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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-01-06 TranscriptionJanuary 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 1 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session Council: Nov, Baker, Kubby, Lehman, Norton, Thornberry, Vanderhoef. Staff: Atkins, Helling, Yucuis, Karr. Tapes: 97-2, all; 97-3, Side 1. Library Article Discussion 97-2 S1 Lehman/ ..... Press Citizen is running this tab-insert on 100 Year Anniversary at the library. I talked to Chuck Trau, Susan Craig and folks from the press .... would be a gesture of good faith and support to the library board if the city council and library board would together share the cost of the back cover of that tab which is going to be about $689 .... Let the library start telling their story .... Nov/What are you thinking of? Kubby/Information about needs assessment. Norton/ Lehman/Facts about the library... how well it is used .... busiest library in the state .... Things we could tell the public, blowing our own horn about the library .... Nov/ Lehman/ Kubby/More about the history of the library. Lehman/ Nov/I am just questioning why the library information should be paid for? ..... Kubby/Because if you paid for it, you have control over content and layout. Lehman/ 7:00 PM This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 2 Nov/We are not talking about things that are controversial .... I can understand an ad to support a bond issue ....I am not sure it ought to be paid information when it is just standard information .... Kubby/... have to do it in a promotional format. Norton/My only concern is'precedent .... I don't know where that starts or endsl... We will sure get somebody else asking. Kubby/This is the time to make the decision. Norton/ Baker/ Norton/... What if someone else came to us? ..... Historic Preservation? .... Kubby/ Norton/...use to be a thing when you did a bond issue, you couldn't do city money directly. It had to be citizens .... I thought there were some legitimate restrictions. Nov/ Kubby/Say yes pending City Attorney saying it is okay to do it. Baker/It is not a bond issue. Nov/Yeah, but you are promoting the same idea ..... I don't know. Norton/It would surely be promoting the concepts that would lead to that. Vanderhoef/ Kubby/I think there are four people- Vanderhoef/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 3 Thornberry/ Kubby/You could write the best article with the most factuaJ information and it could get screwed up... Lehman/ Norton/Ernie, I think it is a good idea. If the City Attorney is into it, it is all right with me. Lehman/ Nov/All right, I see four nods of the head. Thornberry/I would really want to go on record to oppose spending any money to promote the bond issue. Atkins/Did you decide? What did you decide? Kubby/We are going to do it if the City Attorney says okay. Baker/ Thomberry/With objection... with prejudice. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 4 Budeet Discussion 97-2 S1 Atkins/I have a brief presentation .....overview. Nov/I would like to say we are going to get out 1 1/2 hour. Arkins/That is up to you. Nov/I don't think we should get too late in terms of budgets .... Atkins/You have in front of you a three year financial plan. The budget has been balanced for three years .... We appropriate annually, we balance for three years ..... the purpose of which is to avoid the major spikes and fluctuations within your budget. The budget is balanced in accordance with the state law right now .... rates, rollbacks, financial aid... based upon the law right now. I want to start off.... corrections. Page 15, Budget Highlights .... says 1/2 time investigator has been added... Page 71, it is not there. It is suppose to be there. That was a mistake. We have the revenue, we did not show... we will take care of that. The important thing was the intent was to recommend the half time investigator in the budget. Vanderhoef/Page 71, we have got a Human Rts. Investigator, .5. So you are saying add another.5? Atkins/The budget for the City Manager Proposed Budget 98 says $102,358. That number should read $126,058. In the FTEs, instead of 1.50, it would be 2.0. It is a 1/2 time increase. Page 74, the PIN grant is not shown in Capital Outlay. It is shown in Capital Projects .... What we did with it this year was we took a portion of that $25,000- about $7,500. Those projects that are strictly related to Road Use, we will charge to the Road Use Tax Fund. The remainder we will charge to the General Fund (OF) .... We will be reviewing the funds with you. A number of general budget principles... take you through those .... Payroll. Our budget for social security is 7.65%. Covered wages are 65.4. Medicare remains the same. IPERS... has changed, effective this month. The cap on covered wages has been removed by act of the This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 5 Legislature and the number of benefits have changed within that pension fund. Our cost in overall pension will go up a little bit .... The Police and Fire Pension... number of issues. Hold that thought. Throughout the budget, we budget 100% of. the cost for personnel. We