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011688 CC/Commissions WS Min CITY OF SHOREWOOD JOINT STUDY SESSION SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 1988 AMERICAN LEGION 24450 SMITHTOWN ROAD 8:00 A.M. - BLUE ROOM . SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION The Joint Council & January 16, 1988 at American Legion, 24450 in attendance were: Council: Mayor Rascop, Councilmembers Gagne, Stover and Haugen. Planning Commissioners: Schultz, Spellman & Watten. Park Commissioners: Weatherly, Andrus, Lindstrom & Vogel. Staff: Vogt, Nielsen, Kennelly, Zdrazil & Niccum. Commissions Study Session was held Saturday, 8:00 A.M. in the Blue Room, at the Shorewood Smithtown Road, Shorewood, Minnesota. Those Mayor Rascop opened the session by asking each of the groups to list their area of concerns for discussion. The following list of terms was offered for discussion. . 1. lack of city water 2. high taxes 3. tax base (lack of commercial development) 4. financial planning 5. long-range planning 6. communication 7. identity (community-Iack-of) 8. sewer rates 9. sewer/water services 10. public works facility 11. day to day operations 12. coordination of contracted services 13. long-range planning/consistency of direction 14. establish professional altitude Each person then ranked the items as to its importance. The group then broke into three smaller groups and discussed the catagories which were ranked as most important. A. High Taxes: Groups discussed the current high taxes and what portion of the tax bill actually goes to operate the City. They encouraged the promotion of good commercial uses in the existing commercial zones and the development of residential properties other than single family. This type of development would increase the tax base. B. Financial Planning: The financial planning issue boiled down to the need to project the needs for the City and set priorities in order to set a financial plan. C. Public Works Needs: They discussed the expanded area, or a equipment replacement. future new needs of location, the department including an new structures, and on going . -1- . . . JOINT STUDY SESSION MINUTES SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 1988 PAGE TWO D. Park Improvements: The questions of the need for additional land acquision for parks and the method to pay for the land was reviewed. A Capital Improvements Plan will be updated by the staff and commissions prior to the next budgeting period. They discussed the possibilities of a referendum in order to complete all the parks at one time. E. Contractual Services: A list of all services contracted and the approximate cost of these services were reviewed. The merits of contractual cost and services versus "in house" costs were reviewed. Many of the services were determined to be best contracted in order to obtain a good quality of services for the cost. The cities exchanging services with other cities was also explained. Council felt the sealcoating survey should be done in early spring by the staff for recommendation to the Council for the yearly sealcoating project. F. Communications: Additional information should be incorporated into the newsletter. Surveys, park issues and department articles should be headlined. City information folders could be developed for new residents, encouraging developers and city identity. Additional signage should be installed to denote city limits. The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 P.M., with discussion of the need to hold these joint meetings yearly or more than once a year. The Mayor thanked the praticipants for their contibutions. Respectfully, Sandra Kennelly City Clerk -2-