HomeMy WebLinkAboutBudget/Finance Committee Minutes 03.01.2004 MINUTES
BUDGET/FINANCE COMMITTEE
MARCH 1, 2004 5:00 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mayor Ken Olson
Kate Stevenson
Dan Meats
Bud Johnson
OTHERS PRESENT:
Mary Embleton
The Budget/Finance Committee meeting was called to order at 5:15 p.m., by Acting
Chairman Olson, due to the absence of both chairmen Mark Mace and Gay Easton.
There was no public in attendance.
The minutes of the February 17, 2004 regular meeting were revised and approved as
revised via motion by Dan, seconded by Bud. Motion passed unanimously.
February claims totaling $193,589.67 were reviewed and the committee unanimously
recommends approval by the council.
The following purchase requisitions were reviewed and approved:
GENERAL FUND:
New computer for council secretary - clerk/treasurer $ 1,500.00
Two temps to help with records management inventory - clerk/treas. $ 985.00
Labor & service for building heat exchanger - FAP $ 605.00
The Comp/OT reports were reviewed for pay period ending 2/15/04. There was some
discussion regarding the amount of overtime in the police department.
The Payroll Register for PPE 2/15/04 totaling $120,355.21 was reviewed. The
committee recommends council approval.
Budget Timeline - Mary presemed copies of the schedule used in 2002 for preliminary
budget presentations by department heads to the Budget/Finance Committee. After
discussion, she was instructed to produce a tentative schedule for Wednesdays and
Thursdays for the next two months. Input fi.om department heads on Tuesday will be
incorporated in the schedule. The draft schedule will be done by Friday.
Accounting Policies and Procedures manual format - No contact has been made with
Brent Olness on the matter, but the mayor will continue to attempt to contact him for
clarification.
Cost-to-Benefit analysis of police department scheduling change - More information
will be brought to the next meeting, and will be reviewed and discussed at that time.
Budget/Finance Committee
March I, 2004
Page 2.
Records Management project - Mary repotted that the initial inventory and identifying
records for disposal went better than expected. Two temps were hired for last week, and
they helped to clean out the Old Council Chambers, most of the storage area (old jail
cell), and a large portion oftbe vault. Mary commended Cathy Gabrian for her
exceptional efforts in accomplishing this task. A temporary storage unit was procured for
the records that are awaiting disposal. Only the records that the city is required to keep
will be stored at Baker Transfer and Storage, and the costs for this service will be
determined at a later date, when it is known how many boxes are stored there. Baker
required a signed agreement, and research will be done to determine whether that requires
council action.
Under other issues, Mary reported to the committee that she will begin focusing efforts
on GASB 34 compliance work on the coraputer system. The city is required to comply
with GASB 34 requirements by June 30, 2004. Mary briefly described the impact that
this has on the city's financial statements and reporting. Mayor Olson informed the
committee that the 3-month contract for legal services will expire this month, and that
there has been discussion of extending the current contract for one month while
negotiating a renewal contract with a fiat monthly fee. Mayor Olson also told the
committee that he will be bringing a contract for services with Nathan Tubergen
forward to the next workshop (March 9th). The contract will be for consulting services
for special projects that the city would like to get started. Nathan was the former Finance
Director for the City of Billings and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that
will benefit the City of Laurel at a very reasonable fee - $25/hour plus ½ of the mileage
from his home near Quake Lake. Mayor Olson also reported that a request for Federal
appropriations has been submitted to Senator Conrad Burns. The list ofprojeets
included a new water reservoir, funding for streets, assistance for a new city hall, and
money for m~airs to the water and sewer systems.
The next meeting will be on Monday, March 15th at 5:00 p.m. On the agenda will be:
Cost-to-benefit analysis of police department schedule change; the Budget Timeline -
schedule of preliminary budget meetings with department heads; Accounting Policies and
Procedures manual format clarification.
The meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Clerk/Treasurer