then subtract 1.5%. So the actual budget is 98.5 and that is in keeping with our spending experience historically ..... We have a turnover of approximately 4% .... Employee contracts. We are in a second year of a three year agreement with AFSCME. Police and Fire and both negotiating contracts now which would begin in upcoming FY. We are in the second of a three year with our administrative employees which virtually mirrors the AISCME agreement .... Norton/Both Fire and Police- Arkins/They are two separate contracts .... Insurance costs, health in particular. We have seen our insurance cost with respect to our health insurance begin to settle down .... our employees are aging... turnover remains fairly low .... we are now projecting those expenses over the next couple years inflation adjusted only. So that is the 3-4%. Our reserve position with respect to our health insurance is sound. We are proposing in this budget ..... we are transferring to the GF $200,000 from that reserve account as a revenue to the GF ..... Baker/ Arkins/Page 15. The actual Health Insurance Reserve is shown on page 127 where you will see the transfer out. Page 29, GF Revenues, a line item for $200,000 for next three years. Kubby/ Atkins/We will project an increase in our cost of our health insurance at the rate of inflation... when you go to reserve position... take those numbers... take $200,000 a year as a revenue back to the GF... page 29, 127. Kubby/You said you could lower the rates but easier to put the money- Atkins/ ....Important thing I wanted to show you in the health cost is that it has begun to flatten out. We are not getting those big hits that we use to get. Norton/The Employees Benefit Levy, does that cover health insurance? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 6 Atkins/Yes, it does. Norton/ Atkins/We can lower that levy a tad bit because of that and it improves the GF position .... Norton/Are we required a certain amount of reserve? Atkins/All of these numbers are actuarially based. We decide on that. Norton/Is there any literature on the Employee Benefits Levy? Atkins/No. Kubby/And we don't use it for 100% of our benefits. Atkins/No, there is no limit on Employee Benefits Levy. Kubby/Instead of putting it back in the GF, why not take it from people in the first people? Atkins/This was easier way to show it. Felt it was an easier way to calculate the expenses. Kubby/Part of me says we need it to pay for our police. Norton/Or d.t. maintenance. Atkins/That would go into the GF anyway. Norton/It doesn't change their health coverage at all? Atkins / No. Norton/ Arkins/The coverage is not changed .... employees participation of $20 a month doesn't change. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 7 Norton/ Arkins/We are able to get that coverage at a lower rate based upon our experience. We are self funded. Atkins/Bottom line is the GF needs the money. Police and Fire Pension is shown on page 113 & 114 .... Norton/There is a litigation issue there, too. Atkins/I want to talk about that. Do you need any further background on that? We are drawing that down at the rate of about $500,000 per year. You will see those numbers under transfers. We had originally projected that we would use that fund up in about 7 - 10 years .... interest income has improved... stronger position... good for about another 7 years. Our position is better with respect to that reserve. The law limits what you can use it for. We have to use it for this purpose. There is a lawsuit pending .... police officers and fire fighters wanting those moneys to be returned to them personally. And the state has said that is your problem .... the state has evidently filed a motion trying to be removed from this lawsuit. The cities are going to try our best to keep them in there .... We are only playing by the rules have you created .... Remember Police and Fire Pension, all set by state law .... This simply improves our financial position where you do not have to ax in the Employee Benefits Levy for these moneys .... Kubby/In six years... whenever this pot runs out, we will need to make that up in General Fund moneys? Atkins/We can make it up in the Employee Benefits Levy .... Right now we are in real good shape. Norton/ Atkins/These reserves are the result of the state takeover in '91. We were sent a bill for our Police and Fire Pension exposure. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 8 Nov/We use to do it ourselves and now the state does it. Atkins/...they do it for us. We use to run the Police and Fire Pension .... We found our plan .... to be actuarially sound .... we had reserves .... Nov/The state said that there were cities that didn't manage their plans well and they were in the hole... Norton/ Atkins/Orange County was the matter of lousy investments .... Nov/There are various Iowa restrictions .... Atkins/Following the Iowa Trust scandal, we have become very very severely restrictive with respect to how we can invest our money .... Page 29, GF Revenues .... review .... We anticipate little to no change in state aid. The Police grant is anticipated to expire in year 2000 ..... Interest income, we have made some changes. Last year we budgeted $200,000. We are going to go back up to $450,000. We have consistently out performed out estimates .... We are still very comfortable with these numbers .... I keep reading the market is due for a major adjustment. Norton/It makes you nervous. Atkins/It does make you nervous .... I do think there is an adjustment coming. We did increase our income. There is no greater risk to our basic underlying philosophy of investments: safety, liquidity, yield. That is the way we make our investment decisions. We use those three factors .... Sara Sproule and Kevin O'Malley. They are the ones that are investing our money for us .... Misc. Revenue. Last year we budgeted $97,000. This year $487,000. This is, again, substantially the result of many years of budget experience. Kubby/What falls into that category? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 9 Atkins/True mist .... grant here, grant there. of the $487-, $400,000 is shown as a revenue based upon our own budget management performance at the end of the FY. Traditionally we end the year from all categories with about $500,000 better financial position than budget .... So I am suggesting to you let's show that as a revenue up front .....Our history has shown at the end of each FY, we were going to be in the position ....98.5% to 99% of budget ....experienced at something less than 100%. We are showing a $400,000 revenue .... Norton/Why wouldn't that just show up as a' carryover balance? Arkins/That is exactly what it is.. we are saying ....GF budget... no increases... showing it up front rather than on the other end? .....We are saying that we think it is a good idea to show this up front. Kubby/Where is that money coming from?. Arkins/That money comes from the police car... bids ..... Baker/How consistent? ..... for last two years you have always come in around $400,000? Arkins/We have never shown it as a revenue... closed the books on June 30, that is when we were able to pick up that number ..... Nov/You can start the new FY with a carryover balance? Arkins/... we are trying to show it to you up front as opposed to the other end. Norton/ Arkins/ Vanderhoef/How did you allow for it in the specific accounts? Atkins/Experience ..... This budget is almost 18 months before we are going to close out this document. Who knows what might happen. Kubby/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session Lehman/I think the term misc. revenue is perhaps a little misleading .... Norton/ Lehman/What it really is is not spending what we budgeted. Atkins/I am trying to show this thing to you up front .... ended the year in a very good cash position and we traditionally have taken that cash and put it right into our cash balances .... Nov/Taking it out of the cash balance and putting it into another spot. Atkins/And I am saying do it now as opposed to the end of the year when you balance your budget. I am recognizing this is going to happen ..... Bakeff Yucuis/The $400,000. We are showing expenses at 100%. Those will probably be lower. We are trying to be more realistic on our revenue end but we don't know where the money is going to come from .... Baker/For FY96 & 97 .... for those two years you consistently came in over that amount. Atkins/ ....we showed it as a year end balance. Baker/How long has that pattern been true? Atkins/5 - 6 years at least ..... Baker/How do you avoid the criticism that says you have been over taxing consistently? .... Atkins/Here is an example ..... p~e10 Kubby/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 11 Atkins/We just received our... example of something that can change dramatically in a short period of time ....we lost $7 million in taxable value which is $65,000 in revenue ..... Council/(All talking). Kubby/Different changes like that in different areas. Atkins/Remember... four years ago, the governor lined out... lost $150,000 in May .... It is a whole combination of factors ..... I am not uncomfortable with it. Norton/I have to go home and figure out how it relates to balances forward .... in some accounts. Atkins/If you look down in your cash balance position, page 35. There are also fluctuations in there. For example, the sale of the peninsula has a dramatic affect upon pushing up the cash balance. Then it drops back down again. Nov/I still don't quite understand what you are getting at ....now for FY98 you are showing a future cash balance. Atkins/We are not going to be adding anything to the cash balance in that particular year. I am telling you that at the end of FY98, June 30, 1998, if we didn't have this item in here, we would be at least $400,000 to the good that would go into the cash balance. But I am saying do it now .... Norton/How are those carryovers get utilized? .... Atkins/The cash balance, our working capital .... Norton/ ..... Atkins/ ....we had a flood, we wrote $1 million worth of checks... reimbursed later on... ten years ago, insurance premiums .... Norton/You still show $3 - 4 million over the shortfalls in your cash. You are well protected. