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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/06/1993 Work Session . . . .' 'City of Springfield Work Session Council Meeting MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY DECEMBER 6, 1993 The City of Springfield Council met in the Springfield City Hall, Meeting Room 2, 225 N. Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, December 6, 1993, at 6:02 p.m. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Morrisette, Councilors Maine, Shaver, Walters, Burge and Schanz and Beyer. Also present were City Manager, Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Recorder Eileen Stein, City Attorney Tim Harold and members of staff. 1. Sprinqfield Tomorrow Phase III Update City Manager Mike Kelly gave the staff report. Mr. Kelly provided the background of the Springfield Tomorrow Phase III process, reminding the Council of their approval of five broad parameters, or goals, in August. He reported that staff has developed a number of proposals for Council consideration that will meeting the number one goal of erasing the General Fund deficit within the next three years. Mr. Kelly reviewed the financial status of the General Fund and the five goals approved by the Council in August. He then provided an overview of the proposals that were recommended. The proposals totaled $2,488,784 in cost savings and new revenues. He then asked for specific questions about the proposals. Councilor Beyer asked about the state Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) and discussions about the possibility of an employee pick-up. Mr. Kelly responded that most likely any pick-up requirement would apply to new employees only and existing participants would probably be excluded through a grandfather clause. Councilor Burge commented on the "non-traditional" proposals. He said that the role of government is to provide basic services and that government should not be in the business of expanding services or selling data and professional services. He mentioned the Housing Inspection Program and the Geographic Information System. Councilor Walters said he would be opposed to the Housing Inspection Program service if it was already provided by the private sector. However, he said he wouldn't mind if the Geographic Information System (GIS) was marketed since this informAtion is an asset of the city. Mr. Kelly commented that the proposed three year budget solution could not be accomplished without a mix of traditional, and non-traditional methods. He reported that over the last 3 to 4 years city staff has already been cutting back the budget in more traditional ways. He said in order to continue looking for ways to balance the budget, he has encouraged staff to be more creative in developing solutions, along the lines of those proposed in the book Reinventinq Government. He commented that is why the solutions have been labeled "non-traditional". . . . '1276/93 Work Session Minutes Page 2 City Engineer Al Peroutka explained how the GIS worked and how it could be marketed. He also explained how the information has been requested and it could be marketed. Councilor Shaver said he was pleased that staff was thinking creatively and understood that certain risks must be taken. He felt the city should be cautious about stepping over the line and competing with the private sector, as with the Housing Inspection Program. But he felt many of the other proposals, such as the GIS, were acceptable. Councilor Burge commented he too appreciated staff's creativity, but hoped they were as creative in looking for ways to cut costs as they were in generating revenue. He was concerned about the public perception of government being more revenue-motivated in light of Measure 5. Councilor Beyer asked how the ideas were developed. She mentioned the sewer and drainage maintenance service for small cities. Public Works Director Dan Brown commented there is a market. He explained how the city has been approached in the past with requests by small cities to provide this service for them. Councilor Beyer commented about charging for the use of meeting rooms. Mr. Kelly explained how the city's meeting rooms are in demand because they are free. Councilor Beyer commented she was comfortable if the city was recovering it's costs, but city groups were not being charged to use city buildings. Councilor Schanz asked if the city was not developing software that could be marketed. Mr. Kelly explained this was a suggestion that was still being developed, but due to the complexities, was not ready to be proposed yet. Councilor Walters asked about the non-resident library card. He was concerned the increase in the fee for seniors was not consistent with the level of increase for the general non-resident card, and that the latter would be subsidizing the senior fee. He suggested the senior fee be brought up to the same level as the general fee. Mayor Morrisette asked if the city will collect interest on un-collected debt. Mr. Kelly referenced an earlier memo sent to Council via the Communication Packet that addressed that issue. He summarized the memo's findings that the city can exercise more authority in collecting bad debt than could a collection agency and the city can not legally charge interest for un-collected debt. Mayor Morrisette reminded the Council of the likelihood the city will lose the revenue it receives from the state from cigarette and alcohol taxes during the next session of the Legislature. He estimated this loss of revenue to be approximately $600,000. . . . '1216/93 Work Session Minutes Page 3 Councilor Shaver asked about the proposal to charge for notary services. Building Official Dave Puent explained how many documents that Development Services staff alone currently notarize because the city requires a notarized signature. Councilor Schanz commented on the proposal to eliminate certified mailing of letters. He suggested an alternative way to continue this service for a reduced cost. Councilor's Shaver and Beyer commented on the proposal to eliminate customized note pads for staff. They suggested the same could be done for city stationery. Councilor Shaver asked about the additional position for the Industrial Pretreatment Program. Mr. Kelly explained why this new position was necessary to comply with Department of Environment Quality regulations. He explained the funding for the position would come from the regional portion of the sewer user fee. He also commented this would generate an additional $27,000 to the General Fund from indirect charges. Mayor Morrisette commented that additional comments on these proposals could be written or E-mailed to Mike Kelly. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:52 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Eileen Stein ~1lI~ ATTEST: -4:UuJ~,"~ City Recorde #7816