Mayor Pizzillo called the Work Session to order at 5:00 p.m.

Doug Sandstrom, Finance Director and Jared Askelson, Deputy Finance Director provided an overview of how the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is funded, how the program relates to General Obligation Bonds, and the upcoming Citizen Bond Exploratory Committee. Mr. Askelson discussed four specific areas: current funding sources for CIP, upcoming revisions to plans in place related to revenue and expenditure, bonds, and the Citizen Bond Exploratory Committee where Council feedback is requested.

Council discussed how the changes in property tax rates, property valuation changes, and median home prices impact bonds, and suggested that the property tax rate should stay at or near the current $1.74. Council further suggested the amounts be allocated so that there is room to allow for growth in values without exceeding the current rate.

Mr. Askelson went on to discuss the role of the Citizen Bond Exploratory Committee, election details, property tax rate impacts for recommendation to council, and a dollar amount threshold to be provided to the Committee. In response to a question from Council, Mr. Askelson clarified that there will be a single bond election in Fall of 2023 where several questions related to the bonds will be asked of voters and the Committee will provide recommendations for project priority. Council recommended to staff that intention and priorities associated with bond funds should be clearly communicated to the public, and that committee members chosen should be skilled in presenting the facts to the public. 

Lyman Locket, Human Resources Director, presented a summary of the results of the 2022 Employee Survey and indicated that the results of the survey show improvement from previous years. He provided an explanation of the changes that the survey has undergone from previous years, and indicated that employee participation and overall satisfaction on the job have increased. Mr. Locket highlighted areas of the survey that showed improvement from previous years, but were still an area to concentrate on to further increase employee satisfaction.

Council inquired how the changes to the survey may have affected the results, the role that the number of survey participants played in the outcome, and how the rate of turnover within the City can be improved. Mr. Locket explained the changes to the survey from previous years and indicated that a higher rate of employee participation shows more employee satisfaction among a wider range of employees. Mr. Locket went on to discuss the City's current 12.7 percent turnover rate and what that indicates about the organization as a whole. 

Council congratulated staff on the hard work that has gone into improvements within the city and the positive outcome of the survey and requested that the Polco results for Goodyear be shared.

No information items or comments were made.