Minutes - Council Work Session - 03/22/2016

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Councilmember Shryock stated that she likes to see what is spent in the different accounts and therefore likes to see the separate accounts. She recognized that the trust fund cannot be used for maintenance and therefore believed that it is good to have the maintenance fund as well. She asked for additional information regarding the mention of $500,000 for a minimum fund balance. Finance Director Lund commented that the $500,000 was mentioned as a starting point based on the discussion last May, as $300,000 did not seem sufficient. Acting Mayor LeTourneau reviewed the three discussion points Ms. Lund needed direction on. Finance Director Lund stated that the general fund is the only mechanism for maintenance for City Hall as it stands today. Councilmember Kuzma stated that he would support pooling the maintenance funds to fund the maintenance needs for all maintenance issues including City Hall and the parks. Councilmember Shryock stated that having one fund would be easy in overall terms but asked if it would become more difficult to break down where funds have been, or could be, spent between the departments. Finance Director Lund stated that because these funds are unbudgeted, requests would need to come before the City Council before they would be able to be spent. City Administrator Ulrich stated that if the funds are placed in a fund with the other maintenance needs that may place maintenance needs in competition with each other. He noted that it would provide a broader view of the expenditures that need to occur. Councilmember Kuzma stated that he believed that having one joint fund would allow the City to deal with the most immediate maintenance need first, versus having the funds locked in for a specific park need. Councilmember Shryock stated that she would support a joint maintenance fund. She asked and received a confirmation that if a resident made a donation for use in the parks, that contribution would be applied to the park trust fund. Councilmember Williams stated that there will be maintenance items that arise outside of the general fund and therefore a joint maintenance fund would be beneficial. She stated that if this fund is meant to fund the maintenance of the trails long-term, that would require more than $500,000 as a cap for the fund balance. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood identified the lifespan of different park maintenance aspects. He noted that his concern with a joint maintenance fund would be that it could become a run to the bottom for funding requests. City Council Work Session / March 22, 2016 Page 3 of 6