Minutes - Council Work Session - 08/23/2022

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approval because it is being opened back up due to only hiring one candidate when there were two openings. Administrative Services Director Lasher added that the Council has given the panel the go ahead to recruit for two Street Maintenance Workers; however, the panel has only been able to secure one. Administrative Services Director Lasher stated that the net of the non-discretionary items is $715,000. Acting Mayor Riley asked for clarification that these were decisions that had been made in the past that are being built into a future budget. Finance Director Lund confirmed and mentioned that the only ones that the Council could go back on were the Fire Captain and the Street Maintenance Worker. She moved her discussion to the discretionary funds which are the personnel requests for reclassifications, additional hours, and new positions for a total of $244,346. She gave the total for capital equipment, the levy funded portion only, totaling $430,000. She stated that she kept the non-union as a separate component as it has not be authorized by Council in regard to the 3% and 9% health insurance; however, she wanted to give the Council the summary. She told the Council that she had given them a sheet which had a brief summary of some cities. She added the COLA that is coming is mostly 3% but there is also a 3.5% and a 4%. She noted that the general fund levy increase is currently at $1,619,000, or almost a 14% increase over last year. She directed the Council’s attention to where she had broken out what a 5% to a 13% increase would represent over last year and what amount of a reduction would be needed from the current proposed levy. Acting Mayor Riley asked if this section included the streets. Finance Director Lund stated that the pavement levy is totally separate. Acting Mayor Riley asked for confirmation that this is for all other expenses, not the streets. Finance Director Lund explained that on one of the Council’s sheets she broke all expenses into four components and that these go into the general fund levy only. Acting Mayor Riley asked Council if they had any questions about the numbers thus far. Mayor Kuzma stated that he did not have the sheet that Finance Director Lund was referencing; however it was his understanding that the tax capacity will go up 14% over last year and there would be a 9% decrease on the levy with the wages and the roads. Finance Director Lund directed Mayor Kuzma to where he could find the sheet that she was referencing. Councilmember Musgrove added that she had asked a question of Interim Parks and Assistant Public Works Director Mark Riverblood about the Recreation Specialist wages and the potential City Council Work Session / August 23, 2022 Page 4 of 16