Minutes - 1999/12/06 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View City Council December 6, 1999 Truth in Taxation Hearing Page 3 revenues represent 35 percent of the City's revenue. He indicated that license and permit fees represent 3 percent of the revenues, and miscellaneous revenues comprise the balance. Finance Director Kessel provided an overview of the General Fund Outlays. He explained that General Government is approximately $100,090,000, which is very close to that of 1999. He stated the Public Safety budget $100,619,000, Streets and Highways will increase to $452,000, and the Parks and Recreation budget increases slightly from 1999, to $437,000. Finance Director Kessel indicated that the Debt Service for the Fire Bonds have continued to decrease by approximately $7,000 per year. He explained that those bonds were re-financed two years earlier, through a joint venture with the cities of Blaine and Spring Lake Park. He stated the residents pay a percentage of the bond payments, and since the bonds were issued, the percentage has gone from 25 percent to approximately 17 percent, based upon formulas that are the average market value of the property, and the number of fire calls. He noted the City of Mounds View's share has continued to decrease on both of these. Finance Director Kessel provided the Council with a graph which indicated the 1998 actual, 1999, and 2000 proposed budgets. He stated that most areas of the budget have remained fairly constant from 1999 to the 2000 Budget. • Finance Director Kessel stated 28 percent of the City's budget is spent on General Government, 43 percent on Public Safety, 12 percent on Streets and Highways, 11 percent on Parks and Recreation, 2 percent on Debt Service for the fire bonds, and 4 percent for miscellaneous expenditures. Finance Director Kessel stated the Council has directed staff to consider the possibility of decreasing the street lighting charges. He explained that the 2000 Budget, as prepared, does not reflect any changes to this fee, however, a proposal to this effect will be brought forward. He indicated surface water charges, water rates, and wastewater fees are proposed to remain the same as they were in 1999. Finance Director Kessel advised that the current franchise fee of 2.5 percent of electric and natural gas charges will be directed into the General Fund to assist in offsetting some of the costs for services. He pointed out that several weeks earlier, the Council adopted an ordinance which increases the franchise fee to 4 percent, with the additional 1.5 percent going toward the Street Reconstruction Fund, and staff was additionally directed to research means to increase that percentage. Finance Director Kessel indicated that $14,000 of the franchise fee collected on the cable service provided to residents of the City will be utilized in the 2000 Budget to continue to upgrade the Cable Television System, and to improve the service level to the customers. •