Minutes - Council Work Session - 08/12/2024

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Councilmember Olson agreed with Councilmember Specht that he would need more information on a wage freeze before he was able to give an opinion. Councilmember Riley asked when and how they would be able to refine the market rate adjustment. Administrative Service Director Lasher shared that they will be having a closed session meeting later this evening to discuss the market rate adjustment as it relates to the unions. She explained that there is a compression factor with regard to the department head wages as in many cases, the next tier down is either non-union or union and they need to work through the contract negotiations. She noted that once she receives more direction of contract negotiations then she could use that direction to look at market rate adjustments and bring back more information to a future meeting. City Administrator Hagen explained that they are continuously looking at other cities to try to find comparables. He noted that they are trying to present the most accurate market information to the Council; however, gathering this information is taking longer than they expected it to. Councilmember Musgrove shared that she was recently made aware of a 501(c)(3) who had an issue with some monetary concerns, and she was disappointed that they did not hear this from Staff. She would like to have a consideration to not have any funding for 501(c)(3) organizations. Councilmember Howell agreed and said if they are looking at making cuts then they can look at donations as it is not the position of the City to be donating to non-profit organizations and expect the taxpayers to fund them. Finance Director Lund shared that they donate to Youth First and the Alexandra House which are both funded from the lawful gambling fund, so it does not come from the property tax levy. Councilmember Specht asked if things like playground replacements also come from the lawful gambling funds. Finance Director Lund said yes and explained that these funds are used for anything that involves youth. Councilmember Woestehoff shared that as the Council liaison to Youth First, he has already instructed them to not budget for the City's contribution for next year and beyond. The consensus of the Council was to move forward with the discussed changes to the 2025 budget and direct Staff to bring forward more information on a wage freeze for department heads. 2.02: Old Town Hall Discussion - 50th Anniversary - Renovation Quotes - EDA Recommendation - Next Steps Community Development Director Hanson reviewed the Staff report in regard to the old Town Hall building and reviewed the renovation quotes that were received. City Council Work Session/August 12, 2024 Page 5 of 12