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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5E Budget Amendment Report Phone 952.447.9800 / Fax 952.447.4245 / www.cityofpriorlake.com 4646 Dakota Street SE Prior Lake, MN 55372 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: FEBRUARY 4, 2019 AGENDA #: 5E PREPARED BY: FRANK BOYLES, CITY MANAGER PRESENTED BY: FRANK BOYLES AGENDA ITEM: CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION APPROVING A BUDGET AMENDMENT TRANSFERING $19,200 FROM ACCOUNT 101-45100.00- 51100.03 IN THE RECREATION BUDGET TO ACCOUNT 101-42100.00- 51100.03 IN THE POLICE BUDGET FOR PARKING OVERSIGHT AT SANDE POINT PARK AND OTHER CODE ENFORCEMENT SERVICES GOAL AREA AND OBJECTIVE: Environmental Stewardship and Recreation 4. Provide Public Spaces and Amenities that Attract the Community to Our Natural Environment DISCUSSION: Introduction The purpose of this agenda item is to request that the city council adopt a resolution transferring $19,200 originally budgeted in Account Recreation Seasonal Wages (101-45100.00-51100.03 ) to Police Seasonal Wages (101- 42100.00-51100.03) to allow for automated parking oversight program at Sande Point Beach Park and additional code enforcement activities citywide History Prior Lake is a community featuring 14 lakes which characterize our natural environment. It is no accident therefore that our two largest and most popular parks—Lakefront and Sande Point--are located on our namesake Prior Lake. Because of the volume of people visiting Sande Point Park during the warm summer weather, we have struggled to exercise oversight over our parking lot. In previous years we would hire teen age park attendants to accept money and monitor the parking lot. This worked marginally well as young attendants were sometimes bullied by certain park users. In recent years we have advertised for these positions and more often than not have been unsuccessful in hiring the type of persons we are seeking. That has led us to reconsider our parking program. We have experimented with the honor system. Unfortunately, we find that few honor this approach and so we have explored other alternatives. Current Circumstances Last year we contemplated the acquisition of an electronic parking monitor—much like those found in parks in Minneapolis. This equipment allows visitors to park their vehicles and pay the parking fee without the need for an attendant. This system does require a Community Service Officer to check a couple times daily for motorists who pay for parking and those who do not. There is no money to move since the system uses credit cards only. Last year we examined this concept and the recreation and police department were unable to identify a standard operating procedure which would support the electronic parking machine. This year discussions resumed successfully with recreation and police identifying a means by which parking enforcement and payment verification can be accomplished. The basic plan is to utilize Community Service Officers. Because of our unsuccessful 2018 efforts, the police department did not budget the funds necessary for this purpose for 2019. However. recreation did budget funds for park patrol purposes. It is these funds which we desire to transfer from recreation to the police budget. The attached resolution would accomplish the transfer. The additional benefit in consolidating the funding in police is that the CSO’s will also be able to assist in barking dog and other types of nuisance complaints. ISSUES: FINANCIAL IMPACT Seasonal Community Service Officers are paid more than Park Patrol Officers and are part of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME) which necessitates the funding transfer. The Master Park Plan indicates that many cities are getting out of charging for parking. The reasons other cities and counties are getting away from parking fees is because they have been losing visitors to other parks where the is no fee charged and the cost of personnel was too high. Because of our approach, the numbers of visitors to Sande Pointe and the attractiveness of the park and water feature, the system proposed herein is considered superior. The electronic parking equipment and the I PAD needed to issue parking tickets if necessary, will be paid through a combination of recreation and public work funds. The transferred fund would allow the police department to visit the parking lot twice daily for enforcement purposes as well as assist in other nuisance related complaints throughout the city. The staff believes that this cooperative method of parking oversight is in the best interests both of our park patrons as well as our employees and the taxpayers. In previous years our parking income has been as high as $30,000 however because of the personnel costs of the program the net earnings were about $10,000. We believe that this electronically assisted program will improve those results. ALTERNATIVES: 1.Motion and second as part of the consent agenda to adopt a resolution providing for a $19,200 budget transfer from Recreation Seasonal Wages (101-45100.00- 51100.03 ) to Police Seasonal Wages (101-42100.00-51100.03) to fund the personnel needed for the program. 2. Motion and second to remove this item from the consent agenda for additional discussion. RECOMMENDED MOTION: Alternative #1 4646 Dakota Street SE Prior Lake, MN 55372 RESOLUTION 19-___ A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER OF $19,200 FROM THE RECREATIUON TEMPORARY PERSONNEL ACCOUNT TO THE POLICE TEMPORARY PERSONNEL ACCOUNT Motion By: Second By: WHEREAS, The city’s strategic plan encourages actions by the city which will encourage the public to visit and enjoy our natural environment and amenities; and, WHEREAS, The strategic plan also promotes addressing threats to community standards through code enforcement; and, WHEREAS, The recreation and police department are desirous of consolidating temporary personnel financial allocations to facilitate the objectives identified above; and, WHEREAS, By transferring $19,200 from recreation to police will allow for the hiring of community service officers and the acquisition of electronic equipment which will allow the implementation of an electronic parking meter and oversight at Sand Point Beach Park in addition to supplementing the city’s code enforcement efforts. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA as follows: 1. The recitals set forth above are incorporated herein. 2. A budget amendment is hereby approved to transfer $19,200 from the Recreation Seasonal Wages account (101-45100.00-51100.03 ) to Police Seasonal Wages account (101- 42100.00-51100.03). 3. The staff is hereby authorized to implement the service enhancements as set forth in this resolution. Passed and adopted by the Prior Lake City Council this 4th day of February 2019. VOTE Briggs Thompson Burkart Braid Erickson Aye ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Nay ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Abstain ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Absent ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ______________________________ Frank Boyles, City Manager