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~unds View City Council <br />gular Meeting <br />Page Five <br />November 12, 1991 <br />Mr. Bill Werner, Jr., 2442 Sherwood Road, works with the issues of budget <br />cuts and state mandates every day as he works as a newspaper reporter and is <br />very aware of the financial crunch that cities are feeling, Mr. Werner <br />stated he is well aware of all of the politicking being done and can <br />appreciate the impacts these mandates have on the city's budgets. Mr. Werner <br />stated he feels the Legislature did these things to force cost effectiveness <br />and efficiency on the local level. Mr. Werner stated that the City <br />Administrator's presentation was very good. Mr. Werner asked the City <br />Council to resist the temptation to go out and find sources of alternative <br />revenues. <br />Mr. Werner further stated that he had been employed at businesses where in <br />time of budget problems the personnel had. received a 10~ cut in salary. Mr. <br />Werner stated he has no one to tax, therefore, he must cut his budget. <br />Mr. Werner suggested a possible solution: to have NSP maintain the City's <br />street lights in turn for a reduction in street lighting costs. Mr. Werner <br />stated the City would have to tighten their belts because the citizens are <br />tightening theirs. Mr. Werner also stated that the legislature is forcing <br />cities to be more cost effective. <br />Mayor Linke stated that Mounds View has always been a cost effective City <br />d yet has never been rewarded for being cost effective. The City has 34 <br />11 time employees with 15 of those employees being police officers. <br />ompared to other cities of its size in population and area, Mounds View <br />employs 50$ less than others do. Mayor Linke described the employee body of <br />the City of Mounds View as a "mean, lean, fighting machine." Mayor Linke <br />stated that when the City of Mounds View had the opportunity to raise taxes <br />to build a cushion, the City chose not to do so. Mayor Linke stated that <br />the City of Mounds View does not have a cushion like neighboring cities, <br />Mayor Linke states that the City is being penalized for being frugal in the <br />past. <br />Mr. Werner stated he appreciated the honesty of the staff and council and he <br />has felt the City has been cost effective and it is not fair to be penalized <br />for having this quality. Mr. Werner stated that the City may have to cut an <br />extra foot or two for the benefit of the taxpayer. The "chickens will come <br />home to roost between St. Paul and the cities" when the residents of this <br />City have been pinched enough because of political games in St. Paul and, at <br />some point, will tell the legislators to stop playing games. <br />Ray Ohlenkamp, 7809 Long Lake Road, appreciated the presentation given in <br />black and white and being very easy to understand. Mr. Ohlenkamp agreed that <br />it is unfortunate about the cuts and that Mounds View is a good city. Mr. <br />Ohlenkamp was very concerned about the elderly taxpayers, who are on a fixed <br />income, and their ability to pay one more bill. These elderly people have <br />no cushion at all. Someway, somewhere this needs to stop. Mr. Ohlenkamp <br />stated that the City has to separate its wants from needs. In the past, he <br />~s seen the City spend money in some ways he feels might be "wants" instead <br />"needs". The City .needs to reverse this and decide what are clearly <br />needs and what are wants. <br />