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I I I Council Meeting Minutes January 8, 1991 Page 4 50ecial Order of Business. continued under control. According to the State Auditor's report that we just recently received, the current per capita spending is significantly lower than comparable cities around the state. The average for the metro area for per capita spending per day is about $480, we are spending only $283. The average for cities in our class is about $364. I think we are doing a pretty good job of managing resources that we have available. Not only is our spending under control, but I think our revenues are under control. We have adequate reserves, our property taxes are low for cities our size. Thirty-four cents per person per day is what we are taxing to provide all the services that we are providing. I think that our conservative history, our history and tradition of restraint in spending is paying off because we are in a strong position now to deal with the threats and problems that we are absorbing from the State level. The challenge in the coming months is going to be difficult, but I think we are in an excellent position, better than most, to face that challenge. We also have emerging challenges that we have to now face with the spending constraints, but also the need for more initiative and more creatively. The fact that the community center failed did not eliminate the need for that community center. We need to be looking at alternative ways that we can deal with the needs of our seniors who are looking for congregate dining sites here in New Brighton. We have to deal with the families who had hoped to use that facility for recreation as a family in the vicinity or in the neighborhood, families who could not afford to go to a health club or wouldn't want to go to a health club because of the types of facilities those are. As I was preparing for tonight's presentation I happened to catch a short piece on Channel 4 Sunday night. It highlighted the Chaska Community Center and showed the families splashing in the water, showed the kids just hanging out playing basketball and recreating with friends in a drug-free, sate, worry tree environment. I wish the community center had passed, many of us do, I didn't need it, my wife didn't need it, but many of our neighbors and friends need it. And it was unfortunate I think that we couldn't convince the majority ot voters to approve it. That doesn't mean the need has gone away, but we need to look at the alternatives tor meeting those needs. Without money, but with creativity perhaps. We talked on the Council, starting out with our Boards and Commission Chairs, about the need to be concerned about neighborhood livability as a challenge. We have to be looking at neighborhood services, how they are delivered and what services are delivered. And we have to be provided with the revenues that we need to do with what we need to do. We have to make sure they are providing strong and excellent education. We do have an interest in that area ot public business. Even though we are City SDecial Order of Business