2m. 1988 Budget Referendum Expense r i ,
CITYOF
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690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317
(612) 937-1900
MEMORANDUM
' TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Don Ashworth, City Manager
DATE: January 8, 1988
' SUBJ: 1988 Budget Amendment, Referendum Expenses
' At our last Council meeting, the City Council approved the con-
cept of holding a referendum to fund the major capital expen-
ditures proposed in 1988 , i .e. Community Center, Fire Station,
and Trails/Lake Ann improvements. I was to have met with the
bond attorney, this week, to finalize the form of questions as
they would appear on the ballot. That meeting was delayed and,
accordingly, it will be January 24th before the City Council sees
the form of questions as prepared by our bond attorney. You
should note that Minnesota Statute is very specific in how
questions are to be asked, and, accordingly, options open to us
may be reduced.
In the interim, I would ask that the City Council act to modify
the 1988 budget to include potential costs for the referendum.
' Proposed costs are as outlined below:
Community Center Task Force - The Task Force is working on a
number of fronts in attempting to get information to the
voters regarding the proposed referendum. Methods to get
information to the voters include: 1 . A placemat depicting
the proposed Community Center and answering questions
' regarding the referendum. These would be distributed to area
restaurants and used in the Boy Scout pancake breakfast in
late January/eary February. These same mats would be used
' for a coloring contest through our schools . 2 . The commit-
tee is recommending that a four to five page brochure be
mailed to residents explaining all referendum items , their
costs, tax implications , etc. The total cost for all activi-
ties is estimated at $4 ,000 .
Fire Department - Similar to the Community Center Task Force,
the firemen would like to distribute additional information
regarding our Fire Department, its growth, and the necessity
for the expansion of that building. Their flyer would be far
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Mayor and City Council
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January 8 , 1988
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less extensive than the brochure being considered by the Task
Force. The firemen have agreed to distribute the brochure at
the same time that they carry the flyer door-to-door. Costs
of printing the flyer are estimated at $1,500 .
Election Expenses Although the number of election judges
would be less than in a general election, it is anticipated
that the costs of programming the county' s ballot counter
would produce an election cost similar to our last general
election, i .e. $8 ,000 . This is one portion of the budget
modification request which will receive the most scrutiny by
staff . It may be possible to use paper ballots and signifi-
cantly reduce costs . If that is true, we will use the
cheaper alternative.
As previously noted to the City Council, the Administrative Trust
Fund was established to help pay the costs of one-time unforeseen
budgetary items , i .e. traffic studies , participation in state
programs , etc. Accordingly, this fund would be the natural area
to look at for modifying the 1988 budget. Given the healthy
balance maintained in this fund, this office would recommend that
the following expenditures ( summarized from above) be authorized
as an amendment to the 1988 Administrative Trust budget:
Community Center Task Force: $ 4 ,000
Election Expenses: 8 ,000
TOTAL:
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