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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.03.2025 City Council Work Session MinutesFebruary 3, 2025 COUNCIL WORK SESSION Harold E. Getty Council Chambers 3:30 p.m. Roll Call. Members present: Mayor Pro Tem Ray Feuss in the Chair. Roll Call: Mr. Boesen, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Simon and Mr. Feuss. Ms. Creighton -Smith and Ms. Wilder arrived at 3:33 p.m. Mr. Chiles arrived at 4:40 p.m. Agenda, as proposed or amended. Nichols/Simon that the agenda as proposed be aprpoved. Voice vote -Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes of the January 21, 2025, Council Work Session as proposed or amended. Nichols/Simon that the minutes of the January 21, 2025, Council Work Session as proposed, be approved. Voice vote -Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Discussion of parking rates and parking ordinance changes. Bridgett Wood, Finance Director, provided an overview of an overview of two options for structuring parking in downtown Waterloo. Council members expressed support for Option #2, which included no free street parking, $1 per hour meter parking rates, keeping Grab and Go Zones, increasing citations, keeping enforcement days and hours the same, and cutting all -day parking rates in half inside the ramp, and keeping the first hour of parking inside the ramp free. Mr. Boesen encouraged a reassessment of the parklet program, as the city has the potential of losing significant revenue with parklets taking up parking spaces downtown. Discussion of new pet license software and changes to the animal control ordinance. Chief Duncan provided an overview of the information that would be provided in the work session. Sergeant Jeff Tyler provided an overview of the pet licensing program since the Police Department took on the program in July. He shared that the current software utilized for pet licensing is outdated, inconvenient and underutilized. Ms. Creighton -Smith questioned how the license would be enforced. Sergeant Tyler explained that the enforcement part will come when Animal Control Officers have to make contact with a pet/owner. They will not be driving around looking for people walking dogs and asking if they have a pet license. Ms. Creighton -Smith clarified that if an animal is running loose, part of the enforcement piece would be to require that the animal is licensed. Mr. Nichols commented that he likes the part that the vet would be required to upload the rabies Page 1 of 3 records to DocuPet. That will help officers know who owns the animal and if it has rabies. Mr. Boesen questioned how many dog park passes are sold in the community. Jeff Tyler commented he does not have the total number of passes, but the revenue this past year was $3,493.00. Mr. Boesen expressed his concern that older people who do not have access to technology may just elect not to license their pets. Jeff Tyler shared that residents could visit the records division of the police department, and they would be walked through the process. He further shared that individuals could also contact animal control, who could stop by their house and help the person through the process. Mayor Hart questioned if the city has a list of individuals that have licensed previously. Jeff Tyler commented that part of the marketing plan is to give DocuPet a listing of registrants over the last three -five years. Mayor Hart encouraged proactive outreach to tell individuals about the program. Mr. Simon questioned what is the added benefit of someone licensing their pet. Jeff Tyler shared that DocuPet has an Operation Locate that will immediately identify the area where the pet went missing. That information will be sent out to everyone who has DocuPet pet license within the city. Mr. Simon questioned if there was a discount on more animals. Jeff Tyler shared that the fee is $15 per pet and people can only have a maximum of four pets per household. Ms. Wilder questioned the amount of the citation. Jeff Tyler commented that he was unsure of the amount. Michael Lambert, DocuPet, provided an overview of the benefits of the software and shared other ways available of how one could license their pet. Discussion of the FY 2026 Budget. Bridgett Wood, Finance Director, presented an initial discussion of the FY2026 Budget. She provided an overview of the current FY2025 revenues and shared that they are tracking at 53% of expected. She shared that the city is continuing to grow fund balances which are just shy of the goal of having three to four months of expenditures in reserve to pay for any emergencies that may arise. She shared a FY2026 budget process tentative timeline, and shared an overview of the FY2026 state rollback and property tax valuations. She gave departments, council, and the public a deadline of February 19 to submit any budget suggestions to the Finance Department. Page 2 of 3 Council members and Mayor Hart discussed the FY2026 budget process and preliminary figures with the Finance Director. ADJOURNMENT Boesen/Feuss that the council adjourn at 4:44 p.m. Voice vote -Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Kelley Feichle Kelley Felchle City Clerk Page 3 of 3