02-08-2016 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, January 25, 2016 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 9 of 10 12. GENERAL FUND BUDGET INFORMATION (continued) Olson indicated the City did not receive any distribution in 2015 and likely will not receive any in 2016, which is why that line item has been removed from the 2016 budget. Olson stated to his understanding the federal government has been turning that money more over to the state and the state is becoming more restrictive on what money the individual cities will received. Olson noted some funds are still working their way through the system so the City will receive some but it should not be much. McMillan stated she would like to know what the City’s General Fund balances are compared to expenditures. Olson stated it likely is over 50 percent, but that he can calculate that number and provide it to the Council. McMillan stated she knows the City used some of the money in the General Fund to help pay for some road improvements. Loftus stated currently revenues are expected to exceed the expenditures by approximately $684,000. Loftus noted Staff will be asking the Council in the next couple of months where they would like that money allocated. If the Council elects not to do anything with that money, it would automatically go into the Community Investment Fund. Walsh noted the City is required to keep 45 percent in reserves but that the City attempts to keep it at 50 percent. McMillan asked how building permits are going in 2016. Community Development Director Barnhart stated he would be able to provide that information at the next meeting. Senior Planner Gaffron indicated they have issued three or four building permits for Lakeview so far and that the developer has indicated they would like to do half a dozen over the winter. Levang stated she heard that eight lots have been sold so far. The City Council took no formal action on this item. CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT, CONTINUED Loftus stated the City Council meetings had approximately 2,600 visitors in 2015. The average viewership per video was 217. The overall viewership ranged from 30 to 364 viewers depending on the meeting. Loftus noted the City is no longer the location for people to file their homestead paperwork and that those should now be filed with Hennepin County. Loftus stated the City will still accept homesteads but that Staff will be forwarding them to the County. Hennepin County is in the process of moving to a completely online system.