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Long -Term Financial Plan <br />Page Thirty -Three <br />The feasibility of a repair and bett.,rment <br />account is being considered. Such as account <br />would provide funding for repair and for <br />improvement of equipment or facilities whose need <br />is unanticipated and hence unbudgeted. <br />The City has been active and will continue to be <br />so in searching for and utilitizing various <br />Federal and State Grant Programs to lessen <br />reliance on the property tax levy. One area in <br />which the City has been active is in obtaining <br />manpower through the Minnesota Emergency <br />Employment Development Program (MEED) and the <br />Jobs Partnership Training Act (JPTA) and their <br />predecessors. These programs have provided the <br />City with additional manpower in the following <br />areas: Public Works Maintenance, Parks <br />Maintenance, Parks and Recreation Administration, <br />and General Administration. <br />An area in which the City has been successful in <br />obtaining grants -in -aids has been street <br />maintenance. Increased revenues for maintenance <br />of Minnesota State Aid (MSA) streets have been <br />obtained for 1984-1988. It is anticipated that <br />the City will continue to receive increased <br />maintenance funds in the future. <br />Other grants -in -aids received by the City <br />include: Civil Defense, Police Training and <br />Police and Fire State Aids to offset police and <br />fire department pension costs. <br />Through these revenue sources the City seeks to <br />reduce reliance on property tax levies. <br />Additionally, property taxes and all other <br />revenue sources are used to meet the City's goals <br />of achieving balanced budgets by financing <br />current services with current revenues. <br />2. Utility Services <br />Current operations of the Water and Sewer <br />utilities should be financed entirely from the <br />fees charged the users of the facilities. User <br />fee should be established at a level sufficient <br />to provide for annual recurring operating <br />expenses, depreciation expenses, retirement of <br />bonded debt, and an allowance for emergency <br />repairs. This will ensure that users of the <br />utilities will pay their fair share for services <br />received and will also maintain the financial <br />integrity of the Water and Sewer Fund. <br />