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071006 CC WS Min CITY OF SHOREWOOD CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MONDAY, JULY 10,2006 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD COUNCIL CHAMBERS 7:30 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Mayor Love called the meeting to order at 9:12 P.M. A. Roll Call Present: Mayor Love; Councilmembers Callies, Lizee, Turgeon and Wellens; Administrator Dawson; Finance Director Burton; Planning Director Nielsen; and Director of Public Works Brown Absent: None. B. Review Agenda Without objection from Council, Mayor Love proceeded with the Agenda for the meeting. 2. 2007 BUDGET DISCUSSION Administrator Dawson stated Staff was in the process of drafting the City's General Operating Budget for 2007. He then stated that in the past Staff would take time in early July to share with Council what types of issues it foresaw for the upcoming and future years; and Council would relate its preferences, expectations, and areas of special interest with Staff. He explained the first priority was to draft and finalize the General Operating Budget; the budget and levy must be adopted and certified to the County Auditor by September 15, 2006. He also explained the goal was to have a single-digit tax increase over 2006. He noted there were no levy limits in place for 2007. The enterprise funds budgets would be addressed in the fall of 2006. Dawson identified areas that would account for the more significant increases for 2007 over 2006. In response to a question from Mayor Love, Director Brown explained any information available through the public computer kiosk would also be available through the City's web site; he noted Staff was in the process of scanning documents that could be accessed through the web site. In response to another question from Mayor Love, Director Brown explained the City's computer server had a life span of approximately five years from a depreciation perspective. The server was not able to satisfy increased capacity requirements. Disaster recovery planning was more difficult because of the server's somewhat outdated technology. Director Burton stated the increases for SLMPD services, EFD services, and salary and benefits would amount to approximately $225,000 or 5.4%. There would also be fuel cost increases. Staff's objective was to draft an operating budget that would result in a single-digit levy over 2006. She then stated Staff was working on a tax reduction strategy dealing with the General Fund Reserves. It could be possible to transfer some of the General Fund Reserves to capital improvement funds. She explained the goal would be to maintain a reserves level no less than 55%, and the current reserves level was 63%. Therefore, a transfer of $80,000 - $100,000 could be done while continuing to maintain the desired reserves level. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING July 10,2006 Page 2 of5 Administrator Dawson stated the process to reduce the reserves would be a phased approach. Staff had discussed maintaining the current level of taxation into the capital improvement funds, and the transfers would be made to increase the funds. Mayor Love expressed caution with regard to ensuring a future crisis would not be created because the General Fund balance had been reduced. Director Burton stated it was important to establish a minimum level of reserves to ensure that would not occur. The phased approach to reduction would provide for the opportunity to revisit the transfer discussion each budget cycle. Councilmember Callies suggested Council take some action regarding what to do about City Hall before the most recent study also becomes outdated. In response to a question from Councilmember Callies, Director Burton explained the clean-up of the water tower on Radisson Road would be considered as part of the Water Enterprise Fund discussions. Mayor Love questioned whether it would be appropriate to transfer General Fund Reserves for roadway improvements. Director Brown stated roadways were deteriorating faster than they were being repaired, and Staff had been researching alternative methods to extend the life of roadway improvements. Mayor Love questioned if the assessment policy should be addressed in conjunction with a discussion about funding roadway improvements. Director Brown stated Acting Engineer Gurney and he had drafted an assessment policy, but it needed to be refined prior to presenting it to Council. Councilmember Callies questioned if there would be benefit for the City to acquire the highway rest areas that were State owned. Both the City and the State appeared to provide some of the maintenance for the areas. In response to a question from Councilmember Wellens, Director Brown stated the drainage issue at Mary Lake had not been resolved. Mr. Gurney had prepared a draft report that identified 3 options for how to fund the effort. Director Brown stated the Mary Lake drainage issue was the most critical drainage issue to address. Administrator Dawson explained improvements to parks, roadways, and public buildings are funded through the tax levy. Councilmember Turgeon stated the Freeman Park wetland restoration would be a significant financial expenditure. Director Brown stated it would be most appropriate to break it into smaller components which would make it easier to fund. Director Brown questioned if there were any concerns outside of the "normal" that Council would like to see addressed during the budget cycle. Mayor Love stated the stormwater improvement assessment policy and the roadway improvement assessment policy must be defined. Love also stated it was important to invest in the City's future. Replacing the lights in the parks was an example of maintaining an existing and agreed upon infrastructure. When an expansion of the infrastructure was considered it was important to distinguish the difference between a maintenance effort and an effort that was an investment into the City's future. Council member Lizee stated it was important to invest in the roadways, sewer system, and stormwater management system infrastructures; those infrastructures significantly contributed to a property's value. Mayor Love stated previous councils, as well as Staff, had paid a great deal of attention to the City's future. