1999-10-05MINUTES - MOUND COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE -OCTOBER 5, 1999
The Committee of the Whole for the City of Mound, Hennepin County, Minnesota, met in
regular session on Tuesday, October 5, 1999, at 7:30 P.M., in the Council Workroom at 5341
Maywood Road, in said City.
Those present were Mayor Pat Meisel, Councilmembers: Andrea Ahrens, Bob Brown, Mark
Hanus, Leah Weycker. Also in attendance: Acting City Manager Fran Clark and Secretary Sue
McCulloch. Others present: Chief of Police Len Harrell, Park Director Jim Fackler, Liquor
Store Manager Joel Krumm, and Finance Director Gino Businaro.
Mayor Meisel opened the meeting at 7:35 P.M.
Mayor Meisel stated the review process of the budgets is slightly different this year than from
previous years. She indicated the Council~ had the proposed budgets from the department
heads for approximately one month 'and tonight the Committee of the Whole would be asking
the department heads questions.
1.01 BUDGET - LIQUOR STORE MANAGER- JOEL KRUMM
Mr. Krumm presented his budget plan for the liquor store. Mr. Krumm stated his budget
shows he is requesting additional monies due majority to personnel service, i.e., salaries and
temporary salaries to stay competitive, hospital and dental rates, FICA, and service charges.
Mr. Krumm stated the service charges have increased even though he uses an agent that is
reasonable. Mr. Kmmm also stated the service charges are up on the budget because of new
registers and credit card uses.
Mayor Meisel asked Mr. Krumm if he would have electronic registers and if he would buy
outright or lease the equipment. Mr. Krumm stated when the new store is built, he would
change to scanners and he would COnsider buying outright versus leasing in hopes the registers
would last longer, possibly a four to five year stretch. The Finance Director stated a
maintenance plan should be purchased if the registers are bought outright which would cost
about $470.
Mr. Krumm stated a vision for the liquor store is positive. Ideally, he would like the new store
to be on Loss Lake and have it more visible to the citizens of Mound.
Brown agreed with Mr. Kmmm that the location of the liquor store is crucial. He stated it
should be centrally located so citizens can go and do their errands and then stop off at the
liquor store when through with shopping.
Weycker stated there is a need for more advertisement to the citizens of Mound that the liquor
store is a municipal liquor store and the monies do go back into the City.
MOUND COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REGULAR MINUTES - OCTOBER 5, 1999
Mayor Meisel stated there is an option to have the City of Mound own the liquor store
property or have the City of Mound lease the property. She stated she would like to compare
expected revenues with each scenario. Mayor Meisel is confident, although, if the store would
be built on City property, it would be profitable.
There was discussion by the Committee of the Whole that the City of Mound would like to
have a new liquor store for Mr. Krumm to manage because of his hard work and dedication to
the success of the liquor store.
Mr. Krumm stated another increase to the budget might be rent, which is not accounted for on
the current budget. He stated the rent proposal would go up to $8.00, which would be a
nominal increase from the current rate. Mr. Krumm stated the current rent has been a good
deal and very appreciated. Mr. Krumm stated in the past he has signed a three-year lease, but
it was recommended tonight by the Committee of the Whole to sign a two-year lease with a
one-year option.
Hanus asked Mr. Krumm if the liquor store would be short on staffwhen the new store gets
built and Mr. Krumm stated there might be a shortage. Mr. Krumm is looking at assigning
bonuses to workers if a shortage arises or he can use his transfers from funds to help
compensate when the new store is built. Mr. Krumm is confident that projected sales will be
higher than the budget, but he also stated the expenditures might be over budget.
The Finance Director stated the last 10 years have gone contrary to the forecast. If it tums, the
numbers may be higher or lower for the liquor store profits.
Mr. Kmmm stated he has been through recessions with the liquor store and it does do better
then because the people buy liquor and entertain at home, rather than going out for
entertainment. He also stated ther6 Was a nine percent growth from last year with the liquor
store. He attributes this growth t'6 half of price increase and half to volume growth.
Brown stated there is a need to get a better selection of wine at the liquor store.
Mr. Krumm stated he is confident an MGM, for example, will not be moving into town to take
business away from the municipal liquor store because an MGM wants a certain clientele and a
certain number of population.
