City Council Minutes 2022 10 18 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes October 18, 2022 Page 3 of 6 Director Blackmore addressed the Recreation Center replacement fund. He stated there is an extensive renewal and replacement schedule for the Recreation Center and Memory Square Pool. The schedule is reviewed annually by the Finance Committee. Each piece of equipment is evaluated before it is replaced. This process was established to meet the financial policies of the City. Deputy City Manager Davis stated insurance renewal numbers are estimated to increase 25% in each of the next two years. She added that sales tax assumptions in the budget are fairly conservative this year and tied to economic indicators. She noted that the recently approved Use Tax credits for fire rebuilding have been fully incorporated into the proposed budget. City Manager Jeff Durbin noted the Parks Maintenance Plan is in the works and $100K was included for that for next year. Also $265K was included for the internal decarbonization plan. He added that the LRC budget for next year includes $1.2M for capital work in the urban renewal area. The LRC has also dedicated $50K for board and commission projects. Public Comments Josh Cooperman, resident, asked the Council to consider additional funding for environmental sustainability projects across the City. He suggested adding funding for sustainability staff and reducing the money spent on mowing non recreational turf. Mark Cathcart, resident, thanked staff for the additional funding for the Cultural Council. He asked the Council to give direction to staff that the funding be spent on public art. Mayor Pro Tern Maloney stated he would like to have the planned discussion about paving as soon as possible to better understand its impacts that fire damage will have on the budget. He asked how the reductions in police staffing are being justified. Deputy City Manager Davis stated that when staff looked at the current vacancies in the department they felt they can maintain service levels without filling some of the positions. City Manager Durbin stated that he has some concerns that the compensation increases may not be enough to keep up with the market and we could lose staff if we are not competitive. Councilmember Dickinson asked if the funds generated from the bag tax could be used for sustainability staff. City Manager Jeff Durbin stated that the decarbonization contract will be bringing in additional sustainability help. He noted that staff is needed in every department and if we are going to be conservative with the budget we will need to limit staffing changes.