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Special Council Minutes of 8/13/99
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<br />Ordinance 99-99. This vote is a vote against the procedure used for this particular
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<br />,, ordinance. He feels more time to consider this particular ordinance, fixed costs and fixed
<br />plans are necessary before he can vote to spend $300,000. Roll call continued: Kasler,
<br />no, with comment: As a proponent and in fact an integral part of the effort to secure the
<br />CDBG grant funding for ADA improvements at Springvate Golf Course and Ballroom,
<br />she is in favor of making the necessary adjustments to the facility as soon as possible
<br />along with the necessary and overdue repairs to the parking lot for the safety and
<br />aesthetic improvements to this asset. However, she is unable to agree to borrowing funds
<br />for these projects as this borrowing has been presented to us by the administration. Her
<br />concerns were solidified at the Finance Committee review of this project and are as
<br />follows: First, a definite plan or specific plan for the parking lot has not yet been
<br />determined. In fact, there are two plans on the table. One allegedly costing $75,000 to
<br />$100,000 more than the other. In addition, these figures are estimated at best and are not
<br />based on formal engineering studies for this particular parking lot proposal. Second, with
<br />regard to the ADA facilities, the cost originally proposed was $160,000 when we applied
<br />for the CDBG grant. And it has already increased to an estimated $220,000 before a
<br />shovel has hit the ground. Third, Springvale will be responsible for paying down the debt
<br />service on the proposed borrowing for these projects. They initially presented us with the
<br />ability to pay for a debt of $300,000. During the process at the Finance Committee
<br />meeting, the proposed cost and eventual borrowing for these projects increased to at least
<br />$375,000. All of this led to two questions that she presented to members of the
<br />administration on that evening: One, can Springvale afford to pay back this increased
<br />debt service over and above the originally proposed borrowing of $300,000? (She
<br />appreciates Mrs. Copfer's memo, but could only briefly read it this evening.) It's a
<br />legitimate question. She will not entertain comments regarding micro-management. As
<br />careful as we must be not to micro-manage and therefore allow Springvale to create and
<br />present their plan and advise us with the assistance of Finance of their ability to support
<br />this debt, that is how careful we must also be in performing our most important duty and
<br />fiduciary responsibility as Council members, which is to ensure responsible borrowing,
<br />spending and appropriation of funds. Therefore, it is well within our individual
<br />responsibilities to ensure that $375,000 is number one, a hard and correct figure to
<br />perform these projects; number two, is appropriately spent; number three, is within
<br />Springvale's ability to repay since, when the debt becomes due, someone has to pay it.
<br />The second question to the administration was: What assurances can be made that these
<br />two projects will not exceed the now-increased proposed figure of $375,000? Without
<br />specific plans or a decision on which plan will be used and with a paper increase on the
<br />ADA project of $60,000 already, this guarantee of no further increases cannot be made.
<br />Finally, she is not in judgment of her colleagues who feel differently than she, but instead
<br />only speaks for herself and the responsibilities that she assumes. She cannot quickly and
<br />without substantiation approve borrowing for projects that have no definite plan and no
<br />definite dollar figure associated with them. Earlier this year, some members of Council
<br />suggested, for example, that before we agree to assist a deteriorating Rec Center with an
<br />influx of $10,000 following that department's third review of their individual budget for
<br />surplus money, the Rec Center was to then again scour their budget to pay for their own
<br />repairs without even considering borrowing. Now we are abandoning that philosophy of
<br />carefully scrutinizing and re-scrutinizing and instead, in a one committee meeting, agree
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