City Council Minutes 2008 10 01 SP

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City Council Special Meeting Minutes October 1, 2008 Page 7 of 8 Councilor Dalton asked when the City will raise the fees in lieu of providing downtown parking. City Manager Fleming will look into raising the fees and bring back a proposal before the end of the calendar year. Councilor Sackett voiced his appreciation with the presentation. He questioned whether the City should proceed with a plan which does not add any additional staffing until 2015. He felt the City should monitor the staffing needs on an ongoing basis. Mayor Pro Tem Marsella thanked all the Staff who worked on the budget. She voiced her concern that a 2.2% increase for compensation, benefits and in the cost of fuel might be too low. She supported the mass notification warning system. City Manager Fleming addressed hE;alth benefits and noted the city employees are being polled on different options for insurance packages. The City has received renewal proposals from Cic~na and Kaiser. Cigna is proposing a 26% increase and Kaiser is proposing an 11 % increase. As Cigna is significantly higher than Kaiser, employees are k>eing asked whether they would be willing to pay an additional $200-$300 more in premiums in order to maintain the choice of two insurance carriers. If the City goes with a single provider there may be funds available to provide compensation in other ways. He also addressed fair compensation for long-time employees who are still at the bottom end of their salary range. He noted this will also be tied to a performance evaluation. Councilor Muckle thanked the Staff for the budget presentation. He asked if the Public Works Building renovation would include solar panels. City Manager Fleming stated it would be considered as part of the design concept. Councilor Muckle asked where the cost savings in the library would come from, if the Town of Superior does not to contribute to the library. City Manager Fleming stated the following cuts were made: 25% from adult, teen and children library materials; 12% from the periodical budget and cuts in temporary staffing. Additionally, the library may have to close on Sundays. Mayor Sisk noted his concern over expenditures exceeding revenues even in long-term planning. He felt it shoulcl be addressed in some way. City Manager Fleming felt one-time expenditures are appropriate and explained for several years expenditures would exceeded revenues for this reason. He would examine this trend to determine whf:ther they were one-time expenditures. Mayor Sisk stressed the importance of keeping the library open on Sundays, even if it required cutting back on permanent staff. Councilor Dalton suggested funding the library be sought in other areas of the City budget.