 call to order the board of finance, the special board of finance meeting at 4.49 p.m. June 1.9 and with a welcome motion regarding the agenda. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Chang. Do we have a second? Second by Councillor Paul. Discussion of the agenda. Seeing none, we'll go to vote. All those around the board, please say aye. Opposed? The motion carries unanimously and we have the agenda. This brings us to the public forum. Is there any member of the public that would like to speak to the board of finance? Welcome, Solvay. Good. Yeah, let's try it. Place, I'm supposed to. We're going to speak on there. Are you coming to chat with your bike whenever you're comfortable with? I try to keep your comments about two minutes. The audio. I just didn't know if you could hear me. I think we have special powers with the audio. Does it work? Okay. I know probably everyone knows me. My name is Solvay Oroby and I have three questions that I wanted to ask and concerns that I wanted to talk about. The first one is when is the city's audit going to be released? I know I've been told it's not going to happen for a while but every year I try to update a document that has sort of a summary of a lot of the problems that have been happening every year, year after year and the way that we manage a letter is saying we are not doing a good job of capital financing, capital project financing. So this is the document that I try to update. So I'm waiting to get those numbers because they need to be updated for fiscal year 2023. So that's a question for you guys. I don't know if you've been told that. The second thing, I was looking at your work session numbers on some of the proposals of how to deal with the budget and there was an item on one of the slides about cutting costs, about the goal of operation studies to reduce non-public safety spending by at least $3 million. So I'm just curious of where you're going with that? What that might be? A question about that. I don't know if that's in some other document that I could be directed to. I'm sure people have my email address and another one of the slides in that same slideshow talk about revenue growth of 0.6 expected increase in GRLOT and FF based. I need to know what that is. I have no idea what that $600,000 increase in revenue is. Would it be helpful for me as a citizen to know what does GRLOT and FF based mean? Is where we're going to get another $600,000. So that, you know, there's other stuff. So that was my second thing. And the third thing is I know that we were supposed to, I haven't been looking at the letter of intent for the gateway block. And one of the items, I noticed that it doesn't mention the $800,000 universal that we're going to have to pay to sure is in order to relocate the room to telecom equipment. If that's in the basement. And maybe it's already been moved. But I don't know that. So I'm trying to figure out in that in this budget here, maybe it's already been moved, we've already spent some money. In that case, I just like to know how much was spent to get that equipment moved out of the Burlington basement among the Moreland, and relocated wherever it is. Or we are on the look for another $80,000 to move it if we do go forward with selling off or leasing a more auditorium property. So that might have been somewhere in this document or another document, but I didn't see that $800 potential cost in this $9 million lost deficit. Those are my three questions. That should be filed with the record of this meeting. And actually, this is the exhibit I would probably give you that one too. This is the exhibit that summarizes the fact that we are on the hold for up to $80,000 to relocate from Burlington telecom. And maybe you- It's all done. It's all done. So- Perfect. That's good. So you can answer the- I don't know how it gets answered, but that's handy. Generally, this is not a place for back up. No, no, no. It can be emailed. So you can email me, but- Let's say there's new documents posted for tonight about the more questions about the budget document. So some of your questions are answered there. Okay. I'll look for those. I looked at that. Further questions after that? Perfect. You might- I mean, I think- I need to- See you in the office. Yeah. I usually keep- I communicate with Gene. My city council, Gene, and I'll be the first one. Is there anyone else that is- Yes. Yeah, she'll say that's the word. Okay. Welcome, Sharon. We could try to keep your work for about two minutes. I'd be great. Yes. Well, you've already heard my- Oops, sorry. You've already heard my comments before, but I am concerned about calling up additional cents for 4% or 3 cents on the public safety tax, dedicated tax. And normally, I mean, if I was still in the workforce, I probably wouldn't be before you. I'd have concerns, but I wouldn't be in the same situation. I'm just concerned the cumulative impact of this tax in combination with the school request. And so my understanding, well, based on the people I've talked to, this will move forward, I believe. And I'm not saying that the money isn't needed, but sometimes what you need and what you can afford are not one and the same thing, unfortunately. So what I requested before at public forum at City Council, and I'm going to state it again, is that if this money is- if you put it forward and it passes, I'm hoping that it can be phased in so that I don't really want us to defeat the school request because I don't see a lot of wiggle room there. And I don't really want to see your request get defeated either, but combined, I don't know if both are doomed, but at least one of them will be doomed. So I just am asking if you can- if it passes, if you can make statements about the fact that it could be phased