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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-13-00CITY OF LAKEVILLE SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 13, 2000 Mayor Zaun called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Roll call was taken. Present: Council Members Johnson, Sindt, Mulvihill, Luick and Mayor Zaun. Also present: B. Erickson, City Administrator; A. Grussing, Community & Economic Development Director; D. Feller, Finance Director; S. Michaud, Parks & Recreation Director; D. Martens, Police Chief; D. Volk, Director of Operations & Maintenance; B. Kempa, Senior Accountant; B. Visnovec, Director of Liquor Operations; J. Hawkins, Deputy Clerk. Mayor Zaun stated that the purpose of this special meeting is to receive the preliminary budget for 2001/2002, per state statute requirements and to set Truth in Taxation public hearing dates. City Administrator Bob Erickson presented the City of Lakeville proposed 2001/2002 ,budget. (See attached budget message dated • September 8, 2000) Mr. Erickson highlighted various aspects of the budget and stated that with the lifting of the levy limits, the City Council is being given the opportunity to eliminate special assessments for seal coating, but to instead continue this pavement management program with the use of ad valorem taxes. Following his presentation, Mr. Erickson thanked the Finance Department, especially Senior Accountants Brian Kempa and David Lang for their hard work in the preparation of this budget. As a special thanks to the City Council this budget is dedicated to Mayor Zaun and Council Member Sindt, who have reviewed budgets for 26 and 20 years, respectively. Finance Director Dennis Feller then provided a detailed overview of the proposed 2000/2001 budget via video. (See attached written narrative of Mr. Feller's presentation.) Mayor Zaun asked Mr. Feller why it is more viable to use ad valorem taxes for seal coating rather than special assessments. Mr. Feller stated that property owners realize a savings since the payment is tax deductible on their income tax returns, whereas a special assessment is not deductible. In addition, by eliminating special assessments, the rproperty owners would not have to pay for administrative costs such • 4y City of Lakeville Special Council Meeting September 13, 2000 Page -2- as legal notices, postage and the County's special assessment fee. Following the adoption of the preliminary budget, the proposed tax levy can be reduced, but not increased. 00.151 Motion was made by Johnson, seconded by Mulvihill to approve the following preliminary budget resolutions: ■ Resolution No. 00-205 adopting the preliminary 2000 General Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-206 adopting the preliminary 2000 Cable TV Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-207 adopting the preliminary 2000 Environmental Resolution No. 00-205 adopting the preliminary 2000 Recycling Fund Budget. • Resolution No. 00-208 adopting the preliminary 2000 Drug Enforcement Fund Bud et g ■ Resolution No. 00-209 adopting the preliminary 2000 Employee Benefit Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-210 adopting the preliminary 2000 GIS Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-211 adopting the preliminary 2000 Surface Water Management utility Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-212 adopting the preliminary 2000 Oak Wilt Suppression Grant Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-213 adopting the preliminary 2000 E-911 Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-214 adopting the preliminary 2000 Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-215 adopting the preliminary 2000 Downtown Special Service District Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-216 adopting the preliminary 2000 Municipal Reserves Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-217 adopting the preliminary 2000 Equipment Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-218 adopting the preliminary 2000 Building Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-219 adopting the preliminary 2000 Park Development Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-220 adopting the preliminary 2000 Liquor Fund Budget. • 40 City of Lakeville Special Council Meeting September 13, 2000 Page -3- ■ Resolution No. 00-221 adopting the preliminary 2000 Water Operating Fund Budget. ■ Resolution No. 00-222 adopting the preliminary 2000 Sanitary Sewer Operating Fund Budget. Roll call was taken on the motion: Ayes: Zaun, Sindt, Mulvihill, Luick, Johnson 00.152 Motion was made by Luick, seconded by Johnson to approve Resolution No. 00-223 to approve the preliminary 2001 tax levy, including the seal coat cost, in the