11/06/1996 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 11/6/96 • The safety forces have been addressed by increasing manpower and updating equipment. • Administrative changes, budgetary changes and the addition of new sources of revenue, such as Springvale, the Hotel/Motel tax and EMS charges, have taken place. Although residential sewer bills are higher, the majority of the new revenue sources are paid for by non-residents. • Services and programs were not cut. Rather, services and programs and manpower were actually increased. • Fund balances are being addressed and will continue to be addressed in the same way that other problems within the city have been addressed. • Information relating to economic development including proposals for new, substantial businesses locating within the city. It seemed that the rating agency and insurance company representatives were pleasantly surprised that a city of this size was able to accomplish so much in such a short period of time through total cooperation of all levels of government and the community. The Mayor is looking forward to a good rating and will inform Council as soon as the information is received. 2) In an effort to bring more businesses to the city, the annual business show will be held tomorrow at Springvale from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. We hope to showcase available properties within the city to commercial Realtors and businesses looking to expand into this area. We will also demonstrate our Internet connection and how that can help businesses located here. All Council Members .are encouraged to attend. 3) Issue 19, the Recreation levy, did not pass. It probably failed because of the way it had to be worded. Although it was a replacement tax and not an increase, the wording implied that it was an increase. We will work on changing the wording so that the voters will understand that it is indeed a replacement tax. The issue will be placed back on the ballot. Should the voters decide not to continue the .7 mill tax, there will be a tremendous reduction of revenues to the Recreation Center resulting in an equal reduction in programs, staffing, equipment and the ability to maintain facilities and make repairs. 4) Since it is the day after the election, we should be reminded that everyone who took part participated in our government and should be applauded. Win or lose, it is participation in government that makes our democracy work. Law Director Gareau: 1) The lengthy meetings in New York, which took place over a period of two and a half days, made for quite a hectic schedule. One of the things that interested the representatives was how the infrastructure of the city was allowed to deteriorate to the point where the city had to spend approximately $70 million to repair it in a four to five year period. As a long-time city resident, Mr. Gareau was able to share his historical perspective. When he was 12 years old, the population of the city was slightly more than 6,000. By the time he was 27 years old, the population had grown to almost 36,000. In that short period of time, many streets, houses and various elements of the infrastructure were constructed. These facilities were not maintained over the years and simply deteriorated. Also, the city did not have the resources that it does today. The ,, income tax was not instituted until 1972. Today, revenues are comprised of 2