2018-01-17 Finance Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Tukwila City Council Finance Committee FINANCE COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes January 17, 2018 - 5:30 p.m. - Hazelnut Conference Room, City Hall Councilmembers: De'Sean Quinn, Chair; Dennis Robertson, Kate Kruller Staff: David Cline, Peggy McCarthy, Vicky Carlsen, Bruce Linton CALL TO ORDER: Committee Chair Quinn called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. I. PRESENTATIONS Committee Chair Quinn welcomed everyone to the first meeting of the year. He stated he expects meetings will start on time, everyone will come prepared, parallel information will be provided to other Committees when applicable so the discussions don't have to start over when they come to the full Council, and Committee members will use their many years of experience to get through difficult discussions and decisions. II. BUSINESS AGENDA A. November 2017 General Fund Update Staff presented the November 2017 General Fund financial report. She reminded the Committee the budget is an allocated budget based on the prior year spending pattern for each line item. The budget in this financial report includes the adopted 2017 budget amendments. Ms. Carlsen noted that the General Fund transfers to other funds is done on an as needed basis rather than based strictly on the budgeted amount. Councilmember Kruller asked if this is a change in policy. Chair Quinn and Ms. Carlsen both responded that this practice has been followed in the past. Ms. Carlsen pointed out the decline in Fire overtime costs. Councilmember Kruller commented that the TIS department director spent a lot when he came on board, and she feels the spikes and peaks in spending are hard to track and the budget is much higher than it ever used to be. Councilmember Robertson suggested discussing whether the funds are being spent wisely at another time. Chair Quinn commented that definitions, such as allocated budget, and understandings will be discussed at the Council retreat. He requested that a sheet of definitions be prepared by staff for use by the Committee. Councilmember Robertson commented that he didn't see any trends in the financial information except for some reductions in head count due to vacant positions and commented that he expects the monthly financial review of the General Fund to continue in 2018, as well as the Citywide quarterly financial overview. DISCUSSION ONLY.