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[1. CALL TO ORDER AND CERTIFICATION OF A QUORUM]
THIS, UH, UH, I GUESS, BUDGET WORKSHOP TO ORDER AND GO AHEAD AND GET A, UH, QUORUM CERTIFICATION OF QUORUM.COUNCIL MEMBER DON KING, HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER SCOTT SCHRADER.
ALRIGHT, WELL THEN WHAT WE WILL DO NEXT, IF I CAN FIND THE DEAL, IS WE HAVE NO PUBLIC COMMENTS, AND THAT
[3.A Presentation and discussion concerning the FY2026-2027 Budget for the City of Dickinson.]
WILL LEAD US TO THE BUDGET WORKSHOP, UH, PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE FISCAL YEAR 20 26, 20 27 BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF DICKINSON.I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND OPEN IT UP FOR PRESENTATION FOR STAFF AND WE'LL GO FROM THERE.
UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AS WE BEGIN THE FISCAL 20 26 20 27 BUDGET WORKSHOP.
THE ANNUAL BUDGET IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY ADMINISTRATION.
IT IS HOW WE EVALUATE REVENUES, EXPENDITURES, PRIORITIZE COMMUNITY NEEDS, MAINTAIN ESSENTIAL SERVICES, AND ENSURE THE LONG TERM FINANCIAL STABILITY OF THE CITY OF DICKINSON.
THE GENERAL FUND IS THE CITY'S PRIMARY OPERATING FUND AND THE ONLY SALES TAX FUND THAT DIRECTLY SUPPORTS DAY-TO-DAY CITY SERVICES.
ONE COMMON MISCONCEPTION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS THAT ALL THE SALES TAX REVENUE COLLECTED BY THE CITY IS AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT DAILY OPERATIONS, AND THAT IS NOT TRUE.
IN REALITY, THOSE FUNDS ARE DISTRIBUTED AMONG, AMONG FOUR SEPARATE SALES TAX FUNDS, THE GENERAL FUND STREET MAINTENANCE FUND, THE EDC AND DDMD.
EACH FUND IS ESTABLISHED FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE AND GOVERNED BY LEGAL RESTRICTIONS ON HOW THOSE DOLLARS MAY BE SPENT.
IN SHORT, THE GENERAL FUND RECEIVES HALF OF THE SALES TAX REVENUE GENERATED IN THE CITY, WHICH WE WILL DISCUSS A LITTLE LATER.
UNDERSTANDING THOSE LIMITATIONS IS HOW WE WILL EVALUATE THE CITY'S FINANCIAL CONDITION AND DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES FACING THE GENERAL FUND.
ANOTHER MISCONCEPTION ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS THAT OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE A PROFIT THAT MAY BE TRUE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, BUT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.
AND IT IS CERTAINLY NOT THE CASE HERE IN DICKINSON.
OUR GOAL IS TO GENERATE ENOUGH REVENUE TO COVER OUR EXPENSES FOR OPERATIONS AND THE SERVICES PROVIDED TO OUR COMMUNITY.
A REAL CHALLENGE WE FACE IS THE COST OF PROVIDING THESE SERVICES.
THE REAL CHALLENGE WE FACED IN IS THE COST OF PROVIDING THESE SERVICES HAS INCREASED OVER THE YEARS.
THE LABOR EQUIPMENT, MATERIAL SOFTWARE, UTILITIES, FUEL CONTRACTED SERVICES HAVE HAVE RISEN SUBSTANTIALLY MANY BY 30 TO 40%.
WHILE REVENUE GROWTH HAS NOT KEPT PACE WITH INFLATION.
AS A RESULT, IT HAS MADE IT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENT SERVICE LEVELS.
THE BUDGET BEFORE YOU IS NOT SIMPLY A FINANCIAL DOCUMENT, IT IS A REFLECTION OF THE CITY'S PRIORITIES.
ITS SERVICE COMMITMENTS AND THE FOUNDATION OF OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
ULTIMATELY, A BUDGET IS A POLICY DOCUMENT THAT ANSWERS ONE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION.
WHAT LEVEL OF SERVICE DOES THE COMMUNITY EXPECT AND HOW WILL WE PAY FOR IT? TONIGHT, OUR FOCUS IS ON THE GENERAL FUND AND A PROJECTED DEFICIT OF APPROXIMATELY $826,000.
AND FOR CONTEXT, THAT DEFICIT WAS 1.5 MILLION WHEN WE BEGAN THE BUDGET PROCESS WEEKS AGO.
AS THE CITY MANAGER, IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE COUNSEL WITH AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF THE CITY'S FINANCIAL CONDITION AND OUR OPERATIONAL NEEDS.
WE WILL REVIEW THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS SHORTFALL, THE IMPACT OF RISING OPERATING COST, AND THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO DEVELOP A BALANCED AND SUSTAINABLE BUDGET.
WE WILL ALSO DISCUSS ONGOING EFFORTS TO IMPROVE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY.
ONE EXAMPLE IS THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE TO RESTRUCTURE AND STABILIZE THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND.
WE INHERITED A CONVOLUTED FUND STRUCTURE DATING BACK TO 2019, AND OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, WE HAVE SYSTEMATICALLY REMOVED EXPENDITURES THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CHARGED TO THAT FUND.
WHILE THOSE CORRECTIONS HAVE PLACED ADDITIONAL PRESSURES ON THE GENERAL FUND, THEY IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY AND ENSURE WE ARE OPERATING AS THE FUND WAS INTENDED.
THE DECISIONS BEFORE COUNCIL WERE NOT SIMPLY ABOUT BALANCING
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NUMBERS ON A SPREADSHEET.THEY'RE ABOUT MAINTAINING PUBLIC SAFETY, PRESERVING AND IMPROVING INSTRUCT INFRASTRUCTURE, SUSTAINING ESSENTIAL SERVICES, AND ENSURING THAT DICKSON REMAINS A COMMUNITY WHERE RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT A RELIABLE AND RESPONSIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
AS WE MOVE THROUGH TONIGHT'S DISCUSSION, I LOOK FORWARD TO A PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO ADDRESS THIS PROJECTED DEFICIT AND DEVELOP A BALANCED, SUSTAINABLE BUDGET THAT REFLECTS BOTH THE PRIORITIES OF CITY COUNCIL AND THE EXPECTATIONS OUR CITIZENS OF THE CITIZENS WE SERVE.
SO BEFORE DISCUSSING THE SALES TAX REVENUE FUNDS AND THE PROPOSED EXPENDITURES, I WANNA DISCUSS OUR UPCOMING SCHEDULE FOR BUDGET WORKSHOPS.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE A BUDGET WORKSHOP SCHEDULED FOR THE 28TH BEFORE CITY COUNCIL, AND WE WILL SCHEDULE AS MANY OF THESE WORKSHOPS AS NEEDED.
BUT I RECOMMEND WE HOLD A BUDGET RETREAT, A HALF DAY WORKSHOP, A DAY OR SO, AS MANY CITIES DO.
IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THROUGH ALL THE FUNDS AND THE OPERATING BUDGET BEFORE A COUNCIL MEETING.
IF THIS IS SOMETHING Y'ALL THINK WILL BE BENEFICIAL, WE WILL WORK ON SCHEDULING A DATE AND A TIME THAT'LL WORK FOR COUNCIL.
I WAS THINKING WE COULD DO A WORKSHOP ON A FRIDAY, SATURDAY THROUGH A WORKING LUNCH IN ORDER TO GET THROUGH ALL OF THESE DISCUSSIONS.
AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVE FROM THESE WORKSHOPS, WE AS STAFF WILL TAKE YOUR INPUT, YOUR SUGGESTIONS, YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, AND MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS TO THE BUDGET AND THEN BRING THESE AMENDMENTS FORWARD AT THE NEXT WORKSHOP.
