Minutes - 1991/12/12 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~unds View City Council gular Meeting Page Four November 12, 1991 Mayor Linke stated there are many other cities presently collecting this fee. Some of those cities are: Coon Rapids - 3~ gas and electric, Minneapolis - 6.5$ gas and electric, St. Paul - 8$, West St. Paul - 5~, South St. Paul - 3~s, White Bear Lake - 1.50 and St. Cloud - 3~. Mayor Linke stated that the franchise fee is being looked at by more and more communities as a revenue source. Mayor Linke explained the City's budget process and how the mandates put on City's by the state tear apart the City's budget. The City then has to decide how to get along with less money and still keep the same requested services, programs and staff. At some point, with. all the mandates and the loss of the City's local government aid, the budget can't be met and some things have to be cut. The City lost $83,000 in local government aid this year. That is 2.5$ of the City's local government aid stated Mayor Linke. Next year the City is looking at a 3 to 5~ reduction in local government aid which is approximately a potential loss of $160,000 worth of revenue. What will happen in 1993? Mayor Linke stated that this is the second year in a row the City was to hire a police officer, but because of budget cuts it was impossible to do so. ~or Linke stated that the City has to rely more heavily on user fees. residents will notice that for exam le Park and Recreation has de ended P . P more on user fees this year with a fee attached to activities and materials that used to be free to the residents. Mayor Linke stated that there had been four people in park maintenance and now the City is down to one. Mayor Linke stated the City had to cut the senior coordinator entirely out of the budget for next year. Linke further stated the funding for Northwest Youth and Family Service Bureau was no longer available. This Bureau provides counselors for troubled teens. The City used this service for the fire victims last fall.. Because of the funding the City was able to provide, subsidizing about $15,000, the citizens could pay for this service on a sliding fee scale. Now, these persons will pay a higher percentage because the City had to cut the funding. The people who use this service are the moderate to low income families who won't be able to afford this service any longer. Mayor Linke stated that should the street light utility be implemented in 1992 it would free up street light utility money and perhaps some cuts may be able to be added back into the budget. Mr. Bob Yentsch, 5312 Raymond Avenue, is the manager of a l0 building complex of 20 units. Mr. Yentsch states he pays the tenants water and sewer bills and he was asked by the owner of the building to represent him and express his feelings with regards to the alternative revenue programs. The utility bill is sent to the landlord and the landlord would not be able to ise rents because of being in the middle of leases. The owner feels it ~uld be more fair to do the utility franchise fee.