12-04-96 BUDGET HEARINGCity Council Budget Hearing Minute
December rl,~ 189s
A City Councll budget work session was held on Wednesday, December 4,1996
in the Councll Chambers at Hopkins City Hall. Present iNere Mayor
Redepen~ing and Council members Gene Maocwell, Karen Jensen, and Diane
Johnson. Abserrt was Councll member Fran Hesch. Also present were staff`
members Steve Mielke, City Manager, and John Schedler, Director ofi Finance.
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Mayor Redepenning.
City Manager Ste~re Mielke provided an overview of the 1997 budget and tom(
levy. Included in the overview was a discussion oaf the 1996 budget and impacts
of the Manager's proposed budget. Mielke also 'reviewed •a proposed reduction
list equaling $100,000, which would reduce the property tax levy increase from a
proposed 3.9 percerrt to 1.9 peroent. Mielke reviewed the property tax impact of
a 1.9 peroent tax levy increase on various valued properties. Mielke then
reviewed'the proposed service organization funding requests.
Mater Redepenning opened the public hearing at 6:40 p.m. Sue Nelson, of the
West Suburban Mediation Center, provided an orerview of the services and the
budget request aF•the mediation center.
Nora Davis of the Hopkins Area Family Resouroe Cer~er thanked the Council for
past and future involvement and support of the Resource Center.
Kerry Blevins of the Teens Alone program thanked the Councll for their past
support and requested future support. She also explained program
moditic:ations occurring within the Teens Alone program.
Virginia INlall, 604 Sixth Avenue South, asked the Councll whether or not the City
Councll has approved the arts pr~ojec:t. She stated that she felt the City Councll
does not listen to residerrts. She asked why Westbrooke bonding was occurring
and indicated several projects in the past where previous Counclls had erred in
their declsions. She also provided comments on the HRA and work session
notifications and procedures.
Tom Green, Hopkins resident, asked why Hennepin County and the School
District had. reductions in their tax impacts while the City did not. He suggested
that the City start cutting to basic programs and suggested that a City foundation
be established to provide funding for soclal service agency requests. He also
stated that public employees are overoompensated as demonstrated by the high
number of applications received when positions open up.
Hod~et Heerigg 14~rnA~a~ 1~04,r96
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Bob Tickle, Hopkins resident, asked the Coundl th reconsider the proper place
- of government and stated that he felt the City oaf Hopkins was e~aceeding its
proper role ~ being in~rolved in services suk~ as recreation and socal services
rather than sticking to basic services such as fire, police, and public works. He
indicated that his truces had increased significantly compared ~ Hennepin
• County and that utility rates had ink:reased 5096 in the last flue years.
Don Roemer, 618 West Park Valley Road, indicated that his property valuation
had increased $11,000 in the past two years, and showed the Council a graph
indicating that a $150,000 house in Hopkins paid more in ta~aes than a similar
valued home in other communities. He asked the Council ~ oonsider•how many
employees the City of Hopkins has per 1,000 population versus other cities, and
indicated that utility bills are up. He also stated that the Counal was breaking
open meeting law by the way it conducted work~sessions and notified the public
oaf meetings, as well as not having minutes in the lobby for work sessions as they
do for City Councl meetings.
Tom Green, Hopkins resident, told the Council that it is the job of the Council th
provide sen~ices for the people and th get rid of the frills in govemmerrt. He
indik~ted that his gart~ege was not pidked up today.
A motion was made ~ Johnson, seconded ~ Jensen, to close the public
hearing
Council member Johnson stated that while the rest of the Council had given
direction to the City Manager to propose cuts which would equal 1.9 peroerrt
increase in taoaes, she was uncomfortable with that level of taxation and warrted
to see t~uaes reduced th zero irxx~ease for 1997.• She provided the Councl and
staff with a proposed list ofi cuts which would accomplish that task. After
discussion, a motion was made by Maxwell, seconded by Jensen, to nefier the
proposed list of additional c to the City 11Aanager to r~riew and comment, prior
th the budget adoption session on December 18.
Motion was made by Johnson, by Jensen, to adjourn the meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
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CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS:
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