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Mayor LeTourneau recognized that this is a significant investment for the community and asked <br />for input from the Council. <br /> <br />Councilmember Riley stated that he does not see a reason to change the decision that has already <br />been made. He noted that this is a temporary setback in time and the economy, but this decision <br />has already been made and interest rates are historically low, therefore this is a good time to <br />incur debt. <br /> <br />Mayor LeTourneau agreed that this should continue to move forward. <br /> <br />Councilmember Heinrich stated that she continues to support this basic infrastructure project, as <br />the need is not going away. She stated that her main concern continues to be the amount of debt <br />the City will issue and asked for information on the funds staff will look to utilize to reduce the <br />issuance of debt. <br /> <br />Finance Director Lund reviewed the different funds that would be utilized to equate to 50 percent <br />of the project cost, while the remaining 50 percent would be funded through debt. <br /> <br />Councilmember Heinrich asked if it is possible to increase the amount of funds on hand to <br />reduce the amount of debt issued. <br /> <br />Mayor LeTourneau stated that could be a follow up activity for staff. <br /> <br />Finance Director Lund noted that the portion of funding from the utility fund is based off the <br />percentage of the facility and capital that will be water and sewer related at the facility. She <br />stated that municipal center debt is callable in 2022 and therefore there is discussion that could <br />occur about staggering that debt. <br /> <br />Councilmember Heinrich stated that she supports the project but would like to look further in <br />detail about the opportunity to utilize available funds for the project, noting perhaps a 60/40 split <br />rather than 50/50. <br /> <br />Councilmember Menth stated that he understands that an architect and project manager have <br />been hired and asked for a high-level overview of the funds that have been spent as of now. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that the project manager and architect have worked with staff to <br />develop schematic designs. <br /> <br />Public Works Superintendent Riemer stated that they have schematic designs and his team is <br />working on redlining the plans to fit the intended use. He stated that there is a concept drawing <br />of the outside of the building. He stated that RJM is reviewing the budget numbers to determine <br />if cuts need to be made to the design. He noted thus far there has been one bill for $5,000 from <br />the architect. He estimated a cost of $1,000,000 for the architect and project manager services in <br />total for the project at completion. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / April 14, 2020 <br />Page 4 of 7 <br /> <br />