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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-10-07 Council MinutesDocument 5.b October 23, 2003 Agenda Prepared By: Sue Vergin, Administrator CITY OF CORCORAN COUNCIL WORKSHOP OCTOBER 7, 2003 H:\City Hall Information\CITY GOVERNMENT\Council, Commissions & Committees\Council Information\Council Minutes\Previous Years\2003 - Need to PDF\10.07.03 Budget Workshop.doc Acting Mayor Gageby opened the workshop at 6:00 p.m., on October 7, 2003, at City Hall in Corcoran, MN. The purpose of the workshop was to address the City’s 2004 preliminary budget. Present were Councilors Bucher, Gageby, Lymangood, and Thomas, and City Administrator Vergin. Mayor Guenthner was excused absent. It was the consensus of the group to alter the time line for the budget workshops moving the Public Works and Parks Department to October 21, and combine the Police and CEO departments on November 10. This will allow staff more time to prepare for the Truth in Taxation Hearing on December 1. Discussed the proposed additional administrative assistance staff position. Suggestions were made to consider contracted staff for specific projects, such as updating the building rights map; perhaps look into utilizing interns for various projects; option of part time versus full time employees; and seek additional volunteers. Identified tasks that are currently handled in the Administration office for the Police department; tasks related to Fire Arms Safety and Snowmobile Safety Training, as well as other secretarial tasks as needed. Brief discussion was held on the training programs, requested that these be addressed when reviewing the police department budget. Administrator Vergin was requested to recalculate the proposed position by reducing it by 50% without benefits. Councilor Lymangood suggested that perhaps the City look at altering office hours to 8:00 to 2:00, consistent with the police department. This would allow staff an additional 10 hours of work time uninterrupted as they would continue to work until 4 p.m. Suggested that a different phone system or programming of phones be looked into, so that councilors can have direct access to individual staff members, specifically the administrator. General consensus is that the City should look at identifying ways of being more efficient with out the need to add staff. It was noted that the City will need to look at staffing when sewer and/or water become available as there will be utility billing and maintenance to the infrastructure. Requested that the following adjustments be made to the line item budget: • Training Budget be increased from $500 to $5,000. • Legal Fees be increased from $48,000 to $50,000. • Volunteer Awards be renamed to Volunteer Recognition. Administrator Vergin provided a report on cost comparisons for items outlined in the CIP for Capital Equipment Certificates. Copier – three quotes had been compared along with existing costs for copying and having items printed. It was recommended to go with the Toshiba from Minnesota Copy Systems for a cost of $9,984 plus the service program at $0.135 per copy. Called to Order Roll Call Time Line Adjusted Staffing Office Hours Telephone Systems Efficiency / Future Needs Line Item Adjustments Capital Improvement Plan Copier Document 5.b October 23, 2003 Agenda Prepared By: Sue Vergin, Administrator CITY OF CORCORAN COUNCIL WORKSHOP OCTOBER 7, 2003 H:\City Hall Information\CITY GOVERNMENT\Council, Commissions & Committees\Council Information\Council Minutes\Previous Years\2003 - Need to PDF\10.07.03 Budget Workshop.doc LAN Server and Hub – this was a project left over from 2002. This was delayed as it had been recommended that the City look at the Windows 2003 Server. Now that it is available staff has resumed this project and anticipate it being in place by year end. Cost estimate is holding at $11,000. Floor Scrubber – the lowest quote was at $4,682.80 with 2 year labor and 3 year parts warranty. This will save time and improve on floor maintenance. File Cabinets – staff has proposed 4 fire proof files to store records we are required to maintain permanently; 2 lateral files for address files; and 1 lateral file for planning material in conference room. It is estimated that this would meet the storage and filing needs of the city for the next 3 to 4 years. Quotes estimated costs to be a total of $9,600.62. It was suggested that staff look at used file cabinets. Hardware and Software – this is an ongoing budget to update and replace existing equipment on an as needed basis. GIS – this is still an estimate with no specific electronic equipment identified. Noted that the City should coordinate this with engineering and planning to be sure the software is compatible. Agreed that this is not an immediate need and that should look at in 2005, rather then in 2004. Addressed the creation of a wish list for donations. It was suggested that the various departments and council members identify items that they feel would be appropriate and then a master list can be prepared. Reviewed the Capital & General Expenditures and the Internal Control Procedures policies. Some minor wording changes were recommended. Administrator Vergin noted that she is still working on the Reserve Fund Policy. It will identify that the City will work toward creating and maintaining a 40% level of reserves. A policy to address surface water issues needs to be done. A workshop will be scheduled to address this further as to what the city’s role will be and where revenues will come from to deal with the issues. Along with that we need to identify policies relating to maintenance and replacement of culverts. On-site septic and private well policies will also need to be addressed to deal with interim problems where public utilities are not yet available but are scheduled to be in the near future. MOTION by Lymangood, seconded by Thomas and approved unanimously to adjourn, 7:45 p.m. _____________________________ Susan Vergin, City Administrator LAN Server and Hub Floor Scrubber File Cabinets Hardware and Software GIS Wish List / Donations Policies Adjournment