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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION February 5, 2018 <br />DRAFT <br /> 5 <br />8. Technology Upgrades – Administration Karlson noted that devices used by the 179 <br />city council (traditionally iPads or Surface Notebooks) has not yet been replaced as is 180 <br />common practice after a municipal election. He explained that Metro iNet does not 181 <br />provide service to the council’s devices but they could be covered at an extra cost. 182 <br /> 183 <br />The council decided to simplify the process by having members purchase their own 184 <br />devices and be reimbursed up to $2,400 over a four-year term or $1,200 for a two-year 185 <br />term for computer-related expenses such as laptops, tablets, software, storage, security 186 <br />and accessories. Finance Director Cotton said it would be handled on an expense 187 <br />reimbursement basis, up to the stated amounts. 188 <br /> 189 <br />Council Member Stoesz explained the replacement plan used by his employer, US Bank. 190 <br />That information was used to develop the council’s final direction. Council Member 191 <br />Stoesz added that he has spoken with Administrator Karlson about the possibility of 192 <br />upgrading the city’s website. It thinks that websites should evolve and refreshment is 193 <br />important; the website is an important tool if the goal is to bring a lot more people to city 194 <br />information. He is particularly interested in updating the city’s URL. Mayor Reinert 195 <br />said he is hearing that Council Member Stoesz is interested in engaging with his expertise 196 <br />in improvements to the city’s technology. Administrator Karlson noted the recent web 197 <br />upgrade and staff’s efforts to keep things affordable but up to date. Mayor Reinert asked 198 <br />if Council Member Stoesz could contact the web service directly with his ideas. Mayor 199 <br />Reinert said he likes the idea of a shorter URL and optimization of the website. Council 200 <br />Member Stoesz will come back with his ideas. 201 <br /> 202 <br />9. Proposals for Civil Legal Services – Mayor Reinert said before he can evaluate 203 <br />proposals in this area, he would like to know what is in place. He’d like to see the current 204 <br />contract. 205 <br /> 206 <br />The council concurred that they would like more information before considering which 207 <br />firms to interview, including a breakdown of hourly rates or flat fees proposed for all 208 <br />legal work performed by a firm, a copy of the current service contract, and a copy of the 209 <br />last 12 month’s billing from the current city attorney. The council will consider the 210 <br />proposals at the March work session. 211 <br /> 212 <br />10. Public Works Facility Renovation and Expansion – Mayor Reinert asked 213 <br />Public Services Director DeGardner to provide an estimate of how large a building is 214 <br />needed to store the city’s vehicles and equipment and to obtain the specifications of 215 <br />Hugo’s public works facility as a comparison. 216 <br /> 217 <br />11. Community Room Expansion and Renvation – Administrator Karlson 218 <br />explained that staff is recommending that the Community Room be upgraded, both in size 219 <br />and with audio/visual equipment. He noted the existence of an elections storage area 220 <br />directly adjacent to the room that could be used for expansion. The mayor said the 221 <br />council should understand costs involved and Mr. Karlson said he is requesting 222 <br />authorization to get an estimate. The mayor suggested a tour of the expansion area. 223