[Mpls] 17 Nov. Park Board meeting report, part 1

[Chris Johnson]

5:02pm

* Vice president John Erwin called the Regular meeting of the Park Board to 
order.  The secretary called the roll, and the following commissioners were 
absent this point:  President Jon Olson, Carol Kummer and Rochelle Berry Graves.

Erwin asked for agenda approval.

Commissioners Vivian Mason and Annie Young had additions, discussion of the 
superintendent search and a charter commission concern, respectively.

Commissioner Walt Dziedzic is confused, and argues that the board does not 
need a superintendent search report from "Oldandy" [Oldani Group].

Mason moves to approve amended agenda.  Young seconds.

Commissioner Marie Hauser makes a substitute motion to move the superintendent 
search discussion to Unfinished Business [from an earlier point in the 
meeting] and commissioner Bob Fine seconds.  Substitute motion passes with 
Mason and Young opposed.

5:08pm

* Erwin calls for the Public Hearing for the 2003 and 2004 Tree Assessments. 
Staff person Richard Tice gives short presentation on the subject. 
Assessments were for diseased tree removal, there is an administrative charge 
and 5% interest charged on top of the fee paid to the contractor, the 
assessment is over 5 years starting in 2005.

No one from the public is present who wishes to speak to this public hearing.

5:10pm

* Erwin recesses the Regular meeting.  Commissioners Kummer and Berry Graves 
are now present.

* Administration & Finance committee chair Marie Hauser calls committee to 
order.  Committee members are Hauser, Berry Graves, Young, Kummer and Dziedic.

Agreements 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4 [see agenda documents for details] regarding 
catering contracts at Columbia Manor, Cowles Conservatory and Columbia Golf 
Course are moved and seconded.

Dziedzic asks if there are any dates for free for volunteers.  Asst. super. 
Don Siggelkow answers that Park Board has ability to reserve any of these 
vendor managed facilities anytime they want, but catering is not included.

Dziedzic asks if Park Board employees who formerly worked at the Columbia 
grill will be let go now that it is contracted out.  Siggelkow says yes.

Dziedzic asks his stock question:  "Is that a good deal?"  Siggelkow says yes, 
they expect the caterers/vendors to expand the business.

7.1 through 7.4 Pass.

5:15pm

Commissioner Olson arrives.

Expenditure Appropriation

7.5, to spend another $325,000 from the Self Insurance Fund for increased 
health care costs is moved by Dziedzic.  Passes.

Budget

"7.6  That the board approve the superintendent's recommended 2005 budget."

Presentation of changes by staff member Eric xxx.  The changes to the 
previously presented proposed budget are:

1. Restore $75,000 in funding for the Kroening Interpretive Center.
2. Restore summer playgrounds ($85,000).
3. Defer decision on youth team fees to Spring, 2005 ($25,000). [This was to 
be a $500 field use fee to traveling teams, according to previous presentation.]
4. Restore $30,000 for police horse patrol based on donations ($6,000 impact).
** Results in a $191,000 imbalance in the 2005 budget.

To solve that imbalance, the new proposed cuts are:
1. Eliminate the Jump In brochure and add $10,000 to Recreation budgets to 
publicize programs (net reduction of $40,000).
2. Contractual reductions for public relations, archives, historian and youth 
sports ($28,000).
3. Aquatics shift to enterprise operations and new efficiencies/fee increases 
($28,000).
4. Warming House staffing efficiencies ($25,000) (warming houses would not be 
staffed during inclement weather).
5. Additional delayed hiring in 2005 ($70,000).

Dziedzic gives one of his trademark grandstand speeches about the people who 
showed up at the last meeting and the apples and oranges of budget cuts to 
Summer Playgrounds and the funding for the Taj Mahal HQ building and back when 
he ran for this office how there were X number of programs and says something 
about the number of horses used police horse patrol.  Not sure what his point 
was otherwise.

Berry Graves thanks the staff for making the changes and saving some of the 
programs.  She checks to be sure she is clear that youth fees are being held 
off until later, but that the adult fees will be instantiated in spring 2005. 
  Staff affirms.  She asks what will cover the missing Jump In brochure in 
getting the word out to the public about what programs are available, where, 
when and how to sign up?  Asst. super. Mike Schmidt replies they do not yet 
have an answer to that question, but that the $10,000 for Recreation to 
publicize programs will be put to good use, they will come up with the best 
they can, and he mentions the move to more and more online/web reservations 
and signups.

