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<br />not bring a vote to the dais on providing street sweeping to tax paying residents. Mr. <br />Pace said that if street sweeping was illegal, then how would this lease be legal <br />because land in the Loop area was valuable. He also said that parking lot #4 was <br />free parking and did not understand the need for a lease since the parking there was <br />free. <br /> <br />The motion carried unanimously. <br /> <br />3. <br />Presentation of Fiscal Year 2014 Budget. The staff recommended approval for the <br />Presentation of Fiscal Year 2014 Budget. <br /> <br />Mr. Walker stated that he would provide an overview of the proposed budget for the <br />fiscal year 2014. He said that in preparing the budget document, the staff had three <br />public meetings and there would be three more public budget meetings for <br />comments on the draft budget. Mr. Walker noted that the City Council would also <br />have ample time to modify certain components of the budget during the next few <br />months before final budget adoption in June 2013. He noted he would be scheduling <br />study sessions in March 2013 with City Council to review the individual department <br />budgets. <br /> <br />Mr. Walker said his presentation would focus on the budget highlights, challenges <br />the City continues to face, provide an overview of the proposed budget for the next <br />fiscal year, and identify some of the planned capital improvements. <br /> <br />Mr. Walker stated that in regards to the budget highlights, there would be no <br />reduction in City services, no increase in real estate taxes for residential property <br />and no proposed sales tax increase. He noted there would be a decrease for real <br />estate taxes for commercial property and a 2% cost of living adjustment for all City <br />employees, which would be the first cost of living that City staff received in the past <br />four years. Mr. Walker stated the budget also included an increase in the funding of <br />police operations, which incorporated the four new police officers positions that were <br />recently approved and an increase in fire operations to include two new positions, a <br />new ambulance, and equipment. Mr. Walker stated they were proposing funding for <br />a youth employment program for the third year plus street and sidewalk repairs. He <br />noted he would be conducting a Civic Plaza study over the next few months and <br />would be presenting to City Council suggestions, in terms of building a new police <br />station or renovating the existing one. Mr. Walker said he would circulate the terms <br />of reference to City Council prior to it being sent out in RFP format. Also mentioned <br />was the replacement of the information technology infrastructure. <br /> <br />Mr. Walker stated the budget challenges were that the City continues to face, a <br />$400,000 loss resulting from the 5% decline in the City’s population. He spoke on <br />the proposals from other municipalities to make University City a point-of-sale sales <br />rather than as a pool-city, which would result in a significant loss in revenue. He also <br />said given the fact that U City is an aging municipality, it required additional capital <br />needs with its aging infrastructure, costs that some newer municipalizes would not <br />have. He stated that there were repairs needed for the streets, sidewalks, and curbs <br />(making them ADA compliant). Mr. Walker said there was a backlog of street-paving <br />maintenance and a significant amount of trees that continue to require attention. <br />3 <br /> <br /> <br />