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City of Bloomington, MN / Council Minute 2020 / 2 Sep 2020
City of Bloomington, MN / Council Minute 2020 / 2 Sep 2020
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From YouTube: September 2 Council Minute

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Mayor Tim Busse provides an update on the 2021 budget and preliminary tax levy, congratulates a successful community COVID-19 testing event and wishes educators and students a successful start to an unprecedented school year.

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(Music).

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Hello bloomington, I'm mayor tim busse, and this is the council minute for the first week of september this week the city council had a study session and the primary topic of.

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Discussion was the 2021 budget if you've been.

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Following what's happening at the city, we have a historic budget challenge. This.

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Year, due to the economic fallout of the covet 19 pandemic,.

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The impact of the pandemic on the entertainment, hospitality and travel.

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Industries has had an enormous impact on the city.

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Of bloomington's finances nearly 13 percent of the city's general.

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Fund budget, it's over 10 million dollars comes from taxes collected at hotels and.

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Entertainment venues we expect next year that we will.

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Probably receive less than half that amount to due to the decline in tourism and the almost complete absence of business.

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Related travel that loss of revenue is going to create.

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Some hard choices about what city services we can continue to afford.

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To help provide a resident perspective on budget choices and to get the voice.

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Of the community involved, we created a community budget advisory.

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Committee to make recommendations to the city council related to the 2021 city budget. This week the co-chair of the community.

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Budget advisory committee presented the committee's recommendation to the city council regarding the preliminary levy now before talking.

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About the recommendation, it's good to explain what the preliminary levy is like every city in minnesota, the city of.

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Bloomington is required to set a preliminary levy in september of each.

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Year, this sets the maximum amount of property.

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Taxes that can be collected for 2021., think of.

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It as the starting point for considering our options because staff, the committee and the city council will continue working on the budget.

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Through the end of this year, but setting the preliminary levy is an.

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Important step, because that's the number that gets mailed to you in november, in the proposed notice of taxation or what is.

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Sometimes referred to as the truth and taxation notice.

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When the final budget for the coming year is adopted in december,.

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We can reduce the levy from what was proposed, but we can't increase it.

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The budget advisory committee recommended that the city council adopt.

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A 6.4 percent tax levy increase.

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In real dollars for the median value homeowner in our community.

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That would be an annual increase of 60 or five dollars a month.

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Now, as I said before, that's the highest, the committee thinks the council should.

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Go with the preliminary levy, even in the worst case, budget forecasting scenario. That would mean a cut of several hundred.

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Thousand dollars in the city budget, however, the committee is not likely to.

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Recommend that amount as a final levy, they've asked staff to prepare levy.

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Increase options at one percent, three percent and five percent, and in.

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Discussing this approach with the co-chair of the committee, the city council asked that a zero percent levy increase.

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Also be considered, the council then spent some time talking about the.

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Recommendation for the preliminary levy and where we wanted to land.

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In the end, the council directed staff to prepare two options.

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The committee recommendation of 6.4 percent and a lower option.

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Of 5 percent, the city council will take action on september 14th to set the.

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Preliminary levy, no matter where we land on the.

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Preliminary levy, we know that in the end that we will be reducing the.

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Budget by somewhere between one and four million dollars- and that means.

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That there will be significant cuts in bloomington city services,.

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So continue paying attention to this really important conversation and look.

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For opportunities coming later this month and in october, to provide your input on those decisions, staff from across our community.

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Led by bloomington public health, coordinated, a covid 19.

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Testing event at kennedy high school this week we met our goal to test nearly.

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1200 residents and in fact the exact number was 1 195 people from.

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Bloomington edina and richfield we were able to move.

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So many people through this one day, event at kennedy because of highly efficient drive-through and walk-up testing lanes approximately 100 total staff from the city and our.

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Community partner organizations served in a variety of roles such as.

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Testing assistants, interpreters, registration staff, logistics personnel.

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And more hats off to our outstanding team in.

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Public health and to our event, partners, those partners.

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Include parents and community action or head start bloomington public schools, the state emergency operations center.

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Children's minnesota, the minnesota department of health and the cities of.

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Edina and richfield. Finally, today I want to offer my.

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Heartfelt and sincere best wishes to everyone in bloomington.

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Who is headed back to school, whether you're part of.

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K-12 or post-secondary education, if you're going back to in-person.

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Hybrid or fully distance learning, if you're a teacher.

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A parent administrator staff, or, of course, if you are a student.

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I want you to know that I'm rooting for you all of bloomington.

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Is rooting for you to have a successful school year and for you to stay healthy.

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And safe, I know there has been a robust community discussion about what to do.

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This fall and it's abundantly clear that there is no perfect solution to this incredibly complex situation. If there.

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Has ever been a more vexing darned if you do darned, if you.

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Don't decision I can't think of one since march, we've.

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All been required to make hard choices and to take on difficult.

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Issues that we really would rather not have to do.

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But we do it and whether it's a personal decision.

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Or a public policy decision, we make the best decisions, we can.

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Based on the best information we have at the time.

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Covid 19 has upended every aspect of our lives over the past nine months.

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The perseverance I see every day in our health care professionals.

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In our first responders and our critical workers, and now the perseverance being.

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Shown by our students and families and teachers folks, it's.

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Inspiring, I know it's been a long slog, but we need.

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To keep up the good work, this is a critical time for our young.

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People in bloomington and a critical time for our entire community.

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Making it through this school year successfully is going to require everybody to pitch in whether you have kids in school or not.

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Everyone needs to mask up: don't let your guard down on social interactions.

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Support each other be there for your neighbor.

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We all need to step up students, teachers, families, you've already stepped.

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Up. Thank you. Thank you for your great work. Please.

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Keep it up and best of luck this school year.

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That'll, do it for the council minute enjoy your labor day weekend and until.

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Next time be well and stay safe, bloomington.