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 12 Arkins/I think we are very well protected. Norton/Are we more than well protected? A lot of money seems to me sitting in reserves .... Vanderhoef/ Norton/On the other hand you have to spend some too .... we will come back. Kubby/ Norton/It is fine the way he has got it. Atkins/You don't have to decide it tonight. This is an overview. When it comes time, I just wanted you to know that at end the year, we do not spend our budget authority. What do you want to do with how that number is reflected? .... Baker/Do we have a formal policy that mandates a certain percentage as cash reserve? Atkins/No ..... credit rating ..... Moody's will comment on the fact that we may go into a particular budget year that expenses will exceed revenues .. they know full well that we will end the year with cash to carry over .... We maintain that cash in the neighborhood of 15 - 20% of expenditures .... Substantially it is credit related .... Baker/ Atkins/Remember, the further you get out, the guess .... I can't guarantee that. Kubby/Is there a percentage in which you or Don would start feeling uncomfortable? Atkins/Anything less that 15% I get nervous .... Norton/ Atkins/Under grants, $25,000. That is the grant from HUD. That is the money we would use to finance (page 29, last item)... use to finance the Human Rights Investigator. If you are going to amend the ordinance, you ought to be prepared to enforce it .... That we have sent it off waiting for them to approve our ordinance, so we can This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 13 investigate housing complaints ..... Human Rts. Investigator position should go to full time. HUD will begin providing a revenue for us to pay for that. Norton/ Atkins/... they will give you one time $200,000 .... I don't know how that number works .... I wanted to show you... Human Rts. Investigator is funded by ..... going to do housing complaints .... Norton/Will it be more than 1/2 time job? .... Atkins/I believe out case load... probably won't be reduced as fast... We have no experience in housing. Kubby/We are doing more mediation .... Arkins/There are a few gyrations with respect to how to fund that that I wanted you to be aware of. Baker/Right above that under Parking and Library, Parking Fines Transferred to GF .... have we always transferred about that much money out of Parking? Atkins/Yes ..... Baker/ Atkins/We have no rate increase. If we are going to build a ramp, we are going to have to talk about rate increase. These are fines. What we do is we take all of our bonded indebtedness and you have a certain cash position that you must satisfy. We satisfy that cash position, we look at our operating expenses... we estimate that about $400,000 will be transferred to the GF. Baker/Is that the total amount of parking fines? Arkins/I would have to look it up. Yucuis/If you look at Section 6 in the revenue there, third line item, page 29. There is another section of $5.00 fines which are city code violations for parking, fines that This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 14 stay in and comes directly into GF. Combine the two. In '96 there was $890,000 of fine revenue collected. Atkins/Under FY99... sale of land. Paid for the peninsula with cash reserves, $1.25 million, I am showing that coming back into the budget. Kubby/I always it was $1.3- What happened ......? Atkins/Why did we use $1.257 It was $1.3- You are right. Norton/$1.3 had been the number. Yucuis/I would have to go back and check. Arkins/We will confirm that. Nov/Maybe we are planning on the decrease in land values. Kubby/I have one other question about the $200,000 transferred from the Health Reserve .... projected as a consistent transfer in. So, I guess I am unclear, where is this money coming from? Who is giving us this money that is creating? Arkins/We pay the premiums into that account on behalf of the employees. We project that out actuarially. Nov/And the property tax payer is where the money comes from. Arkins/And it goes back into a property tax account. Norton/ Atkins/Coverage does not change. We are getting the same coverage at a lower increasing cost. Norton/The premium costs are not going up as fast as you projected. Atkins/We inflation adjusted them on our projections .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session Thomberry/You said our workforce is quite stable and older. An older workforce insurance is a little more expensive..i Atkins/... I think you find that we have wellness programs .... people... don't have as many babies... it just changes ....costs us less. It is the 30 year old that has five kids that · is... It is all factored in. Nov/This is the thing that in year 2002 it all changes. Atkins/I just think we can do it .... Thomberry/Do we continue to participate in insurance for retired city employees? Atkins/Federal law- p~e15 CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-2 SIDE 2 Atkins/COBRA law... Dale .... COBRA law requires that we have to offer it to the employee for 12 - 18 months after termination. Helling/At the employees cost. Atkins/... we figure in... we alw.ays figure in at least one catastrophic illness .... Norton/ Helling/For that 18 months they have to pay the premiums. Thornberry/It is not like the University where the university pays your insurance the rest of your life. Norton/They pay a chunk. Nov/A good size chunk. Atkins/Upon retirement, Medicare kicks in .