1.1 BUDGET - CHIEF OF POLICE ' LEN HARRELL
Mr. Harrell started his presentatiOn with capital outlay. He stated the force is looking at
purchasing three squad cars.
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MOUND COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REGULAR MINUTES - OCTOBER $~ 1999
Brown asked Mr. Harrell if the new squad cars would be purchased without the light bar
because of prospective past problems. Mr. Harrell stated the new squads would have the
light bar because they would be a bigger profile and there would be a lesser chance of being
hit or involved in accidents. Also, the electrical problem in the light bars has been fixed.
Mr. Harrell stated to be more visible would also cause better coverage for liability reasons.
Hanus asked if there were packages for police cars. Mr. Harrell stated there were. The
squad cars include better wiring and the frame has a better harness. The squads would have
special suspension, stronger interior seats, bucket seats which are better for the back, cloth
for front seats but vinyl for the rear seats, alternator improvements, heavy duty breaks, and
built into the side of car better protection in case of roll-overs. The brand the City of
Mound is looking at purchasing is the Impalas. If there is a good bid, the price for the
squads would-be about $20,000. The City of Mound used to buy Crown Vics with rear
wheel drive, but the City of Mound with its terrain, needs front wheel drive. Mr. Harrell
stated the best squad car is made by Bonneville, but they are too expensive. Buick is
comparable to the Bonneville.
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Brown stated the City of Mound~,s,officers, as an incentive, would like take-home
squad
cars. Brown stated this concept is two-fold: It puts a squad car in the neighborhood and
also puts the officer on duty from the time they leave the house until they get to City Hall.
Also, the squad cars may last at least five years and the officers will take more pride in his
vehicle by having his own vehicle. Furthermore, the equipment the officers put in the
trunks can be their own items and they can have it set up the way they want it to be set up.
According to Mr. Harrell, Champlin has enforced such a program and claims it has been
very successful.
Hanus asked if the City of Mound does go with this program, how many more vehicles will
the City need to purchase. Mr. Harrell stated the City would have to add about two or
three more squad cars. He stated he would not sell off the old cars. Instead, they would be
used as backups cars.
Mr. Harrell also stated an incentive to new police officers working for the City of Mound
would be to have their own squad car, but they would need to live in the City of Mound.
Mr. Harrell stated there is competition with other cities to keep good officers, and he would
like to see this program instilled to help alleviate this problem.
Mr. Harrell stated three new officers have come onto the force. This program would be an
incentive to have them stay with the City of Mound. Mr. Harrell also stated if the officer is
doing official business in the City of Mound, then the officer can use the squad car, but the
business can only be done within city limits, with the exception of court proceedings. Mr.
Harrell stated this program could be set up within two years if the City approved it.
MOUND COMMITYEE OF THE WHOLE REGULAR MINUTES - OCTOBER $, 1999
Hanus stot_ed the City of Mound is very open to this idea, although he would appreciate
concrete proof, possibly from Champlin, why the idea is so successful and if the dollars
show the idea is successful. A savings of mileage needs to be investigated further with
regard to the take-home squads.
Weycker suggested another incentive could be money rather than allowing a take-home
squad car for each police officer.
Mr. Harrell is working on other incentive ideas such as merit days and benefits for not
using emergency time foolishly.
Brown questioned the cell phones expenditure. Mr. Harrell stated there is an increase in the
budget to accommodate Nextell for their cell phones. Mr. Harrell stated the cost for phones
and the utilization of the phones would be the same.
Mr. Harrell stated other expenditures include a new chair by their computer, a computer
station, and the video cameras in .the squad cars have not been working properly but are
extremely needed so the- cameras ~need to~ fixed. Mr. Harrell stated at some point in the
future there would be the possibility of officers~ having cameras and microphones with them
at all times. Mr. Harrell stated the radar is an additional cost item that needs to be replaced
because it is old. Mr. Harrell stated their printer needs to be replaced for their computer
system and there is a need for more portable alarms.
Mr. Harrell stated there are encoders that need replacing and if they do not get replaced at
some point down the way, they will not be able to be repaired anymore because they cannot
locate the parts. There is an increase in salary because of hiring a new CSO. Also,
hospital and dental has gone up because of poor planning in the past.
