Agenda Packets - 1997/08/18 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I Youth and Family Services will be present at the very beginning of the meeting to discuss their • request for funds for 1998, and to discuss for a short while the joint powers agreement. Several issues will need to be considered by the Council in putting together the 1998 budget. These include: A. Acceptable tax levy-Legislative action limits the increase in the levy to 5.9% over 1997, approximately $90,000 B. Use of franchise fee-this fee sunsets December 31. It has been used as a general fund operating revenue since its inception, yet no plans for its phase out or replacement have been considered C. Building permit fees have been set at the 1985 UBC standard, likely in regards to concern for homeowner costs, yet large project fee revenues are not fully realized. Additionally, increase in permits has added to work load. Options for assessing plan review fees and contracted reviews should be considered D. Some balance appears to exist in interfund transfers, although more work needs to be done to accurately assess fair shares. The General Fund appears to receive transfers perhaps which exceed its fair share in revenues, but may also transfer out funds confusing the perceptions of equity fund balances for the City. In any case, few policies exist correlating these transfers. This work may have to wait until 1998 to be sorted out more precisely E. General Fund operating expenses and Council goals need to be reconciled. While spending more money obviously is not the only answer nor likely the preferred answer, some coherency in direction and under- standing can better make use of staff time and proficiency. F. Council will notice some movement of salary expenses around in an attempt to more accurately show where time is spent by department personnel G. City memberships, training and conferences, commission expenses, newsletter expenses, consultants services, computer hardware and software expenses, ordinance mandated work, records retention, building maintenance costs, and some capital expense items seem to be the most flexible items in terms of review although in general they ' are minor costs, and some changes are made in the 8/18/97 budget. H. Imbedded personnel costs were not reviewed. New personnel costs, being mostly raises at a 2.75% increase, add approximately$51,000 to the General Fund operating budget. Because of contract negotiations, action relating to this figure may need to be taken one of two ways, first, keep this figure in as negotiations proceed, or second, determine early what allowances will be made if any and proceed with negotiations immediately. The first allows the City some ability to reduce as time goes on, the latter may require the City to add later on. I. Additional questions need addressing. Foremost, the staffing of the community center will need to be determined in order to settle this budget. A cash • flow of the community center needs to be figured up without VB Digs'