City Council Minutes 2015 10 26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Special Meeting Minutes October 26, 2015 Page 6 of 17 to do more new projects He stated it is an endless pit and will cost more and more money He did not understand the tables, which contain data from 2000 to 2020 He asked if those numbers were adjusted for unit costs or inflation or just the dollars spent He asked whether the City is getting less streets for their money Public Works Director Kowar stated all the calculations are based on today's dollars All the calculations are reassessed each year Mr Leary asked if the raw numbers reflect how much money the City is spending and not how much they are getting Public Works Director Kowar explained the number in the slides represent three to five years in basic math The numbers submitted in the Capital Plan for streets have a 2 9% inflation rate and a 20% contingency Mr Leary asked if the City is getting the amount of streets for its money Public Works Director Kowar confirmed it was revealed on one of the slides Mr Leary stated it makes sense to do the best streets first and the worst streets first, but inquired about the worst streets cost to fill the potholes. He asked if they are included in the calculations Public Works Director Kowar stated the current Capital Budget has activities that may have street treatments built-in He felt most of the repairs are captured. Mr Leary reiterated deferred maintenance costs the City money and asked Council to get out of the pit as quickly as possible COUNCIL QUESTIONS Council member Keany had asked City Manager Fleming earlier if the $1 Million is moved from 2017 to 2016, would that provide the City a better deal The City Manager responded the City does not know what the construction market will be in 2017 Council member Keany's experience was things become more expensive every year. He suggested Council consider moving the $1 Million or some amount and taking bids that add alternates He felt it would provide better deals than putting it off for another year Council member Loo asked if that precluded looking at budget cuts Council member Keany stated it would not preclude budget cuts Council member Loo requested a discussion on budget cuts Mayor Muckle was satisfied moving the money forward and leaving the budget intact. He felt moving the money from 2017 to 2016 had minimal risks and would draw the reserves down for one year It would allow Cherry and West McCaslin to be paved He addressed Mr Leary's comment about deferred maintenance and noted the City Council is moving rapidly to get the streets to a high level condition in the next five years