There was a question why the hospital and dental percentage seemed much higher for the
police department than other departments. The Finance Director assured the percentage
used for all the departments is the ,same, it just appears to be so different because of
different case scenarios used for different departments.
Mr. Harrell stated life insurance .appears to be up and copying machines costs are up, but
are down from last year. Mr. Harrell stated the operating supplies may not vary too much,
although the jump in gamline was a surprise.
Brown asked why there is clothing allowance for police officers. Mr. Harrell stated the
officers are fitted with a new uniform on their first day of work. The allowance is then
given to officers to help maintain their uniform. This allowance is approximately $400.
MOUND COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REGU/.~R MINUTES - OCTOBER 5, 1999
Brown then stated the officers will be getting new guns and with the new guns there will be
new holsters that need to be purchased by the officers. Brown stated the holsters should be
included with the guns and not an extra expense by the officers. Mr. Harrell stated he
disagreed with Brown's statement because of the limitation issue. This may be discussed
further at a later date and time.
Mr. Harrell stated repair and maintenance is up, phones costs have increased, them are
more conferences in the schools which include more training expense and forms, towing
charges are going to be maxed out,;and dog disposal is rising. There is no other adequate
service in town to deal with dog disposal at this time.
Brown stated the police department would like a new garage for the squad cars in town. He
stated the garage would hold about five or six squad cars. Brown stated the location of the
new garage could be right back into the hill by City Hall. He stated the garage could be
partially underground and it could include an area for cars and an area for property, such as
forfeited cars or bikes. He stated this would be a multipurpose building and it could be
sound proof to take care of the dog disposal situation also.
Brown also suggested if the garage .came off the fire station and towards the road, then the
upstairs pan of the building could be for the fire department, the downstairs could be for
the police department, and an area off to the side could be used for the dogs.
Mr. Harrell stated there is a probleTM in the City of Mound with stray dogs. He stated a
solution is the Animal Rescue team will come and take the dogs and find them a new home.
Hanus directed a general question to all three staff members present tonight. Hanus would
like to know if the budgets presented tonight from the departments heads are comparable in
how they were presented previous years to the City Manager. All three staff members
stated the process presented has been the same, but the City Manger in the past would make
cuts, mostly in capital layout.
Mayor Meisel stated the Committee of the Whole likes the idea of merits and incentives for
all departments. She stated she would like to see a system instilled in ail departments that
would reward coming in under budget. She also stated she would like all departments to
have a contingency fund set up which could be used and given back to the employees if the
department is under budget.
1.2 BUDGET - PARK DIRECTOR- JIM FACKLER
MOUND COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REGULAR MINUTES - OCTOBER 5~ 1999
Mr. Fackler stated he had three handouts for review. One with the capital outlay,
consisting of a full-time employee he is looking at hiring, another document had the
equipment replacement figures and the third document showed the history of equipment
since 1990.
Mr. Faclder stated the capital outlay shows a 4 x 4 track and plow that'needs replacing
because of age and maintenance problems. This truck will be assigned a regular route. Mr.
Fackler stated with the downtown improvement area the personnel requested and the truck
will be needed. He stated the truck, which is being replaced, would be put in the fall
auction because the City will probably receive a higher bid rather than waiting for the
spring auction.
Mr. Fackler lists the IP Hall as needing improvements that are strictly mechanical, i.e.
plumbing, electrical, heating, air.conditioning, roofs, windows, and doors. Mr. Faclder's
bid came from TSP. Brown stated he had a bid taken from either Westonka or Sterns
Electrical last year to restore the hall and it totaled about $53,000.
Hanus asked if a project of this .size couldI be overseen by Mr. Fackler rather than having a
builder come in and do it. If the' City is overSeeing this project, the costs may be kept to a
minimum. Mr. Fackler would be in charge of hiring subcontractors to handle the job.
Mr. Fackler stated this project cOuld be overseen by him with the help of the City Engineer
and other collective staff efforts.
Mr. Harrell asked what the intentions of the building were after it was renovated. Weycker
stated it would be used like the Depot; it would be leased out for dances, etc.
