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Home My WebLink AboutPACKET Town Board Study Session 2013-09-10 Tuesday, September 10, 2013 TOWN BOARD 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. STUDY SESSION Town Hall Rooms 202/203 * Revised 9/05/13 4:30 p.m. Trustee Comments & Questions. 4:35 p.m. Future Study Session Agenda Items. (Board Discussion) 4:45 p.m. Liquor License Hearing Protocol. (Mayor Pinkham) 5:15 p.m. Break for Dinner. 5:40 p.m. Financing of Infrastructure & Capital Improvements (Town Administrator Lancaster) 6:30 p.m. Meeting Adjourn. AGENDA * To: Honorable Mayor Pinkham Board of Trustees Town Administrator Lancaster From: Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk Date: September 10, 2013 RE: Future Town Board Study Session Items September 24, 2013  Review of Capital Investment Plan October 8, 2013  Next Steps for the FLAP Grant October 22, 2013  Review of Liquor License Schedule  Discussion of Town Board Salaries for Future Terms Future Items  Distribution of FOSH Funds  Town’s Role in Events  Neighborhood Subdivision Issues  Review of Town Property Inventory  Committee Appointments/definitions  Sign Code Revisions  Community Survey 2014  Presentation on Demographic and Economic Data in Comprehensive Plan Modernization  Acceptance of Art, Gifts, Naming of Parks, etc.  Strategic Planning  Capital Plan for 2014  Senior Center/Museum Master Plan  Revise Stanley Historic District Agreement Town Clerk’s Office Memo TOWN ADMINISTRATORMemo To:Honorable Mayor Pinkham Board of Trustees From: Frank Lancaster, Town Administrator Date: September 10, 2013 RE: Financing of Infrastructure & Capital Improvements Objective: To discuss potential infrastructure and capital improvement needs and alternatives for financing these needs. Present Situation: NEEDS There are a number capital and infrastructure needs that the Town is facing over the next 10 to 15 years. Current revenue streams are not sufficient to meet these needs and some prioritization and alternative funding must be explored. The Leadership team met and developed a list of needs, as well as financing mechanisim for the board’s consideration. This list was developed from data received at the community visioning sessions conducted this spring, past town citizen surveys, past board comments and from the professional judgement of the leadership team itself. This is just a starting point for board consideration and discussion. It is not intended to be a hard and fast recommendation. Included in the list below are items that were raised in the brainstorming of the leadership team, but then vetted when the group prioritized the items. We wanted the board to see all the items discussed. Those that were vetted as lower priority by the Leadership team are shown but are stricked through. The top priority items, in the opinion of the leadership team, are shown in bold. ·Streets / drainage (conservativly $1.2M annually) ·Bike trails / trail connections ·Community center / senior center ·Expanded transit ·Emergency AM radio ·Conference center – upgrades and expansions ·Museum expansion ·Museum storage ·Riverwalk improvements ·Streetscapes – Riverside/Moraine/34 ·Fiber use optimization ·Performance Park Upgrades ·Upgrade/new restrooms downtown ·Pocket Park/neighborhood parks ·Public art – percentage of total investment in each project ·Move EP Sanitation treatment plan · Highway 7 improvements · Infrastructure at Elm Road · Fish Hatchery Proposal · Lot 4 development · Redevelopment of Town Hall lot · Residential Sidewalks · Workforce housing · Parking structure downtown ·Water mains · Shooting range / archery · Underground electric · Undergrounding towers · Town Hall / new or go up a story ·Offsite storage for Town · more funding for Community service grants FUNDING There are several funding options available to address these needs. Some of these are specific to specific needs and are not generally applicable. Prior to considering any additional funding, it is critical for the Town to be as efficient and effective with how we provide current services. As you know, we are continuing to look at our process, regulations and procedures to "straighten the pipes" and increase the effectivness and efficiency of how we currently utilize the tax dollars our citizens provide to us to serve their needs. Straightening the Pipes helps but cannot provide enough resources to meet all the current capital and infrastructure needs, so we have looked at other possible funding mechanisms. This are listed in no particular priority order: ·Sale of excess Town Property ·Formation of a Storm Water Utility ·Utility Rates ·Charge for parking ·Impact Fees ·Sales tax on water ·Increase in property tax * ·Increased business license fees (particularly for VRBO) ·Sales Tax * * requires approval of the voters All of these options have individual pros and cons. A major advantage of a sales tax increase in our community is that it is mostly carried by visitors to the community. It is estimated that just over 65% of our sales tax revenue comes from visitors to our town. A 1% sales tax increase would generate approximatly $2M annually. Should the Board consider a sales tax question to go to the voters, the leadership team suggests that a 1% sales tax, with a sunset of 15 years be considered. This will raise significant funds to address some of the high priority needs, yet maintains our overall sales tax at a comparable rate to other destination communities. A sunset is important to provide accountability to the voters and past experience has shown that voters are more accepting of sunseted taxes rather than taxes in perpetuity. Proposal (including budget if applicable): n/a discussion item only Advantages: n/a Disadvantages: n/a Requested Action and Sample Motion: n/a Level of Public Interest very high