Laserfiche WebLink
<br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that he doesn't think the 167th Avenue project has had final <br />approval. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig stated that he feels the City exposes ourselves to criticism if it approves <br />projects knowing that is how the City is going to fund our budget. <br /> <br />Mayor Ramsey stated, in his opinion, this is pretty "Mickey Mouse" and asked ifit was a valid <br />concern. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that it is a concern. <br /> <br />Councilmember Wise stated that this is why he feels the City needs to take a look at wider cuts <br />to give us more wiggle room on some of these issues. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that property values are going down and yet taxes will go up <br />which concerns him. He stated that he doesn't have an appetite for raising taxes either. He <br />stated that he doesn't want to micromanage to see where those are and this is what City <br />Administrator Ulrich is paid for. He stated that he feels you need to be careful about being an <br />outsider and trying to figure out what cuts are better than others. <br /> <br />) <br />Councilmember McGlone stated that he found an organization chart on the City web site and to <br />think that the Council can't give our opinions to City Administrator Ulrich doesn't make sense. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated that he wants to comment on Councilmember Jeffrey's statement <br />about the media in relation to a hiring freeze, which he feels is a distraction type argument. He <br />stated that the seven Councilmembers are responsible for hiring and firing and he feels the <br />Council needs to send a strong message to staff that the reality is that they should not come with <br />requests or justification for personnel. He stated that the City needs to take this strong position <br />because 70% of our budget is related to staff. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jeffrey stated that because the Council has a vote on all hiring and firing <br />decisions he doesn't think there needs to be a hard freeze in place. He noted that everyone voted <br />at the last meeting to hire the part time maintenance person. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that he appreciates the Council's perspective and he can bring <br />back information to the Council to meet their suggested targets. He stated that for 2009, areas <br />that were mentioned where activities were down are what they will take a look at and "right size" <br />the staff to meet current demand for activity. He stated that he will bring back that analysis to <br />the Council. He stated that there will also be a possible revenue reduction in building permits. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look asked the amount of the taxes owed by the bank. <br /> <br />Finance Officer Lund stated that she thinks it is about $1.3 million. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session I February 3, 2009 <br />Page 7 of 15 <br />