in by hiring people or rolling out those dollars not immediately so that it would have less of an impact, I think that would be very beneficial to the community and might garner some support. So those are my comments. Thank you. Great. Thank you, Sharon. And it looks like we do have Romeo Bonermas online as well. Go ahead, Romeo. Thank you. Can you hear me? I can. And Romeo, we are trying to be- please just try to name your comments in a few minutes. Yes, sir. So I'll be brief, Mr. Mayor. Thank you so much. The only thing that I just wanted to say regarding the public safety tax- increased taxing is that I think it might be prudent to have a public forum style to invite people to just kind of weigh in independent of the finance committee meeting as well as the city council meeting just to share directly with impact on what this taxation plus what the positive and negative pros and cons as it were impact this will have on everybody. And I'm personally for helping our law enforcement as best as we can in terms of funding and resources and everything available for them. But I think it might be great to just have this conversation with the community members before the council votes on it, hopefully sometime in the future and not necessarily tonight. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Great. Thank you, Romeo. All right. I'm not seeing any further raised hands in the room or online. So I'm going to close the public forum and move to really our only item of deliberation tonight, which is 3.1. The resolution regarding the increase in the public safety tax rate for fire police purposes authorized. Okay. So this body has I would say this door is mild. Okay. So we here's where we are just to recap the members of the public watching what will set us all we've talked about in talking about the FY 25 budget really throughout the fiscal year, the number of ways we have talked about this need for a police and fire tax increase a number of times here at this board. We had a work session last week with the full council. There were some new questions, new information and questions are made at that meeting. We have tried to answer those questions in the new documents that have been posted for the most part. I did have one request today, which we have made it one new slide to try to address, which is really to try to boil down like what what are what is the public getting for a this three cents for so it's about $1.8 million of revenue. What what are the benefits of voting? Yes. This police fire tax increase and we've tried to summarize that in this case. Sort of in the past presentations, but this this summarized it. So Catherine can bring this up and when we get to the full council tonight and decide we should both try to quickly go through this whole presentation. Yeah, that's a bigger audience tonight than the last weeks. But so this is now within that like the presentation, but didn't want to share this year. So what what is what are the benefits of voting? Yes for this. Well, this this budget this will allow the with the rest of the gap plan that we've talked about. He will be able to fully fund the rebuilding plan rebuilding plan and FY 25 is budgetated getting us back to 77 officers. Now, as we've had some discussion on last week, we've been on track with the rebuilding plan for the first 18 months of it. We are now struggling with with this year's February class at the Academy. We are behind where we want to be. And so it may not it was discussed last week, we're going to have a hard time fully getting to this level. We need some things to break in our way in the coming months. And it's unlikely that you're going to have an average of 77 officers for the full year. But the budget is there for that. So that if there is capacity in the budget to take other measures, fund other fund other things such as I have had from some questions about can we do more private security internal limits to the efficacy of private security is very effective in some places such as this building private security out here has completely changed this environment in this building. It's been very good to the library. They like more there. It's been good. It's made up. It's had a positive impact on the tough situation that it rises. The public spaces private we've got mixed results with private security, but that that is one place and we have some other summary information is that is also a recent question. One place that we could afford more private security would be for example, if we don't part of the 77 officers that there would be savings there that would free up for other. It is out of that kind of savings cost. So that's the idea there. It's budgeted for a 77. It has us on the path to get into what we there's a council resolution signed off on saying we want to get back we authorized to get back to 87. This has us budgeting a big you know a significant step towards getting there. This also this budget is puts us in place this proposal to retain all of the other new professional staff within public safety that we've created listed there those staff that have been added in both during this period. We do still have in this 250,000 flexible response fund and are pulling out here. Just one of the memos you've received reported out here. We are at the point where we need to reinvest in our body camera system. This has operational monies for that. And there is also important fire department investment for EMS of resources something that we have been investing in been sort of catching up to what the police department has been doing for some time in the last couple of years and it has money for that. So were we able to I know we're trying working on a response today Mr. Robinson here. Do we have anything on that