3 21 23 City Council Proceedings Official_SpecialCITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
SPECIAL SESSION
OFFICIAL
The Dubuque City Council met in special session at 6:30 p.m. on March 21, 2023, in the
second-floor Council Chambers of the Historic Federal Building, 350 W. 6th Street.
Present: Mayor Cavanagh; Council Members Farber, Jones, Resnick, Roussell, Sprank,
Wethal; City Manager Van Milligen.
Mayor Cavanagh read the call and stated this is a special session of the City Council called
for the purpose of conducting public hearings on certain Fiscal Year 2024 Department Budgets.
ACTION ITEMS
1. Budget Hearing Amendment Process: Motion by Roussell to receive and file the
documents and discuss the budget hearing amendment process. Seconded by Resnick. City
Council members agreed that Option No. 2, in which an informal poll is conducted to determine
if a majority agrees with holding a budget item for separate discussion, is the recommended
option for the budget hearing process. Responding to a question from the City Council, City
Manager Van Milligen stated that debt reduction information will be provided at the March 23,
2023, final hearing to adopt the Fiscal Year 2024 budget. Motion carried 7-0.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
FISCAL YEAR 2024 DEPARTMENT BUDGETS
Fiscal Year 2024 City department budgets were presented by staff from the following
departments:
1. Information Services Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Presentation: Chris Kohlmann, Information
Services Manager.
2. Water Department Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Pres entation: Christopher Lester, Water
Department Manager.
3. Water & Resource Recovery Center Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Presentation : William
O’Brien, Water and Resource Recovery Center Manager.
4. Public Works Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Presentation: John Klostermann, Public Works
Director; and Arielle Swift, Assistant Public Works Director.
Staff responded to questions from the City Council following their respective presentations.
At the conclusion of Public Hearing No. 4, Council Member Wethal requested discussion of
Fire Department Improvement Package No. 2 for the addition of one full -time Firefighter
position, which was not recommended by City Manager Van Milligen. Council Member Wethal
expressed support for funding this improvement package and stated that funding could come
from three sources: the first funding source is $65,329 from the Parks Department Improvement
Package No. 3 for one full-time confidential account clerk; the second funding source is $15,000
from the Planning Services Department’s utility adjustments; and the third funding source is
$25,000 from the Health Services Department’s Improvement Package No. 4 for a vehicle for
the Health Services Environmental Sanitarian/Emergency Preparedness Planner . After City
Council discussion, Mayor Cavanagh conducted a straw poll to determine if the request had
majority support for additional discussion. The poll carried 6 -1, with Resnick opposed. The City
Council agreed to discuss the request during the March 23, 2023, final budget hearing to adopt
the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.
Council Member Farber requested discussion of the Public Information Office’s Improvement
Package No. 1 for the addition of one full-time GIS Applications Specialist and suggested using
excess funding from the maximum property tax dollars set by the City Council as a potential
funding source. City Council members discussed the recommendation and reached a
consensus that they did not want to increase the maximum property tax dollars from the amount
recommended by City Manager Van Milligen. Based on consensus to not conduct additional
discussion, Council Member Farber withdrew her request.
Council Member Resnick requested discussion of the Parks Department’s Improvement
Package No. 1 on funding additional pollinator areas throughout the park system. Council
Member Resnick suggested the funding amount be reduced from $50,000 to $25,000. Chief
Financial Officer Jennifer Larson stated that the Parks Policy Budget Book listed the incorrect
amount for the improvement package, and that $10,000 is the correct recommended funding
amount. After confirming the recommended funding amount, Council Member Resnick
determined that no additional discussion was needed.
City Manager Van Milligen stated that he developed a recommendation for the $23,000 in
additional Planning Services Department funds that he will submit to the City Council on March
22, 2023, in advance of the March 23, 2023 final hearing to adopt the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.
There being no further business, Mayor Cavanagh declared the meeting adjourned at 10:02
p.m.
/s/Adrienne N. Breitfelder, CMC, City Clerk