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City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 1999 Page 8 1 Faust stated the legislature adjourned on May 17, and some new rules which appear to be 2 paternalistic will not be insurmountable or burdensome. 3 4 Thuesen congratulated staff and all involved in planning the neighborhood meetings which were 5 a success. He recommended holding such meetings on a yearly basis to give residents an 6 opportunity to speak on various issues in a more informal setting than the Council meetings. 7 8 E. Maw 9 Ranallo stated the neighborhood meetings, which were a success, were attended by less than I% 10 of the population, which he finds disappointing considering the staff time and planning efforts 1 l required. He suggested residents might think things are going well within the City and have no 12 complaints. 13 14 F. City Manager. 15 Mr. Morrison brought to the Council's attention a memo prepared by Kim Moore-Sykes 16 outlining various grant programs. He added this was prompted by a recent discussion at which it 17 was suggested that the City is missing out on grant opportunities. 18 19 Mr. Morrison stated that Ms. Moore-Sykes had reviewed various financial sources and grant 20 programs, and indicated whether the City was eligible for these programs. He noted that the City 21 has been successful in obtaining $3.2 million in outside funding over the past 2 years, and has 22 requested another$2.6 million. 23 24 Mr. Morrison stated, in his opinion, no opportunities are being missed. He added he feels the 25 City has staff who are capable of applying for grant opportunities. He noted that both he and Ms. 26 Moore-Sykes have applied for grants independently in the past, and often fund recipients are 27 conceded before the grant process is completed. 28 29 Cavanaugh stated the resident was making the point about available grants, and perhaps there 30 was a communication problem. He suggested Mr. Mornson might provide a quarterly report on 31 grant applications and activities to the Council. Ranallo stated the City has been deficient in 32 making these activities visible. 33 34 Thuesen stated that while larger grants are more visible, he agrees that smaller amounts are 35 important and provide much.relief, and should be communicated to the public. 36 37 Morrison stated that 15 firms had recently walked through the public works facility, and 5 of 38 those firms submitted proposals to the City. He added the staff's recommendations will be 39 presented to the Council at the June 22, 1999 regular meeting, and the recommended firm will be 40 present to answer questions. 41