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City Council Minutes <br />May 6, 2019 <br />Page 14 <br />Councilmember Ovall asked where the city could cut, if needed, due to a recession. <br />Currently, it seems like we are paying for past rainy day expenses. Staff should decide <br />where there is room to cut if the need is there. <br />Councilmember Christianson asked what the city should do if housing prices crash <br />again. <br />Mr. Portner stated common practices during a recession period are to not fill vacant <br />positions, not raise pay or send staff to training. <br />Councilmember Ovall didn't like the options he has been presented on how to make <br />the budget work. The costs seem to keep crescendoing and citizens are unhappy. <br />Where are the city's priorities? <br />Councilmember Westgaard stated some things the city could control and some they <br />could not. The city cannot control PERA or workers compensation costs. The city <br />should prepare for when, not if, a downturn occurs. You can cut a lot of Park and <br />Recreation programs but it wouldn't make up for the amount in the costs incurred <br />by the Police, Fire, or Parks and Streets departments. <br />Ms. Ziemer agreed approximately 77% of personnel services are fixed and cannot be <br />changed without reducing staff. <br />Councilmember Ovall asked about maintenance of the park system such as mowing. <br />Should the city stop expanding the park system and improve what we have? Can we <br />look at parks more strategically? Perhaps we can let some parks grow more natural <br />which would take them off the acreage to mow. <br />Mr. Portner said some playsets and ice rinks have been removed from parks. Prairie <br />grasses and a reduction in mowing could be a discussion. The Park Master Plan <br />could be reviewed to see which parks to divest in and which cannot. Many parks <br />were received through park dedication and would need to go back to the original <br />owner. <br />Councilmember Ovall suggested looking at sustainability and not increasing tax <br />capacity. <br />Mr. Portner asked if the council was asking for a priority -based budgeting process. <br />He recommended such exercise breaking the budget down by programs and <br />activities. <br />Councilmember Wagner asked what can be cut and still keep the services at the level <br />we currently have. Can anything be done to create a lean budget? <br />Mr. Portner stated the council seems to enjoy going through the budget line by line. <br />The past eight budgets have been thin. It's impossible to know what will happen <br />with housing changes. <br />PorEREI �r <br />'MATURE <br />