Agenda - Council Work Session - 10/07/2003

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Topic Report: Park Development and Maintenance Fees By: James E. Norman, City Administrator Background: The City Council discussed the relationship between park development and maintenance of parks during a work session topic on July 29, 2003. The discussion was generated from a June I 0 joint session with the Park and Recreation Commission. The point raised during the June 10 meeting was in regard to concerns over the availability of operationally resources to maintain the new improvements of parks. While the City has a great deal of options available, most of the directions raise concerns over the issue of how to best finance the improvements and on-going maintenance costs. During the Council work session of July 29, it was suggested by Councilmember Kurak that either a percentage of the park dedication fee could be dedicated for park maintenance or that an additional park maintenance fee be added to the park dedication fee. There were different opinions offered by different Councilmembers and the direction was for the item to be studied further by both the Finance Committee and the Park and Recreation Commission. Cji), staff reported in the August 22 edition of the ~4:eekly Ujodate that Finance Officer Lund had recently discussed park maintenance fees with the City of Prior Lake. The Prior Lake legal comisel hadgadvised staff against their proposed park maintenance fee because park maintenance i's an operating cost funded through the property tax and could be interpreted as an improper extraction from the developers to get maintenance costs fi'om the front end of development. The City of Prior Lake further explained that it is their opinio~ that the development community .(Builder's Association) may push legislation or additional litigation to challenge such proposed fees. Staff has asked that the item be placed back on the topic list for work session discussion. Action Statement: Based u~on Council discussion. CCWS: 10/07/03