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 16 Kubby/Looking at expenditures... they are more than our revenues. Plus it didn't account for the Human Rts.. 1/2 time person. That means we are running at a $664,000 deficit in the GF. Atkins/We anticipated, look historically .... balance purposes .... look at our spending patterns, they are going to be someone less that that. Kubby/Does the projected three year budget in terms of the GF anticipate things like big settlements? .... Atkins/Insurance related, $100,000 stop loss on that. Same on our health insurance, $50,000 per person. Yucuis/Per individual. Atkins/ .... Kubby/What about the accreditation expenses? Atkins/Yes, there is $11,400 in here for the cost of the accreditation and cost of a new police officer .... Kubby/I had a small list, page 30, GF expenditures. Any expenses associated with the library architect or expenses in doing the referendum? Atkins/No. The library architect came from the library budget... I do not recall any additional moneys for that. Kubby/And no projections for increased fire fighters or a new station? Atkins/No. You are going to be hearing about our new Fire Master Plan coming up .... Kubby/Airport. Is there any thought about using Airport Levy for the Master Plan expenses? .... Atkins/Airport Levy...make a note... there is a restriction of some kind. Norton/Some of that should be coming due in this plan. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 17 Atkins/Some reason why we wouldn't want to use that option...? Kubby/In the budget at some point we are going to have to spend $1 million .... Atkins/Yes, we are. Kubby/ Atkins/It is in the CIP. It is all CIP. Operationally, there are a couple of things at the airport .... Thomberry/What about this part time d.t. person? Atkins/That is an operational issue. I did not recommend that. Norton/ Atkins/I need another five minutes for summary .... I want you to take a look at page 37 & 38. Page 37, Debt Service. This is the payment of principle and interest in General Obligation (GO) debt. The important numbers to look at... debt as a percentage of the allowable debt margin. It is increasing but we are still well within... our ability to finance those .... The next page (page 38) is your 25% policy which has been here forever and again, you will note, that as a percentage of the total levy, while it : is increasing, it is still very very comfortable. A major public referendum, such as the library, would push you beyond that 25 ..... That 25% of the levy is yours .... Kubby/At what point will we go beyond the 25? ..... Atkins/After the year 2000. Remember, when we are selling debt, we are also retiring it along the way and I don't have the projections in front of me. Year 2000... remain at about 17 and then begin to dip the other direction... We have loaded up front ' three years... may see a little spike.. level off and drop back down. Norton/The Total Property Valuations on the lef~ hand column, page 37, I had trouble making them agree with the numbers back on page 24 .... Take FY98, I had $2,191- taxable assessed valuation and you had $2,193-.... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 18 Yucuis/The one number that is not shown on page 24 is the ag land .... We don't show on page 24. It is a separate levy .... You add that into your total .... Norton/Okay... One question... Not quite sure to me what is included .... Atkins/GF levies ....should be shown ....page 22 & 23. Norton/I see it back there. Atkins/Those are your available levies. Norton/For example, page 22, debt service whose $2,833- and ifI jump over to page 28, it shows $3,570- So I get confused about my matches .... Page 29...FY98 Employee Benefits .... Page 22 Employee Benefits is $2,966- Yucuis/Dee, the Property Tax Revenue which is on page 22 ..... will go directly into the Employee Benefits Fund which is shown on page 113. That is where you show the revenue coming in... Out of that fund we transfer moneys out of there into the GF and that will show as a Revenue Transfer Employee Benefits Fund. It is actually an expenditure out of the Employee Benefits Fund and a revenue into the GF. Atkins/These are all a matter of law. Norton/It is also a matter of learning. Atkins/That is the overview for general issues ..... Other thing to point out to you .... One item I did not put in the budget... I did not put any in for PCRB. Just kind of put that in the back of your mind. As that unfolds, we are going to have to deal with that issue ....We just simply couldn't arrive at a number ....You have a contingency account .... Kubby/In terms of accreditation process, you have that 18 month full time police officer? Atkins/It is 18 month to two years. Kubby/In the two different people I talked to... you didn't need to have a full time... why not take their experience? .... Why not do a half time? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 19 Atkins/We don't agree with him. R. J. position to me was... level of scrutiny... make sure it is done right... given the time and attention .... Nov/ Atkins/We show the position funded throughout the whole three year plan. Kubby/Are we doing this... position is going to continue atter the accreditation? Atkins/I am making that assumption .... Norton/ Atkins/This individual would be subject to reassignment then in the year '99 .....five years is just a review. Kubby/... they get a new officer just from that. Atkins/They are getting a new officer, Karen. That is correct. Kubby/ Atkins/I am kind of open to the highlights... Kubby/We are just talking tonight. We are not making any decisions, are we? Nov/That is what I understand. Atkins/ Baker/Page 15... half time investigator has been added... current investigator will be made full time. And the $25,000 will- Atkins/Will cover it, yes. Baker/The duties ....when did you expect that person to actually be doing the job full time? This represents only a reasonably accurate'transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 20 Atkins/From a budget perspective, until July 1. If you chose to fund it earlier, we can afford that .... Baker/We currently have a half time person in there ....assumption that that person would go to full time? Atklns/Yes... offered, yes. Baker/Is the workload of that position assumed to be full because we are taking up housing complaints? Atkins/You are expanding the activities with that ordinance amendment. Baker/First... assumption would be... Human Rts.. Office is somehow connected to the support staff for that commission. Atkins/Subject to opinion ...... When we talked it through.. staff... PCRB is an independent, free standing .... has its own staff person .... some office... Heather has volunteered to review the issues with respect to procedural things... actually doing the work .....We are not going to have them as a primary intake person ....I have understood .....PCRB... independence as much as we can make it do that. Baker/(Can't hear). Page 16 .... DARE vehicle... Can we have some future discussion about our participation in the DARE Program?... effectiveness of that program .... Atkins/That budget item has changed somewhat .... Community Motors .... may not have that expense. Baker/And under Investigation, CSO Officer... elaborate on that... Atkins/ .... the internal evidence control had been assigned to a uniform officer. We thought that was expensive. The control can be accomplished by CSO .... trained to do lab and film work .... Bad check... we spend a lot of time on bad check case... we think we can use CSO... tracking this kind of information down .... with a less costly individual. Baker/What is the net increase in police officers? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 21 Council/(All talking). AtkinsY Summary page, page 56... 2 CSO's and two patrol. Vanderhoef/ Arkins/Four positions. Baker/ ....two new police officers... actually having three ....because you are freeing up officers .... Atkins/ Vanderhoef/I am still confused on the number of these people... page 83 and talk about Community Service Officer... have got two that are shown in FY97 and two in FY98 and we are not showing two new ones. Arkins/That community service is the DARE Program and crime prevention .... Vanderhoef/So we are going to end up with four total positions .... Atkins/Two CSO's and two patrol, new. Four persons. Vanderhoef/Community service .... Atkins/Total of four? ..... Baker/ Arkins/CSO's, we have- Go down to page 81... (CSO) that goes from 3.00 to 4.00. Then go Criminal Investigation, 0 to 1.00. That is two. Kubby/Total of five. Nov/Page 56, says five new positions. Kubby/But there should only be two new CSO's. So something is amiss. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 22 Yucuis/ Kubby/There should be two news CSO's for a total of four but on page 81, under Personnel Services, it reflects four for FY98 plus one under Investigation for a total of five. So we have one floating CSO .... Double check and get back with us. Yucuis/On page 81, three CSO's currently in patrol, we are adding another one to make it four .... Helling/There are currently three. Atkins/Three now, we are going to go to five. Kubby/Differences between page 55 and 58 .... Page 55, Police Protection, it says 5.75 plus down below, Animal Control, .5. That is a total of 6.25. Atkins/Added one position during the course of the year .... Kubby/And that was grant money? Atkins/Yeah. This is a new total... change during the course of the year. Kubby/What was that one add on in the middle of the year? Atkins/Emergency Communications Dispatcher. Vanderhoef/ Atkins/ Kubby/There is a decrease in Planning, a half a person? Atkins/Some of these are reassignments ..... Kubby/Page 55. Yucuis/I believe that was Denny McKim .... we have moved that position to Engineering .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 23 Atkins/ .... Split that position .... Government buildings also went up ..... 