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HomeMy WebLinkAbout111308CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP SESSION OF NOVEMBER 13, 2008 CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The City Council of the City of Port Townsend met in workshop session the thirteenth day of November 2008 at 6:30 p.m. in the Port Townsend City Council Chambers of City Hall, Mayor Michelle Sandoval presiding. ROLL CALL Council members present at roll call were David King, Laurie Medlicott, George Randels, Catharine Robinson, Michelle Sandoval and Mark Welch. Brent Butler was excused. Staff members present were City Manager David Timmons, City Attorney John Watts, Public Works Director Ken Clow, Finance Director Michael Legarsky, Planning Director Rick Sepler, and City Clerk Pam Kolacy. 2009 BUDGET Mayor Sandoval noted the purpose of the workshop is to identify 2009 budget issues for discussion and reach some agreement on these items prior to the adoption of the final budget. Mr. Timmons noted that several "placeholders" have been included in the preliminary budget pending Council discussion. Increases in funding have been requested by several of the non-profits who regularly receive funding from the city. Mr. Timmons noted there is a $25,000 reserve in the preliminary budget that council may allocate to enhance those services. Another $150,000 reserve has been set aside in the Parks fund and those funds could be tapped as well. A recommendation from the Community Development and Land Use Committee has been made in support of $20,000 for an historic property survey. Ms. Sandoval noted that long range planning and code enforcement positions have been cut and that will affect services. In addition, the City Clerk has proposed purchase of the Granicus document management system. Ms. Robinson expressed concern about the level of reserves and urged caution in spending, particularly in the first quarter. Mr. Timmons and Mr. King suggested that some benchmarks could be identified so that certain expenditures could be tied to actual revenues. Mr. Randels added that fee increases should be considered. City Council Workshop Page T November 13, 2008 Mr. Timmons explained the impact of the levy on the General Fund; he has added $250,000 to the fund balance, bringing it up to 6%; there are also contingencies within funds and an emergency fund balance of $98,000 or 1.4%. He added that revenue estimates are conservative, for example the estimate for REST revenue has been decreased by 10% and projected revenue from sales tax has not been increased. It was noted that community service recipients, including the YMCA, Boiler Room, and Arts Commission have asked for increased funding. The increases were generally supported by the Council. Mr. Randels noted that some serve the wider community (Jefferson County) and continue to be funded solely by the City. In the future he would be interested in seeing data about who the beneficiaries of the services are and if there is any revenue that accompanies the non-City elements. It was agreed this sort of cooperation to provide community services should be discussed with the BOCC. Mr. Randels stated that more information should be given to the Council in the future by entities, showing how many are served, demographics of those served, and detailed information on programs provided. Mr. Timmons noted that Domestic Violence and Main Street did not ask for increased funding but they are also deserving. He stated there is a significant amount of reserve in the parks capital maintenance fund and that can be used for the swimming pool. Fully funding community services may impact the amount of park maintenance the City can do in the coming year. RECESS Mayor Sandoval declared a recess at 8:14 for the purpose of a break. RECONVENE The meeting was reconvened at 8:26 p.m. Code enforcement and fee adjustments were discussed and it was agreed that these could be revisited as priorities in 2009. The request for funding for the historic property survey received support; it was noted that a land use review fee, if instituted, may generate the funds to cover this expenditure. Council recommended reviewing fee schedules from comparable cities. Mr. Timmons noted the $20,000 could be incorporated as part of a Preserve America grant. City Council Workshop Page 2 November 13, 2008 Regarding code enforcement, Mr. Timmons stated that Council must decide how aggressive they wish to be. At this time code enforcement will be done within existing resources in 2009. Ms. Sandoval noted that with the slowing economy, there will be more "push back" from businesses who are struggling to use any means they can to bring in revenue. Mr. Randels stated he would like to see a proposal and also that the City might be more cautious about creating legislation that will require increased enforcement activity. Regarding the loss of the Senior Planner position, Mr. Timmons noted that the City must determine what we are planning for and how to accomplish those goals. There is a difference between, for example, infrastructure planning and land use planning. When the planning needs are identified, staff can provide a proposal to either fund the need or re-appropriate current resources to meet the need. Mr. Randels said that the City's planning effort has been strong and has put us on track with the three prong economic effort currently underway. He added that the efforts to date make it possible for the City to make tong term planning a lesser priority for a time. In response to Mr. Welch, Mr. Sepler stated that planning issues upcoming include utilities and services in Glen Cove, and additional opportunities for mixed use and affordable housing so the City can be ready when economic recovery comes. The Transportation and Stormwater plans can be handled partially by consultants. He added that some aspects of the Glen Cove study will also be technical and would be contracted out. Mrs. Medlicott left the meeting at 9:04 p.m. The Council discussed the proposal to fund the Granicus system. The City Manager was directed to present a financing mechanism to the Finance and Budget Committee for consideration. It was also agreed that the Finance and Budget Committee would take the Council's direction from this meeting and make a recommendation regarding the 2009 budget at their meeting on November 20 for Council's consideration at their final budget workshop. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Attest: ~,~CVvy, ,Y"'o~ ~' Pam Kolacy, MMC City Clerk City Council Workshop Page 3 November ?3, 2008