Agenda - Council - 09/24/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Mayor LeToumeau asked if there is consensus on the preliminary budget with the understanding that the Council and staff would still have additional time to attempt to decrease that amount before final adoption in December. City Administrator Ulrich stated that if there was consensus on reducing the budget to six percent, which would be a decrease of $91,000, he is confident that staff could get to that point. He agreed that would allow more time after preliminary adoption to continue to review the budget prior to final adoption. Councilmember Heinrich agreed that reducing the budget by $91,000 would be a good start. She stated that she also has a few additional items that she would like to address. She referenced the park and recreation specialist, which is included in this budget but was not approved by the Council. She stated that her assumption is that the position would not be included as it was not approved by the Council. City Administrator Ulrich stated that one of the issues for staff is that the alternative is more expensive than the position. He explained that the Council needs to provide input on recreation programs, perhaps that position is not desired because park programing is not important or desired by the Council any longer. Councilmember Heinrich stated that she does see value in the recreation program but struggles that the City is paying a yoga instructor but now Zumba and line dancing are also offered, and those instructors should then be paid. She stated that residents can obtain that service through community education for a low cost. She stated that there are different additions to the programing but would also like to look at participation. She referenced a recent archery event where only four people signed up. She stated that she would not want to continue to offer selections that residents are not participating in. She stated that while residents see value in recreational programming, there should be prioritization based on the level of use. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood referenced an item from the Strategic Plan that speaks to finding the balance between revenue from recreational programing and access. He stated that at any time a cost benefit analysis could be provided on the programing. He stated that 2019 was the first full year of recreation programing with the half- time position. He noted that a wide variety of programing was offered in order to determine which programs would garner the most interest. He stated that the art programing for seniors started out slow but has now grown to be very popular. He stated that the Zumba and line dancing instructors are paid similar to the yoga instructor. He noted that sometimes instructors are obtained for free. He stated that item four in the attachment to the case seeks to gain consensus with what to do with the recreation program and recreation specialist position. He stated that the candidate that was recommended by staff is an ideal candidate that matches well with Ramsey residents and programs and services desired. He stated that he would be excited to add her to the organization to backfill the now vacant position that was budgeted for in 2019. He reviewed the three options presented in the attachment, noting that he would like the Council to reconsider the resolution approving the hiring of the candidate. He noted that the part-time recreation specialist could also provide backup to administration. He stated that the cost for the position would be about $27,000 per year, which is a cost savings compared to the two interns City Council Special Work Session / September 3, 2019 Page 10 of 17