CC_Minutes_2007_0329S - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Special City Meeting Thursday, March 29, 2007 Page 7 of 20 Strategies identified were: provide strong police, fire and emergency medical ser- vices so neighborhood residents feel and are safe; and provide appropriate policies and funding to meet national standards for response times and services for fire, po- lice and emergency medical services. Mr. Keel noted that the overall sense of the community was that they felt safe. Mr. Keel advised that the consensus was to suggest that the City discuss the ilnportance of investing in the community and discuss how to develop measurements to define "safe" and develop objective levels for those measurements (i.e., local crime com- pared to national standards and averages). Mr. Keel noted that such considerations for safety were across the board in all subcommittees, such as pathways and con- nections serving to enhance the perception of safety. Mayor Klausing asked City Manager Bill Malinen to comment on recent discus- sions they had held regarding how those lneasurements could be analyzed. City Manager Malinen outlined performance measurement practices to understand how and why we do things, as well as keeping both the City Council and staff ac- countable, with the ultimate measurement in determining efficiencies. Mr. Ma- linen advised that this was an initiative that he would like to put forward and pur- sue actively with departments and the City Council. Councilmember Roe concurred with the benefits of performance measurement in identifying where improvements were needed, as well as recognizing what was be- ing done well; and how that would add to people's sense of safety and would be a vital part of the process. Councilmember Pust sought clarification on community consensus on their feeling of safety, and whether that perception was an area of concern, or if the community felt that what was being done was adequate. Ms. Edstrom noted that the general feeling of citizens were that they were safe, but they also acknowledged that the community was changing and growing fast, and bore watching. Mr. Majerus concurred with the insecurity that safety was not something that should be taken for granted, or remain static, but for the sense of security of the community, they needed to know that the City Council and staff were continually measuring safety levels.