WITH THAT, WE'LL JUMP INTO THE PRESENTATION.
SO WHAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU IS THE OVERVIEW OF THE GENERAL FUND.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, REVENUE IS BUDGETED AT 17.693 AND THE EXPENDITURES ARE CURRENTLY AT 18 5 5 20 WITH LEAVES US WITH A DEFICIT OF 826,000.
UM, SO WE'RE JUST GONNA GO THROUGH THE FIRST FEW DEPARTMENTS THIS EVENING, UM, AND SEE HOW FAR WE CAN GET.
FIRST STEP IS GOING TO BE, WELL, HERE IS A A COUPLE OF BREAKDOWNS I WANTED TO SHOW YOU GUYS.
HERE YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN OF THE GENERAL FUND REVENUE AND THE DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURES.
AND THEN HERE WE DID A BREAKDOWN OF THE FUNCTION.
SO PUBLIC SAFETY, SUPPORT SERVICES, ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC SERVICES AND CITYWIDE SERVICES, AND HOW OUR, UM, FUNDS ARE SPENT THERE.
AND THIS IS THE BREAKDOWN OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO PUBLIC SAFETY ACCOUNTS FOR OVER 40% OF OUR BUDGET EXPENDITURES.
AND WITHIN PUBLIC SAFETY, 71% IS PD 21 IS EMS. AND THEN WE HAVE FIRE MARSHAL, UM, FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND OEM.
UM, THE ONLY REVENUE WE'RE REALLY GONNA DISCUSS TONIGHT IS SALES TAX.
UM, PROPERTY TAX ROLL WILL NOT BE IN UNTIL JULY 31ST, SO IT'S HARD TO TO PROJECT THAT AS OF RIGHT NOW.
BUT AS YOU KNOW, PROPERTY TAXES DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY AND WE BUDGETED IT FOR IT TO BE IN LINE WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
YOU CAN SEE IT HAS GONE UP IN THE LAST FOUR MONTHS.
UM, BUT WE'RE STILL BEING CONSERVATIVE BECAUSE OF THIS YEAR'S PAIN THAT WE HAVE FELT WITH THE LOSS OF SALES TAX REVENUE.
SO WE ARE BUDGETING CONSERVATIVELY, UM, $1.4 MILLION LESS THAN WE DID LAST YEAR, WHICH IS A HUGE REASON WHY WE'RE LOOKING FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS DEFICIT.
OF THAT THREE 80 AGREEMENTS ARE ABOUT 25% OF THE SALES TAX REVENUE.
SO WITH THREE 80 AGREEMENTS, ABOUT 40% OF THAT GETS PAID BACK TO THE, UM, THE COMPANY THAT'S WITH THE AGREEMENT.
SO WE'LL START OFF WITH ADMIN.
AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S $1.6 MILLION, WHICH IS SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR.
UM, THERE ARE TWO POSITIONS THAT ARE NEW THAT WE CAN CONSIDER FOR THIS BUDGET SEASON.
AND IT IS THE, WHAT IS IT, IS THE CUSTODIAN OR DO WE NEED RECEPTION? UH, FACILITIES, TECH AND, UH, RECEPTION.
AND THEN A HALF OF A FACILITIES MANAGER.
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WELL, HALF A FACILITIES MANAGER IS GREG TRANUM.SO HE'S HALF FACILITIES MANAGER AND HALF OEM.
SO YOU'LL SEE HIM SPLIT THE SALARY SPLIT.
SO THERE'S AN ADMIN ASSISTANT FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE THAT'S BUILT INTO THIS BUDGET AND A CUSTODIAN TO TAKE CARE OF THE FACILITIES.
SO IT'S, IF YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO GO LINE BY LINE OR DO YOU JUST WANNA DO AN OVERVIEW? YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ON ADMIN.
WHAT'S THE, UM, WHAT'S THE LEVEL OF URGENCY FOR THE STAFF REQUEST? I DON'T THINK THERE IS A LEVEL OF URGENCY FOR THE RECEPTIONIST, CUSTODIAN WE'VE BEEN WITHOUT FOR A COUPLE YEARS.
SO OBVIOUSLY WE CAN CONTINUE TO GO WITHOUT, OF COURSE, OF COURSE.
WE, WE WOULD LIKE ONE, BUT WE'VE GONE WITHOUT ONE FOR TWO YEARS AS IT IS NOW.
SO THE ADMIN ASSISTANT THAT I WAS REQUESTING WOULD ALSO FILL, FILL THE RECEPTIONIST, DOUBLE ROLL.
WITH ME THROUGH MY CALENDAR, MY CALLS, SCHEDULES, EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND THEN FILL IN AS A RECEPTIONIST AS WELL.
I CAN DO, I, I CAN DO WITHOUT.
UH, THE CUSTODIAN TO ME IS MORE IMPORTANT.
BUT YES SIR, THAT'S AN INCREASE FROM THE TOTAL BUDGET REQUEST OF 25 26 TO, IN THIS REQUEST YEAR IS $36,991.
BASICALLY AN INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR.
DOES ANY OF THE OTHER, UH, DOES ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, UH, VISUALS WE HAVE UP HERE ON THEIR SCREEN? WE DID CUT ALL EMPLOYEE EVENTS.
THERE WILL BE NO EMPLOYEE EVENTS PAID FOR BY THE CITY.
THERE'LL BE NO FOOD FOR COUNCIL AFTER, AFTER THESE BUDGET WORKSHOPS.
HONESTLY, THERE'LL BE NO MORE FOOD FOR COUNCIL
UM, SO WE CUT AS MUCH AS WE COULD SEE FIT.
WE CUT, UM, CHASE, CUT SOME TRAINING.
THERE IS SOME TRAINING FOR YOU GUYS IN HERE.
IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOING TO ATTEND IT, WE CAN CUT THAT.
UM, SO YEAH, WE WENT THROUGH AND, AND THIS STARTED LAST YEAR IN LAST BUDGET SEASON, WE ELIMINATED A LOT OF UNNECESSARY EXPENDITURES.
WE STARTED THAT PROCESS LAST YEAR.
WE, UH, WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH AND FINDING ANY EXPENDITURE THAT IS NOT NECESSARY AND TAKING IT OUT.
UH, WHERE'S THE, ONE OF THE THINGS I WANNA POINT OUT TOO IS, UM, UTILITIES ACROSS THE CITY HAS GONE UP TREMENDOUSLY.
WE WERE GOING FROM A 7 CENT ELECTRICITY RATE TO A 21 CENT.
SO ELECTRICITY IS INCREASING MAJORLY.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT IN ALL OF THE BUILDING MAINTENANCE LINE ITEMS. UH, WE'RE IN THE FULL ADMIN SECTION, RIGHT, SIR? GOING ALL THE WAY TO PAGE EIGHT.
YEAH, ALL THE WAY TO PAGE EIGHT.
WELL YOU CAN TAKE $3,200 OFF THE CONFERENCE IN TRAVEL FOR THE MAYOR.
YOU'RE NOT PAYING FOR MY STUFF.
IF I GO TO TML, I'LL PAY FOR MY OWN STUFF.
THE COUNCIL COMMUNITY RELATIONS, THAT ONE TOO.
THAT'S WHERE WE HAD THE GALA, THE DINNERS THAT WE HAD THIS PREVIOUS YEAR.
WE HAD THAT ALL PAID FOR BY DONATIONS.
BUT THE OFFSETTING REVENUE, IT GOES INTO A, THE, THE MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE LINE ITEM, WE BUDGETED FOR IT.
BUT ANY OTHER EVENTS THAT WE WILL HOLD OR EVENTS I HAVE FOR STAFF, I'LL HAVE IT DONATED.
THAT'S WHY WE ELIMINATED EVERYTHING.
