Budget Committee September 16, 2024   9/16/2024

At this time, I'll ask the Clerk to call the roll so we can verify the presence of a quorum.

Council Member Payne.

Present.

Ellison.

Here.

Osman.

Present.

Let the record reflect that we have a quorum.

Welcome.

And I would take any questions if the committee has any.

I'll first recognize Councilmember Wonsley.

Is it reporting that the self insurance fund has a net position of negative 50 million last year and then is on track to be negative for 54 million this year?

Chair Chok Tai, Vice Chair Koski, Council Member Wonsley Part of the reason why we are projecting that is because we continue to see long-term liability according to the actual rarity report that was issued I believe it was approximately a year or two years ago We are accounting for that as well

Okay.

Thank you Thank you next I'll recognize councilmember Rainville followed by councilmember cashman It Wasn't I mispronounce your name Thank You chair Chuck tie

How did that happen?

Through the Chair, Councilmember Brainville, I apologize I don't have the detail in front of me, but that is something that I can go back to the Controller Division accounting staff and get you.

Clerks, if we can note that question for administrative follow-up.

What do you attribute that to?

Council Member Greenville, it's attributed to the spend-on of ARPA and also the settlements that have been accounted for as well as also prior years capital projects.

You said it was the LGA, the state funding that's coming in lower?

We're pretty much projecting lower revenue due to the mild weather we've been having as well.

Thank you.

I'll note that we've been joined by Councilmember Jenkins in this meeting and next I will recognize Councilmember Cashman.

Wondering if you can explain the difference between cash and net position for each of those categories of enterprise funds.

I don't have the details right in front of me again, but I can go back to our Controller Division and Accounting staff to lay out some of those details for you.

Thank you.

Is that accurate, Council Member?

Excellent.

And then next, I will recognize Council President Payne.

Any capital improvement plan exists for the downtown asset fund and if so, can we have it?

Through the Chair, Council President Payne, I don't have the details in front of me but I was in that meeting when Controller Lyle presented and that is something I can go back to the team and get details on.

Thank you.

Councilmember Rainville.

So thank you for bringing that up.

Excellent and Councilmember Cashman.

I googled it, but I couldn't find it.

That acronym, I don't fully know it right now on top of my head, but I do know what it means.

It says it's invested with trustees through GARF, so yeah, just curious what that's about.

This item is being offered by Councilmember Chavez so I will first invite him to introduce this item and make a motion.

The goal of this item would be for the Neighborhood Safety Department to spend funding on existing programs meant to do intervention, prevention, or healing to address the safety challenges we are seeing.

Council Member Chavez, would you like to move approval of the item?

I would love to move approval.

First, I'll recognize Council Member Wonsley.

I'm wondering if the author could give a dollar amount.

How much is this going to cost?

Yes, the resolution is $200,000 within the Neighborhood Safety Department.

And I appreciate you sticking up for your award, you should, but what about city-wide problems?

Thank you.

Thank you.

And then I see Councilmember Chavez is in queue for Councilmember Osman, so I'll recognize Councilmember Osman.

I tried to do what Councilmember Rainville did and directly allocate to our organization but I was turned down.

Next I'll recognize Councilmember Jenkins.

and I think that question might be for Councilmember Chavez.

Councilmember Chavez, would you like to address Councilmember Jenkins' question?

So I hope that answers the question but yeah.

And then, are these new dollars or existing allocation that is already allocated to do this broad work?

Thank you.

Next, I'll recognize Councilmember Vito.

Thank you.

And finally I'll recognize Councilmember Palmisano.

So is there an opportunity here to say more if not about what specific initiatives are going to get underway rather quickly here because of this action about what kinds of conversations you've had with the Neighborhood Safety Department and what some ideas might be even if they're not for them.

Councilmember Chavez, would you like to address that?

And I hope that, uh, when these resources are deployed, that it reduces the issues that we're seeing in the corridor, so.

Any further questions or discussion from the committee?

Is there a timeline attached to this when the departments are able to act on this?

Council Member Chavez, would you like to address Council Member Osman's question?

So, thank you.

As the lead author, I will invite Council Member Chavez to introduce and move approval of this item.

Thank you.

There I see several members in queue so we will begin with Councilmember Jenkins.

Can we get a definition of the contingency fund, its uses, how we access that fund?

Deputy City Attorney, anything to add to that?

I'm not informed on that part.

Thank you for that response and thank you Madam Chair.

And then another example is the the IM Expo the the city the council appropriated a pretty significant amount of resources Near the end of the planning on on that event And with that I will recognize council member Choudry

And that is just not something I in good conscience feel like if I have an opportunity to make a difference here can

Operator, but I'm concerned about the displacement of the folks in this interim period Six to twelve months before it can be reopened and I wonder if any of the authors can speak to what your conversations have been around the folks that are living there now that are going to be You know kicked out as of October 9th when this shelter closes Councilmember Chavez, would you like to address Councilmember Cashman's question?

I understand the concerns and happy to make a connection with folks at Agate to have a conversation of how we can better support the workers there and folks experiencing unsheltered homelessness that will be impacted.

Thank you Councilmember, next I'll recognize Councilmember Palmisano

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Recognize Councilmember Rainville.

Thank you.

Thank you Councilmember.

So again, thank you and I hope you support this so we can get ahead of the crisis that we have been dealing for the last four years.

Next I'll recognize Councilmember Vita.

Thank you, next I'll recognize Councilmember Wonsley

And again, thank you to council members for actually giving us a concrete opportunity to take action on this matter today.

Next I'll recognize Vice Chair Koski.

we have the tools and we have a plan to do this and today I know that this will move forward and as CM Cashman brought up I think after this passes what we all should be doing is working together to support the residents who will be temporarily displaced and that should be our next top priority and again we should work together on that and so today I request if the authors are willing I'd like to be added as a co-author thank you

Council Member Chavez.

We would love for you to be a co-author Council Member Koski.

And next I'll recognize Council Member Palmisano.

Thank you Madam Chair.

Councilmember Chava.

Let's show our residents that they matter.

Finally, I see Councilmember Jenkins.

5-0-510?

510 South 8th Street.

Thank you.

And finally, I'll recognize Councilmember Chavez.

Thank you.

Council Member Palmisano followed by Council Member Vitaw

Clerk?

The action before this body today is to make a recommendation to the City Council as with all agenda items at committee and that requires a simple majority vote.

Councilmember Vito.

He said that a government agency put in money I thought that was very specific But I'm just I would love to know where the comp like what have you talked about or heard that makes you so confident Yes, I believe sorry.

So that in itself makes me confident that they will get this done.

I'm not seeing any further discussion, so I will direct the Clerk to call the roll.

Cashman.

Aye.

Chowdhury.

Aye.

Palmisano.

No.

Vice Chairkowski.

Aye.

Chair Choctaw aye there are nine ayes and four nays that item

I see Councilmember Wansley in queue for our priority motion.

Yeah, no, you really thought you were going to get out of this, yes.

I thought I had escaped because my birthday was on the weekend.

We'll do that on Thursday.

Perfect.

Excellent.

Thank you all.