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<br />they can get into the next phase soon, the timing is good to ask for larger amounts of money to <br />begin the improvements. <br /> <br />Ms. Ruehle indicated in 2007 Anoka County submitted a funding request on behalf of Anoka and <br />Ramsey in the amount of approximately $7.5 million. <br /> <br />Public Works Director Olson advised the $800,000 in funds is available for Phase 2 of the THlO <br />Study. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jeffrey stressed the importance to continue without losing momentum on the <br />transportation projects the City has been working on. He requested The Tinklenberg Group to <br />provide a timeline of the next steps with a phasing plan. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec suggested this be tied into a longer range plan. <br /> <br />Councilmember Strommen stated she could not agree more that the City needs to continue with <br />the momentum. One concern is seeing the timeline and the bigger picture of where they are <br />headed. The other question is tying this back to the City's budget, making sure they are in line <br />with what was spent last year on these activities. She suggested a prioritization process be <br />completed for RALF purchases. Along those same lines, she would like to request that a Finance <br />Committee agenda include a review of all the City's consultant contracts. <br /> <br />Mr. Tinklenberg stated it would be very helpful to have prioritization of RALF purchases from <br />the Council. He stated The Tinklenberg Group has enjoyed the opportunity to work with the <br />City of Ramsey and they look forward to continuing that work. There is great momentum in the <br />City, and it is fun to see it happening. <br /> <br />Mr. Tinklenberg and Ms. Ruehle left the meeting. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jeffrey left the meeting. <br /> <br />Interim City Administrator Nelson indicated Public Works Director Olson and she will work <br />with Ms. Ruehle and Mr. Tinklenbergand will provide Council with a recommendation <br />regarding federal funding requests, including a timeline. They will discuss how to coordinate <br />that with the City of Anoka and Anoka County. There will also be a prioritization of RALF <br />properties prepared. Regarding the City's consultant contracts, dollars were trimmed from <br />consultant line items with the 2007 budget process. The Tinklenberg Group does great work, but <br />it is not cheap. Staff is considering how to streamline the work done by The Tinklenberg Group. <br />There are some available consultant dollars for 2007, with $30,000 from the Community <br />Development budget and $15,000 from the Engineering budget, for a total of $45,000, which <br />does not go a long ways. There is roughly $144,000 available in the Council Contingency fund <br />for 2007. As this work continues with The Tinklenberg Group on these pieces, Council needs to <br />understand the cuts to the consulting budget during the 2007 budget process. Council should not <br />be surprised if staff requests funds to be transferred from the Council Contingency fund to cover <br />these consulting costs. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / February 20, 2007 <br />Page 6 of8 <br />