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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes MINUTES OF THE LONG RANGE FINANCE COMMITTEE March 7, 2012 ROOM 406 The regular meeting of the Long Range Finance Committee was held on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, in Room 406, at Oshkosh City Hall, 215 Church Avenue. The meeting was called to order by Chair Harold Buchholz, at 5:00 p.m. Members Present: Harold Buchholz, Jeffrey Thoms, Bryan Schulz, Tom Pech Jr., Jeff Herzig, Doug Pearson, and Deb Allison-Aasby Members Absent: Jason Hirschberg and Don Simons Staff Present: Peggy Steeno-Finance Director, and Lori Burns–Administrative Assistant I.APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 1, 2012 MINUTES No discussion/changes. Motion by Herzig, Second by Pearson, to approve the Committee Meeting Minutes of February 1, 2012. Motion passed unanimously. II.CITIZEN INPUT None III.INFORMATION SHARING/HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS (~5:03 – 5:05) Steeno extended an invitation to the Committee Members to the State of the City Annual th Address being held on March 19 at the Oshkosh Convention Center. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. with a meet and greet; City Manager Rohloff begins his presentation at 6:30 and hands out awards, and then the Expo (City Exhibit) starts at 7:00 p.m. IV.DISCUSS THE FIVE YEAR BUDGET MODEL (~5:05 – 5:35) Steeno opened the discussion asking members for feedback on the format / items missing / any additions members would like to see. Committee provided feedback regarding: (1) the addition of the 2012 assumptions so that the reader can see what was used to arrive at the current year numbers as well as compare them to future assumptions, (2) the possibility of adding 1-2 years worth of history to provide a look back period, (3) the possible addition of details so that the reader understands what goes into each of the budget categories, (4) breaking down the debt payments by principal and interest by year, (5) the possibility of breaking down the payroll numbers into the specific parts (labor/benefits), (6) some word/detail refinements, as well as visually noting which numbers are built into the totals, and the potential to set this model up for each department to track their costs, etc. better. The discussion moved on to how this model will be used in the future. Staff stated that it will be used to run simulations prior to detail budgets being created for each year as well as a long term projection of what the City is up against in future years. The goal is to keep the model rolling forward each year to be ready for use whenever needed. In addition, the model has already been used by the City Manager during the classification and compensation study discussion. It was noted that the format of the model is the same as the format of the budget, which will be helpful in using the model in conjunction with the budget process. V.DISCUSS THE COMPARISON OF CITY OF OSHKOSH SPENDING (BY FUNCTION) TO THE SPENDING OF OTHER WISCONSIN COMMUNITIES (-5:35 – 6:25) Staff presented the initial information that has been compiled for this topic and explained where all of the information (that is used) came from. The comparable cities were selected based on population, and the 5 closest, both above and below the City of Oshkosh were used. These cities include: Eau Claire, Appleton, Waukesha, West Allis, and Janesville. Staff also explained the link between this information and the annual state report that all communities are required to complete and submit to the WI Department of Revenue. The discussion then moved to questions that Committee Members sent to staff in advance of the meeting. The first question addressed was the link between Fire and Ambulance in each City’s information as well as how those numbers were broken down, and what the City of Oshkosh’s practice is in regard to costing those functions out. The other question asked in advance was the correlation between the levy amount and the amount of debt per City. This was discussed in some detail. In addition, there were a number of comments regarding the information for Oshkosh and where Oshkosh is compared to the other cities. The discussion then turned to Community Development services (Economic Development, etc.). The tracking of the return on our investment was discussed as well as the City Manager’s goals for 2012. Steeno shared that the City Manager’s number one goal this year is the Economic Development Initiative. TIF’s were also discussed, as well as the possibility to have some kind of a brainstorming session in relation to this. Staff suggested that this be put on hold until the City Manager/Council asks for the Committee to begin on this project. It was agreed that getting out in front of the City Manager on this topic would not be desirable. In addition, Community Development staff is working on a schedule that will dictate how/when TIF’s are closed. Once complete, this information will be critical to start the discussion on the use of any remaining TIF funds. Committee Member Pearson did offer his services to the City Manager as he works through this process since he is working on his PhD in this area. Staff will pass the offer along to the City Manager. VI.TOPICS FOR APRIL MEETING (~6:25 – 6:30) A.Continue with the discussion of Comparisons of City of Oshkosh spending to the spending of other Wisconsin Cities. Since this was a question asked by Council, the committee will do a more in depth review and package something to present to Council on this matter. B.City Purchasing Policy VII.ADJOURMENT Motion by Thoms, Second by Pech, to adjourn. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.