Minutes - Council - 12/04/1996 - Budget Public Hearing

Home

BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING CITY OF RAMSEY ANOKA COUNTY STATE OF MINNESOTA The City of Ramsey conducted its Budget Public Hearing on Wednesday, December 4, 1996, at the Ramsey Municipal Center, 15153 Nowthen Boulevard NW, Ramsey, Minnesota. Members Present Mayor Glen Hardin Councilmember Carolyn Beahen Councilmember Sheila Beyer Councilmember Kenneth Peterson Councilmember Gerald Zimmerman Also Present: City Administrator Ryan Schroeder Finance Officer Jessie Hart CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hardin called the Budget Public Hearing to order at 7:03 p.m. He explained this is the Troth in Taxation public hearing which is designed to give residents the opportunity to ask about the City's budget. Finance Officer Hart explained that if any resident has a question about property assessed value, they should be directed to the County Assessor's office. This meeting deals only with the City's budget. She noted handout materials - Proposed 1997 General Fund Budget In Brief and the Public Hearing Informational Packet. The informational packet contained the basic concepts of City budgeting, how the tax dollar is divided (School District, County, Other, and the City), how property taxes are determined, property classification rates, tax capacity rates based on proposed levies, comparison of standard residential service charges for the City, Local Government Aid, Homestead and Agricultural Credit Aid, the Fiscal Disparities Program, and a Tax Capacity comparison with other Metro Area cities with similar populations. Ms. Hart summarized each of these. She explained that the General Fund Budget was prepared based on no tax rate increase for payable 1997. In preparing the 1997 Proposed General Fund Budget, the following objectives were established: a) recognize the limitations placed on City activities resulting from limited revenue growth; and b) maintain or increase the existing level of City services and programs; and c) maintain the tax capacity rate at a level consistent with the 1996 rate yet adequate enough to provide for ongoing services and programs while continuing taxing levels comparable to or below that of surrounding communities; and d) position the City financially such that stable revenues are identified for current and future capital programming and equipment replacement; and e) avoid deferring costs to future years. She briefly summarized the revenues and expenditures. The public hearing opened at 7:25 p.m. Larry Wyrum, 7929 - 157th Avenue NW, Ramsey, stated that staff is talking about a zero tax increase. He exclaimed that his part of the City's tax went up 32%. He stated he has not had a raise in the last six years and yet everything continues to increase. He asked what the City is doing with the money. The Finance Officer went through this whole budget, step by step, and he could not recall any of it. A resident does not know what a professional Finance Officer knows. He felt that it should not be presented as a zero increase when in fact there is a large increase. Ms. Hart responded that as this pertains to value, if there was no value increase, based on this proposal, you would have seen no tax increase. The City does not have control over value Increases. Budget Public Hearing/December 4, 1996 Page 1 of 3