Minutes - 1998/11/09 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 5 November 9, 1998 Mounds View City Council 2. Motion to Adopt Kessel recommended holding off on the Motion to Adopt in light of its impact on the budget discussions taking place during the week of November 16, 1998. Acting-Mayor Koopmeiners closed the Council meeting and opened the public hearing. David Jahnke, 8428 Eastwood Road, said it was his understanding that it was the City's goal to get taxes taken off of the utilities used by the City residents. "Why does the City want to raise taxes? Is it because we spent so much money on the Bel Rae and all other things?" he asked. Acting-Mayor Koopmeiners said there are other issues besides the new Community Center that the City needs to generate funds to pay for, such as: paying for the police officers that had been part of a federal funding program that is no longer funded. Whiting said street improvement funds also needed to be maintained. Acting-Mayor Koopmeiners closed the public hearing and returned the floor to the Council. • MOTION/SECOND: Quick/Gunn to waive the second reading of Ordinance No. 622, an Ordinance Implementing a franchise fee on electric and natural gas utility companies for the operation of the utility in the City of Mounds View. The Motion to Adopt was tabled until the City Council meeting of November I6, 1998. VOTE: Ayes - 4 Nays - 0 The motion carried B. Discussion of Community Center Management Options. Whiting said the item was put on the agenda to solicit suggestions and discussion from the community in regard to how best to manage the Community Center's operations. One of the goals is to keep the operations, on a yearly basis, as free from the general fund budget as possible. Early on in the planning of the Community Center one of the operation options that had been considered was working with a volleyball association (the V.B. Diggs Group) as the operator of the Community Center. This plan did not come to fruition. Other options were to take the existing Park and Recreation staff, move them into the new facility and complement them with added personnel to help cover the hours of operation on a seven-day a week, full-time operation schedule. This option is financially undesirable because of the City's limited levy increase. Requests for Proposals (RFP) were sent out to private vendors to solicit bids for private management of the Community Center. The YMCA, The City of New Brighton, and Innovative Images responded to the RFPs.