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bringing the tax levy to 6.86%. <br />Mayor Jacobsen asked if the Council could support a preliminary tax levy of 6.86%. There was Council <br />consensus to support the preliminary tax levy of 6.86% with the understanding that the final tax levy could be <br />lower. <br />Councilmember Bauman expressed her concern with the City continuing to raise expenditures. She was <br />curious about the City's salary rates. Lotter commented he could provide an illustration to the Council <br />regarding staff salary information. <br />Councilmember Bauman questioned why two officers would be lost if the City were to reduce staffing by one. <br />Jacobson explained that the City would be forced to drop the TZD officer due to the fact this grant was based <br />on the department's staffing level. He provided further comment on how the TZD was funded by the federal <br />government. <br />Councilmember Bauman believed there were other places that reductions could be made to the budget. She <br />suggested that additional cuts be made to memberships, as this would not impact services. <br />Councilmember Strub indicated this was a matter of opinion. He believed the City's memberships were <br />valuable. <br />Councilmember Bauman encouraged the Council and staff to consider the future and how the City would be <br />able to continue to spend and find the proper amount of resources. <br />Mayor Jacobsen believed that the City has planned well for the future with the fleet and non -fleet contributions <br />in addition to reducing the City's debt level. It was his opinion the Council has made significant <br />improvements to the budget and the City's financial standing. He then discussed the value of representation on <br />local, state and national boards. <br />Councilmember Bauman saw no value in the City participating in the National League of Cities <br />Councilmember Strub agreed with the mayor that being a part of local and national organizations were <br />beneficial to the City and its residents. <br />Councilmember Burg also believed the organizations and memberships had value. <br />Councilmember Bauman feared that the City's spending would get out of control and the one time money <br />would not be able to cover the City's expenditures without extremely high levy increases. <br />Mayor Jacobsen discussed the value of the North Metro Mayor's Association and the benefits this group brings <br />to the cominunity. He explained that a significant number of cities participate in the National League of Cities. <br />Councilmember Burg requested that staff provide the Council with information on how the budget and tax levy <br />has been adjusted based on this evenings discussion. She requested that when staff presents the budget to the <br />public that staff speak of the positive financial position of the City while also comparing the levy to the 2007 <br />levels. <br />Councilmember Jacobsen was also interested in reviewing the adjusted budget and tax levy at the worksession <br />meeting on September 22nd prior to preliminary approval. <br />