Hanus stated the Committee of the Whole supports this project if the project can be
accomplished with not too much 'cost. Hanus would like to know if this is feasible and see
some figures to go along with the concept.
Mayor Meisel instructed Mr. Fackler and staff to write up a bidding form for an electrical
contractor, plumber, and construction contractor and find out what the general concept and
cost of the project might be. BrOwn suggested bids be taken from Westonka, Stems
Electrical and TSP.
Mr. Fackler stated the City shou!d.purcha~e, a boat for putting buoys in the lake. Mr.
Fackler stated he would like each Worker of the park to have access to a two-way radio
which would be heard only by park persons. Mr. Fackler stated there is a need for a
make-it-ready dock that would be used virtually every summer. Mr. Fackler also stated
there is a basic amount for the multiple slip docks.
MOUND COMMI~FEE OF THE WHOLE REGULAR MINUTES - OCTOBER 5, 1999
Hanus asked what kind of operating costs the two-ways would be considered for. Mr.
Faclder stated there may be a group cost, but there would be no airtime for the two-ways.
Ahrens asked what the purpose the two-ways serve for park individuals. Mr. Fackler stated
he needs to be in direct contact at all times with his employees in case he needs to shift
individuals around for the day, in case someone needs help to finish a deadline project that
day, or there could be maintenance problems on a mower. Mr. Fackler stated these two-
ways will be available to the employees at all times and the frequency goes quite a distance.
Mr. Fackler stated he would like to hire another seasonal person. Currently there are five
employees Mr. Fackler has hired as seasonal persons.
Ahrens asked when the seasonal persons come on board. Mr. Fackler stated they normally
start work in April, are full-time through the summer, and are done when the fall work
ends. Mr. Fackler also stated this additional seasonal person will be needed once the
downtown area has been completed. Ahrens stated when hiring this individual to help with
the downtown area, if this person could have gardening experience.
Mr. Fackler stated he would like to impress upon the Committee of the Whole to have
uniform shirts for the park workers and there is a clothing allowance listed on the budget.
Mr. Fackler stated the uniform shirts will help citizens of Mound recognize the park
workers and it will also give a sense of pride to the workers.
Mr. Fackler stated them is some need for playground equipment improvements and he
would like to keep up with the sand improvements for the beaches. Mr. Fackler stated
there is a request for cell phone additions.
Mr. Fackler stated there was a lot of park spraying last year which was beneficial, so he
would like to continue this again for next year. There still an over abundance of geese.
Mr. Fackler stated other expenses include the portable toilets, licenses and taxes for the
purchase of the new 1 ton truck in his budget, and minute taker costs.
Mr. Fackler stated the cemetery has been kept up by Phil Haugen who is now retiring. Mr.
Fackler will need another person to take care of the cemetery. The cemetery maps also
need to be kept up to date.
Brown questioned the amount in the docks fund. Mr. Fackler stated the amount from this
fund includes a dock inspector and the balance would be used for the maintenance seasonal
guy. Mr. Fackler is paid out of parks funds.
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MOUND COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REGULAR MINUTES - OCTOBER 5, 1999
Mr. Fackler stated the in and out fees for multiple slip docks have gone up.
Brown asked if Mr. Faclder would foresee a problem with raising the docks fees from $150
per year to $350 per year. Mr. Fackler stated he would like to investigate this matter
further and find out what other communities are offering to citizens and then make a
recommendation.
Mayor Meisel stated if the dock fees are increased the monies can only be used for dock
improvements. She stated there may be an administration fee that can be paid by this fund,
but the rest of the monies is for the docks. Mayor Meisel is in favor of raising the dock
prices but the monies would be used to fix up the dock area.
The Committee of the Whole appreciated the department heM's attendance and thanked
them for coming.
Mayor Meisel stated the school board has meet the candidates on October 12a, so they will
not be attending the City Council meeting that evening. The Acting City Manager will
notify Kim Anderson of the open.space group of this development.
INFORMATION ITEMS
There was no information handed out.
MOTION by Brown, seconded by Ahrens, to adjourn at 10:47 P.M.
was unanimously in favor; Motion carried.
The vote
Mayor Pat Meisel
Attest: Francene C. Clark
Acting City Manager