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City Council <br />Special Meeting Minutes <br />March 31, 2020 <br />Page 7 of 11 <br /> <br />Councilmember Brown stated he supports the measure. It is not just about image but <br />about doing right by our citizens. Future increases may be higher, but this is the right <br />thing to do at this point. <br /> <br />Mayor Pro Tem Maloney stated this sends an important message and recognizes times <br />are hard right now for many people. Councilmember Leh and Councilmember Fahey <br />agreed. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dickinson reiterated his concern that the Utility Fund needs to stay <br />funded and this is all about image and not helping people substantially. <br /> <br />Mayor Stolzmann stated the smoothing has been put in place so we don’t have large <br />increases all at once when the money is needed. But in a period such as this, she feels it <br />only causes people anxiety to see these increases and we can avoid that by moving the <br />smoothing to later years. <br /> <br />Councilmember Lipton stated if we do this we should push out projects to later years. He <br />suggested maintaining the increase but giving more funding to Sister Carmen to help <br />people with utility assistance. <br /> <br />Councilmember Brown moved to approve Resolution No. 28; Mayor Stolzmann seconded <br />the motion. <br /> <br />Councilmember Leh noted the increase affects business as well and they can’t apply for <br />help from Sister Carmen. He stated the Council should not dismiss the impact of small <br />increases right now. <br /> <br />Members discussed increasing funding for Sister Carmen fund in the future. <br /> <br />Roll Call Vote: Motion passed 6-1 (Councilmember Lipton voting no.) <br /> <br />AWARD CONTRACTS FOR 2020 CHIP SEAL, STREET RESURFACING, AND <br />STREET RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS <br /> <br />Director Kowar stated staff received bids last week for these projects and is now bringing <br />Council some options on how to proceed with projects and areas where cuts could be <br />made. He stated there is about $7.5M budgeted for the projects and that is about what it <br />will cost based on the bids. He reviewed the various package options including deferring <br />some streets to later years to defer expenses. <br /> <br />Public Comments – None. <br /> <br />Mayor Stolzmann noted previous Councils have prioritized street maintenance and she <br />feels that should continue. <br />