Agenda Packets - 1999/10/04 - Laserfiche WebLink

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with the City? Obviously money is part of it, but other factors such as job satisfaction, personal development and morale must have a place. This too should be looked into. It does not have to be the top priority of the community to keep employees happy, but a sense of belonging to a community can play a major role. Coming from the outside into the community, it is not always clear where the "community"resides in a suburban city. This can lead to skepticism of employee's motives on the one hand and a sense of rejection from the employees themselves on the other. Does that sense exist and what affect does it have on the productivity of the organization is another question to look into. And finally, is it clear enough as an organization what we are trying to achieve? I sometimes think that the purpose of this organization is not clear enough. Staff, like anyone else, will attempt to find meaning in their work. Where meaning is not clear, other objectives will develop. Where the group purpose is not established, individual goals will develop which can lead to leaving the organization. Granted, the council turnover of the past few years may put that question beyond the immediate, but every individual in the community has an idea of how it wants its community to be. Identifying that amidst the realities of region and world is rarely easy. As for 2000, a 3% adjustment is calculated for the budget and I am hearing that figure around the metro. With other budget concerns, it seems impossible to consider more. Over the coming years however, the City may be faced with choosing between services and staffing for those services. For now recognizing two union contracts coming, a number needs to be in the budget, but addressing overall personnel needs and affordability should be a primary concern to address in the coming year. Airport Issues I understand City Attorney Long met with the Council and discussed options for pursuing legislation and/or litigation on the airport matter. Some discussion on this and a number to plug into the budget would be helpful in determining the final budget for this issue. As for the budget, one concern for Council long term is the extent to which the City can pursue issues like this. Over the past three years I have been with the City, Bruce and I have looked for and changed budget gimmicks that free up funds without pushing the tax levy. Unfortunately, I don't think many more of those can be found. This issue and the community center transfer are two areas that if reduced provide room for either growth in the budget or for funds to address other issues. Assuming the core group of services and administrative support cannot be curtailed, eventually either other revenues will need to be sought or more drastic cuts into services and staff will be needed. Contracted Services One area that gets staff's attention at this time of year is the cost of the City's legal work and other contracted services. Bruce and I are meeting with Bob Long to review the retainer agreement and to determine what can be done differently or better. As discussed at the last budget work session, some options appear to exist, but the reliance on the city attorney by staff and Council seems to need some refinement to keep it in line with the budget. We are also preparing for soliciting RFPs from engineering firms. Right now, materials for the Council should be ready by the November work session. We should also be able to review more closely the operations of the community center and the contracts the City has for service there. I will need Bruce to review these prior to that meeting. As for the fire agreement, Mounds View's cost is remaining steady mostly because the city is not growing like Blaine or Spring Lake Park. The city seems to be getting a great deal from belonging to the department, but some attention to the growth characteristics in Blaine in the next couple of years