12/04/2009 - City Council SpecialCityofEaQali 1110
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
FROM: CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES
DATE: DECEMBER 4, 2009
SUBJECT: DECEMBER 8, 2009 BUDGET OPEN HOUSE
Per the direction of the Council, a budget open house is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8 from 5:30 -7 p.m. in
the Eagan Room.
The set up for the open house will include departmental stations, which will include large boards summarizing
the services that each department provides. The department directors and additional staff will be available at
each station to respond to questions and accept feedback from attendees. There will also be a Council station
with a board highlighting the services and role of the City Council. While there is a Council station, the Council
can certainly feel free to move around and interact with residents throughout the room and staff from
Administration can respond to any questions pertaining to the services offered by the Council.
Guests attending the open house will be met at the door by a staff' greeter" to welcome them and provide
guidance on who they can speak to with specific questions. In addition to having the opportunity to dialogue
with Councilmembers and staff, there will be a "suggestion box" where guests can fill out a form to share any
budget recommendations they may have. There will also be a handout summarizing the services provided by
each department within the City, which includes some numeric examples such as the amount of equipment and
vehicles maintained by the City, zoning cases per year, Police calls for service, etc. Lastly, a Power Point
presentation has been prepared to play on a continuous loop throughout the evening, which will explain the
budget challenges the City is facing, how the City has addressed those challenges to date, and how the City's
budget compares to other municipalities.
As a reminder, this budget open house has been promoted and advertised extensively. Notice of the open house
was included in the two most recent Experience Eagan newsletters and has been featured on the City's website
for the past couple of months. Additionally, press releases were sent to both local newspapers, and stories were
run in the two newspapers. The open house was also referenced in the Mayor's recent Op Ed piece regarding
the City's budget and was advertised via the City's electronic reader board on Pilot Knob Road. All of these
efforts were in addition to the many references made at the December 1 City Council meeting, at which
constituents were invited to attend the December 8 open house as an informal opportunity to ask questions and
make recommendations to the Council regarding the budget for 2010 and beyond.
If you have any questions about the logistics or plans for the December 8 Budget Open House, please feel free
to contact the City Administrator.
/s /Thomas L. Hedges
City Administrator