BUT WE STILL HAVE A LINE ITEM OF 11,000 ON THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL.
SO ARE WE GONNA WIPE THAT OFF TOO? OR, OR ARE WE GONNA KEEP IT IN THE BUDGET? WHAT ARE THE DETAILS OF THAT? SO THAT INCLUDES, UM, YEAH, THEY'RE SPONSORSHIPS.
SPONSORSHIPS THAT WILL BE REIMBURSED OR NOT REIMBURSED, BUT PAID FOR WITH MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE.
IT INCLUDES YOUTH LAW AND JUSTICE STAY, UM, ADMIN AND SOME OF ANYTHING THAT YOU GUYS WANT TO ATTEND.
UM, IF THERE, IF THERE'S SOMETHING ALREADY PLANNED, THEN KEEP IT IN THERE.
I I WAS CURIOUS IF THERE'S, IF THERE'S SPECIFIC ITEMS THAT ARE PLANNED, KEEP IT.
WE JUST GOTTA KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA PAY FOR IT.
AND YOU ALREADY HAVE A PLAN, SO THAT'S GOOD.
NO, DON'T TAKE SOMETHING OUT IF WE'RE NOT USING IT OR IF WE'RE GOING TO USE IT OR IF IT'S ESSENTIAL TO OUR NEED.
YES, THERE IS OFFSETTING REVENUE FOR THOSE ITEMS. OKAY.
SO WHAT IS, UH, BUILDING PATIENT SUGGEST? SO THAT IS COFFEE PAPER PRODUCTS, A TRASH BAG.
ALL OF THE, ALL OF THE PAPER PRODUCTS FOR THE CITY, UM, FOR ANY OF THE FACILITIES ACTUALLY THEY EACH HAVE THAT LINE ITEM.
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LAST YEAR YOU HAVE 8,700 BUDGETED FOR CONFERENCE AND TRAVEL FOR COUNCIL.AND WE'VE ONLY USED THIRTY FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE OF THOSE DOLLARS.
DO YOU FORESEE THE NEED FOR EXPENSE BEFORE THE NEXT BUDGET THAT YOU WILL MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE OF WHAT'S EXPENDED RIGHT NOW TO THE 87 65? AND IF NOT, IS THERE NOT A GOOD REASON WHY WE CAN'T AT LEAST ADJUST TO WHAT'S REALLY PRACTICAL AS YOUR BUDGET REQUEST FOR THAT ITEM? AND THE SAME THING? I MEAN, I THINK YOU COULD DO THE SAME THING FOR THE MAYOR TRAVEL.
I MEAN THAT WELL, I'M SAYING AS IN I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID, STEP WELL NO, NO, I'M ASKING AS IN WELL, WE HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION 'CAUSE IT'S OUR BUDGET LINE ITEM.
RIGHT? THEY'RE ASKING I TOTALLY GET IT.
I'M JUST ASKING IS THERE FORESEEABLE ADDITIONAL EXPENSE TO GET TO THE BUDGET AMOUNT THAT WAS ALREADY BUDGETED FOR LAST YEAR? 'CAUSE THIS YEAR YOU'RE ASKING FOR AN INCREASE OF THAT AMOUNT AND IF YOU DON'T FORESEE A, A REASONABLE BUDGET OR NECESSITY FOR INCREASE, WHY CAN'T WE JUST CUT THAT NUMBER IN HALF AND STILL BE IN BUDGET? WE CERTAINLY CAN IF NO, IF IT DEPENDS ON WHO WANTS TO GO TO TML.
SO RIGHT NOW IT'S BUDGETED FOR EVERYBODY TO GO TO TML.
IF, IF THERE'S PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT GONNA GO TO T ML, WE CAN CUT THAT OUT FOR SUREAND.
WE HAD FOUR, I THINK WE HAD FOUR PEOPLE GO TO TML LAST YEAR.
SO THAT WASN'T A HUNDRED PERCENT OF A SETTLEMENT.
AND THEN THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THAT EXPENSE ALL OFFICE, THE MAYOR DIDN'T MAKE IT TO TML LAST YEAR.
SO IS HE'S NOT IN THAT LINE ITEM.
HE'S NOT, HE HAS HIS OWN LINE ITEM.
SO MY QUESTION IS THAT WE HAVE TWO SPECIFIC LINE ITEMS. ONE JUST FOR THE MAYOR AND ONE FOR COUNCIL.
AND I WONDER IF THAT'S NEEDFUL TO HAVE TWO.
I MEAN, SHOULDN'T COULDN'T IT JUST BE, UH, JUST FOR CLEANING UP PURPOSES, COULDN'T IT BE CONFERENCE AND TRAVEL FOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL? BECAUSE I DON'T THINK YES MA'AM.
SO MAYBE THIS WILL EQUAL THE CHARTER TO DO THAT.
THE ONLY REASON WHY IT WOULD NOT CHANGE, AND THIS IS JUST ON THE ACCOUNTING SIDE OF IT, IS BECAUSE I GET ASKED TO GO TO THINGS THAT OUT IN THE CELEBRATORY OR, UM, I HAVE TO REPRESENT THE CITY IN A SPECIFIC CAPACITY.
I'M NOT GOING TO ASK FOR REIMBURSEMENTS.
I DON'T, SOME OTHER MAYOR MIGHT.
WELL, DOESN'T THAT GO UNDER THE COMMUNITY? UH, SO IT'S AMOUNT SAYING, I'M SAYING IF I HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE RIGHT.
AND GO AND DO THINGS THAT ARE REQUESTED OF ME, IF I HAVE TO GO INTO, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, I WAS ASKED TO GO TO, UH, AUSTIN TO GO TALK AT, UM, AT THE, UH, AT THE CHAMBER, RIGHT? OR NOT THE CHAMBER.
THE, UH, COMBINE THOSE, SHE'S RIGHTS BECAUSE WE AT CONGRESS.
SO THAT WOULD BE A TRAVEL THAT Y'ALL WOULDN'T GO, THAT I WOULD GO WELL, BUT WE COULD, WE CAN COMBINE THOSE ACCOUNTS.
WELL, WE COULD GO BECAUSE WE COULD BE ASKED AS WELL.
I'M SAYING THAT, I'M SAYING THAT'S THE ONLY REASON WHY ON THE ACCOUNTING SIDE, BECAUSE OF THE CEREMONIAL THINGS THAT I HAVE TO DO.
I MEAN, WELL, I THINK THAT THE ZERO BE ASKED TO GO TO THOSE THINGS.
SO IT SHOULD BE ALL PUT TOGETHER AND WE CAN, WE CAN COMBINE THOSE ACCOUNTS.
I WAS JUST EXPLAINING WHY THE, THAT WAS SEPARATE.
WHY IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME WHY IT WAS SEPARATED.
BUT REALISTIC, I MEAN, HERE'S JUST MY THOUGHT PROCESS IS IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO, IF WE HAVE A $800,000 DEFICIT, WHY ARE WE PAYING FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO TRAVEL, PERIOD? WELL, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A WORKSHOP RIGHT NOW.
NO, I I KNOW, BUT I'M SAYING WE'RE, WE'RE THERE RIGHT NOW SO WE CAN ADD IT BACK.
SO WHEN I LOOK AT, LIKE, WHEN I DO FINANCIAL PLANNING WITH MY CLIENTS, THE, WHAT WE DO IS WE LOOK AT THE FOCUS OF WHAT IS A REQUIREMENT TO LIVE OUR LIVES.
NOT WHAT'S EVERYTHING WE WANT.
IT'S WHAT IS THE REQUIREMENT? AND THEN YOU GO FROM THERE.
SO THAT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT TO LIVE OUR LIVES.
WELL, SO I'M ASKING IS, I WOULD BEG TO DIFFER YOU THERE BECAUSE TRAINING IS VERY IMPORTANT TO EVERY PERSON.
