HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-08-20 Work Session Meeting MinutesMINUTES
OF THE EDINA CITY COUNCIL
WORK SESSION
COMMUNITY ROOM, CITY HALL
TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2024
5:30 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Hovland called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Answering rollcall were Members Jackson, Pierce, Risser, and Mayor Hovland.
Absent: Member Agnew
Staff in attendance: Scott Neal, City Manager; Ari Lenz, Assistant City Manager; Zoe Johnson, City
Management Fellow; Pa Thao, Finance Director; Derek Otten, Facilities Manager; Cary Teague, Community
Development Director; Jennifer Bennerotte, Communications Director; Aaron Ditzler, Assistant City
Engineer; Perry Vetter, Parks and Recreation Director; Nick Lovejoy, Network Security Analyst; and Sharon
Allison, City Clerk.
2025-2030 CIP AND 2025 BUDGET
Manager Neal gave an overview of the process the City has used for its annual budgets for the last 10+ years,
with a 2-year operating budget in odd-numbered years and devoting time to capital spending in the even-
numbered years. Manager Neal spoke about the 2023 discussion with Council, staff and the community,
about what service levels they wanted, the impacts of operating costs and what it would costs to increase
service levels. Neal said a forecasted budget was approved for 2024 and 2025 that included 15 new public
safety employees and other staff, reflecting a bigger budget in 2025.
Finance Director Thao reviewed the biennial budget process that City has used, the 2025 Preliminary Budget
and Levies, Priorities received from the Council, Criteria Review, and the CIP story map.
Manager Neal noted that the remainder of the presentation would lay out what staff felt the priorities should
be and explained that they wanted input from the Council on what they felt the priorities should be.
Finance Director Thao gave an overview of the history of the CIP Levy.
Facility Manager Otten reviewed the on-demand (delayed or deferred maintenance), major maintenance
items, Fire Station #2, and maintenance needs by the age of the buildings.
Finance Director Thao outlined the 2025-2030 Preliminary CIP, Projection of CIP levy, Bonding, Debt Service
Discussion, and Financial Management Plan Projections.
The Council asked questions of staff and discussed the differences between renewals and requirements with
regard to maintenance; ways to show what maintenance was being covered by the referendum; possible use
of the '5 whys?' to help clearly communicate this information to the public; possible usefulness of having a
breakdown that shows which buildings were in really bad repair; desire to have a conversation about what
choices the City has within their CIP decisions; ways staff can help the Council find ways to debate the merits
of projects; importance of getting rid of some of the delayed maintenance items and how they can show that
progress is being made; Public Safety dollars and the desire for additional information regarding the number
of calls; possibly dedicating time at the next Work Session meeting to discuss the CIP; taking a closer look
at the projected 2025 expenditures to see if there may be a way to reduce the debt load and provide a
softer transition for the taxpayers in the community; ways to show what was included in the project funding
list that was in the General Levy; possibility of having a summary that would show what percentage of the
grand total has its own independent funding source outside of the levy; having a list of which projects have
the levy as the funding source; possible opportunities for local option sales tax with the State legislature;
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ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Hovland adjourned the meeting at 6:42 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
on Allison, City Clerk
Minutes approved by Edina City Council, September 3, 2024.
ames B. Hovland, Mayor
Minutes/Edina City Council Work Session/August 20, 2024
needs of Parks and Recreation; what the City's bonding requests will be; police station improvements and
where they land on the timeline; the percentage of the City's budget that is dedicated to labor and ways to
look at their personnel numbers in comparison with similar cities; utilizing service levels and labor costs as
a way to provide clarity on the numbers for people; having the ability to thoroughly explain the budget and
CIP to residents; costs of doing business in 2024 because of electronics/software; possible inclusion of the
Braemar club house and use of the old art center for a family entertainment facility in the CIP; age of
equipment at Alden Park; lifespan and efficiencies of updated equipment; importance of having a list of the
projects that did not make staff's list for inclusion in the CIP so the Council is aware of what was not being
funded; retaining walls in the public right-of-way and the importance of allocating funds for possible
repair/replacement in the future; and the desire to find a way to show the residents in a clear way what they
were getting for their money.
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