33... cost assignment... Assigning Steve Roberts ..... Kubby/HIS, is that the development officer? .... Atkins/Yes ....Development Regulations Specialist. Kubby/Other decreases here .... Atkins/Mark them up and let me know .... associated with Public Works change. Vanderhoef/I was curious, page 56,.. wages, benefits .... funded positions... But we don't have them for all the new positions .....Page 56... all information about new people ....When I go back to page 55 ....look through new funded positions... class maintenance kinds ofthings...not finding salary and benefits for the newly funded personnel in the way of the Engineering .... Atkins/That is when the Traffic Engineering was reassigned ..... moving people around .... Vanderhoef/You still don't have them all listed. When we go to the grand total of the new positions, it doesn't balance out. Atkins/Grand total of new positions should be 5.5, new positions in the GF. Vanderhoef/Grand total is 9.63. Atkins/Have to go back, course of year you made amendments, those have to be added in .... If you would like, I will pull those two numbers and draw a chart for you. Vanderhoef/That would be real helpful, thank you. Kubby/Mid-year add ons and reassignments. Yucuis/Page 58 at the bottom... 5.25 and 4.38, that is your 9.63. That is your total changes from '97 to '98... includes changes we made in this FY ..... and then the new positions. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 Council Budget Session January 6, 1997 Kubby/This is helpful to me. Atkins/ Norton/Steve .... questions .... d.t. maintenance thing .... seems like a central issue .... listed as non-funded positions ..... Atkins/I try to list everything that was proposed .... Council/(All talking) ..... Atkins/When I prepare budget recommendations for you, what I try to do... create a target .... it is really up to you. I put in extra money for maintenance for temporary workers in CBD. We bought some new equipment .... Norton/...Are those the green machine, Steve? Arkins/No, they are not. Norton/... I like the green machine .... Atkins/These are matters of choice. I had the d.t. folks tell me we needed 20 new police officers .... I try to spread the thing to make sure it meets with most of the needs. Norton/I will be back to battle .... Arkins/I gave you some brochures .... Norton/Do we have any plans to acquire property? Talking about some industrial property? Arkins/I did not budget anything specifically for land acquisition .... not for industrial purposes...depends on what you are planning to do... ability to sell debt up to $700,000 that would not require referendum. page 24 Norton/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 25 Arkins/That is small enough .... could be fitted in .... a lot of ways we can finance the thing... matter of just deciding... If you sell the peninsula land ....A lot of these things... opportunity came today ....cash position ....pay cash .....We could also sell a note .... permanent financing in place at some time .... If that is a priority and you wanted to flag that, I would say under C1P you should put an item, land acquisition, Industrial Development, and actually say .... Norton/It would seem to me to be sensible .... Baker/When is the appropriate time if four people on council want to put in that maintenance worker? Arkins/You said tonight you didn't want to decide... tonight ....conversation... next budget meeting is coming up fairly short term ..... Kubby/... put them down on paper by a certain date .... Arkins/...make a list of items .... Norton/I thought that was helpful last year ....submit a wish list about the budget ..... Thornberry/How is it that we need more people in Finance than we do for Streets? Yueuis/Finance covers Accounting, Treasury, Document Services, Purchasing, and Finance. Thornberry/And there are a lot of streets. Arkins/Point being? Thomberry/Engineering, we have got 11 people in Engineering. How many engineers are there for the city of Cedar Rapids, for example? Arkins/I can find that out for you. Thornberry/Or Des Moines. I have been told that we have more engineers- Atkins/That is nonsense, no we don't. I will have to get numbers for you ..... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 26 Kubby/Our number in Engineering will be up from last year because of our reconfiguration... Atkins/It all has a great deal to do with the amount of projects .... Dean, there are cities that will say I have only got two engineers and they have consulting bills that are- Kubby/ Thomberry/ Atkins/They do .... You will find that engineers are assigned to departments all throughout. We don't do that. We focus it all on one organization. Thomberry/When is that Water Plant going to start taking shape? Arkins/It is taking shape now .....lines, pipes .... Thornberry/I want to see something above ground. Vanderhoef/We do charge backs for engineering services .... that is what needs to be real clear ..... Atkins/We assign them all in one spot .... we charge against that time ..... We have a centralized engineering function. I think a great deal of Rick Fosse... lot of strength in managing a whole variety of projects ....Take advantage of it. I will get some numbers. Thornberry/There is an additional person for ICCOG. Atkins/That is the planner, engineer, traffic... added a position there and dropped two somewhere else in Streets... he is a planner but he has traffic engineering experience. Just started today. Thomberry/I am not crazy about increasing total number of people. Baker/Planners went down. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session Norton/Steve, do we know how JCCOG funding is shared? Yucuis/We will give you a chart. Atkins/It shows the cost per jurisdiction. Norton/You have funds in for Comp Plan studies .... didn't seem like a very lot of money for several substantial money you had in mind. Atkins/That was Karin's recommendation ..... That is the number she developed... only can do so many a year... Norton/Four different categories .... Kubby/ Atkins/Consult services ..... you are going to have to pick some. Karin is involved right now in the DT Strategy .... Urban renewal parcel, we received the proposals from . architects today .... Peninsula.. hasn't done much work on that and South Riverside Drive, staff is working on an area plan for that ..... Norton/... Can you tell us... about Tort Liability Tax ..... Atkins/You have to approve it. The state law allows you to levy Tort Liability which is your insurance cost in an unlimited amount and we have not used that in the past, paying it out of the GF .....You have to be at the 8.10 before you can use the Employee Benefits Levy ....Anything in that Tort Liability Reserve right now is cash. Once you begin levying Tort Liability, it becomes earmarked specifically for that and you cannot use it for anything other than that .....greater budget flexibility .... Norton/ ....figure out how to cover those police officers .... Atkins/I went back to my old notes on that .... Emergency Services Levy... Tort Liability was discussed .... budget in 2000, may have improvement in assessed values... page 27 Norton/Just looking ahead .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 28 Atkins/It is out there... needs to be flagged ..... Norton/Transit thing ....There is some suggestion here... cut rate passes... lost money... volume is up .... Atkins/We wanted to flag that item... public budget .... Kubby/For the semester pass .... had only one semester ....As it becomes self advertised ..... Norton/Volume factor should improve. Thornberry/We cut back in times but still added on a position. Atkins/That position, Dean, was the body mechanic we transferred over... reassigned .... body mechanic and sign maker. Vanderhoef/With this budget and no new drivers .... eliminated overtime? Atkins/That fixed overtime figure ....is gone. Vanderhoef/ Kubby/ Atkins/We were able to accommodate all of those changes ..... Vanderhoef/ Atkins/It is understood that local tax moneys will increase to support transit during this three year budget ..... still going to cost us more. Kubby/I thought the Transit operating funds... still projecting it to go to zero... federal operating subsidies .... You have it going down to $48,000. Atkins/...We bumped it back up on what new information we had .... That fight is not over with yet ..... Vanderhoef/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session page 29 Atkins/And we are improving our new positions... five new buses... We ought to be in real good shape for out rolling stock .... Kubby/One thing that still makes me nervous... zeroing out the Transit Reserve Fund and continuing to have zero in the Fire Reserve Fund. Sooner or later it is going to come back... going to have to bond it our .... I want to find some way... Kubby/I will ponder on that .... Atkins/By paying for... also charge it against the Debt Service Levy and not- Council/(All talking) ..... Thornberry/So if we backed off.Human Services Funding a little bit. CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-3 SIDE 1 Norton/That some of the funding in the BTC. I will do that privately with Dale. I am still a little trying to get a handle on the money coming in ....where they are going. Wasn't there a $200,000 one time payment? Atkins/Yes. If we can invest it, we invest it... Norton/I am interested in it, okay. Atkins/That is all my presentation... up to you what you want to do next. Nov/I would like us all to go home and make a list on what is missing that we would like to put in... what is here that we would like to take out. Then we are going to do this again two weeks from now? Karr/It will be the 21st. Martin Luther King Day on Monday. 21st from 4:00 to 6:00. Nov/ ....If we can get our notes in order in writing the Friday before. Kubby/The 17th. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697 January 6, 1997 Council Budget Session Atkins/The sooner you can give them to me, particularly if I need to research. Nov/I would think the 17th ..... Arkins/ ....if you think you need a little research, the sooner the better. Norton/Submit it to Lisa? Karr/The 17th is a Friday. If we could go the 16th, Thursday, or Wednesday the 15th. It would give staff a time to look at it. Norton/15th is a nice round number. Nov/15th .... Wednesday/The 15th. Arkins/What is the holiday? Karr/20th, Monday. Norton/So notes by the 15th. To whom? Atkins/I will summarize them for you ....I will put out a list for you. Norton/It is nice to see who is pushing what... Nov/Re-circulate, then summarize your- Norton/You may want to summarize them for yourself. Atkineff Okay, thank you. page 30 Adjourned: 8:45 PM This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of January 6, 1997. WS010697