EVERY SINGLE RESPONSIBILITY WE HAVE, WE HAVE TO DO TRAINING.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR STAFF TO GO AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO GO AND GET STATEWIDE TRAINING SO THAT WE CAN COME BACK AND DO OUR JOBS APPROPRIATELY.
SO I THINK TRAINING IS, IS NEEDED.
TRAINING IS, UH, IS TRAINING IS NEEDED.
I'M SAYING THE CITY PAYING FOR OUR TRAVEL AND THE CONFERENCE IS NOT NEEDED WHEN WE HAVE A DEFICIT IS ALL I'M GETTING AT.
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE TRA IT'S NOT ABOUT THE TRAINING SPECIFICALLY.
IT'S ABOUT WE'RE ASKING STAFF MEMBERS TO CUT THEIR BUDGETS, BUT WE WON'T CUT OURS.
SO THE UM, THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND IT IS, IS WHY DO WE HAVE TO ASK FOR THE CITY TO PAY WITH THEIR TAX DOLLARS? US ELECTED OFFICIALS WHEN, IF WE ONLY SERVE THREE YEARS, BUT THEY SPENT 10 GRAND A YEAR ON US, IT'S
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NOT A VERY GOOD INVESTMENT OF OUR FUNDS FOR TRAINING.WELL, I REMEMBER HAVING THIS CONVERSATION LAST YEAR.
I KNOW, AND I'M, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA TALK, BRING IT UP EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
I I HONESTLY BELIEVE I, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM SUPPLYING ENOUGH DOLLARS FOR MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL, WHETHER I'M ON IT OR NOT.
TO DO WHATEVER THEY NEED TO DO TO BE BETTER PROFESSIONALS UP HERE.
ALRIGHT, WHAT ELSE WE GOT? ANYTHING ELSE? I'M ADMIN I'D LIKE TO, UH, I'D LIKE TO ASK.
BACK IN 20 16, 20 17, WE HAD A CITY ADMINISTRATOR, FORMER GOVERNMENT.
WE HAD A LOT MORE MONEY COMING IN.
SEEMED LIKE WE HAD A LOT MORE STAFF IN THE, IN THE HALLWAY OUT THERE.
I, I DON'T, AND I DON'T KNOW, I NEVER WAS A PARTICIPANT IN THE, IN THE BACK ROOM.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HAD RUNNING, RUNNING THE CITY THEN.
BUT NOW WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A CITY MANAGER AND WE HAVE AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
AND, UM, WE, WE'VE GOT A PAYROLL OF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR FIVE PEOPLE, I BELIEVE IS WHAT I ADDED UP THE OTHER DAY WHEN I ASKED WHAT THE PAYROLL WAS.
AND I'M JUST WONDERING AT WHAT POINT, UH, AT WHAT POINT ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO MANAGE WITHOUT CUTTING, UM, ESSENTIALS OF EVERYTHING.
UH, HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES IT TAKE TO RUN THE CITY WHEN IT'S GOING BACKWARDS? UH, WE'RE, WE DON'T HAVE THE REVENUE.
WE'RE NOT GENERATING THE REVENUE WE USED TO.
AND YET WE STILL GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE PAYROLL.
I KNOW I'M GONNA BE UNPOPULAR, BUT I'M ALREADY THERE
SO, UH, AT SOME POINT WE, WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO, UH, SEE WHERE, WHERE THE BIG MONEY IS, IS IN PAYROLL AND, AND YOU CAN SEE IT, IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS.
PAYROLL'S A A BIG PART OF THE BUDGET.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A MEDIAN INCOME AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS.
I THINK IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 80 SOMETHING THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AND, AND I WONDER IF THAT'S, I WONDER IF THAT'S A FALSITY.
AND I BELIEVE WHEN THE CENSUS COMES AROUND AND PEOPLE GET IT, UM, AND THEY FILL OUT THAT PAPER OR YOU ZERO TO 25,000, OR YOU ZERO TO 50,000.
ARE YOU, ARE YOU 50 TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND? ARE YOU A HUNDRED TO 200,000? AND IT SAYS, ARE YOU, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT, 200,000, 500,000.
BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST TAKING PEOPLE AT THEIR WORD WHEN THEY FILL OUT THESE CENSUS FORM NOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE FILLING THEM OUT AND SAYING THEY'RE THEY'RE PAID, THEY'RE GETTING PAID $500,000.
YOU KNOW, SO THAT WOULD MAKE UP FOR 10 PEOPLE AT $50,000.
I DON'T BELIEVE OUR MEDIAN INCOME IS CORRECT.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF WEALTHY PEOPLE IN DICKINSON, BUT I DON'T THINK THE INCOME WOULD SUBSTANTIATE THE MEDIAN INCOME BEING THE 80 SOMETHING THOUSAND DOLLARS, WHATEVER IT IS.
BUT WE'VE GOT FOLKS MAKING A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY, A LOT OF MONEY WORKING AT CITY HALL.
AND I THINK IT'S TWO, THREE AND MAYBE FOUR TIMES OF WHAT OUR, OF WHAT OUR GENERAL POPULATION IS.
SO AT SOME POINT, I DON'T WANNA BE THE BAD GUY, BUT AT SOME POINT WE CAN, WE CAN ONLY CUT BAND-AIDS SO MANY TIMES TO WHERE PEOPLE BLEED TO DEATH.
WE, WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WE NEED TO RUN THE CITY, KEEP THE GRAPH CUT AND UH, AND KEEP THE SERVICES UP AND KEEP EVERYBODY MAINTAINED AND, AND LOOK AT PEOPLE.
UH, THAT'S WHERE THE BIG MONEY IS.
AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THESE BUDGET WORKSHOPS.
AND, AND AT SOME POINT AND THAT DAY, WE'LL COME HERE SOON WHEN WE WILL BE ELIMINATING SERVICES AND DEPARTMENTS.
AND I DO BELIEVE THAT DAY IS COMING.
IF, IF WE'RE GONNA BE HONEST WITH EACH OTHER.
IF WE CANNOT SUSTAIN OPERATIONS AT IT CONTINUES.
IF WE DO NOT INCREASE OUR SALES TAX REVENUE, UH, I'M GONNA, I WANNA ASK.
UH, MY COLLEAGUE HERE, BEFORE I WAS ON COUNCIL, HE ASKED TO, UH, CUT AN EIGHTH OF A CENT OUT OF THE, UH, EDC BUDGET AND BRING IT OVER TO, UH, CITY, THE CITY BUDGET.
AND IF WE'RE ALL THINKING ALIKE, THE EDC HAS GONE BACKWARDS.
IF YOU'LL JUST LOOK, WE SPEND MORE MONEY IN THE EDC THAN WE'VE EVER SPENT.
AND WE'RE TAKING IN LESS MONEY THAN WE'VE EVER TAKEN IN.
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS WHAT THE EDC IS.
WE'RE IS SUPPOSED TO BE GOING THE OTHER WAY.
YET YEAR OVER YEAR, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS GONE DOWN AND OUR COST FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS GONE UP.
AND IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IF WE'D DONE AWAY WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE WOULD GET MORE MONEY.
UH, I HADN'T, I HADN'T RUN THE NUMBERS, BUT IT JUST SEEMS TO ME WE, YOU KNOW, WE NOW WE HAVE A LINE OF CREDIT FOR THE EDC.
[00:25:01]
THINGS THAT WE GOTTA PAY FOR.I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WE'RE, WE'RE WHAT LINE OF CREDIT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? SO A LINE OF CREDIT, UH, FOR THE EDCA LOAN.
WE HAVE A LOAN, WE HAVE A LINE OF CREDIT.
I DON'T THINK WE A LINE PAYING ANYTHING.
I DON'T THINK WE'VE HIT IT YET.
