting the amount of light utilization by 25 %; thermostats have been set at 68 and cannot be adjusted; windows are being purchased for the City Hall /Community Center complex to give 9/15/76 -4- present windows a thermal pane effect that will reduce the amount of heating and cooling loss; and that the heat or air conditioners are turned down during weekends and at other times when the building is not being utilized. During review of the Detached Worker account a brief discussion ensued relatIve to the effect the elimination of the CETA program would have on the Detached Worker program. Councilman Jensen suggested, and Councilman Britts concurred, that the Council should again review the Detached Worker program for consideration if CETA funds are discontinued during 1977 The next account considered was that of the Police Department. The City Manager briefly reported on the status of the emergency communication system in terms of an upcoming expense that will be dealt with. in succeed- ing budgets. He next reviewed his recommendation that the complement of patrol officers not be changed, although the department had requested two additional officers. He explained that two police officer positions were added in 1974 and that a CETA financed position was added in 1976 He stated that it is intended that the Police Department assess and evaluate its present personnel authorization in relation to service demands and resulting response time through 1977 for consideration in 1978 Councilman Fignar observed that in terms of officers per 1,000 population the City ranks relatively low, and he inquired as to the significance of this statistic. The City Manager responded that the officer per ,1,400 population figure is a relatively meaningless statistic when comparing it with other communities. He pointed out that Brooklyn Center uses sworn officers in more effective fashions than many other traditionalistic departments in the area. He added that the Kansas City Preventive Patron experiment proved that the incident of crime does not decrease with the increased visibility of police officers. He explained that a more accurate gauge for measuring the adequacy of police service is in terms of the department's average response time on service calls. Councilman Fignar stated that some constituents have recently complained to him that they have had to wait 20 n. inutes for a police response to their complaint. He further stated that this is the first time in four years that he has received calls of this nature. Mayor Cohen commented a all must be considered when making a the nature that th ur . g judgments as to police response time. He stated that the response time for a medical emergency or felony crime is far more crucial than that of many other less serious calls for service. He further stated that he has received a number of complimentary comments regarding the Police Department's response to emergency "calls . Councilman Britts stated that the Police Department must be able to adequately respond to calls for service, particularly emergencies, and that the evaluation of the department's response time is important. He suggested -5- 9/15/76 the possibility of seeking LEAH funds as a means of developing ways to increase the effectiveness of the police service. The City Manager commented that the level of service is a function of what citizens are willing to pay for. He added that service priorities have to be established and that not all calls for service are responded to in the same manner, the degree of emergency being important. He stated that it would cost a high price to have a short, emergency- type response time to all calls for service, Councilman Fignar left the table at 11:16 p.m. and returned at 11:19 p.m. A brief discussion ensued relative to traffic law enforcement with members of the Council expressing their desire for increased and stricter traffic law enforcement. Mayor Cohen recognized Mr. Dick Handy, 7230 Morgan Avenue North, who stated that he was speaking as a citizen of Brooklyn Center and not as a member of the Brooklyn Center Police Department or Police Association. Mr. Handy urged the Council to add more police officers to the department and .stated that when he was first employed by the City in 1962 there were 12 patrol officers on the force and that now there are only 19. The City Manager next referred to the recommendation to discontinue the police cadet program. He stated that this program had been offered in cooperation with North Hennepin Community College and that it has recently proven not to be worth the expenditure in that other training opportunities are now available and Brooklyn Center is the only community that is providing this opportunity. The City Manager next reviewed the capital outlay portion of the Police Department budget and a brief discussion ensued relative to mobile equipment. Councilman Fignar questioned if it is necessary to purchase new squad cars every year and also if there was an adequate number of cars The City Manager responded that there was an adequate number of cars based on the present complement of officers. He stated that with the seeming durability of the cars recently purchased, it may well be possible that cars will not have to be purchased' each year, and he added, that this possibility will be evaluated more carefully in the near future. The next account considered was that of Fire Protection. The City Manager referred to a cardio- pulmonary resuscitation train - ing program which will involve both fire and police personnel that will be coordinated under the Emergency Preparedness program. He briefly reviewed various aspects of this training program. The City Manager noted that Chief Boman had been appointed subsequent to the submission of the Fire Department's budget requests and that he has indicated that other training exercises may come up during the year that may be of benefit to fire service personnel. Councilman Jensen requested further information regarding an aerial apparatus requested by the Fire Department but not recommended by the City Manager. The City Manager responded that he would furnish 9/15/76. -6- the Council written information relative to the use and effectiveness of this piece of equipment. The City Manager next reported on his recommended changes to the paid manpower complement of the Fire Department, that being the elimination of the paid Deputy Fire Marshal position and the addition of one Fire Inspector giving the Fire Department a total of three part -time paid Fire Inspectors. The City Manager next addressed the capital outlay portion of the Fire Protection account and stated that it is recom- mended that a rescue vehicle /mini - pumper be purchased to replace the present obsolete rescue vehicle. He stated that this vehicle will satisfy the department's need for a small pumper to service car fires, grass fires, and minor garage fires, and will also serve as a rescue vehicle. The City Manager next commented as to a number of Fire Department requests not recommended as capital outlay items for the Fire Department. He explained that most of these items are recommended for purchase under the Emergency Preparedness account to take advantage of Federal matching funds P:dlournment of Budget Hearing Motion by Councilman Jensen and seconded by Councilman Kuefler to adjourn the 1977 budget hearing until Monday, September 20, 1976. Voting in favor were: Mayor Cohen, Councilmen Britts, Fignar, Kuefler, and Jensen. Voting against: none. The motion passed unanimously. Adjournment Motion by Councilman Fignar and seconded by Councilman Britts to adjourn the meeting. Voting in favor were: Mayor Cohen, Councilmen Fignar, Kuefler, Britts, and Jensen. Voting against: none. The motion passed unanimously. The Brooklyn Center City Council adjourned at 12:33 a.m. < a _ 'Clerk Y or -7- 9/15/76