Agenda - Council - 09/12/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Strommen agreed that is a good point but believed that something else could be done to handle that work. She noted that she does not put that in the same category as a senior planner or engineering assistant. Councilmember Shryock stated that the housing market is going crazy right now as homes are currently selling for $40,000 more than they were nine months ago and therefore she was nervous that property taxes would increase. Community Development Director Gladhill agreed that the market is not going to keep growing at this rate forever. He stated that planning still uses consulting services and therefore that can be pulled back at any time. He noted that if the market does crash, he is willing to make those tough decisions. Councilmember Shryock recognized that there is value gained by adding a senior planner but asked how much the average resident is benefiting from that service. She asked if it is fair that every resident is not seeing the benefit. City Administrator Ulrich noted that if the market value of homes is increasing that decreases the tax rate across and not just to certain homes. Finance Director Lund stated that perhaps this is the time to look at the five-year plan. She read aloud a letter she received from the County assessor in regard to market value. She reviewed the total personnel requests of the budget for the next five years. She agreed that the road debt will need to be addressed at some point. City Administrator Ulrich stated that staff feels that the franchise fee for roads should be reviewed. He noted that there is a pile of debt that continues to increase and in order to provide a competitive tax rate, the road debt could be separated. Councilmember Riley stated that the huge portion of the increase in the budget has to deal with personnel and the more employees that are added, the more that cost snowballs. He stated that the more employees that are added now, the more the cost will increase in future years. Mayor Strommen agreed and noted that is why she suggested adding the positions she proposed. She noted that there is a cost to not adding those positions as parks and community development are fundamental. She did not believe that zero positions are an option unless the City really decreases the level of service and number of services that the City is willing to provide. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that community development brings in revenue through permits, fees and development. He stated that this position would also act as a neighborhood advocate to assist in cleaning up the key corridors that the Council has discussed. He noted that this person could advocate for residents and be a person that residents can reach out to when they have an issue in their neighborhood. City Administrator Ulrich stated that Community Development Gladhill has done a good job managing his department with the assistance from consultants. He stated that the senior planner City Council Work Session / August 22, 2017 Page 5 of 9