City of
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES
June 23, 2008
Present: Commissioners Eggers, Gardiner, Lewis, Noraas, Rosenthal; Director Robertson; Superintendents Gies and Teige
Absent: City Council Liaison Navickas
Gardiner called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at Council Chambers,
Regular Meeting – May 19, 2008
MOTION Eggers moved to approve the minutes as written. Lewis seconded the motion.
The vote was: 5 yes – 0 no
Study Session – May 21, 2008
MOTION Rosenthal moved to approve the minutes as written. Noraas seconded the motion.
The vote was: 5 yes – 0 no
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Open Forum
Mark Haneberg,
None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED WESTWOOD /
Robertson reported that, following the April 28 regular commission meeting, the developer withdrew interest in the Westwood portion of the land exchange. Robertson suggested closing the public hearing for the terminated proposal. He outlined several options to consider before deciding whether to move forward with a land partition and sale of the Westwood property.
Brandon Goldman, City of
Public Input
Paul Hwoschinsky,
Kenton Gould,
Eric Dukes, 520 Placer Run, said his house backs up to the wildlife corridor and rare birds visit the area. He expressed the importance of conducting environmental studies on the land as restrictions protecting unique or threatened species might be applicable. He talked about the lack of access in and out of the neighborhood and said further development could cause traffic concerns. He said a vote of the people would be appropriate if the commission were to continue considering the subdivision and sale of the land.
Catherine Dimino,
Pepper Trail, 2011 Crestview, said he visited the park and confirmed its wildlife values. He said it would be unwise to dispose of such a valuable wildlife habitat and he urged the commission not to do so.
Robert McLellan,
Discussion Among Commissioners
Commissioners thanked the speakers for their thoughts and said they would gather additional information and explore options in order to make appropriate decisions about the land under discussion.
For the July 28 regular meeting, staff was directed to develop a timeline and process regarding a potential sale of a portion of the Westwood property. They were further directed to look at the history of the Westwood property acquisition. The commission requested a list of any other property that potentially could be sold at a later date.
AUDIT COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
Robertson said that, over the past few years, the Audit Committee was the primary recipient of the annual audit report without any formal arrangement but that the practice needed to be formalized by commission action. He indicated that the Finance Director normally presented the audit comments to the commission but said the auditor could present the report directly to the commission if the commission wished to make that arrangement. He also asked the commission to formally establish a primary contact for the auditor. He said the Parks and Finance directors traditionally had been the primary contacts but the chair could be the designee if the commission wished.
Discussion Among Commissioners
Commissioners agreed to continue receiving the annual audit comments from the Parks and Finance directors and to establish the Parks Director as the primary contact for the auditors, with the Finance Director serving as the secondary contact.
MOTION: Noraas moved to continue the practice of having the Audit Committee receive the annual audit, passing it through the Parks and Finance directors to the Parks Commission. Lewis seconded the motion.
The vote was: 5 yes – 0 no
MOTION: Rosenthal moved to designate the Parks Director as the primary contact for the auditors, with the Finance Director serving as the secondary contact. Lewis seconded the motion.
The vote was: 5 yes – 0 no
NEW BUSINESS
FY ’08-’09 COMPENSATION FOR PARKS EMPLOYEES
Robertson read the staff report outlining the proposed compensation package for the upcoming fiscal year. He indicated that all costs were considered and included during the budget planning process.
MOTION: Noraas moved to adopt the compensation package as proposed:
§ 3% COLA plus 1% into HRA VEBA
§ Switch to Preferred Provider Option for insurance
§ Increase employee deductible from $100 to $200 for insurance
§ Eliminate wellness benefit
§ Retain employee share of health benefits at current level
§ At separation, for employees with accrued sick leave balances between 101 and 1,000 hours, transfer equivalent funding to their HRA VEBA accounts
Rosenthal seconded the motion.
The vote was: 5 yes – 0 no
SUBCOMMITTEE and STAFF REPORTS
Teige reported on the opening of the Daniel Meyer Pool and said swim lessons started on June 23. She said registrations for the 4th of July run were coming in quickly.
ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS
Eggers reported on the work of the Centennial Subcommittee and spoke about specific elements of the proposed 4th of July float and the December reception.
Rosenthal asked about the status of the
UPCOMING MEETING DATE(S) and PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS
§ Study session set for July 21 at 7:00 PM, Parks Office,
§ Regular meeting set for July 28 at 7:00 PM, Council Chambers,
ADJOURNMENT– By consensus, with no further business, Gardiner adjourned the meeting at 8:32 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Susan Dyssegard,