City Council

Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes November 12, 2008 Page 1 City of Taylorsville Work Session Minutes Wednesday, November 12, 2008 Council Chambers 2600 West Taylorsville Blvd., Room No. 140 Taylorsville, Utah 84118 ______________________________________________________________________________ Attendance: Mayor Russ Wall Council Members: City Staff: Chairman Les Matsumura John Inch Morgan, City Administrator Vice-Chairman Lynn Handy Marsha Thomas, Judge Council Member Morris Pratt Cheryl Peacock Cottle, City Recorder Council Member Jerry Rechtenbach Jessica Springer, Council Coordinator Wayne Dial, Assistant Chief of Police Scott Harrington, Chief Finance Director John Taylor, City Engineer Keith Snarr, Economic Development Director Jamie Brooks, Court Administrator Excused: Council Member Bud Catlin, City Attorney John Brems Others: John Gidney, Lorenzo Miller 18:01:20 Chairman Les Matsumura called the Work Session to order at 6:02 p.m. and welcomed those in attendance. City Recorder Cheryl Peacock Cottle conducted a Roll Call, wherein all Council Members were present, except Council Member Catlin who was excused. Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes November 12, 2008 Page 2 1. Discuss “Draft” of Storm Water Utility Fee Letter – John Inch Morgan 18:03:04 City Administrator John Inch Morgan presented a replacement draft of the letter to be sent to all residents and businesses in Taylorsville regarding the Storm Drain Utility Fee. He described a change to the second paragraph regarding explanation of the monthly billing. He called for input from the Council. 18:04:26 Mr. Morgan confirmed that the letter of explanation will go to all property owners. He noted that Rocky Mountain Power will also include a notice of explanation in the billings. 18:05:43 Chief Financial Director Scott Harrington cited costs to suspend certain billings for apartment residents. 18:07:15 Mr. Morgan confirmed that this letter will be included in the final December 5, 2008 bill from the City. Mr. Harrington clarified that the new bill from Rocky Mountain Power will be effective beginning January, 2009. 2. Budget Discussion – John Inch Morgan 18:08:50 City Administrator John Inch Morgan called for budget discussion on the following topics: In-House Legal Services: 18:13:00 Mr. Morgan reviewed costs for bringing legal services in-house as outlined in the Legal Services Pro Forma provided in Council packets. He cited options for leasing off-site office space or utilizing the open atrium space at City Hall. Alternatives to hiring two full-time attorneys were also discussed. 18:14:22 Chairman Matsumura pointed out accounting errors reflected in the attorney rates. Mr. Morgan provided a recalculated total for salary and wages of $276,890 and on-going annual costs of $324,670. 18:18:47 Mr. Morgan addressed questions regarding attorney rates cited. 18:19:31 Council Member Rechtenbach questioned costs outlined under office expense. 18:19:54 Judge Marsha Thomas confirmed that the costs for Westlaw/Lexis are accurately reflected. Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes November 12, 2008 Page 3 18:21:10 Mr. Morgan noted that the projected costs for in-house prosecution and civil services are higher than what is currently being expended for contract legal services. He recommended continuing to contract for the next 2009/2010 budget year. He projected that about $200,000 would be expended under the civil legal services contract next year. 18:24:15 Mayor Wall noted that when consideration was previously given to bringing law enforcement services in-house the projected costs were understated. He said that he would rather overstate than understate costs. The Mayor cited issues with prosecution services, but said that he doesn’t think bringing those services in-house at this time is the right solution. He stated satisfaction with the civil legal services currently being provided by John Brems. 18:26:37 Council Member Rechtenbach cited reasons that he prefers not to bring legal services in-house. He said that he sees greater benefit to outsourcing for these types of services. Chairman Matsumura concurred. 18:28:36 Council Member Handy stated his preference to outsource for legal services. 18:28:58 Council Member Pratt said that he is not yet prepared to make a commitment for 2009- 2010. 18:29:47 Mayor Wall gave additional explanation and said that he prefers to address and resolve individual issues with legal services. Revenue and Expenditure Update: 18:31:44 Mr. Morgan cited a decrease in City revenue, due to a drop in sales tax. He said that sales tax is currently approximately 8% below projections. 18:34:08 Chief Finance Director Scott Harrington reviewed comparisons for some major City revenue categories, i.e. utility tax revenue, court revenue, sales tax, and property tax. He cited year-to-date revenue comparisons with last year at this time and noted trends that are occurring. Mr. Harrington gave further explanation on all sources of revenue. 18:38:33 Mr. Harrington reviewed the cash flow analysis for the previous four months. He noted that there will be a spike in revenue in November and December as tax revenue is received. He noted the importance of controlling expenses during lean months of the year and cited a need to increase the fund balance. 18:40:32 Mr. Harrington gave clarification on amounts reflected under debt services, salaries, and contract services. Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes November 12, 2008 Page 4 18:44:04 Mr. Morgan referenced bond reimbursements that affect balances. 18:45:04 Mr. Morgan said that Administration is currently monitoring expenses carefully and spending is being limited in order to manage the cash flow appropriately until tax revenue is received. Budget Priorities: 18:47:00 Mr. Morgan asked Council Members to return their priority sheets for projects/expenses to him as soon as possible. Chairman Matsumura asked the Council to submit priority lists by next Wednesday. 18:47:53 Chairman Matsumura asked about a potential timeframe for holding an off-site budget meeting with the Council. Mr. Morgan suggested holding that meeting in January, 2009, in correlation with mid-year budget adjustments. 18:49:26 Mr. Morgan gave clarification on the rating system used for the project priority list. 3. Discussion Regarding December Council Meeting Dates – Chairman Matsumura 18:51:16 Council Chair Les Matsumura called for discussion concerning the December Council Meeting schedule. He suggested holding regular City Council Meetings on December 3, 2008 and December 10, 2008 and canceling the December Work Session. Council Members concurred. City Recorder Cheryl Peacock Cottle agreed to post a public notice regarding the December schedule change. 18:51:21 Mayor Wall confirmed that there will be no Town Meeting held on the fifth Wednesday in December, as it falls on New Year’s Eve. 4. Other Matters 18:52:17 There were no other matters. 5. Adjournment 18:52:20 Council Member Lynn Handy MOVED to adjourn the City Council Work Session. Council Member Morris Pratt SECONDED the motion. Chairman Matsumura called for discussion. There being none, he called for a vote. The vote was as follows: Catlin-yes, Pratt- yes, Handy-yes Matsumura-yes, and Rechtenbach-yes. All City Council members voted in favor and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 6:52 p.m. Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes November 12, 2008 Page 5 ________________________________________ Cheryl Peacock Cottle, City Recorder Minutes approved: CC 11-19-08 Minutes Prepared by: Cheryl Peacock Cottle, City Recorder