summarizing the private security? So because I didn't have that outstanding request as well. And one of the reasons I was party to this meeting was this is recently in your email. So just so you know it's there and if it's not already will be posted to Civic Clerk as soon as Lori will work to that. And so Kessa Barlow here this isn't everywhere in the municipal budget that there has been private security but this is these are the three biggest private security investments that we made in FY 23 if similar things other way in FY 24. So the City Hall which hasn't involved you know that there is some is no longer full scope. I think in FY 23 I mean kind of when we were also trying to use private security in city hall part which was a mixed success but we still so we have a smaller contract but a contract still in place for FY 24 and 25 for city hall security for library security and for making major investments in the garage just because we've been having such issues there. So that is that is still within the assumptions here and in addition to that you have there's two other kind of substantial thoughts that just match before one you know if you can look to attrition savings from 77 officer assumptions and this flexible quarter million dollar fund. So with that I think why don't I pause and see where the you know is my hope if this is going to happen we need to take action tonight is think important that the Board of Finance endorses action if we're going to have some council action a little later in the evening so it's my hope that we're going to get to that in the next 15 minutes or so here but why don't I pause there open up for a Board of Finance discussion about where we're ready to make a recommendation make a motion to recognize. I have two questions. Yes. The first one is actually answer my most question I had asked on our last meeting about the adjustment in the line out of the first revenue that comes from the airport this is an enterprise fund so they be general funds for police officers they had six you had said that they were going to now budget for seven then it appears so it's eight and so just a sort of curious as to how it is that we can fully fund eight and why it's eight and not six or seven. I don't believe I think there was has been some confusion around this item I'm still a little a little confused on exactly how this is going to land but it is unlikely given the recruitment challenges of the and this has been you know changing in recent months it as the recruitment sort of falls off where they're hoping to be quite 25 I think two years now skeptical I think it's unlikely there's going to be able to that it will be possible at the at the airport so there is constantly a bit of a negotiation with TSA and the airport and police about exactly what is needed there and there's been there's been some evolution and thinking within the when it's your worst airport let's give it a little bit of additional flexibility but I I don't I believe it is in six or seven so I don't think it's yes I think we should turn it over to councillor Bartlett because I believe he spoke with director Mongo today. Director loved to confirm for me that the number will stay six and he had had conversations with chief and I asked him a few weeks ago it was six so I didn't I haven't asked him recently but it appears there was some confusion and I don't have all of the details but it sounds like there is some upcoming federal regulations that would increase our need for officers or some kind of security at the airport and because the conversations were held several months ago at the time it seemed like perhaps we had when the rebuilding plan was fully on track and had more flexibility and the chief thought he may be able to accommodate that request and so as you know these things go through the airport commission and quite a process before they get to us then things changed and so I don't think director Longo was aware of that and so it's my understanding he's going to go back and update the memo to reflect that or not in fact going to be or be able to utilize eight in this current budget and so correspondingly FY 25 would also be six okay um sorry for the question and um uh then the other question I have is um I would like to see the full spreadsheet of the um uh the arbor workout before the before we vote on this thank you comes from I'll come back to the president Paul come back to the council meeting thank you mayor um so I mean I I am planning to support this tonight um I do have concerns like that uh concern raised by former counselor Bush or during the public forum uh that we are increasing the burden on on residents uh with the school budget and increase municipal taxes potentially with the municipal budget I know myself and some others won't actually be part of making the decision of whether or not to raise taxes come May or June and so we're largely putting this on the ballot so that a future council and a future mayor have the ability to raise this tax if if required when when those conversations happen um and so I am supportive of that uh I am a little confused and concerned about the conversation we just had about officers out at the airport I think if federal regulations are going to require us to have more officers out there then the federal government should be providing funding for us to have more officers at the airport um and I think if that becomes a more serious conversation I would like to see the city engage with our federal delegation and um convey our concerns as we're working to hire more officers but you know I did hear that there's potentially the flexibility to have eight officers out at the airport so I think um I don't know I'm left with more questions than answers here tonight and I