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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/08/2008 07A Draft Minutes 11-20-2007 Adjourned Meeting0 • ADJOURNED MEETING NOVEMBER 20, 2007 — $ 30 A.M — 12 00 NOON COUNCIL CHAMBERS - CITY HALL BUDGET REVIEW Roll Call Present: Council Mayor Dave Edler, presiding, Council Members Ron Bonlender, Micah Cawley, Norm Johnson, Bill Lover, Neil McClure, and Susan Whitman Staff- City Manager Zais, Finance & Budget Director DeBord, and City Clerk Moore Mayor Edler opened the session and referred to the Governor's special session being held today on the issue of Initiative 747 On the agenda of tonight's business meeting, is the Ad Valorem tax and Mayor Edler had asked the City Manager to supply what the figures could be if we were not limited to the 1 % property tax increase, as well as if we incorporated the $20 license fee option He went on to state that he personally believes our tax system is broken and it is necessary for citizens to understand that the initiative process is no longer working but is eroding the services to our country City Manager Zais advised that a 1 % increase in the property tax would only bring in approximately $150,000 of revenue The property tax limit, enacted by initiative, is reflective of public view of taxes, but we continue to feel the cost of other mandates that contribute to a higher level of expenses When one -third of our revenues are capped, we feel constraints He suggested that re- enactment of the 1 % lid is probably as far as the Governor will go today, but they could look at other things that have to do with inflation The 1 % is not an inflation number; it's an arbitrary number The $20 annual license fee would raise close to $1 2 million for the City, although that has not been presented as a policy issue in this budget process Discussion ensued among the Council members regarding the Legislature, their surplus, their broken promise of backfilling, and the need for debate and compromise Mr Zais clarified that the 1 % revenue figures are based on current evaluation There will be some additional gain from the newly annexed areas and new construction We are trying to keep spending in line with the will of the voters but need to keep them aware of what -the impact of that is on services 2 City Management Department • City Council - CM 1 -3 • City Manager - CM 4 -6 There are no policy issues for this area City Manager Zais pointed out that the City Council budget has an adjustment in compensation based on the pay ordinance approved two years ago • Legal - CM 7 -12 • Indigent Defense - CM 13 There were no policy issues The outside legal expenses are down 229/. from last year They have hired a new land use defense attorney, approved last year Cynthia Martinez, Senior Assistant Attorney, said their case load is up Although felony crime is down, the level they prosecute (misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor) continues to rise BUDGET REVIEW — NOVEMBER 20, 2007 • Records / City Clerk - CM 14 -18 0 Assistant City Manager Zabell presented a 20 -year service award to Debbie Moore, City Clerk, • Human Resources - CM19 -40 Assistant City Manager Zabell and Human Resource Director, Sheryl Smith, gave an overview of union contract bargaining, recruitment activity, the City's self- insured health plan, and the Wellness Program • Purchasing - CM 41 -43, PI -CM 1 Joint City /County Purchasing Assessment — Unbudgeted They are proposing hiring the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc to do a study on merging with the County for purchasing This is in line with the strategic goal of regionalization This is an unbudgeted, one -time expense shared with the County • Community Relations - CM -44 -52 Randy Beehler, Community Relations Manager, described this as a hold- the -line budget, with expenditures expected to be approximately 3% lower He explained how the City receives funding from cable franchise fees and a grant from Charter Communications They use no general fund revenues 3 Yakima Municipal Court • Municipal Court - MC 1 -6 • Probation Center - MC 7 -8 Judge Susan Woodard and Linda Hagert, Court Services Manager, noted that they are celebrating the 10th year of operation as a municipal court. The caseload has tripled in that time They are currently recruiting for a part-time court commissioner to address the increased caseload 4 Police Department • Police Department - P 1 -21, PI -P 1 • Law and Justice Capital -P22-26 Add one Deputy Police Chief Position — Budgeted. Chief Granato explained that, although they have not received the final LEMAP report from the study conducted by the WASPC, the verbal assessment had a strong recommendation for a Deputy Chief position to meet the standards in the state The job description for a Deputy Chief has it beginning in July 2008 They will recruit nationally as well as locally City Manager Zais clarified that the position is funded from City's general base Discussion continued on the need to increase the number of officers to have a proactive department, the desire for hybrid technology in police vehicles, and the study for a west side substation 5 Fire Department • Fire Department - FD 1 -14 • Emergency Services - FD 15 -19 • Fire /Police Public Safety Comm. - FD 20 -27, PI -F 3 • Fire Capital - FD 28 -32, PI -F 1,2 Chief Hines discussed interlocal agreements with surrounding fire departments that would allow for the closest fire engine to be dispatched to a location regardless of boundaries He also spoke about the number of calls, fire versus medical, response times and the need for staff increases beginning in 2009 2 BUDGET REVIEW — NOVEMBER 20, 2007 Purchase of New Ladder Truck — Budgeted. Chief Hines described the need noting there are many structures that cannot be reached with a ground ladder and how it is also critical to our insurance rating The current rig is continually in the shop and the cost of repairs are predicted to be nearly $50,000 over the next two years Sale of Race Street Fire Station - Unbudgeted This item would be a potential $150,000 revenue source. Add 1 FTE Public Safety Dispatch Position (9 months) — Budgeted. The proposed funding source would be from the 0 3% Criminal Justice Sales Tax allocation 6 Adjournment McCLURE MOVED AND CAWLEY SECONDED TO ADJOURN TO 5 00 P.M FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION FOLLOWED BY THE BUSINESS MEETING AT 6 00 P M The motion carried by unanimous voice vote The meeting adjourned at 10 45 a m. READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY COUNCIL MEMBER DATE ® COUNCIL MEMBER DATE ATTEST • CITY CLERK DAVID EDLER, MAYOR Minutes prepared by Linda Watkins A CD and DVD of this meeting are available in the City Clerk's Office 3