BUT WE, IF WE WOULDN'T HAVE GOT IT, I DON'T THINK IF WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING TO HIT IT, WE MUST HAVE SOME OBLIGATIONS HERE THAT, THAT AT SOME POINT YOU, YOU MAY THINK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO HIT IT.
SO WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS WE'RE GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
WE HAVE AN EDC THAT'S PULLING IN MONEY AND WE'RE PAYING A LOT IN PAYROLL FOR THE EDCA LOT AND, AND OUR SALES TAX IS DECREASING.
AND WE GOT THE EDC, SO OUR SALES TAX WOULD INCREASE.
SO AT SOME POINT WE GOTTA LOOK, I MEAN, YOU CAN ONLY GO, GO THE WRONG WAY FOR SO LONG AND, UH, CORRECT.
AND YOU GOTTA TURN THAT AROUND.
SO IF WE HAD AN EIGHTH OF A CENT BACK FROM THE EDC IS WHAT I'M ASKING.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT NUMBER IS.
I BROUGHT THE WRONG SET OF GLASSES AND I'M STRUGGLING
SO THE, THE PROBLEM THOUGH IS THE, THE SALES TAX REVENUE PERCENTAGE WISE IS STILL DOWN THE SAME AMOUNT.
WHETHER WE HAVE THAT EIGHTH OF A PERCENT OR NOT, THE ACTUAL SALES TAX REVENUE IS STILL DOWN.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE EDC, BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 2016 ALL THE WAY TO WHENEVER, NO ONE ON THE CITY COUNCIL, NO ONE THAT'S IN THE EDC WAS HERE.
SO WE'VE TALKED, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DAVE BEEN HERE FOR, WHAT, TWO AND A HALF YEARS? IS THAT HOW LONG HE'S BEEN HERE? UM, GIVE THE MAN A BREAK ON THAT ONE.
YOU KNOW, HE HASN'T REALLY HAD A WHOLE LOT OF TIME.
YOU KNOW HOW DEVELOPMENT WORKS, IT TAKES TIME.
HOWEVER, WHAT I WILL SAY IS, UM, WE ONLY HAVE ONE STAFF MEMBER IN OUR EDC CURRENTLY.
SO, UM, WHAT'S THE PAYROLL? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EDC RIGHT NOW.
UM, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT PART OF THIS CONVERSATION NOR JUST WANTED TO BRING IT UP, IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BRING IT UP SPECIFICALLY.
WE TALK ABOUT IT INDIVIDUALLY.
UM, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN'T DO ANYWAYS.
WE DON'T HAVE AN ELECTION FOR TWO MORE YEARS.
SO I WHY WE'RE TALKING, WE'RE WASTING TIME TALKING ABOUT, WELL, WE COULD HAVE AN ELECTION WHEN IT COMES TO THE EDC.
WE CAN, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, IN NOVEMBER, WE COULD HAVE A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR THIS.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE EDC, WHATEVER OBLIGATIONS WE HAVE IS SET ASIDE, THE SURPLUS THAT WE HAVE IN THE EDC CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO THE GENERAL FUND.
MR. DOEN, AM I CORRECT? UH, YES.
THIS IS RESEARCH I'VE DONE AND AND OPINION I'VE GIVEN, UH, SOME TIME BACK AND I SHOULD BE HAPPY TO, UH, FILL IN THE NEW MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, UH, AT THE SEVEN O'CLOCK MEETING, UH, WHEN WE GET BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, UH, TO DISCUSS THAT.
SO THERE ARE WAYS OF RECEIVING THE SURPLUS AND THE EDC INTO THE GENERAL FUND? YES, SIR.
SO SPEAKING OF ELECTIONS, UM, SPEAKING OF ELECTIONS ON THIS LINE ITEM, UM, IF, IF WE DID HAVE AN ELECTION IN NOVEMBER, CONSIDERING THE EDC, WOULD THAT $2,000, UH, IS THAT WHAT THAT'S FOR? BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE AN ELECTION FOR TWO YEARS.
SO I KNOW IT'S ONLY $2,000, BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE A SCHEDULED ELECTION FOR TWO YEARS, IS THAT, UNLESS WE ARE SAVING IT FOR SOME UNPLANNED THING, LIKE WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT, IS THAT AN AREA THAT WE COULD CONSIDER DIMINISHING JUST A BIT? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
AND THEN I'M GONNA ASK THIS QUESTION 'CAUSE IT'S COMING UP HERE IN EVERY DEPARTMENT, THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED COMMUNICATIONS.
WHAT IS THAT? PHONES? THAT'S OUR DIALPAD DIALPAD APPLICATION SOFTWARE.
RADIOS FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES HAVE RADIOS.
ANY, YEAH, ANY TYPE OF COMMUNICATIONS.
ANYTHING ELSE I CAN MOVE ON TO FINANCE IF YOU YEP.
FINANCE IS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
THERE'S FOUR EMPLOYEES, A TOTAL BUDGET OF 419,000.
UM, WE HAVE CUT TRAINING SLIGHTLY.
I COULD LOOK AT CUTTING THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UM, I AM REQUIRED TO GET A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HOURS OF TRAINING AND THEN I PUT, UM, A SMALL BUDGET IN FOR MY STAFF TO DO AT LEAST ONE TRAINING A YEAR.
IS THERE ANY QUESTION ON THE DETAILS OF FINANCE? I, I DID HAVE A QUESTION ON, UM, DUES SUBSCRIPTION.
YEAH, DUE SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BOOKS.
I'VE GONE BACK ALL THE WAY TO 2324 ON THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE GIVEN.
WE PAY, WE ACTUALLY SPENT ONE 90 AND THEN WE DID $1,000 FOR 24 25.
[00:30:02]
WE'RE, I, I CAN SEE WE'RE TRENDING DOWN AND I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE FOR THAT.BUT WE GOT TO 780 AND WE'RE SPENDING ONLY 40 AND WE'RE ALMOST PRETTY MUCH FINISHED WITH THIS FISCAL YEAR.
SO, UM, I I MEAN I, IF YOU'RE GONNA SPEND THE MONEY ON IT, I'M FOR IT.
BUT IF WE'RE NOT, UM, MAYBE THAT'S AN AREA WE COULD SHAVE JUST FOR THIS YEAR.
YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING WE CAN DO JUST FOR THIS YEAR.
THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHAT I BELIEVE I WOULD WANT FOR, FOR STAFF.
BUT OF COURSE IF THAT LOOKS LIKE A GOOD SPOT, WE COULD CONSIDER THAT.
ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR FINANCE? LET'S MOVE TO, UM, IT, WE'RE GONNA DO IT SO WE CAN LUMP ALL OF OUR INTERNAL SERVICES TOGETHER.
CAN YOU GIMME A CUTOFF DATE FOR THE 25 26 YEAR TO DATE ACTIVITY? IT WOULD BE 5 31.
SO FOR IT, WE HAVE $962,000 BUDGET.
THE BULK OF THAT IS GOING TO BE THE SOFTWARE SERVICE CONTRACTS.
HOW MANY AMINA, DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY SOFTWARE SERVICE CONTRACTS WE HAVE TOTAL? I KNOW I MEANT TO COUNT THEM.
IT'S QUITE AN EXTENSIVE LIST, OBVIOUSLY, OF SOFTWARE, BUT MINA HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS OF CUTTING THAT, AS YOU CAN SEE.
SO WE HAVE 20, UH, NINE SERVICES RUNNING WITH SOFTWARE, UH, ALL OVER THE CITY.
SO MOST OF THE SOFTWARE RUNNING ON THE CITY, UH, COME FROM IT EXCEPT FOR SPECIFIC DEPARTMENTS SPECIFIC NEED.
BUT WE PAY FOR, UH, FROM THE IT BUDGET, UH, EVERY SOFTWARE RUNNING THROUGH THE CITY.