don't feel great about that thank you Casper me I welcome hearing you're ready to support this just to be clear I mean whenever the federal government the airport pays for any um and largely you know through through federal funding the airport does pay for any police officer present stop there so if it goes from if there is some increase in the amount of officers there would be that that would not fall over only to the taxpayers that to pay for that we may have work to minimize the number of officers out there in this period of extreme uh limited capacity of officers that we you know what we don't want airport needs taking away from uh our ability to police the downtown so um that is that's but there isn't there isn't a maybe see the differently present follow the way you're asking the question I mean there it's um I don't see it as directly affecting this financial and seeing more is affecting operations than having a financial impact because whatever the airport consumes it pays for if they're you know so you can see it different I mean my question was what I had asked last week and it seems I mean I'm just looking for an answer I mean I just wanted to see that you know whatever the airport it that the that if they go from eight to six that they're that that affects revenue I mean that it's a revenue so I'm just wondering I mean if it and it relates direct it does relate to public safety I mean there is a link here I mean whether it it affects whether we do a three cent increase or four that that probably is is neither here nor there but you know I think it's I do think that it's you know I mean I had always thought that there were eight and then I was it was a few weeks ago I there are now six you know I mean I don't think that's the appropriate question I was just trying to understand what yes there's more there's more revenue but there's also to some degree more expense because you don't you have to then pay more and over time to fill the shifts of any cost out of the airport so I don't um I do want to make sure council meeting understands this conversation does not it the federal government does pay for airport officer time the impacts on the budget there is this relationship as we've just been discussing but it's um it's not a it's it's a complicated one and not one that is going to solve our issues um were you done councilor mickey or did you want more response I'm fine for now I know we're pressed for time okay thank you um got council jang and then I see your industries caster ground we'll go you guys yep um thank you so many of you know how many accounts do we have to agree with what is the final it changes you know week by week so catfish point of the list okay um I was just wondering if we can you know knowing that all of these resources that we are requesting to pay for artists and finance and this is knowing that it's not like any bargains we say doing this knowing this is just uh operation requests and also knowing that we have not yet met the 77 cap that we need in terms of these purposes I think it would be advised for us to consider delay with this tax increase like for this one line and wait on the board in order to have a better idea about when and if there are needs knowing that we will not be able from now to end of 2020 board to meet the cap I think those operational requests would come from the starting resources that we have in place in order to pay for this right from my perspective we have many older items very important such as the school and also it would be hard for the taxpayers to have them on the center I am not saying I'm just saying it's delaying putting this fund about until when it is coming or September that changes and to to to continue to think about right and also waiting for the assessment we are doing with all the public services I think it would be advised from the citizen in order to um have the school board budget pass and to continue to work with the step up and the thank you Councillor Chen just to declare um cannot do a mid-year adjustment to the tax rate so the options for increasing any new revenues in X, Y, and Y are either to do it tonight put on the March ballot or to spend the money to which is considerable now because the change is about a lot to have a special election sometime between between March and June and so the effect of delaying it is to delay any impact on the tax rate for a full year and unless you can have a special election and um what I what we are saying is you cannot have I don't think there won't be my decision ultimately it will be the new mayor and it will be the new council but the budget that passes in June um I don't believe it will be possible to continue everything on that public safety summary there uh without this additional 1.8 million revenue I think you will either have to slow down rebuilding the department you'll have to cut back some of these alternative public safety resources you will have to impact the public safety in some way I don't think that we're already assuming very significant non-public safety cuts so um as long as I think that would be the impact of that that both just just to be clear I I'll go now to Councillor Grant okay Councillor Grant hi I'm so sorry I'm uh still at work I had to jump on a call so I'm not sure what I just missed but um I wanted to second the request if all of us could get like a thorough write-up on ARPA um I've been concerned about oh we have no more opera funds and then we seem to have opera funds so I would like to know what's left and how it's currently distributed um yeah the airport has always been a very touchy situation with regards to the number of officers that were out there during the CNA consultants review there was a lot of kind of going back and forth with