Agenda - Council - 12/10/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Councilmember Menth stated that two of the Councilmembers are on the Fire Board and asked for input as to whether they support this action. Councilmember Heinrich stated that she agrees that this has changed directions since the last Council worksession. She stated that a few firefighters are opposed to this but not all of the firefighters are against a dissolved JPA. Fire Chief Kohner stated that he does not have a specific number but stated that he has not heard from anyone regarding the dissolution of the contract. Councilmember Musgrove stated that at the last Council worksession it was clear Ramsey was not being served well by the JPA. She noted that more questions arose from that and a figure was determined that would provide an equitable contribution from Nowthen. She stated that it does not appear that the JPA will serve this arrangement but perhaps a contract would, if Nowthen would be supportive of the higher contribution. Mayor LeTourneau recognized that there are multiple layers, cities and aspects involved in this issue. He appreciated the work of Fire Chief Kohner on this matter as well as the Councilmembers that serve on the Fire Board. 2.03: Discussion of 2020 Budget/Levy and Review of 5-Year Budget (2020-2024) Finance Director Lund reviewed the staff report. City Administrator Ulrich noted that the budget proposed is reasonable and satisfies the desired efforts without drawing down on capital reserves. He explained that increasing proposed revenues would not be encouraged and staff would recommend approving the budget as proposed. He noted that strategic planning could be completed in 2020 to provide further guidance on future budgeting. Mayor LeTourneau provided additional input on tax capacity and the ability to capture the benefit from the growth in Ramsey. He stated that when you only look at the levy amount outside of the tax capacity that can be distracting. He stated that there has been sizable discussion since adoption of the preliminary budget, which has kept the Council aware of the fact that Ramsey is a growing community that has been able to maintain a desired level of service. He acknowledged the hard work that has been accomplished to get to this point. He noted that he would welcome additional discussion in 2020 on desired service levels and budgeting goals. Councilmember Kuzma stated that he received his tax statement the previous day. He noted that even though Ramsey is increasing its taxes, his taxes are decreasing. He explained that the amount taxed by Ramsey is being spread over more residents, which is a good thing. Councilmember Menth stated that he also opened his tax statement the previous day and his Ramsey taxes decreased by 5.5 percent, which was a great thing. He stated that the taxes on his rental properties in Coon Rapids increased by five to nine percent. City Council Work Session / November 26, 2019 Page 5 of 7