Agenda - Council - 08/10/2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Heineman asked staff to explain how future roof replacements and other major building maintenance projects were being incorporated into the City's long-range financial planning Finance Director Lund responded that building maintenance staff had recently completed a comprehensive review of City facilities to estimate better future replacement schedules for roofs, mechanical systems, and other significant infrastructure. While several of those projects had not yet been added to the formal Capital Improvement Program, they were being identified so future Councils would have a clearer understanding of the City's long-term financial obligations. She explained that staff preferred to recognize those future costs well in advance rather than waiting until facilities reached the point of failure. The Council then discussed employee compensation and market adjustments included within the proposed operating budget. Finance Director Lund explained that the budget continued funding market -based wage adjustments identified through the City's compensation study. She reminded the Council that maintaining competitive salaries remained important because neighboring communities continued recruiting experienced employees, making retention increasingly difficult across many municipal departments. The recommended adjustments were intended to keep Ramsey competitive within the regional labor market while reducing turnover and future recruitment costs. Councilmembers discussed the importance of balancing employee retention with responsible financial management. Several members commented that losing experienced employees often created greater long-term costs because of recruitment expenses, onboarding, and productivity losses. They expressed support for continuing competitive compensation while also recognizing the need to manage the overall property tax levy carefully. The Council next reviewed the remaining unfunded requests still under consideration. Finance Director Lund explained that several items shown on the budget worksheet remained available for future discussion if the Council ultimately selected a levy higher than five percent. She reminded members that the current proposal represented a working document rather than a final budget, and additional modifications would occur before adoption later in the year. Staff intended to update both the expenditure estimates and revenue projections as additional information became available from Anoka County and the State of Minnesota. Councilmembers generally agreed that the revised budget documents provided a much clearer understanding of where reductions had already occurred and where flexibility remained. The Council indicated they wanted additional taxpayer impact information before deciding whether to reduce the levy closer to five percent or retain the slightly higher preliminary recommendation. Finance Director Lund confirmed that staff would prepare detailed tax impact examples for homes of various values before the Council's next budget work session to assist with that decision. City Council Work Session / July 28, 2026 Page 6 of 12