Sep 01, 2015 City Council on 2015-09-01 9:00 AM

[SIDE CONVERSATION] With agenda item, discussing the current budget. And let me just kind of try to highlight the changes and make sure I wrote down everything correctly. I've tried to put in blue changes from last time in terms of this. I know my spreadsheet looks a little bit different, so I'll try to explain that. I've just really got, hopefully, here all the changes that we've got in direction from the council, from the proposed budget here. And I've tried to put down here a revised general fund revenue and general fund expenditures from the proposed budget. Are we going to have a closed session on the fireworks hot funds? OK, all right. So at least to see where we're at now, we've eliminated the facility study. If you remember, I'll go to a prior spreadsheet. We had reduced that by 50,000, but now we've eliminated it altogether. So that kind of positive numbers mean it's a reduction in general fund expenditures. We've increased the contract for the veterinary technician services, the 62,816. And we've added some funding for the little D bike racks. And I've also put down here to fund the mid-block crossing out of the traffic safety fund. Now, the one item I haven't put up in here, we'll really need to have some discussion with Emerson and determine how we want to do it. We've still got the parks maintenance supplemental package still fully funded out of the general fund. There may be a portion that can come out of those other funds, but I haven't built that in. But this scenario says it's fully funded from the general fund. So if there's some kind of contribution-- Then that will just add to that. And what it shows in terms of remaining is based on the changes we've made right now, we have an additional 115,000 available within the general fund for additional-- you know, those three options, additional supplemental packages, additional one time, or changes to the tax rate. Yes, Mayor Pro Tem. Thank you. Thanks for putting this sheet up. The parentheses around the police body cameras means that that has been removed? No, actually parentheses-- just how I have to do it-- means it's been added. So the parentheses are either adding expenditures, or in the case here, reducing revenues. The positives are kind of eliminating expenditures. OK. I know it's a little bit confusing, but just to make the math work. So yeah, you're right. It just confuses me. Thank you. First of all, I appreciate, Chuck, for this, and I appreciate my colleagues for-- I was commenting that this is probably one of the more comprehensive budget discussions I think I've probably been involved in on council, say, for maybe a year during the recession. I know that we talked about before the citywide economic development fund. We got the downtown incentive fund or investment fund, which we said we were going to have a conversation about that, which is separate. And we looked at $80,000 on the citywide economic development fund. It would be nice, I think, to really-- I'm not saying put it all there, but it certainly-- that's going to either-- we'd spend it somewhere it flows to the general fund is what my-- the fund balance is what my understanding is if the budget all comes out the way it is. So it'd be nice to maybe pop that a little bit, even if it's only $25,000 or $30,000 or $40,000, where you got maybe $120,000, $125,000 in the economic development fund, the new one that we're trying to establish for special projects, not just for anybody to come. But it's those extra incentives that we need to really attract those kind of employers and businesses that we want. So I would throw that out there. I'm not going to be too hard on it, but I would like to see that. We're trying to develop some other funding mechanisms that would not necessarily have as big of impact on the general fund, but I think it'd be a pretty good start. It'd show a commitment, but those are just my comments on that. Yes, Council Member Rugg. I think that's a good suggestion. I like the nice round number of 150,000 for that. I don't know if that's bumping that up too much, but I think that's a good start to a fund. The question I have is we look at this-- and maybe you can make a note in column E, perhaps, Chuck-- just so we understand. Because when we were starting to look at our options, there was discussion of whether we're going to fill this out with one-time expenditures, recurring expenditures. So just so that we're aware, if we were to go down this list as to what is one time and what's recurring, could you-- feel free to use abbreviations if it helps. Yeah, just tell us. Copy and paste, even better. Am I missing any that are one-time-- Probably community enhancements. And the parking lot, I get-- well, there's no money added for that. That's coming out of somewhere else. I think the economic development fund we were talking about that being every year. Yeah, maybe not at that funding level. I mean, that'd be a policy discussion. Well, but we eliminate it. Mayor, I'm just saying we need to be cognizant of some of these things that right now we're planning for restricted funds. May not be. Yes, you're talking about primarily the hot funds, the $40,000. Right. Yeah. Would the eliminate the facility study be a one-time? Because that wouldn't be a reoccurring even if we did the study. I mean, if we come back next year, that would still be a one-time expense. Is that correct? Correct. OK. And if I may, along those lines, just to be clear, the $90,000 for office space, while that is recurring, the recurring fee will be-- Much higher. --four times that, correct? Correct. OK. So Councilman Brodin, you had made a proposal of the citywide economic development fund to be $150,000. How does council feel about that? I mean, I'm OK with that. I see some heads nodding. I see some not nodding. But OK. All right. Yes. My question, Mayor, for that, given that that's a new fund, am I assuming correctly that there'll be some discussion as to what-- Absolutely. --the criteria of that-- --the policy. --the process? OK. Development of a policy for that fund. