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Councilmember Jeffrey stated he has known Mr. Jankowski a long time and he has done a great job for the City of Ramsey. This City Council has made it clear that cutting and balancing the budget is critical. He commended Mr. Jankowski on a job well done but added he had to stand by staff's recommendation on this. Motion by Councilmember Jeffrey and seconded by Councilmember McGlone to recommend the City Council adopt the resolution to eliminate the Assistant City Engineer position and to lay off Mr. Steve Jankowski, effective December 17, 2010. Further discussion: Assistant City Engineer Jankowski stated it has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve the people of Ramsey for the last 20 years. He stated he envisioned his exit being different from this but added that he will do his best for the City of Ramsey until the last day he is here. Terry Jankowski, Mr. Jankowski's wife, spoke about Steve being a fair, ethical and just person and when residents and Engineering professionals call the City, it's Steve they ask for and there is a reason for that. She spoke about her fears relating to Mr. Jankowsi's layoff. She stated that when someone is not present, eliminating a position is an easier strike -through with a pencil and she wanted to be present as it's more real to the people who make the decisions. This affects people's lives. She talked about the headlines in the Anoka County Union about Ramsey not having to raise taxes to keep the budget balanced and at the same time, the article mentioned that her husband was losing his job. She presented some tax increase calculations per household that would allow Mr. Jankowski to remain employed as the City of Ramsey's Assistant City Engineer. Chairperson Dehen stated he had read the article as well and the paper, which was dated August 17, said the City reduced one full-time position in the Engineering Department. He stated we need to be careful in the future that we make these decisions as a Council before it goes public. He wondered how this got published. City Administrator Ulrich stated that terms were set forth for the preliminary budget — to balance the budgets and look at each Department; however, the specifics still need to be approved by the City Council because that was preliminary. Chairperson Dehen inquired would this be appropriate to be considering this position in terms of a bigger picture of the budget — do we consider this a budget issue. Director of Public Works Olson stated there is only one way we could make that budget — that's when this position was talked about in general terms. He stated he made Mr. Jankowski aware this was part of the preliminary budget but he did not know how it made it to the paper. He thanked Mrs. Jankowski for her statement and reiterated to her that this was not an easy strike -through. Councilmember Jeffrey stated he appreciated Mrs. Jankowski's thoughts and concerns too. He explained the budget was high water and it can only go lower. If we do not make this decision, the problem will stretch over into the next budget year. He noted it is a decision that has to be made and it is a very difficult one. He added it may even get worse. Chairperson Dehen inquired if staff is confident that this is the right decision to which Mr. Olson replied yes. Mr. Ulrich added this was not an easy decision across the board. The City has had to cut a lot of positions. We made an analysis in the Public Works Department and getting work done in the field. If there was a light at the end of the tunnel, it would be different, but it is about a two-year lag before the City will see any new revenues coming in. It's unfortunate but we do not see things getting better anytime soon. Chairperson Dehen stated he wanted to see this looked at in a broader capacity in the budget context instead of piece meal. Personnel Committee / September 28, 2010 Page 3 of 4