WE HAVE GOT THIS FROM, UH, 5 45 70 LAST YEAR TO, UH, 500 THIS YEAR.
WE CUTTING IT FROM, UH, 500 TO, UH, 4 86 SO FAR.
I'M NOT SURE THE NUMBER IS UPDATED YET, BUT, UH, YEAH.
WE GOT ONE, UH, EMPLOYEE LAST YEAR.
SO WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE FOR, WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF, WE'RE GONNA SUE YOU NOW.
I WILL, I KNOW SARAH JUST SAID THAT, BUT THANK YOU MINA.
HE'S ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR WAYS TO CUT SOFTWARE, CUT EXPENSES.
THAT'S WHAT HE DOES EVERY DAY.
SO YEAH, IF SOMETHING IS A HELL OF A JOB BEING USED, WELL CUT IT.
HE ALSO CUT COMMUNICATIONS MAJORLY ACROSS THE CITY AS WELL FOR EVERY DEPARTMENT.
MINA, HOW MANY, UH, LICENSE FOR SOFTWARE? IS IT 29? UH, SO IN, UH, IN FRONTIER WE GOT ALMOST 23,000 A YEAR.
AND MICROSOFT, WE GOT ALMOST 11,000 A YEAR ON FIRSTNET.
SO ANYTHING THAT'S NOT BEING USED, WE JUST CUT IT OFF.
THE TOTAL SOFTWARE PACKAGES WE HAVE RIGHT NOW THOUGH.
THOSE LICENSE, THAT'S 29 TOTAL.
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SOFTWARE LICENSE WE HAVE.
DID YOU SAY THAT WAS 29? I COULDN'T, COULDN'T IS THE COMPANY IS THE VENDORS THAT WE DIDN'T WITH, CORRECT? YES SIR.
I SOMETIMES HAVE TO ASK MINA TO REPEAT HIMSELF.
TO MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, THAT'S ALL MY FAULT.
I WENT TO DICKINSON HIGH SCHOOL, SO BACK IN THE DAY.
WELL, I APPRECIATE YOU TRYING TO FI OR FINDING $74,000 IN CUTS FROM LAST YEAR'S BUDGET.
WE CUT ALSO ON DEPARTMENTS BECAUSE WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMUNICATION AS WELL.
SO WE CUT ON PHONES, RADIO, SERVICES, ANYTHING THAT'S NOT BEING USED.
WE GO WITH EVERY DEPARTMENT, UH, AUDIT, EVERYTHING.
WE'VE BEEN IMPROVING YEAR BY YEAR.
WE ARE A SMALL TEAM DEPARTMENT, SO IT'S, UH, LIMITED RESOURCES.
[00:35:01]
ONE VENDOR, UH, TRY TO SEE WHAT'S BEING USED AND WHAT'S NOT.AND THEN IF SOMETHING IS NOT BEING USED, WE JUST CUT IT OFF.
WHO WAS THE CONTRACT THAT WE HAD BEFORE OUR TIME? MINA, THAT THE CD CONTRACTED OUT? PC AND CABLE.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS BUDGET WAS 1.3 AT SOME POINT 20 22, 20 23.
AND WE WILL TRY TO GET IT DOWN MORE AND MORE.
SO YEAH, I CAN FIND BACKGROUND THAT IF SOMETHING IS NOT BEING USED, WHY ARE WE PAYING FOR IT? SO.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR, UH, IT ALL? ALL RIGHT, WELL LET'S MOVE ON.
SO WE'LL GO BACK TO ORDER AND IT WILL BE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
WITH A $1,058,000 BUDGET, SIX EMPLOYEES.
UM, A COUPLE THINGS TO NOTE WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IS DMD DOES CONTRIBUTE $75,000 TO DEMOLITION FOR THEIR $150,000 BUDGET.
THEY ALSO PAY A PORTION OF THE FORCE MOWING.
SO WE DO GET A TRANSFER FROM DMD FOR A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE UNDER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
MR. MOORE, YOU IN THE AUDIENCE? YES.
THE, HE DID JUST HIRE HIS PLANNER.
WE HAD THAT OPEN LAST YEAR AND IT HAS NOW BEEN FILLED.
SO THAT IS THE INCREASE IN SALARY THAT YOU SEE.
MR. MOORE, HOW MANY, UH, DEMOLITIONS DO WE HAVE IN THE PIPELINE NOW? IN THE PIPELINE? WE ONLY HAVE A FEW COMING.
UH, BUT WITHIN THE PAST YEAR WE'VE DONE ABOUT 1550 PAST YEAR.
THAT'S WHY I WAS THINKING OF 20, BUT OKAY.
SO HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE IN HOLD SINCE I, SINCE THEY WERE ORDERED? I, I THINK I SAW A LIST OF SOME DEMOS THAT WERE ORDERED AS LATE AS MAYBE FIVE YEARS AGO THAT STILL WEREN'T COMPLETED.
UM, AND THAT MIGHT BE INACCURATE AS FAR AS THE TIMELINE CONCERNED, BUT, UH, I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING THROUGH SOME SORT OF PROGRESSION, BUT THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER OTHERS BECAUSE OF THE, THE TRUE NATURE OF THE, THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF THE PUBLIC.
SO HOW, HOW MANY OF DEMOLITIONS THAT ARE NOT IN THE PIPELINE BUT ARE, SHOULD BE SCHEDULED.
SO WE HAVE, UH, TWO THAT HAVE ABATEMENT ORDERS THAT STILL HAVE A PERIOD WHERE THE PROPERTY OWNERS CAN ABATE BEFORE THE CITY HAS THE RIGHT TO ABATE.
UH, BUT WE ONLY HAVE FOUR OR FIVE PROPERTIES SELECTED TO TAKE TWO MUNICIPAL COURT WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS TO SEEK ABATEMENT ORDERS.
THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? MAYBE I MIGHT HAVE TO REFRAME IT, BUT I NEED SOME TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT.
UH, I CAN SAY THAT WE DID HAVE A FEW ABATEMENT ORDERS THAT WERE DELINQUENT, MAYBE TWO, UH, TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
AND SO THOSE, UH, ARE ACTIVELY BEING DEMOLISHED RIGHT NOW.
UH, THERE WAS ABOUT NINE, UH, THAT WE HAD, UH, INITIATED LAST MONTH.
AND SO THE WEATHER HAS KIND OF DELAYED THAT A LITTLE BIT FOR A FEW OF 'EM WITH, WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY GETTING THE PROPERTY GRADED OUT.
CERTAINLY THE ABATEMENT COST TRAVIS.
UH, SHOULDN'T IT BE OFFSET IF, IF WE CHARGE THE PROPERTY OWNER AND TAKE A LIEN, LIKE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT MM-HMM
SELL THE PROPERTY OFF, SHOULDN'T, SHOULDN'T WE, UH, GET THAT MONEY BACK ON ON MOST, ALL THESE DEMOS? ON MOST, UH, AGAIN, TIME IS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THE ESSENCE ON THAT.
WE DO CHARGE INTEREST, UH, ON THOSE LIENS UNTIL THEY'RE PAID.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE DISCUSSED, NORMALLY THE LIENS AREN'T FORCED TO BE PAID UNTIL THE PROPERTY CHANGES HANDS.
UH, BUT WE DID TALK A WHILE BACK ABOUT, UH, UH, TRYING TO FORCE COLLECTION ON SOME OF THOSE LIENS.
DIDN'T YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE TODAY ON THE, THAT SPECIFIC ITEM? OR WAS THAT, IS, IS THAT THE SAME TOPIC? I'M, I'M LITERAL, I'M ASKING 'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA MAKE SURE 'CAUSE YES, SIR.
THIS AFTERNOON I DID SEND THE COUNCIL.
I NEED TO READ THE WHOLE THING.
