04-05-2021 Council Work Session Minutes

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APPROVED 1 CITY OF LINO LAKES 2 MINUTES 3 4 DATE April 5, 2021 5 TIME STARTED 6:00 p.m. 6 TIME ENDED 6:35 p.m. 7 MEMBERS PRESENT Council Member Stoesz (by phone), 8 Lyden, Ruhland, Cavegn and Mayor Rafferty 9 MEMBERS ABSENT None to Staff members present: City Administrator Sarah Cotton; Finance Director Hannah 11 Lynch; Human Resources Coordinator Meg Sawyer; Director of Public Services Rick 12 DeGardner; City Clerk Julie Bartell 13 14 1. CIP Software —Finance Director Lynch reported that she is revisiting the 15 information provided to the council earlier on new software. This would help the City 16 facilitate and track as well as build a robust reporting system on the capital program. She 17 is reporting back on questions that were posed at the last council review. The suggestion 18 of utilizing Microsoft Project or a free web -based software was investigated and it was 19 found to be not appropriate for the City's use. In checking with other cities, she found 20 most utilizing Plan4t and in investigating that software, she suggests that it wouldn't be 21 as good a fit as Easy CIP. She noted page views in the staff report comparing the two 22 programs. She has also provided cost comparisons. Staff is recommending that the City 23 move forward with Easy CIP. 24 25 Mayor Rafferty remarked that the comparison view is helpful. He added that the Easy 26 CIP product is quite new and wonders if there is any city experience with the program. 27 Ms. Lynch noted one city that utilizes it and another that is considering it. The mayor 28 remarked favorably on the type of information that the City could get from the program. 29 3o Councilmember Cavegn asked about the quality of technical support; Ms. Lynch 31 remarked that she has worked with Easy CIP in the trial program and found the support to 32 be very good. 33 34 Councilmember Ruhland asked if Easy CIP will provide information on their clients and 35 Ms. Lynch noted that they are new, are based in California and that could be why they are 36 less seen; Plan4t has been utilized for years by some cities and it is pretty much what was 37 available for some time. 38 39 Administrator Cotton noted that she received information through the finance officers' 4o group; there is high interest among cities seeking services outside of Plan4t (which has 41 been utilized for quite some time and is an older technology). 42 43 Councilmember Lyden said he supports staff s recommendation because they will be the 44 ones utilizing the program. 1