Minutes - Council Work Session - 11/24/2015

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Councilmember Kuzma stated that Ramsey is still a growing city and is not fully developed, which means that growth continues to occur. He stated that the code enforcement will be an important factor, as it will allow the City to provide a continued level of service during this time of growth. He stated that the maintenance worker is also an important position because those services are noticed by residents. He stated that the drug task force position will also assist in making the City safe and will provide more access and resources through the drug task force. He stated that he would therefore be supporting the addition of these three positions. Finance Director Lund clarified that the impact to the taxpayer would be per year, $3, $6 and $6 per year for each position. City Administrator Ulrich stated that staff prioritizes the added positions as follows, the code enforcement position, the public works position, and then the drug task force position as well. Mayor Strommen stated that the drug task force position is also tied to image as problems in that area can spread and become public quickly. She stated that each of the positions has valid reasons but referenced the jump in the future budget jumps going into 2017 and 2018. She stated that. the Council recognized that there would be difficulties ahead with the road debt. She noted that she struggled the most with the code enforcement position, as the position handles three types of duties, and asked if that would be the best use of community development staff for future growth. She wanted to ensure that the best investments for staff are made, as the future years will be tough in terms of budgeting. Councilmember Riley stated that by accepting a larger budget this year, the City will be dooming itself for the next five years. He stated that the City has the ability to hold the line this year, which will make things easier in the future years. Councilmember Shryock stated that she understands that the base value to the residents, $16 for three positions is not bad, but also understands the impact that the decisions will have on future budgets. She stated that if these positions are added now, that will have an effect on the services that can be provided in the future years when the budget becomes tighter. Councilmember Kuzma stated that when there was a discussion regarding whether a franchise fee would be used or the debt would be tied to the levy, there was a decision that the roads would need to be paid for and the franchise fee would not be used. He stated that hopefully, the new Armstrong bridge would bring in additional business interest and land sales as well as a possible business park. He noted that having a safe community that functions well will continue to draw in families and residents. Councilmember Shryock referenced the code enforcement tasks that would be handled by the new position and asked how much of that work is currently being handled by outside consultants, as that could have a positive impact on the budget. Community Development Director Gladhill explained how interns are currently used to handle some of the code enforcement duties, noting that half of the time the intern is with the City is City Council Work Session / November 24, 2015 Page 3 of 7