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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08 09 2022 CM Study SessionCity of Chubbuck Council Study Session Minutes za�L August 9, 2022 CHUBBUCK COO PM City Hall Council Chambers I U H H H 290 East Linden, Chubbuck, ID 83202 CALL To ORDER: Mayor England COUNCIL PRESENT: Melanie Evans, Dan Heiner, Norman Reece, and Roger Hernandez. STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Kevin England, City Attorney Ryan Lewis, Interim Public Works Director Bridger Morrison, Community Services Director Devin Hillam, Parks Manager Aaron Schilhabel, Building Official Ron Osborn, Fleet Maintenance Supervisor Dale Kinloch, Streets/Sanitation Supervisor Ryan Sullivan, Water/Wastewater Operations Manager Cameron Lusk, Water/Wastewater Distribution & Collections Manager Scott Baker, Police Chief Bill Guiberson, Fire Chief Merlin Miller, Human Resource Director Scott Gummersall, City Treasurer Rich Morgan, and City Clerk Joey Bowers. GENERAL BUSINESS: 1. Presentations from City Departments on FY23 Budgets & Priorities. City Treasurer Rich Morgan presented and went over each line item of a proposed tentative budget for FY23. Of the proposed budget $266,861 would come from property taxes and forgone property taxes, $150,000 from annexation and new construction, $1,592,400 from user fees, and $2,218,800 from reserves; which is monies that have already been collected and set aside for capital projects and equipment. City Departments cannot use reserves or fee dollars unless they are part of the budget if those funds are not used during FY23 they will fall back into the fund balance. Human Resource Director Scott Gummersall went over the costs associated with human resources and the City's heath fund, which provides health insurance to the City employees. Mr. Gummersall stated that employee retention is way down over the last year. This year employee loss is currently at 13% which has more than doubled from last year. Mr. Gummersall stated that in his exit interviews the number one reason employees are leaving is for an increase in pay. The proposed human resource expenses are critical for the City to remain competitive in the current job market to retain and recruit a strong work force for the City. Police Chief Bill Guiberson stated the Police Department is completely funded through City property taxes. Of the proposed $266,861 increase that was presented by the City Treasurer the Police Department has asked for $113,500. The number one priority of the Police Department is their employees. These funds will help cover personnel costs, increasing fuel costs, and IT related costs. Fire Chief Merlin Miller stated the Fire Department is completely funded through City property taxes. The Fire Department has asked for $193,613 which includes $117,000 from franchise fees to pay for the new ladder truck that was approved by the Council during their April 6, 2022 Meeting. Idaho Central Credit Union also donated $500,000 towards a ladder truck. The number one priority of the Fire Department is their employees. These funds will help cover personnel costs, increasing fuel costs, IT related costs, and the increase in medical supplies need to protect employees. Mr. Miller stated that the Fire Department has made the decision to not move forward with asking the community to pass a bond for a second Fire Station. The number one resource that the Fire Department needs is additional full time employees. Approximately 17% of emergency service calls are over lapping. Mr. Miller stated that as discussed with the Council at their May 2, 2018 Study Session Meeting and in multiple Department Head priority meetings, the City has always planned to use the funds from the 1992 urban renewal district that is set to expire next year to fund additional personnel for the Fire Department. Which will help significantly cut down on over lapping emergency service calls. Community Services Director Devin Hillam stated that the Departments that make up the Community Services Department use to all fall under Public Works. These included Building, Development Services, Planning, and Parks & Recreation. Mr. Hillam went over roles and responsibilities for each department, and the issues that arose with the Parks Department in 2022. These issues are due to the former public works director's decision to not replace vacant positions and the struggle to find, train, and retain temporary workers with the current job market. Mr. Hillam went over their efforts to be more efficient, effective, and economical which includes moving from paper based permitting to an online permitting system. Planning & Development will be asking the Council in September to adjust their current fees to more closely match costs to provide services. Mr. Hillam also gave an update on the Parks Department goals and future needs. The Parks Department would like to start up some volunteer programs, and will be asking the Council to look at disposing of some City owned property in 2023. Mr. Hillam also asked the Council to consider using some of the funds from the 1992 urban renewal district that is set to expire next year to go towards the Parks Department. Interim Public Works Director Bridger Morrison went over the current makeup of the Public Works Department. These included Highway, Streets, and Roads, Sanitation, Water, Wastewater, GIS, Fleet Maintenance, and Engineering. Mr. Morrison went over roles and responsibilities for each department and future personnel needs. Mr. Morrison also stated that most of the information that he will be presenting is the same information that the former public works director sent out to the Council back in April. Highway, Streets, and Roads would like to budget for an increase from last year of $423,000 that includes $28,000 from property taxes and 395,000 of shared revenue from the State. They would like to use these funds to increase pavement maintenance. Mr. Morrison also asked the Council to consider using some of the funds from the 1992 urban renewal district that is set to expire next year to go towards pavement maintenance. Sanitation has requested for $383,800 from reserves and user fees. These funds would be used to purchase new carts and to build a lean-to building in the yard to park their vehicles under so they are ready in any weather condition to serve the community. The Water Department has requested $1,954,800 from reserves and water capacity fees. They would like to use these funds to purchase a hydro excavator (split between water & wastewater), new water lines, well 7, and booster station improvements. Wastewater has requested $321,000 from reserves and user fees. They would like to use these funds to purchase a hydro excavator (split between water & wastewater), lift station upgrades, and a CCTV evaluation of the entire system. 2. Discussion on FY23 Budget. City Treasurer Rich Morgan stated that the City is required to have the final budget numbers to the County by September 8, 2022. The last day the Council could pass a budget to meet this deadline would be at their September 7, 2022 Council Meeting. City Attorney Ryan Lewis recommended not pushing a decision to the very last minute to pass a budget and recommended adopting a budget as scheduled during the August 17, 2022 Council Meeting. Due to unforeseen circumstances and to give staff appropriate amount of time to submit those numbers to the County and to get the budget published in the newspaper. After the FY23 budget process is completed the Mayor and Council want to work on a budget process for City Staff to follow moving forward. ADJOURN: Mayor Kevin England adjourned at 3:27. Joe �ityClerk Kevin Englan ayor