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING July 10,2006 Page 3 of5 Administrator Dawson asked Council to forward any additional thoughts it may have with regard to the budget to him over the next two weeks. Mayor Love, on behalf of Council, stated the direction for Staff was to examine the idea of reducing the General Fund Reserves thus reducing future levies. In parallel, Staff should identify where the transfers should be allocated to. Also, a strategy for assessment policies should be identified by year-end. 3. REQUEST FOR CONSIDERATION OF PRIVATE USE OF SLMPD FIRING RANGE Administrator Dawson stated this item was a follow-up from a previous Council meeting when it had received a request to allow the SLMPD firing range to be used for training associated with certification for concealed carry permits. In response to a request from Council, he had contacted Chief Litsey and asked him to provide him with all documents that related to the planned use for the range; those documents had been provided to Council. The purpose of this discussion was to provide Mayor Love, the City's representative on the SLMPD Coordinating Committee, with guidance on how it would like the City represented on this matter. Councilmember Lizee stated her understanding was law enforcement training had been the only intended use for the firing range. The building had not been zoned for a shooting range in a residential area. Councilmember Turgeon stated her recollection was Chief Litsey had identified the firing range as a revenue source in 2003 SLMPD budget discussions. Mayor Love and Councilmember Lizee stated the revenue source was only from other law enforcement agencies. In response to a question from Councilmember Turgeon, Mayor Love stated he guesstimated there had been three other law enforcement agencies that had used the firing range. Councilmember Turgeon stated she recollected there had been specific discussions about cost, when the building was being constructed, and Chief Litsey had stated the range could be used to certify concealed- carry permit applicants. Mayor Love stated, as a member of the SLMPD Coordinating Committee, he did not recall that Chief Litsey had ever anticipated the range being used by anyone other than a member of a law enforcement agency; the caveat being the police had conducted firearms training in the past. Discussion ensued with what defined "public" with regard to the use of the range; and what revenues had been received for the use of the range. Councilmember Turgeon stated her objective was to determine if using the range for certification of concealed-carry permits could be a source of revenue. Mayor Love stated he had always supported the use of the range by other law enforcements agencies as a means to off-set the cost of maintaining of the range. Councilmember Lizee stated the building was not currently zoned for public use. A commercial-type firing range would not be allowed in the residential zone in which the property was located. The requestor (Mr. German) should approach the SLMPD Coordinating Committee with regard to this matter. If Mr. German wanted to pursue a zoning change, he should approach the Shorewood Planning Commission. It was not a matter the Council could take action on at this time. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING July 10,2006 Page 4 of5 Mayor Love stated he had previously informed Mr. German that he should approach the SLMPD Coordinating Committee. He also stated he had great concern about opening the firing range to public use. He then stated he had been very careful to describe to Mr. German his right to process. Love stated it would be appropriate for him to receive guidance from Council. Should the Coordinating Committee determine it was appropriate to use the firing range for Mr. German's purpose, it would stilI come before Council for discussion before a formal vote was taken. Councilmember Wellens stated the rationale for having a firing range for law enforcement personnel (i.e. to improve their shooting accuracy), would also apply to concealed-carry permit holders. Councilmember Lizee stated there were other means available to train in the private sector. Councilmember Wellens stated using the range for Mr. German's purpose would allow the SLMPD police officers to meet the concealed-carry permit holders, and that could be useful for public relations between citizens and officers. He went on to state concealed carry existed, and Council needed to accept the reality and shift its' paradigm. He then stated the point was not concealed carry, but whether or not Council wanted citizens to have easy access to training, as it had done for the SLMPD police officers. Use of the firing range would elevate the seriousness of carrying a concealed weapon to trainees. He also stated that service could be offered to constituents at no cost, and it could very likely become a source of revenue. The firing range should not be regarded as an exclusive club, but as a public facility that the public had funded; and Council should consider giving the public access. Mayor Love stated he did not think the question with regard to the use of the firing range for concealed-carry permit training was a referendum of the concealed carry law. Councilmember Callies stated, although she could agree with some of Councilmember Wellens's perspectives, there stilI remained the concerns with the public use of the facility. Discussion ensued with regard to Mr. German following the process of approaching the SLMPD Coordinating Committee regarding his request. Discussion also ensued with regard to the need for background checks to be conducted before the range could be used. Councilmember Turgeon stated after students had participated in six hours of Mr. German's classroom training, Mr. German wanted a local place to conduct hands-on weapons training. Director Nielsen stated it was similar to DNR and law enforcement training. Administrator Dawson stated there was a fine distinction on how this could be pursued: if any certified instructor could use the facility it could be classified as a commercial range; if the SLMPD were to promote the use, it could make it easier to have the required contractual relationship in support of using the range. Director Nielsen stated it would, at a minimum, require a conditional use permit. Mayor Love stated Mr. German had a right to process. He stated his bias was to encourage Mr. German to approach the SLMPD Coordinating Committee during matters from the floor, and the Committee could direct the item be placed on a future meeting agenda. Mr. German could then do a formal presentation to the Committee. Love also stated he would ensure the Committee did not take a formal vote on the matter until Council had had the opportunity to further discuss the matter. 4. OTHER None. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING July 10,2006 Page 5 of5 5. ADJOURN Turgeon moved, Lizee seconded, Adjourning the City Council Work Ses~ion Meeting of July 10, 2006, 10:07 P.M. Motion passed 5/0. . ( RESPECTFULLYSUBMUTTED, ~ Christine Freeman, Recorder . / < Woody Love, Mayor