08-24-2009 Council Minutes (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION August 24, 2009 APPROVED 1 CITY OF LINO LAKES 2 MINUTES 3 4 DATE : August 24, 2009 5 TIME STARTED : 5:30 p.m. 6 TIME ENDED : 6:30 p.m. 7 MEMBERS PRESENT : Council members Gallup, Reinert, 8 O'Donnell, and Stoltz 9 MEMBERS ABSENT : Mayor Bergeson 10 11 12 Staff members present: Acting City Administrator, Dan Tesch; City Engineer, Jim 13 Studenski; Director of Public Safety, Dave Pecchia; Director of Community 14 Development, Michael Grochala; City Planner, Jeff Smyser; Economic Development 15 Coordinator, Mary Alice Divine; City Clerk, Julie Bartell. 16 17 18 WORK SESSION ITEMS 19 20 A. Retirement Incentive—Administrator Tesch explained that due to current budget 21 reduction objectives, staff is proposing that the city offer an early retirement incentive 22 program to help reduce staff levels. Mr. Tesch reviewed eligibility requirements for the 23 program, the actual incentives as well as other considerations such as deadlines. He `- • 24 would like to be able to offer the incentive to employees as soon as possible. He also 25 noted that staff is considering the concept of another retirement incentive to reach the 26 "highly compensated employee" level also. 27 28 The council agreed to add the item to the regular council agenda for consideration of 29 approval. 30 31 B. Update on Charter Amendment (televising meetings)—City Clerk Bartell 32 updated the council on the current and pending process for consideration of a charter 33 amendment submitted by the Lino Lakes Charter Commission. The proposal is to amend 34 the city charter to require that all council meetings be televised. In addition to reviewing 35 the amendment process, staff pointed out that the city attorney had recommended a 36 language clarification to the amendment but the commission declined any change so the 37 amendment is going forward as proposed by the commission. The council received 38 information on the costs and logistics for implementing the amendment. Questions 39 remain relative to equipment and facilities so staff was directed to provide additional 40 information in those areas. The amendment ordinance will be before the council for 41 consideration of first reading at a special council meeting/public hearing on September 8, 42 2009. 43 44 Charter Commissioner Connie Sutherland added that the intent of the commission in 45 bringing forward the amendment is more transparency for council meetings. That is the 1