HomeMy WebLinkAbout5-3-23 Workshop MeetingCITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS
City Council Workshop
City Hall
2077 West Larpenteur Avenue
AGENDA
May 3, 2023
7:30 P.M.
A.CALL TO ORDER:
B. ROLL CALL:GUSTAFSON____ LEEHY___
MEYER ___ WASSENBERG___ WEHYEE___
STAFF PRESENT: LINEHAN___ VAN DER WERFF____
C. POLICY ITEMS:
1.Law Enforcement Contract Discussion
2.ARPA Update
D.ADJOURNMENT:
DISCLAIMER: City Council Workshops are held monthly as an opportunity for Council Members to discuss policy topics in greater detail prior to a formal meeting where a public hearing may be held and/or
action may be taken. Members of the public that would like to make a comment or ask questions about an
item on the agenda for an upcoming workshop should send them to mail@falconheights.org prior to the
meeting. Alternatively, time is regularly allotted for public comment during Regular City Council Meetings (typically 2nd and 4th Wednesdays) during the Community Forum.
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Item Law Enforcement Contract Discussion
Description
City consultant Matt Bostrom of the Center for Values-Based Initiatives (CVBI) will
teleconference with the City Council to discuss the next steps in soliciting responses
from potential law enforcement agencies.
Budget Impact N/A
Attachment(s) N/A
Action(s)
Requested
Staff recommends the City Council have a discussion with CVBI and provide
direction for the next steps in finding a future law enforcement partner.
Meeting Date May 3, 2023
Agenda Item Policy C1
Attachment N/A
Submitted By Jack Linehan, City Administrator
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Item ARPA Funding Plan
Description
Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), federal funds were allocated to
municipalities and counties to help aid the recovery of the nation at the local
level. The City of Falcon Heights received $302,056.11 in the fall of 2021 as the
first allocation of funds, and received the same sum in 2022 for a total of
$604,112.20.
Funds are intended to cover eligible costs incurred in the time period that
begins on March 3, 2021 and ends on December 31, 2024, as long as the
obligations for funds are incurred by the end date are expended by December
31, 2026.
In Resolution 22-08, the City Council authorized staff to report that the City
would be taking the Standard Allowance Election of Revenue Loss as defined
in the Compliance and Reporting Guidance – State and Local Fiscal Recovery
Funds (SLFRF) version 3.0. This allows municipalities to estimate revenue
losses up to $10 million rather than calculate their losses. This was intended to
help communities under 50,000 population, such as Falcon Heights.
Under the final rule, municipalities can spend their ARPA allocations on a
broad range of uses under the “general government provisions” category. For
example, a City could allocate their funds towards a specific project or towards
personnel salaries. The only expenses that cannot be qualified are items such as
pension obligations, debt payments, legal settlements or any action that
undermines the Federal government’s response to COVID-19.
Following the April 5th, 2023 City Council Workshop, staff worked on a plan
that would spend the ARPA funds in the 2023 year in accordance with the
SLFRF final rule requirements for revenue loss. In further discussions with the
City auditor, BerganKDV, it was recommended that the ARPA funds be
allocated to non-procurement expenditures to avoid the complications of
reporting under federal procurement standards. As such, staff identified the
City’s sanitary sewage treatment payments to the Metropolitan Council as
qualifying expenditures.
Meeting Date May 3, 2023
Agenda Item Policy H3
Attachment N/A
Submitted By Jack Linehan, City Administrator
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Allocating the ARPA funding towards a major sanitary sewer expense is in the
spirit of the act and has been approved by our auditors. The total Metropolitan
Council sewer charges for 2023 are $669,996. ARPA funds would cover the
majority of this expense for 2023, creating needed relief in the fund.
Proposed ARPA Funds Allocation Plan
Project Name
Project
Allocation Project Description
Sanitary Sewer – Metropolitan
Council Sewer Charges $604,112.20
Proper sanitary sewage disposal
and treatment is a critical
component of combatting
COVID-19. Due to major changes
in activity in consumer behavior,
the sanitary sewer fund
experienced major revenue
losses and compounding costs
associated with the COVID-19
pandemic.
Total $604,112.20
Budget Impact The City has $604,112.20 of unrecognized revenue from SLFRF. Staff did not
budget the expenditure of these funds.
Attachment(s) N/A
Action(s)
Requested
Staff recommends the City Council discuss the proposed ARPA Funds
Allocation Plan and provide staff with guidance on how to move forward.
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