regards to the number of officers that were actually required out there by the FAA versus what we had put in the contract like we shouldn't have put a number in the contract we should be working toward what they wanted so that would be very interesting to have a full understanding where these new figures are coming from um exactly because as was just mentioned if we are uh sending officers out there then we don't have them um for inside of the city I have a question about the equipment needs of the police department it was uh pretty alarming to me to see um the issue with axion and the tasers as a member of the public safety committee I would have liked to have seen that on a monthly chief's report earlier I think that this is something we should have been made aware of earlier just to have an understanding of what the department's needs are so there's just no surprises at this time um it says axion is in arrears I'm curious as to what the arrears are how much that is we can get that for you counselor grant I have it but I don't have it right at the top of my head okay that'd be great and if you could send it to all of the council uh we could get some kind of reason as to why we would be in arrears uh I am familiar with some of the issues around axion and trying to get more updated software that would um just leads to having better cameras and in terms of of the debt the the footage that's kept in along and how accessible it is etc but I found that very interesting and just also about about the tasers I feel that that's information that we should have had so we're kind of more prepared as we're starting to discuss this because um again as was said this is going to hurt this year FY 25 is going to hurt a lot of people even though we know what's coming with the education um increase we tried to prepare people um but it's still going to hurt and so anything on top of that we really need to have as much information in advance because people in the community are already talking already asking questions um so the more information that we are armed with uh the better to justify um what's going on it's just it's it's very difficult thank you all right thank you council gran we're we're due upstairs so I think we're at the point um if the board is going to weigh in this we need a question I would um I just want to make a comment yeah then um I'd be happy to make that motion I guess um one of the things that I've been extremely interested in I've asked for is some a schedule on when the operational analysis will um be done it's it's important because we're asking for we're we're estimating that we get three million dollars for the savings out of that analysis if we could get more who knows we'll get more we'll get less because at one point we were looking for two million dollars in savings so we increased it by 50 percent um but we really don't know until that analysis is done um and for I'm supportive of this this authorization um but for every cent that we increase the public safety tax um it's it represents 600 000 dollars rather so if we could get 3.6 million dollars worth of operational savings then we would only need to um increase it by two even though we'd have the authority for three so I understand that dynamic and I'm very interested in making sure that we're looking for as much savings as we can and I understand it's going to be a hard budget year um I'm related to this board and tell others on the council how hard it was when I was on the school board we were constrained by act 46 to spending um restrictions um this is different but it's going to be similarly tough for the city and so I'm supportive of this um this ask tonight need to to ask the voters to to authorize us for a three cent increase but as budgets are developing I'm going to be looking very intently on um where we can save some money as well so we thank you councilbar yes and I think we did try to make a note in uh one moment when out that you do expect significant additional guidance from the studies in time for budget decisions so certainly in April or the day there will be um at least a preliminary guidance so and yes to the point uh and I know this is a as we discussed last week but I think it's worth repeating especially because the history here might surprise people we are asking for this is a maximum increase this lifting it's really interesting this lifting the tax cap it will be a new administration uh new mayors on a budget that budget will have a tax rate and it will be up to the new council to decide whether to use all that authority or not and many times over the course of the last 12 years we have come in under the uh under that that cap so it is something that absolutely will be reviewed up until the end and we shouldn't use it if we don't need it if more than the five percent of cuts are found uh then um then we can uh so first you know using that authority until future future time when it's needed and so with that I would remove this conversation yes upstairs to the full council I'd recommend the city council this is the I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm on the I'll make the motion and it's recommended on civic just to recommend that the city council approve the tax resolution okay great thank you councilor barlow do we have a second all second thank you councilman he and he further discussion I think he's kind of discussing I think we should go straight through a vote and let's just objection to that all those in favor of the resolution they say aye right and any opposed okay the motion carries three to one only four members voting and um appreciate the work of the board finance on this for some time that objection was indicated that was attended our exterior learned at five before we get