amount of $7,901,847. Roll call was taken on the motion: Ayes: Sindt, Mulvihill, Luick, Johnson, Zaun 00.153 Motion was made by Mulvihill, seconded by Sindt to approve Resolution No. 00-224 setting the budget (Truth in Taxation) public hearing date of December 11, 2000. Subsequent meetings will be determined at an upcoming work session. Roll call was taken on the motion: Ayes: Mulvihill, Luick, Johnson, Zaun, Sindt City Administrator Bob Erickson suggested that City Council members look at their calendars to determine available dates for a work session, which will be set at the City Council meeting of September 18, 2000. Mayor Zaun adjourned the meeting at 6:40 PM. Respectfully submitted, J d' h R. Hawkins, Deputy Clerk • BUDGET MESSAGE TO: Mayor Duane Zaun Council Member Bob Johnson Council Member David Luick Council Member Lynette Mulvihill Council Member Betty Sindt FROM: RobertA. Erickson, City Administrator DATE: September S, 2000 The proposed 2001-2002 budget was prepared to ensure that the service delivery expectations of residents and businesses are achieved in order to maintain the excellent quality of life the community enjoys, despite inequitable distribution of local government aids by the State Legislature. We are pleased to recommend a budget that should enable Lakeville—for the ninth straight year—to have the lowest tax capacity rate of any City over 5,000 population in Dakota County. The predictability of Lakeville's tax levy is due primarily to taking a multi-year perspective in planning and budgeting resources, utilizing the Capital Improvement Plan for 2000-2004 and the Report and Recommendations of the 1998 Strategic Growth Management Task Force, along with the vision and goals developed by the City Council at its annual retreat. In addition, Moody's Investors Services issued a bond rating upgrade from A3 to A2. As an integral part of the rating, Moody's cited the City's • Sound financial position evidenced by historically ample reserves. • Favorable location near Twin Cities experiencing rapid growth, land available for further development. • High debt burden primarily due to overlapping school districts. Moody's is the preeminent municipal credit rating agency in the U.S., and its statement that the City is expected to maintain its sound financial position is based in large part on the success of our annual budget preparation, deliberation and implementation. Consistent with Moody's statements, the City continues to maintain a strong tax base as the result of continued commercial/industrial development, the increasing value of new residential housing, and the continued strength of real estate market valuations. Even though the net tax levy is proposed to increase 20.8% o, the estimated net tax capacity value (tax base) increased 17.5%, which results in an approximate 3.1 % increase in the tax capacity rate (which is below the equivalent of implicit price indicators—the inflation index for government, 4.1 %). This is achievable despite the fact that the Legislature's allocation of state aids for property tax relief clearly continues to favor older out -state and core cities, ignoring the basic service needs of growth cities. As a result, 3.4% o of the increase in the City's share of property taxes ($221,219) is directly attributable to the Legislature's long-standing inequitable allocation of state aids for property tax relief. The $221,219 lack of state aid is equivalent to $17 per Lakeville household. The 3.1 % increase in the tax capacity rate allows for the elimination of special assessments for sealcoating. This is made possible in part due to the removal of levy limits. Lakeville residents have expressed a strong desire to see this additional charge eliminated. WA The preliminary budget addresses: • Rising energy costs for gasoline and natural gas 40% city-wide. HVAC system retrofits. • Zip code consolidation effort,part of our Comprehensive Communications Plan. Q Received notification from the MN American Planning Association that our entry, _titled "Communications Strategy for the Comprehensive Plan, was an award winner in the Public Education category. • Ongoing implementation of the 2000 Economic Development Strategic Plan • Mobile data computers for police officers 0 Mobile data terminals are just that—terminals. They receive and transmit information; they cannot process or compute. They can send a text message to another user on the system. Mobile data computers (ADC's) are police jargon for a laptop computer that has been strapped into a squad car As a computer, it can process and analyze information, not just relay it. It has the capacity of word iprocessing, database management, electronic messaging, internet access, receiving and sending digital photos and, in the future, the electronic transmission of fingerprints directly to the FBI. It can send a text message to anyone.with an open architecture system. The transmission of data, in "clustered data packets " occurs at speeds hundreds of times faster than MDT& Finally, the MDC 's will interface with the CAD system, allowing information received by dispatch and/or reception to go directly to the squads and also to populate the reports with the same information. The time needed for a DWI arrest, with 14+ separate reports that now take two hours to complete, should be cut in half. 0 COPS grant for technology, $110,000. J' D.A.R.E. program, District 194. Interim funding. 