10-25-2017 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL OCTOBER 25, 2017 trying to budget some dollars for the previously unbudgeted items that seem to come up every year. This would include items such as smaller trail repairs, wood chipping play areas and rain gardens, and buckthorn removal. McGraw asked if the park land acquisition fund can be used for more than just acquisition. The City Administrator stated that policy was our own back when the City had very little park land, but now that everyone is comfortable with how much parkland there is, the policy was changed so we can also use the funds for capital improvements. Fischer asked about replacing the ladder truck in the next few years, and is the fund underfunded. The City Administrator stated that a new truck will cost about $1.5 million, and as we stand today, it probably is underfunded, but there are additional ways to fund this purchase. The City Administrator stated that there are options to consider when deciding on the final levy percentage, which was preliminarily set at 6.95%. He noted that $29,578 still needs to be deducted in order to balance the budget if the Council wants the lower 4.95% levy. He stated that health insurance costs are increasing 17.3% next year, and the Parks & Recreation Department budget is higher than in 2016. Keis asked if expenses are going to increase by the same amount next year. The City Administrator stated that there are factors that could increase the budget again next year, such as increasing sheriff's department costs. He noted that the Council does need to take any action tonight. LITTLE CANADA The Public Works Director explained that the Council approved installing ROAD a flashing crosswalk signal in front of St. John's Church due to the amount PEDESTRIAN of pedestrians crossing Little Canada Road from the parking lot on the CROSSING north side to the church. He reported that there has been a crosswalk in SIGNALS this location since at least 1991, and the City had placed a stand up crosswalk sign in the middle of the street, but it was continuously hit and damaged by cars, and staff has stopped replacing it. He stated that before the new flashing signals were installed, staff received a request to install a flashing signal a little further down at the Little Canada Road and McMenemy Street crosswalk. The Public Works Director explained that after that request, staff did some research of the area to figure out the best option for the crosswalks, and cameras were placed at the crosswalks for a few days in order to count how many pedestrians used each crosswalk. He stated that the average number of crossings for the McMenemy Street intersection is 10.3, and the average number for the mid -block crosswalk is 23.6. He noted that the flashing signals costs $5,200 per intersection. 3