08-14-2023 Special Budget CCM - Laserfiche WebLink

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Special Meeting of the Elk River City Council tT Held at the Elk River City Hall Monday, August 14, 2023 ver Members Present: Mayor John Dietz, Councilmembers Cory Grupa, Mike Beyer, Matt Westgaard, and Jennifer Wagner Members Absent: None Staff Present: City Administrator Calvin Portner, Assistant City Administrator Joe Stremcha, Recreation Manager Micheal Hecker, Public Works Director Justin Femrite, Finance Manager Lori Stich, Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Gary Lore, Street and Park Superintendent Tim Sevcik, Fire Chief Mark Dickinson, Assistant Fire Chief Joe Libor, and City Clerk Tina Allard Also Present: Librarian Margot Barry I . Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River City Council was called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Mayor Dietz. 2. Pledge of Allegiance: Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. 2024 Budget Various staff presented their budgets. The Council noted: ■ They'd like to review pre -pandemic numbers for the number of participants in recreation programs. ■ An Elk Riverfest event recap; notably revenue and expenses. ■ An updated metric for the number of community events held to date as part of the recreation budget. ■ A copy of the public safety survey mentioned by public works regarding the number of employees on staff based paved miles. The Council held initial discussions about fire districts with many questions such as taxing, geography, assets, service, and pensions along with the pros and cons of establishing a district. Staff is continuing to review this topic. Mayor Dietz stated he would like the budget to remain under 4% for the General Fund increase. He provided a handout with his suggestions of items to cut or move. He noted an error with the dates for the street department hiring; should be 2024 and 2025. He questioned staff on how they determined the 4% Cost of Living increase for employees. Mr. Portner discussed the comparable numbers of other communities. Mr. Portner further noted some of the items on the handout would not be allowed per state law, such as pre -paying invoices.