I SAW, I READ THROUGH SOME OF IT.
I GET TO READ THE WHOLE THING.
WE ARE BUDGETING $30,000 MORE IN, UM, CODE COMPLIANCE THAN LAST YEAR.
[00:40:01]
A LOT MORE.SO WE ARE INCREASING REVENUE $30,000, WHICH YOU DO NOT SEE HERE.
WE ALSO DID BUMP UP THE FORCE MOWINGS.
UH, I DO ANTICIPATE, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE ALREADY DELINQUENT IN THAT THIS YEAR.
UH, SO NEXT YEAR WE'RE GONNA RAMP THAT UP A LITTLE BIT MORE.
SO HAVE WE EVER HAD A YEAR THAT WE'VE GONE OVER $150,000 OR EVEN GOTTEN CLOSE TO $150,000? I SAW ONE 15 ON THE, YOU KNOW, AT 2324.
BUT ARE, ARE WE, IS IT LEGITIMATE THAT IT, I MEAN, IS IT GONNA BE A HUNDRED THOUSAND? I MEAN THAT'S ANOTHER 50 GRAND, THAT'S ANOTHER PAYMENT FOR AN EMPLOYEE SOMEWHERE.
IT DEPENDS ON IF A HISTORICAL STRUCTURE IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY COMES THROUGH.
SO, UH, THE HARBOR PLAYHOUSE, UH, THAT COULD NEED MORE, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE.
THAT WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT, BUT, UH, I THINK THAT'S A LEGITIMATE AMOUNT.
THERE'S UM, THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING 'CAUSE I, I DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER.
I'M GONNA SAY CODE ENFORCEMENT IS OUT OF MONEY PROBABLY A MONTH AND A HALF.
TWO MONTHS AGO, RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER, YOU GUYS HAD ALREADY EXPENDED EVERYTHING THAT WAS IN YOUR BUDGET FOR FORCE MOWING.
SO, AND YEARS BEFORE, I THINK THEY CHOPPED DOWN A $60,000 BUDGET TO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO $5,000.
THERE WASN'T ANY INTENTION TO DO ANYTHING.
AND I THINK THE CITY LOOKS LIKE THAT.
UH, I GUESS THE QUESTION IS BECAUSE OF THE, THE TIMING AND OR HOW DELAYED THESE THINGS CAN GET MM-HMM
ARE WE REALISTICALLY ABLE TO DO THAT MANY DEMOLITIONS IN ONE GIVEN YEAR? MM-HMM
THAT, I GUESS THAT WAS MORE OF THE QUESTION, NOT DO WE BUDGET THAT MUCH BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA DO IT.
IT'S, OR CAN WE EVEN ACTUALLY DO IT FOR THAT MUCH? YEAH.
IN 365 DAYS, CAN WE DEMOLISH THAT ENOUGH TO SPEND 150 GRAND? THAT'S THE QUESTION.
I'M, I GUESS IN THIS CASE, I WOULD SAY YES.
THAT NUMBER IS KIND OF WORST CASE SCENARIO FOR A SPECIFIC, YOUR PROPERTY.
HAVE YOU SENT OUT RFPS FOR, FOR THOSE DEMOLITIONS? UH, NOT FOR INDIVIDUALS, BUT TO HAVE A STANDING COST ALREADY SET ASIDE SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT THAT EXPENSE IS GOING TO BE AND WE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO OUT FOR BID DELAY THE TIME.
IF WE ACTUALLY AWARD A CONTRACT BASED ON A RFP OPEN BID MM-HMM
THEN YOU CAN, YOU CAN MOVE AS SOON AS YOU NEED TO MOVE.
AND ACTUALLY THAT COST IS A WHOLE LOT CHEAPER.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE ENTERTAINED THAT, UH, IN THE PAST.
IT HASN'T BEEN DONE HISTORICALLY.
UH, BUT WE HAVE NOT SENT OUT THAT OUT FOR RFP.
WE'RE PLANNING ON DOING THAT FOR FY 27.
I WAS GONNA SAY, I'D MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO DO THAT TO STAFF.
WE, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT FOR YEAH, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE MULTIPLE RFQ RFPS THAT ARE GONNA BE COMING THROUGH HERE SHORTLY.
THE, THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE DEMOING IS MOSTLY, UH, ABANDONED HOUSES.
IS THAT WHAT IT IS? YEAH, MOSTLY RESIDENTIAL.
YOU STUFF THAT'S BEEN SITTING FOR YEARS ABANDONED FROM HARVEY, ET CETERA.
A LOT OF 'EM, YOU KNOW, PROPERTIES THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE INHERITED FROM THEIR PARENTS OR THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES ARE ELDERLY AND UNABLE TO TAKE CARE OF.
WE AVERAGING ABOUT $15,000 OF PROPERTY, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THAT'S PROBABLY PRETTY ACCURATE.
UH, IF HIS A SMALLER PROPERTY, REGULAR HOUSE, YOU CAN SEE BETWEEN EIGHT AND 10.
I'M GONNA ASK A HARD QUESTION.
HOW, UM, HOW MUCH MONEY IN OUR FUEL COSTS DO YOU THINK WE COULD SAVE IF WE TERMINATED THE TAKE HOME VEHICLES? THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED AND THAT'S COMING.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE IT'S SPENT FROM IN THE ACCUMULATION OF A DOLLAR AND 10 SPACE EQUALS $10.
MR. MOORE, WE AND MR. CLARK, MR. MAGIC, WE'VE HAD THAT CONVERSATION THAT'S COMING.
DO, DO YOU KNOW THAT, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUEL COST? WHAT IS OUR TOTAL FUEL COST ANNUALLY? I DIDN'T SEE THAT IN HERE.
I LOOKED FOR IT, BUT I DIDN'T SEE IT.
YOUR INDIVIDUAL LINE? IT'S LIKE YEAH, IT'S IN EACH, UH, SECTION.
YEAH, LIKE EVERY SEC, EVERY 'CAUSE LIKE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS A CRAZY FUEL WITHOUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WITHOUT THE, I WAS JUST CURIOUS.
MY DEPARTMENT SPECIFICALLY, WE BUDGET 7,000 AND WE'RE, WE'RE NORMALLY PRETTY SEVEN.
THAT'S PRETTY, PRETTY REASONABLE.
AND WE'RE NORMALLY REALLY CLOSE TO THAT NUMBER.
WE'VE GONE A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS OVER AND UNDER.
I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE'S VEHICLES.
IS IT, IS IT BROKE DOWN, UH, FOR THAT? IS IT A BREAKDOWN OR IS IT LUMP INTO MAINTENANCE? NO, IT'S, IT FEELS SEPARATE.
FUEL IS SEPARATE AND MAINTENANCE.
SO Y'ALL WOULD KNOW THAT NUMBER THEN? YES, SIR.
YEAH, YEAH, WE, WE CAN PULL THAT NUMBER.
WE JUST HAVE TO LOOK THROUGH ALL THE DEPARTMENTS.
AND JUST CURIOUS, I KNOW THAT, UH, THAT THAT CAR AND TRUCK MEANS A LOT TO SOME OF THESE EMPLOYEES MEANS WHETHER THEY'RE GONNA STAY HERE OR NOT, YOU KNOW? YES, SIR.
I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT IT IS.
SO OUR BIGGEST ONE, OUR PD IS 90,000 IS BUDGETED FOR FUEL.
SO, WHICH THAT'S, AND THEY PUT OUT, THEY, THEY, THEY BURN FUEL.
AND I LIKE YOU A LOT, MINA, BUT I SAW THAT YOUR BUDGET FOR FUEL
[00:45:01]
IS $2,000 AND MOST OF YOUR WORK'S DONE HERE AT CITY HALL.SO I WAS JUST WONDERING WHAT, WHAT DEPARTMENT I THINK IT WAS, IT, IT, OH, YES SIR.
