PAGE A6, KEIZERTIMES, JANUARY 1, 2016
SKIING,
continued from Page A1
While Gahlsdorf is leaving
the city on Jan. 8, she has been
easing into the retirement and
put a transition plan into place
well in advance.
“I’ve put a lot of thought
into retirement over the past
couple of years,” she said. “I’ve
seen others retire and the rest
of us move on. I’ve heard it
can be hurtful and isolating.
The transition I’ve worked
on over the past year has been
very purposeful and I believe
good for the city and me. I
didn’t want to wake up one
day not knowing what to do
with myself. And I didn’t want
to leave the city scratching its
head wondering what all my
responsibilities were and what
direction I was going. Now,
staff is cross-trained on all my
major duties and I have a huge
list of new pursuits. It’s good
closure for all involved.”
One of Gahlsdorf ’s chief
jobs has been preparing the
budget for city councilors
each year. The process typical-
ly starts in October, when staff
reviews the city’s fi nancial po-
sition and identifi es emerging
issues. The budget document
is updated with fresh data, for-
mulas and templates. The next
step comes this month when
councilors update their goals
for the year ahead, giving di-
rection to funding priorities.
The fi nal budget has to be ap-
proved by councilors by the
end of June.
“We make a point each
year to focus on improve-
ments to our budget,” Gahls-
dorf said. “Over the years, we
have automated many pro-
cesses, which have simplifi ed
things. That has freed up our
time for long-range planning,
scenario testing and improved
forecasting techniques.”
The effort has paid off: the
past two years, Keizer has got-
ten a national award from the
Government Finance Offi cers
Association
Distinguished
Budget Presentation Award
Program.
“It’s all about priorities,”
Gahlsdorf said of balanc-
ing requests with the budget
limit. “What’s hard is telling
people what they need to
know which is often not what
they want to hear. It’s very
emotional for people. Staff
does not control the revenue
stream. We work with what
we have and manage the city’s
funds responsibly.”
Gahlsdorf noted the city is
in good shape fi nancially.
“We have a strong control
system to safeguard our as-
sets,” she said. “We adhere to
best practices for reporting,
accounting and budgeting.
We have a transparent opera-
tion, clean books, clean audit
opinions and knowledgeable
staff. Our approach is modera-
tion; not too conservative as to
constrain services and not too
aggressive which would risk
our basic operations. We have
a strong bond rating and a se-
cure revenue stream to repay
our debt. This is a good foun-
dation for the next fi nance
director.”
Over the years, Gahlsdorf
said the city has built cash re-
serves and has suffi cient work-
ing capital for daily operations
as well as bigger projects that
have come up, in addition to
future ones.
Gahlsdorf called resolving
the Keizer Station Local Im-
provement District fi nances
the most challenging as well
as the most rewarding work.
The city had more than $20
million in debt on the devel-
opment and several proper-
ties went into default. The
LID debt has since been paid
down.
“I had the privilege of
working with a great group
of people in a great commu-
nity,” Gahlsdorf said. “I am
most proud of the fi nance staff
and the team we’ve built over
the years. They are a very hard
working, dedicated group
and many of them have been
with the city for more than 10
years. They are committed to
service and fi nding solutions
that will fi t both the custom-
er’s and the city’s needs.”
Now Gahlsdorf looks for-
ward to the future, no matter
where that adventure might
take her.
“I am so fortunate because
I have the life I envisioned all
those years ago – and much
more,” she said. “No regrets
here. Even the most diffi cult
challenges and experiences
provide the best opportunity
for growth and an apprecia-
tion for what I have. My hus-
band Dave and I have worked
hard building our careers, rais-
ing our two sons, renovating
our home and building our
fi nancial security. We met in
business school at Oregon
State University and have been
together for over 35 years.
We enjoy many of the same
things. We have a fabulous life,
and family and friends with
whom to share it. I am look-
ing forward to enjoying what
we’ve built together.”
KRP: ‘Where do we want
to focus the money?’
(Continued from pg. A1)
Bill Lawyer, Public Work
director, said old Systems De-
velopment Charges (SDC)
money cannot be used for re-
strooms, but could be used for
other projects like surfacing.
“What is the priority?”
Lawyer asked. “Where do we
want to focus the money?”
Walsh said the answer hing-
es partially on whether the
city is successful in getting an
Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department grant for Big Toy
improvements.
“The Big Toy is our pri-
ority,” Walsh said. “We won’t
know if we need more money
for the Big Toy surface until
after we learn if we got the
grant. If we fail to get the
grant, we might need more.”
Parks Board member J.T.
Hager wanted more informa-
tion.
“Our priority is to do all
of them,” Hager said. “Know-
ing that’s not going to happen,
what options do we have?
We’ve been solid in want-
ing to get the Big Toy done.
For restrooms, do we want to
draw in people but not have
restrooms?”
Lawyer said the budget
needs to be refi ned.
“We’re not even sure how
much cash we need to come
up with,” he said.
Lawyer noted there has
been an uptick in vandalism
inside the park, with several
items used for maintenance
being stolen.
“It’s diffi cult to curb van-
dalism,” he said. “The police
department can only do so
much.”
Clint Holland suggested
putting up reward signs like
there used to be at Keizer Lit-
tle League Park.
“We had a reward of $500,”
Holland said. “We never had
problems. As soon as they
took the sign down, they had
all kinds of problems. A buddy
will turn another buddy in for
$500.”
Fellow Parks Board mem-
ber Donna Bradley suggested
an alarm system.
“I hadn’t thought about
the alarm idea,” Lawyer said.
“That’s a good idea.”
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