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Council Retreat Minutes of February 5, 2009 <br />Page 2 <br />Dieter noted that the Council s theme of ~~transparency and communication" will be consistent <br />throughout this presentation. He highlighted regulations addressing Council Operations (See: <br />Slide # 3) addressing attendance at meetings; presence at events with fees; turning cell phones <br />and pagers to their silent mode during meetings; and being present and in the appropriate <br />Council seat. He called upon the Council Attorney to highlight the Council s statutory role with <br />regard to the budget. (See: Slide # 4 address state and local regulations) <br />Council Member White then recapped the 2008 Council Retreat (See: Slides # 5-7). She <br />stressed the need for transparency and communication both vertically and horizontally. She <br />noted the ongoing need to have accountability to the public by both the Council and the City <br />Administration. Council Member White emphasized that the Council needs to establish <br />priorities; have discussions with the public and the Administration; implement the priorities <br />established and monitor progress against timelines. She noted that in 2008 the Council <br />established public safety as the # 1 priority for the city; and noted that the Council must now <br />define what that means. Council Member White stated that communication at all levels is <br />critical, which will be educational for all. <br />Council Member Kirsits noted that last year he stated that the City was approaching a ~~perfect <br />storm" with regard to neighborhood problems; fires; arsons; vacant buildings; etc. which is not <br />unique to South Bend. <br />Council Member LaFountain then reviewed the alternative types of budgeting: traditional <br />historic budgeting, zero-based budgeting, and priority-based budgeting. He noted that priority- <br />based budgeting requires the establishing of funding hierarchy. The Council needs to know <br />information on all funding sources and uses in order to set allocations. He stated that this will <br />require looking at the budget from a different angle, noting that there are different ways to reach <br />common goals. He then reviewed goal setting; challenges; and transparency (See: Slides # 8 - <br /># 14) <br />Council President Dieter noted that realistic timelines must be established once realistic goals <br />are established, noting that public safety is 72-75% of the General Fund budget. He noted that <br />