Young has concerns about the $18,000 cut to the Coyle Center and the Jump In 
brochure, especially with respect with connecting with the Latino, Somali, 
etc. communities.  Not everyone has a computer.  She agrees with Dziedzic's 
remark on the horses; is 18 too many?

Erwin [not on this committee] asks about cost savings from the reorganization. 
  There are now fewer districts, are there likewise fewer district managers? 
Siggelkow answers they don't yet if reorg. will save money, but they are 
holding vacancies open to save money but have promised staff that no one will 
lose a job due to reorg.

Erwin says he had asked for 5 year numbers in order to compare various facets 
of the budget, but they were not made available for this meeting.  He wants to 
see if the Operations percentage of the budget is being reduced, among other 
things.  He asks what the cut to Coyle Center will do?  Schmidt answers that 
it should have no impact, as Park Board does not use the center at all [it's a 
separate entity].

Mason [not on this committee] says this discussion ought to be at the full 
board level where all can vote on the budget, instead of in this committee 
where only 5 can.  She says that Richard Tice reported on the $17 million in 
reserve funds and says the board also needs to discuss the use of those funds. 
  She asks when that discussion will take place.

Siggelkow explains where various fund dollars are used in the proposed budget.

Mason says discussion by full board is still needed and wants to know...

Hauser interrupts her making it impossible to hear what Mason is saying.

Mason continues she "...has a right to ask the question..."

Hauser rudely cuts her off, says she is out of order and calls on Olson [not 
on this committee].

Olson [not on this committee] praises the staff, and says it is a bad idea to 
spend one time money on the Jump In brochure and other PR.  He says kids take 
priority over PR.

Someone asks how kids are supposed to get to the programs if their parents 
don't know about them.

Hauser calls Rich Tice to explain Reserve Funds.  [Without the documents Tice 
provided to the commissioners, it's hard to get what he is talking about.]

Tice says:
- Most of the $3.8 million in the Operations and Maintenance[??] fund is from 
the state for regional park improvements, and most of the rest is from[?] land 
purchase.
- Enterprise Fund is made up of Special Services, i.e. golf courses and 
refectories, which are self-supporting, and fee-based programs, also 
self-supporting.
- Internal Service Fund is for equipment and information technology services 
(e.g. computers); reserves are dedicated to equipment replacement.
- Tax Operating Fund, $7 million balance at end of 2003, 5% reserve for 
emergencies.
- Other Items include stump removal reserve, urban forestry reserve (for 
emergencies) and the proposed Mortgage Payoff on the Taj Mahal HQ building.

Mason asks about the Land Purchase Fund, and the money taken out to buy the 
Taj Mahal HQ building that was labeled as a "loan" in the 2003 annual report, 
but is now called a "transfer" (which would not have to be paid back).  What 
is the balance?

Tice says that yes, most of the money in that fund was taken out and spent, 
but does not know the current balance.  He says it is certainly less than 
$100,000.

Mason says the 2003 report says the balance was $6,000.  Tice says if that is 
what the report says, then he believes the balance is $6,000.

Erwin says that Olson said the question was kids versus brochure, but that he 
thinks the question is brochure versus mortgage payoff.

Dziedzic is also concerned about parents getting notification of programs 
(which is contained in the Jump In brochure), but he does not think the 
single-language (English) brochure was very well used or effective.  How is 
the $10,000 going to be used by Recreation to get the word out?  Schmidt 
answers they don't know yet, but will make their best efforts.

Dziedzic works up a fine outrage and complains they have lots of money in the 
bank but are getting paid NO INTEREST on it, because the City keeps the 
interest!  [That would be because while Dziedzic was a City Council Member, he 
worked with Park Board counsel Brian Rice to set it up that way to the city's 
advantage.]  He says by paying off the mortgage [on the Taj Mahal] the Park 
Board is being prudent.  That's what you would do if you were home owner with 
money in the bank paying you no interest.

Fine says he wants to further that argument and says not only is it a good 
idea to use that money to pay off the mortgage, but that unlike the home 
owner, the Park Board does not get a mortgage interest deduction on their 
taxes!  [No joke -- but then the Park Board does not even pay income taxes to 
begin with.  Fine is apparently no tax attorney.]

Hauser makes some unimportant and forgettable comments.

7.6 approval of proposed 2005 budget passes in the committee, 4 to 1 with 
Young opposed.

Committee is Adjourned.

5:52pm

End of Part 1.

Reported by Chris Johnson, Fulton.