$1,250 FOR UNIFORM AND A PAIR OF REASONABLE, OR IT SEEMS LIGHT TO ME.
UH, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD CERTAINLY CUT SOME FROM THAT.
UH, NO, I THINK THE AMOUNT IS LIGHT IS LOW.
FOR WHO? FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
OH, UNIFORMS AND APPAREL, I IMAGINE.
IS YOUR SAFETY SUPPLIES IN THERE TOO? UH, ONLY WORK BOOTS AND ASSOCIATED WITH THAT? YEAH, WE, WE PRETTY MUCH LIMITED TO WORK BOOTS AND SHIRTS ONLY THERE, THERE IS A SEPARATE LINE ITEM FOR SAFETY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES.
SO GOING BACK TO FUEL, WE SPEND AROUND 20 TO $30,000 A MONTH ON FUEL.
THAT'S TRACTORS AND EVERYTHING, RIGHT? THAT'S EVERYTHING.
THAT INCLUDES THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THAT INCLUDES, I I'M SPECIFICALLY THINKING ABOUT EMPLOYEES THAT GET A BENEFIT OF TAKING A CAR HOME.
MAY MAYBE I'LL BE SURPRISED, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'LL BE THAT MUCH, BUT WE'LL SEE.
THEY, THEY DON'T DRIVE THESE CARS OUT OF TOWN, I DON'T GUESS.
SO I DO HAVE EMPLOYEES THAT DON'T LIVE WITHIN CITY LIMITS THAT DO HAVE TAKE HOME VEHICLES.
WELL, THEY LIVE IN NDO SOMEWHERE UP THERE.
ANYTHING ELSE FOR A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT? BY THE WAY, WE ARE DOING SO MUCH BETTER THAN OUR PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD JOINT MEETING THING.
THAT WAS SO THIS IS GOING SO MUCH MORE EFFICIENT.
BUT WE ALSO HAVEN'T DUG DOWN TOO DEEP INTO THIS.
SO ALL WHAT EL UH, WHAT'S THE NEXT ONE? COURT.
THANK YOU MS. GINA VEGA COMING FORWARD.
BUT WE HAVE, UM, FOUR, FOUR COURT EMPLOYEES WITH A REQUESTED BUDGET OF $424,000.
OURS IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'LL NOTICE IN REVENUE IS THAT COURT FINES AND FEES HAS DECREASED TREMENDOUSLY AS WELL.
SO THEY'VE DECREASED, YOU SAY? YES, IT HAS DECREASED OVER THE YEARS.
PEOPLE AREN'T SPEEDING ANYMORE, HUH? THEY ARE.
YOUNG FOLKS AREN'T DRIVING AS MUCH, ARE THEY?
YEAH, SO I'M LOOKING AT, UH, THE MUNICIPAL JUDGE CONTRACT AND LAST YEAR WE BUDGETED FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, BUT IT ACTUALLY WAS ONLY 73,000.
AND THIS YEAR, UM, OUR BUDGET IS 99,000 AND WE'VE PAID 66 SO FAR.
AND I DON'T ANTICIPATE IT'S NOT GONNA BE ANOTHER 30,000, UH, WITHIN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS.
SO IS 97 5 REALLY, UM, REFLECTIVE OF THE, OF THE REAL COST FOR OUR COURT JUDGE? IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW MANY HEARINGS WE HAVE.
AND HERE LATELY WE'VE BEEN HAVING A FEW MORE SUBSTANDARD HEARINGS AND ANIMAL CRUELTY CASES.
SO FOR EVERY HEARING THAT WE DO HAVE, THE JUDGE IN THE CONTRACT IS, GETS ALLOTTED A CERTAIN AMOUNT.
BUT WE COULD, WE COULD DECREASE IT A LITTLE.
I MEAN, WE, WE ALREADY DID, BUT WE COULD DECREASE IT SOME MORE.
WE'RE GOING FOR EVERY LITTLE DIME WE FIND
AND I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T MIND IT.
I MEAN, WE, IF YOU DON'T, IF YOU DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE, BECAUSE WE WANT EVERY, WE WANT THE CITIZENS TO BE SERVED AND IF WE TO DO THAT, THEN WE NEED TO DO IT.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT INSINUATING THAT.
I'M JUST ASKING, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, COUPLE OF THOUSAND DOLLARS, RIGHT? WE COULD PROBABLY BRING DOWN A 95.
WE DID LOWER IT, BUT WE COULD LOWER IT SOME MORE.
WE'RE, WE ARE ON PACE RIGHT NOW TO DO AROUND 90, SO WE COULD CUT IT TO 95.
WERE THERE ANY OTHER ONES THAT YOU GUYS WERE LOOKING AT? I HAVE NO QUESTIONS FROM MY SON.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS WANNA SKIP THAT FOR NOW 'CAUSE THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT LONGER AND GO TO FIRE MARSH.
OH, WE GOTTA GET TO IT SOONER OR LATER.
[00:50:01]
OKAY.I MEAN IT'S, IT'S WHAT, 30% OF OUR BUDGET? I MEAN THIS, IT'S THE BIGGEST PART OF OUR BUDGET.
IS OBVIOUSLY POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WELL, SHE SAYS THAT 'CAUSE IT'S SIX 50 BECAUSE YEAH, WE ONLY HAVE 10 MINUTES, SO I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS WANTED TO SKIP IT, BUT, OH, OKAY.
LET'S, WE COULD JUMP INTO THE FIRE MARSH.
SORRY, I DIDN'T LOOK AT THE TIME.
HOW ABOUT THE FIRE MARSHAL? FIRE MARSHAL? YES.
THAT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR AMBER? I HAVE NO QUESTIONS.
ANYONE ELSE? I HAD ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE PUBLIC RELATIONS AND EVENTS.
WE'VE BUDGETED A THOUSAND DOLLARS, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY OF THOSE EVENTS THIS YEAR.
THAT'S FOR WHENEVER I GO TO THE SCHOOLS.
A LOT OF THAT GOES TOWARDS THE SCHOOL.
YEAH, SHE GOES TO MANY EVENTS AND, AND THAT, THAT'S WHAT PAY FOR THAT.
SO IT'S JUST NOT SHOWING UP ON THE BUDGET.
I MEAN, I'LL, I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING NOW.
I THINK IT, THIS MIGHT HAVE TO BE ONE OF THOSE THINGS, KIND OF WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER WHERE WE COULD PROBABLY COMBINE THOSE TWO AS BOTH AND JUST PUT THE 2200.
'CAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S KIND OF, THEY FILL THE SAME ROLE.
UH, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WITH MAYOR COUNCIL, UH, TRAVEL.
THAT ONE COULD PROBABLY FIRE PREVENTION, SAFETY PROGRAM AND PUBLIC RELATIONS.
WE COULD PROBABLY JUST THROW ALL THAT IN ONE LINE ITEM, I THINK.
JUST MOVE THE MONEY TOGETHER AND YOU GOT 22 OR 2100 BUCKS FOR THE WHOLE THING.
THAT'S MORE OF A JUST AN ADMIN THING.
THAT'S NOT REALLY A BUDGET PROBLEM, BUT, AND THEN IT WON'T SHOW A, A ZERO ACTIVITY THERE BECAUSE I DEFINITELY SAW HER AT THE, UH, AT THE CAREER DAY THING AND THE KIDS WERE, DIDN'T WANNA TALK TO ME, THEY WANNA TALK TO HER.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR FIRE MARSHAL? ALL RIGHT.
YOU WANT TO JUST, UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND Y'ALL WANT TO END IT THERE? OR LET'S CALL IT, CALL IT SO WE HAVE A LITTLE BREAK BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING.
ALRIGHT, WELL MEETING ADJOURNED.