HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-07-2022 City Council Work Session Minutes
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
Mayor
Amáda Márquez Simula
Councilmembers
John Murzyn, Jr.
Connie Buesgens
Nick Novitsky
Kt Jacobs
City Manager
Kelli Bourgeois
Public Safety Bldg—Training Room, 825 41st Ave NE
Monday, November 07, 2022
6:00 PM
MINUTES
The following are the minutes for the Work Session Meeting of the City Council held at 6:00 pm on
Monday, November 7, 2022, in the Public Safety Training Room 825 41st Avenue NE, Columbia Heights,
Minnesota.
CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
Mayor Márquez Simula called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.
Present: Mayor Márquez Simula; Councilmember Buesgens; Councilmember Jacobs; Councilmember
Murzyn, Jr; Councilmember Novitsky
Also Present: Lenny Austin, Police Chief; Renee Dougherty, Library Director; Kevin Hansen, Public Works
Director; Joe Kloiber, Finance Director; Ben Sandell, Communications Coordinator; Jackie Zillmer, Assistant
Finance Director
WORK SESSION ITEMS
1. 2023 Budget Presentations By Division
Library
Library Director Renee Dougherty gave an overview of the 2023 Library Budget. The
presentation will be available online on the city website on the Finance page.
Council did not have any questions for Director Dougherty.
Police
Police Chief Austin gave an overview of the 2023 Police Department Budget. The
presentation will be available online on the city website on the Finance page. Chief Austin
stated that he is hoping by the work session in February that he will have additional
information related to the full year of data about the impact of the embedded social
worker.
Councilmember Buesgens inquired about how many cities in Minnesota are doing
embedded social worker programs. She inquired about how the funds were being
distributed from a State and County level and would like to see how in the future how the
State Legislature as well as the County addresses this funding source.
Chief Austin stated that in Anoka County many cities are trying to add the embedded social
worker program. Blaine and Coon Rapids were sharing one embedded social worker, and
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both have now secured their own. Fridley is also trying to get funding for their own as well.
He also clarified that the positions are all separate from Anoka County Services.
Public Works
Public Works Director Kevin Hansen gave an overview of the 2023 Public Works Budget.
The presentation will be available online on the city website on the Finance page.
Councilmember Buesgens inquired about the master plans for the Public Works building.
She asked about a Plan A and a Plan B. She understands that the timeline is very brief to
get a building built due to the deterioration of the building.
Director Hansen stated that there are plans for there to be a single level building directly
on Madison. The City does own the property that the SACA building is on.
Councilmember Jacobs inquired as to when the SACA lease expires.
City Manager Bourgeois stated that the lease expires in 2029.
Director Hansen gave an update on the Refuse department call volume level. Waste
Management is 3 to 5 days behind on garbage and recycling pickup. The excuses vary as to
the reasons, and they have had a hard time getting answers from Waste Management.
Better Futures has been struggling with yard waste pickup as well due to equipment
failure. Haul Star has stepped in to help pickup the slack with these issues.
Related to the refuse contract, there will be increased costs, currently he is analyzing costs
with the Finance director. The increases will occur over the next several years and we will
be in the red for several years.
Councilmember Murzyn inquired about the cost of specialized pickup in the alley .
Director Hansen stated that there will be no cost deferential between the trash disposal
cost and the labor rate between Haul Star and Walters.
Mayor Márquez Simula inquired about customer credits and how we are notifying residents.
Director Hansen stated that we have not been notified by Waste Management when and
where the delayed pickups are occurring, and we are finding out from residents. This makes it
particularly difficult to credit the accounts, and we try to resolve the issues as we are notified.
He is working with the Communications Staff to get information to the residents.
Administration
City Manager Kelli Bourgeois gave an overview of the 2023 Administration Budget. The
presentation will be available online on the city website on the Finance page.
Mayor Márquez Simula inquired about funds being allocated for accessibility and if that
included subtitles for council meetings.
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City Manager Bourgeois confirmed that it did.
Finance Director Review of Next Steps in Budget Process
Director Kloiber stated that the approval of the Budget has been posted for December 12,
2022 City Council Meeting. The County will be sending out the Truth in Taxation notice to
property owners in the next two weeks. In some ways it is a condensed version of the
budget resolutions. Residents may have concerns about what they receive on this notice.
The Council will be asked to adopt the resolution at the December 12, 2022, meeting.
Council can make alternate motions or changes to the resolution, but he would like to
discuss those changes during the next item.
2. Review of 2023 Budget Changes Since August Proposed Budget Approval
Director Kloiber reviewed the changes that had occurred since August, including some of
the administrative updates from the County that are on the Truth in Taxation letter as well
as the purchase of fire trucks that were moved from 2023 to 2022, and the expenditure
related to refuse contracts. We will not have the refuse rate resolution for the December
12, 2022, meeting. It would be best to get some of the initial invoices from Haul Star and
Walters in January and February before setting the rates in the resolution. He would like to
be able to know when the 10 to 15% increases will end so there is transparency with the
residents.
Mayor Márquez Simula inquired where the funds would be coming from to pay for the
remaining balance of the refuse bills for Haul Star and Walters.
Director Kloiber stated that there is surplus fund balance of 2.1 million in the Refuse account.
This account will be drawn down due to the costs of the contract, but we will set the increases
to stabilize the accounts.
3. Discussion of 2022 Budget Amendment.
Director Kloiber discussed that there will be a budget amendment at the upcoming Council
meeting as per previous meeting discussions. The impacts of insurance increases, and
compensation study payroll increases have impacted the budget in 2022 and have
impacted an end of year catch up of 1 to 2.5% as we head into 2023.
Councilmember Buesgens clarified the reason why LMC was needing to replenish funds
related to workers compensation funds.
Director Kloiber discussed the events that drove the increases that related to the losses
such as PTSD claims from Police Officer and Covid claims from front line workers.
City Manager Bourgeois stated that she does not expect to see a lot of the claims for PTSD
to go down, or for Workers Compensation claims to go down.
Mayor Márquez Simula clarified that this would be a resolution at the meeting on November
14, 2022.
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4. Rice Creek Watershed District Nominee Recommendation.
City Manager Bourgeois introduced the item to the Council. She included the details in the
packet for the Councils review. She stated that Columbia Heights does not deal with Rice Creek
Watershed very often and the Anoka County Board would like the Council to select a member
from another community within the County that are more directly impacted geographically by
this area specifically. This item would be on the Agenda for Monday, November 14, 2022.
Councilmember Buesgens is in favor of this and is glad we are supporting the community
directly impacted.
Mayor Márquez Simula is glad that City Manager Bourgeois included the articles.
5. Discuss Board/Commission Vacancies Created by Censure
City Manager Bourgeois introduced the topic of vacancies and recommended that the
Council take no action on the item until the new Council is appointed in January and new
appointments are made.
The council agreed this was the best way to handle the vacancies.
Mayor Márquez Simula asked about canceling the December work session or changing the date of
the meeting.
City Manager Bourgeois stated that she would be out of town, but she could facilitate having the
meeting if needed for the budget or if the Council wanted to have it.
Mayor Márquez Simula stated she would be ok not having a meeting, and council concurred.
Director Kloiber stated that at this time there would not be a need related to the budget to have a
budget meeting.
Mayor Márquez Simula confirmed that we would also be canceling the fourth Monday of the month
meeting in December as well. She also asked to have the EDA meeting before the Council meeting on
12/12/2022.
City Manager Bourgeois confirmed.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Márquez Simula adjourned the meeting at 7:41pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
______________________________________
Sara Ion, City Clerk/Council Secretary