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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session Budget Meeting 10-19-2007 Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, October 19, 2007 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 19th day of October, 2007. Committee: Mayor Baudek, Trustees Blackhurst, Eisenlauer, Homeier Levine, Newsom and Pinkham Attending: All Also Attending: Town Administrator Repola, Deputy Town Administrator Halburnt, Finance Officer McFarland, Town Clerk Williamson Absent: None Mayor Baudek called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m. 2008 BUDGET PRESENTATION Each fund was reviewed and requests for additional information are noted below:  Judicial – Personnel cost will adjust by 5% as set forth in the Municipal Code and O&M is up slightly. Revenue is reflected in the Police Department budget.  Museum – Revenue sources include federal and state grants, charge for services, miscellaneous income for facility rentals, donations and interest, and contributions from the Friends of the Museum Foundation. Request to increase curator of education position to fulltime from a .75 FTE, eliminate a 147-hour seasonal position at the hydro plant site, new street sign at Hwy 36 and 4th, training increased, $11,000 to update the permanent exhibit gallery, and retain fund balance for use in 2009 to match a federal grant to digitize the Museum’s photograph collection.  Senior Center – Revenue sources include County Commissioner grant, United Way grant, charges for services, classes and programs, miscellaneous facility rentals, fundraising, donations, and contributions from Estes Park Senior Center, Inc. The 2008 meal price increase will go directly to the meal service contractor Catering for all Occasions. A reduction in the miscellaneous revenue from EPSC, Inc. is related to the redesign of supported projects for 2008 and it is anticipated other projects or needs will be supported as the year progresses. Personnel increases are due to an increase in insurance premiums only. O&M is decreasing and includes a reduction in the food service costs. The Senior Center van is not included in the vehicle replacement fund as it was purchased by EPSC, Inc.  CVB – Administrator Repola provided an overview of the CVB fund stating it is a Special Revenue fund subsidized by the General Fund. Revenues and expenses have increased in the last three years with O&M the largest component of the budget. Staff will confirm money has been budgeted for the completion of the CVB landscaping in 2008. Director Pickering stated the O&M for 2008 is 2% less than the 2007 budget. The transfer to the CVB fund from the General Fund is budgeted to increase $25,000. The Departments’ goal is to reduce operating expenses through improved efficiencies while increasing revenues.  Communications – O&M is increasing due to the cost of media. Downloads for visitor guides is increasing; however, the visitor guide mailings to statewide visitor centers are very important. Town Board Budget Study Session – October 19, 2007 – Page 2  Visitor Center – O&M is down as efficiencies are being discovered. Personnel expense increased due to commissions being added to compensation. A discussion ensued regarding a significant reduction in web maintenance. Trustee Blackhurst and Pinkham expressed concern with the significant reduction to web maintenance as the CVB increasingly relies on the web to disseminate information to the public. Ad production costs include the ads for the shuttle buses and an accommodation board for the visitor center in 2008. Trustee Levine expressed concern with a decrease in the training budget and would encourage the department to send staff to appropriate training. “Ambassador Club expenses” will be updated to read “Ambassador expenses.”  Group Sales and Marketing – O&M is down from 2007 due to the remodeling of the Conference Center this year; however, printing forms is up as new brochures are required for the center.  Special Events – Revenues and O&M are projected to increase in 2008. Staff continues to replace equipment gradually overtime. Staff will provide the Community Development Committee with an update on the 2007 special events to specifically address the benefit to the Town.  Conference Center – The final lease payment is due in 2008. Staff will verify if the $21,000 budgeted as miscellaneous, Holiday Inn lease, is related to property tax or the bond payment. O&M will decrease significantly from 2007 due to the remodeling of the center. Trustee Levine requested the number of visitors, Internet hits, conferences, special event attendance etc. be included in the scope of services at the top of each executive summary page. Staff will develop a method to incorporate the metrics associated with the scope of services into the executive summary. Mayor Baudek announced a 10-minute recess at 10:10 a.m., and the meeting was reconvened at 10:10 a.m.  Transportation – 2008 will be the final year of a three year test pilot for the shuttle system. The base service will remain at the same level with some adjustments made to the hours of operation. A discussion followed on hours of operation: the Park and Town shuttles should have the same calendar days of operation and not necessarily the same hours of operation, hotel route should maintain the same hours; brown route to be altered in 2008; 11.6% increase on brown route with the inclusion of the YMCA; evaluate the use trends and have a community presentation to discuss success and alternatives to the shuttles; investigate other shuttle companies. Staff will bring options to the Community Development Committee in August of 2008.  Community Reinvestment – O&M includes $50,000 for the engineering related to the new Stanley Fairground barn. Conference Center lease will be renamed Conference Center payment. Capital includes $3.5 million for the barn and $600,000 for the performing art center site preparation at the Stanley Fairgrounds, contingent upon the sell of Lot 4, Stanley Historic District. Trustees questioned where the money for site prep would come from if the closing on Lot 4, SHD was not realized and SOPA has raised the necessary funds. The Town would find necessary funds if the scenario arises. Finance Officer McFarland stated the debt coverage on a 10 year loan for the construction of the barn would be approximately $330,000/year with construction interest of $121,000.  Conservation Trust – Revenues are from State lottery revenues. Arbor Day tree replacement is budgeted at $12,012 to maintain the Town’s Tree City designation. Staff will verify if funds have been budgeted for picnic tables in Bond Park and benches along Elkhorn Avenue. Town Board Budget Study Session – October 19, 2007 – Page 3  Open Space – The .25% sales tax share from Larimer County is estimated at $240,000 for 2008. The Fall River Trail to Castle Mountain Lodge is the only project scheduled for this fund in 2008.  Police – Administrator Repola provided an overview of the Police Department budget stating personnel is the largest portion. The department was able to absorb the costs of the Code Enforcement Officer with no new appropriations and will end the year close to actual personnel costs. The Animal Control Officer position, a .75 FTE, will be eliminated in 2008 and added to the duties of the Code Enforcement Officer. The Community Services fund was added in 2007 and includes none traditional police services such as Restorative Justice, Auxiliary Police, SRO, CSOs and the Code Enforcement Officer that has increased efficiency from the management level. Community Services will purchase a used police car from the Fleet Department with grant funds for the Auxiliary Police. Discussion was heard on a centralized dispatch center and the possibility of partial coverage during midnight to 4:00 a.m. An IGA for SRO services between the Park R-3 School District is being prepared for partial reimbursement during the 2008-2009 school year. Revenues for patrol services include payment for security services provided by the department. Trustees questioned using the Police Department account for the Chief’s Golf Tournament. The Chief will provide a yearly report to the Public Safety Committee on the Chief’s Golf Tournament including expenses and revenues. The next Budget Study Session is scheduled October 26th, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. There being no further business, Mayor Baudek adjourned the meeting at 11:35 a.m. Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk