City Council Agenda and Packet 2022 10 18

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City Council Meeting Minutes August 16, 2022 Page 6 of 9 David House, Louisville, stated he has to build a larger home than they used to have because due to cost constraints they are using a production builder and the production builders only have so many plans to choose from and they are all larger than their previous home. He encouraged Council to do a 100% rebate to get people back into the community. Maria McClure, Louisville, also stated she is using a production builder so is getting a larger home. She noted the $180 cost per square foot is not an accurate rebuild cost. She stated rebuilding to what she previously had is more expensive every day. Kim Meyer, Louisville, stated the talk of cuts being need to do a use tax rebate are divisive and leaves fire -affected residents feeling guilty. She asked the Council to explain the story better. Kindra Stockebrand, Louisville, urged support for a rebate or credit program; preferably something that does not affect taxes. She asked that the size of the home not affect the amount of rebate. She noted many people cannot rebuild to the quality they had before. Councilmember Dickinson explained some of the complexity of this discussion noting any money that is rebated from the dedicated funds has to be paid back from the General Fund. Such a large hit to the General Fund simply means the City has less money to spend on all the services that are paid for from that fund. It is not about blaming anyone is just how the regulations limit what we can do. It will take the entire community to figure how best to move forward within the rules. Councilmember Brown stated that at this time he supports using the actual cost per square foot and bounding it by the size of the original home. He would support structuring a rebate program based on the size of the original home and would prefer something that people won't affect recipients' taxes. Mayor Pro Tern Maloney stated it will be important to create a program we can afford within our budget. He stated he also wants to be sure we create a program that really benefits our residents and have a time limit of three years. Mayor Stolzmann stated there will need to be clear information on the goals of the program, how it is being funded, and how it impacts the General Fund. She would like a credit if possible so people get a real benefit. Mayor Stolzmann recapped stating the direction looks to be a full rebate of the use taxes for amount due up to the square footage of the original home. This expense will need to be addressed from the General Fund which might mean reductions in service levels to cover this expenditure. She added staff will need to work on messaging to calm people's fears and explain the issues. Information will also be needed so that owners understands the impacts of the rebate to their project and possibly to their finances. 35