0 The Lakeville Police Department has the highest clearance rate for part I and II crimes (serious personal and property crimes such as assault, robbery, theft, etc) for the seventh consecutive year. • -3- • Architectural design study for Fire Station 4; additional personnel (1 S new volunteers in 2001, 10 in 2002) and equipment for Fire Station 4 (replace 1979 van) Q City has set aside landadjacentto the Water Treatment Facility. • ALF Ambulance, addition of third unit • Recycling—adding electronics disposal program ❑ Included as part of the annual Earth Day/Community Cleanup Day, with collection of electronics and household hazardous waste along with roadside cleanup. Collecting household electronics will remove lead from waste stream. • Feasibility, study for anew Public Works facility ❑ We recommend proceeding with the study in lieu of making interior and exterior repairs with an estimate cost of $150,000. The Street Dept. building, constructed in 1973, is valued at $1.1-$1.5 million. The Park Maintenance building, constructed in 1976, is valued at $750,000 to $1.1 million. Operating efficiencies would be realized by combining the two departments • under one roof. Sale of the existing buildings to private business will put them back on the tax rolls. We need to find a site location for this specialized operation, which includes outdoor storage. • Snowplow equipment policy implementation QA comparative analysis and plan for snowplowing equipment, prepared by Don Volk and Neil Normandin, identifies alternatives through 2006-2007. • Park design/acquisition/development Q Lake Valla and Valley Lake Park • Arts Center, grand opening summer 2001 ClNon profit corporation. • Continuation of aggressive lake, stream and trout stream management programs • Water Treatment Facility expansion and addition of two wells • Closure of Liquor Store 2 • 10 • Remodeling/expansion of City Hall ❑ Specialprojects- 0 Parking lot at Orchard Lake Park Q Wetland grant Metropolitan Council grant of $20,000 will be applied to estimated cost of $90,000 for a Wetland Management Plan, which includes a wetland inventory for each wetland in the City. Balance will be funded by the Storm Sewer Fund. ❑ Transportation projects—Dakota County CIP, 2001-2005; TIF ❑ Technology --Meals on Wheels program • Addition of five new positions Community Public Safety Officer Development/Design Engineer Street Maintenance II Utility Maintenance II Arts Center Secretary/Receptionist (part time) In 2001, the City of Lakeville will have 3.4 employees per thousand population, which is based on 152.4 FTE/44,632 population. This ratio ranks among the lowest in the state. The budget as presented does not increase charges for water, sanitary sewer or surface water management in 2001. Incidentally, Lakeville has the lowest water rates in Dakota County for any City that provides treated water. Recent increases in electricity rates will require a 4.6% increase in street light charges to residential customers, from $4.90/quarter to $5.05/quarter. Street light rates were previously increased in February 1999. The final budget recommendations were reviewed with each department director and/or supervisor. We are providing you with a copy of the questions and answers, along with the adjustments addressed during the budget review process. Also included are 37 attachments that lend support to many of the complex issues that surfaced during this extensive critique. In closing, Dennis Feller and I want to thank SeniorAccountants Brian Kempa and David Lang for their in-depth analysis of each departmental budget. -5- Dedication The 2001-2002 budget is dedicated to Mayor Zaun and Council Member Sindt in recognition of their long-standing (Mayor Zaun, 26 years; Council Member Sindt, 20 years) commitment to the fiscal well-being of the Lakeville community. Mayor Zaun's demonstrated comparative analysis of fiscal factors and Council Member Sindt's establishment of the two-year budget process (1988) have significantly aided in addressing intermediate and long range issues. WE