Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br />week. He explained he was requesting one additional Public Safety Officer that would work 20 hours per <br />week. He stated he would like to get up to 140 hours of Public Safety Officer service per week. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson asked how the model was working for the Community Engagement Officer. Paetznick <br />reported this was working very well. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson questioned if the City should have an officer dedicated solely to Community Engagement. She <br />explained this would provide the department with one more resource while also removing the burden on police <br />administration. Lotter stated this position may have merit but commented staff would have to investigate the <br />skill set required and job description for this position. He discussed how the changing job market has reduced <br />the number of high-quality candidates for Police positions. He explained the City has had great success <br />transitioning its PSO’s into full-time Police positions. Lotter provided further comment on the benefit of <br />having 30 sworn officers. <br /> <br />Councilmember Burg indicated some police departments now have social workers working on staff to assist <br />with community engagement and mental health. <br /> <br />Councilmember Allen commented he would like to better understand the tasks that the Community <br />Engagement officer would have. <br /> <br />Councilmember Burg stated she would like to better understand how the extra sworn officer would impact the <br />budget compared to adding three part-time PSO’s. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth indicated the school district also just passed a bond and commented on how <br />residents would be impacted by additional taxes from both the school district and the City of New Brighton. <br />Lotter reported all of the requests within the budget were needs and thanked the Council for being so good to <br />the City’s staff. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jacobsen discussed the importance of the City Council taking care of the staff they have, <br />while still moving the City forward. He was of the opinion some of the asks could be negotiated more than <br />others. He commented on how residents would be impacted by the tax levy, school district levy and increased <br />utility costs. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth stated residents may be quite shocked to see a levy increase of 15+%. She feared <br />there was not enough education out there for the community to understand this increase. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson commented on the golf course and suggested this line item be placed back into the Parks and <br />Recreation budget. Lotter stated there were a large number of benefits the golf course offered to the City and <br />its residents. He encouraged the Council to consider the golf course as a park that almost pays for itself. Davitt <br />explained the golf course was a special revenue fund at this time. She recommended this fund remain in place. <br /> <br />Councilmember Burg discussed how the competitive rates kept this golf course a viable option for youth and <br />seniors. She noted she fully supported the golf course remaining in the City. <br /> <br />Davitt reviewed how the City’s tax base has grown over the past 10 years. She indicated the City has seen a <br />43% increase due to both economics and commercial/residential growth. She commented on the City’s total <br />tax capacity and noted home values had increased 9% in the last year. She described how an increased tax <br />capacity spread taxes out throughout the community. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson requested staff speak further on the asks for 2019. Davitt discussed the asks for the coming