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Because I think that's critical. I mean, I think that's the most critical part of that whole discussion. And then if somehow there's a determination that the hot funds can't pay for the fireworks, then that $45,580 will reduce that by $40,000. Correct. Yeah. Gosh, I still remember my math. Jeez. Any other questions on this? Are we OK, at least with this presentation to this point? Yes. Question on one of the items that was in our packet. Was it the South by Southwest? The $22,000. Is that something we'll be discussing? OK, discussing. You know, Shane. Now, let me make sure I understand. That's currently in the budget. The $22,000 is not in the budget. That is not in the budget. OK. All right. OK. That's helpful to know. Yes. Yeah, sure. Police department just pointed out with the body cameras, it's the one time cost. But there are some recurring costs for the data maintenance and those kind of things. So it's one time for the cameras. But there will be some additional recurring costs, about $38,000. Councilmember Wasner. So question just on budget material. Because I understand this is a budget summary. Is there actually a big fat budget? Well, that's actually prepared by the budgetary staff in the couple of months after the budget's adopted, in terms of the more the detail. They're actually working on that now. But once the council finalizes it, we put that together. Part of that is we apply every year for a national award from GFOA in terms of budget disclosure. So we put it together to match that and for all the citizens. So there will be a-- what you're used to seeing, the big budget book, that will be published. It takes us a little bit of time after the council makes the final budgetary decisions. And then we put that together. Good. Thank you, Chuck. But this spiral that we got, this is pretty much the meat and potatoes of the budget. The bigger document might have a little bit more narrative and things such as that. But as far as the detail of the numbers, this is pretty comprehensive. Correct. Correct. Any other questions? All right. We will now-- where's my sheet? Any other presentation, Chuck? No, sir. OK. All right, we will now go into closed session. Oh, no, I'm sorry. Hold on. Wrong one. I will convene the closed session at 1123 on September the 1st, 2015. We will consider the following items. Consultation with attorneys under Texas government code section 551.071 and consultation with attorneys under Texas government code section 551.086. I want to welcome everybody back to our Denton City Council meeting Tuesday, September the 1st, 2015. We are now reconvening in our open session that began at 9 o'clock this morning. Having completed our closed session. And Mr. Springer, would you like to refresh us on the slide ? We have a new number here at the bottom. We have a new number. And just to highlight the changes I've made, I'll try to put them in blue here. We reduced the funding of community event enhancements out of the general fund to $103,000 and reflect to fund the remainder $150,000 from the hotel occupancy tax fund, the convention and event fund. And the other change we've made is to leave the fireworks show to be funded out of the general fund. And the bottom blue one of the fund, South by Southwest marketing? Yes. To fund the South by Southwest marketing from the convention and event fund, $22,430. Mr. City Manager, do you have any comments? No. Well, other than to say, I think this is a real good mix of what Chuck has summarized leaves that-- and Chuck corrected me if I'm wrong-- that net balance and change at $155,000 and what is not included here. Now, you've eliminated the funding for any facility study. Correct. After we do the work sessions and go over that 2002 plan, there may be some things we need to do to move forward with planning. And we have not funded in out years any lease amounts for moving folks out of City Hall West. So my suggestion to you is that we just roll that $155,000 into the fund balance so that we'll have it to use in the out years for either of those two things that we might need to accomplish. I'm OK with that. Everybody OK with that? Dalton's not OK with it, but he's got food in his mouth. Fantastic. Go ahead. Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I would just like to ask that we keep that amount open. We are going to hear someone talk about the animal shelter for the homeless a little bit later. And so just kind of keep that open, because I think it's around the same, maybe even less, since Council Member Johnson also brought earlier requesting that the city do a little more for the homeless population. OK. Good observation. Thank you. Can I protest? I'm OK with the city manager's recommendation. I just want to call to everybody's attention that this is the first time since I've been on council that I have not been advocating for additional funds for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. I have exercised a great deal of self-control in not doing that. And I'm going to continue to do that this year. It will be back on the radar next year, because it's important for a lot of different reasons. But we just need to be mindful of some things that need to be coming up, because I've asked for a report in the Mobility Committee to hear what our status is. It's costing more than we thought it was going to cost. But I don't think that there's room in the budget this year for it. I'm not advocating it for it this year. And I think it's better to use that money, as the manager suggested, in reserve for the possible things that may be coming up. OK. All right. Mayor? Yes. Before we close this-- so tonight, this is a public hearing item. People can still speak on the budget. Is that correct? I believe so. And then on the 15th, that's when we would go to vote on the budget. And the tax rate. And the tax rate. OK. Correct. Thank you. Any other comments for this particular work session that began at 9 o'clock this morning? I'm just making sure we don't confuse it with the one that 's beginning at 1. Any other questions? I'm sorry. Mayor, I want to-- again, I really appreciate you all coming together and going through this kind of detail so we can be ready for next week. So thank you for your help. Fantastic. Well, seeing no other questions or presentations from staff , we will now adjourn this work session, this meeting, and pick back up with our new meeting at 1 o'clock. So we're adjourned.