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Councilmember Strommen noted a long -term goal of the Council is to build tax base and <br />economic development; however, staff is needed to successfully accomplish that goal. She <br />indicated she is nervous about the message being sent to the development community if the City <br />loses two economic development staff positions and does not replace them. <br />Councilmember McGlone stated he does not think economic development is that important and <br />stated he would be willing to cut the golf tournament events. He stated the Council got elected <br />to do hard stuff no one else wanted to do and he did not think budget reductions of $500,000 was <br />enough In addition, there is now $1.5 million debt service on this building and the Council <br />needs to decide how to pay it, which is a burden on all. Councilmember McGlone noted prior <br />Councils did not put away $3 million a year for roads. He stated the problem with snow plowing <br />is not that the trucks broke down but that contract plowers were not used to doing the work. He <br />indicated he was a proponent of franchise fees but now has thought more about it. As a resident, <br />he always asks what the City is doing with his money. Councilmember McGlone stated he has <br />no problem with fixing roads as part of his tax burden and the Council needs to come up with <br />some kind of target for staff to work towards. <br />Councilmember Strommen clarified that past Councils had a plan for the Town Center but <br />unfortunately, it did not pan out as planned. She noted making budget cuts is easy when <br />compared to assuring the reductions are sustainable and not burdening future Councils by <br />making rash decisions that are not sustainable. This is why she wants to make sure residents and <br />staff can live with the cuts being considered. <br />Councilmember Tossey suggested budget cuts can be made in stages if the end goal is <br />determined and future Councils have the ability to determine whether it is working and, if not, <br />make adjustments. He noted the original plan in December 2011 was to have a franchise fee <br />without budget cuts but now the Council is talking about whether to have cuts with or without <br />franchise fees. Councilmember Tossey stated he wants to strive toward efficiency and believed <br />the Council was heading down the right path. He shared Councilmember Strommen's concerns <br />about the impact of cutting two economic development positions; however, staff's plan does <br />strive for efficiency and overall he is comfortable with it. <br />Councilmember Backous agreed with an approach to trust the City Administrator. He asked <br />about the financial analysis used by staff. <br />City Administrator Ulrich explained the administrative intern would be a management analysis <br />and project manager to conduct research across the organization, work on efficiency measures, <br />the customer response program, and reporting directly to him. This position would do a lot of <br />the "leg work" on economic development projects, and work directly with the City Administrator <br />and consultants. <br />Councilmember Backous asked about the level of pay. <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated it would be an entry level professional position with no <br />supervisory responsibilities. <br />City Council Work Session / March 20, 2012 <br />Page 6 of 12 <br />