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City Council Minutes <br />August 19, 2019 <br />Page 6 <br />equipment, policies, and processes can help better prepare the city for the future. He <br />is concerned about the transition and strategic planning. He further noted there <br />would likely be an additional IT staffing request in 2021. <br />Acting Mayor Westgaard felt the phased retirement for the IT manager is not normal <br />business practice for staff transition but noted in today's age of cyber security, it's <br />important to keep systems updated and there is a level of importance the city has in <br />the management transition. He questioned if there is any other way to get creative <br />with the structure of the IT position. <br />Councilmember Christianson noted he spent time with the IT manager and he can <br />see the benefit to having a transition plan. He stated he would like to see what the <br />transition plan would look like to make sure the city gets its return on investment. <br />Councilmember Wagner stated the reason the city would do the retirement, as <br />proposed, is because the IT manager needs full benefits. <br />Mr. Portner stated Council policy allows for full benefits under a PERA phased <br />retirement and and referred to a previous public works transition. He stated it has <br />been done for the more unique positions in the city. <br />Councilmember Wagner suggested changing it to a contract position versus an <br />employee. <br />Mr. Portner stated this option wouldn't be allowed because of PERA (the employee <br />pension program). He stated one reason an employee takes a phased retirement is <br />because they need health insurance to bridge to Medicare. He stated if the city didn't <br />allow the phased retirement, the employee would stay the 18 months, and then <br />provide their notice. The city would pay full benefits but not reap the benefit time <br />needed for backfilling and transitioning. He suggested there could be some potential <br />savings depending on when recruitment is started if the Council entered into the <br />phased retirement plan. <br />Councilmember Ovall stated he would be interested in whether other cities offer life <br />insurance for certain key, critical staffing positions. <br />Acting Mayor Westgaard stated he'd like to keep Elk RiverFest in the budget because <br />it is an extremely well-received community event. He is okay with $162,000 for <br />elections and Lake Orono dredging because they are one-time expenses. He stated <br />he could accept the proposed adjustment for the investigative assistant position with <br />postponement to July 2020 to help offset the Elk RiverFest costs. <br />Acting Mayor Westgaard is opposed to removing the $150,000 sinking fund <br />allocation because the city needs to increase the building reserve and capital outlay. <br />He stated Council can't keep getting queasy about a percent increase or tax rate <br />change because there will come a day when there will be a reckoning much like <br />Council had with its facilities. <br />rNATURE <br />