HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session Budget Meeting 10-07-2005 Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, October 7, 2005
Minutes of a Regular meeting of the TOWN BOARD BUDGET STUDY
SESSION of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting
held at Town Hall in said Town of Estes Park on the 7th day of October,
2005.
Committee: Mayor Baudek, Trustees Doylen, Homeier, Jeffrey-Clark,
Levine, Newsom and Pinkham
Attending: Mayor Baudek, Trustees Doylen, Homeier, Jeffrey-Clark,
and Levine
Also Attending: Town Administrator Repola, Finance Officer McFarland,
Clerk Williamson
Absent: Trustees Newsom and Pinkham
Mayor Baudek called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.
2006 BUDGET PRESENTATION – GENERAL FUND
Town Administrator Repola presented an overview of the budgeting process. In June,
Dept. Heads were instructed to update their 2005 & 2006 budgets and reduce those
budgets by an aggregate of 2%. The General fund and the Community Reinvestment
fund balances are trending below the 30% O&M target; therefore action to protect
theses funds will be discussed during the budget process.
Staff is still awaiting market data for increases in personnel expenses, thus 5% was
included in 2006 for wages; this figure will be refined as the budget progresses. The
current health and dental insurance premiums include an estimated 7% and 4%
increases respectively.
Dept. Heads will be presenting their department budgets. Staffing levels will remain at
current levels with staff leveraging technology and outsourcing of projects when
appropriate.
Finance Officer McFarland presented an overview of revenues – taxes,
intergovernmental, current, miscellaneous, transfers. Following discussion on revenue
trends and sales tax increase of 3% for 2006, staff will provide the following information:
Determine the difference between Sales – General and Sales – Local.
GENERAL FUND. Each fund was reviewed and requests for additional
information is noted below:
Legislative – O&M down for 2006. Economic development services include
funds for possible surveys – Intercept and Talmey-Drake Citizen Survey.
Estes Park Pride Awards will be added as a line item.
Judicial – Judge Brown has recommended the Assistant Judge position be
changed from a retainer to an hourly rate; a professional line item will be
added for this position. The Budget includes a 5% increase for the Municipal
Judge and Court Clerk. Historically, these salaries are increased every 2 yrs.
Executive – The 2006 professional services decreased due to a change in
tenure levels of staff. Personnel level allocations will be revisited in 2007 to
determine the appropriate distribution. Legal expenses are funded through
the Administration Dept. and will be allocated to the individual departments
during the 1st quarter of 2006. Quarterly newsletter budget remains the same
for 2006; however the newsletter may be brought in house for an estimated
savings of $8,000/yr. A pay study has been added to the 2006 budget and
Town Board Budget Study Session – October 7, 2005 – Page 2
will be completed by the 2nd quarter of 2006. Staff is considering a change in
the comparison cities from the Front Range to Mountain communities.
Finance – The personnel services increases from 2005 reflects full staffing
levels in 2006. Finance staff supplies professional accounting for EVRPD
and EVPLD and receives revenues for the service.
Community Development – The original IGA established with Larimer County
in 2000 requires the County to reimburse the Town for staff cost to perform
planning/code enforcement within the unincorporated areas. The salary is
adjusted each year based on the Denver/Boulder CPI. Consensus - revisit
the agreement to evaluate increasing the fee collected by the County. O&M
includes GIS support to update ArcView files and digitize planning and
building files. Administrator Repola stated a vendor has been contacted to
determine cost of digitizing Town files, although a specific timeframe has not
been established. Consensus – research retention schedules and establish a
schedule for digitizing Town files. Building department is fully staffed;
therefore, the department will not incur the overtime costs seen in past years.
Mayor Baudek announced a 10-minute recess at 10:15 a.m., and the meeting was
reconvened at 10:25 a.m.
Police – CSO program may be eliminated and replaced with a dedicated
police officer for the downtown area during the peak season, working Thurs. –
Sun. 10 hrs/day and a part time seasonal parking enforcement officer. Other
functions may be redirected to the CVB budget in the future. The department
anticipates the new hiring strategy (pay for academy and a stipend while
attending training – new recruit must then stay for 2 yrs.) will attract a larger
pool of applicants. Salaries for police officers are currently 5 to 10% below
other communities. O&M for 2006 includes the replacement of 2 four wheel
drive vehicles. Results from the parking study performed this summer will be
available Dec./Jan. The Community Reinvestment fund will include budgeted
funds in the transportation line item for the potential recommendations from
this study. Restorative Justice will present an update on the program and its
effectiveness to the Town Board at the end of the year.
Jeffrey-Clark left the meeting at 10:45 a.m.
Police Communications – The 2006 budget will be changed to reflect the
correct number of staff, 5 dispatchers, ¼ dispatcher, ½ animal control officer,
and the records technician changed from a secretary position. LETA has
commissioned a study to determine the feasibility of combining 5
communication centers within Larimer County. Cost savings would include
equipment, day-to-day operational costs, and personnel costs. Estes Park
dispatchers handle 10-15% more calls due to the visitor population; therefore,
dispatchers at a centralized location would require training in local issues.
Fire – Personnel services remain consistent for 2006 with 40 volunteer
firefighters. A new fire truck has been postponed until the citizenry can
consider a fire district in 2006. The sprinkler system in the fire station will be
repaired to avoid future flooding of the station. Funds have been shifted from
the 2005 budget to the 2006 budget to perform driveway repairs that will
coincide with other Town projects this spring. Upgrades to be purchased for
incident reporting (network license and computer) which is vital for obtaining
grants. Personal safety equipment, bunker gear, to be replaced over the next
5 years. Education and training expenses have increase due to the loss of a
Federal training grant. A Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) will be
purchased in 2006. Staff will add a line item for the replacement of a jeep at
a cost of $35,000.
Town Board Budget Study Session – October 7, 2005 – Page 3
Trustee Levine requested grants be shown under revenue for each department to show
the true cost of performing services. Staff will add line items to the revenues for each
department that receives grants.
The next Budget Study Session is scheduled October 14th, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
There being no further business, Mayor Baudek adjourned the meeting at 11:40 a.m.
Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk