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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, May 16, 2016 Page 7 City Manager Trudgeon noted this resulted in each department head bringing forward five organization-wide priorities based on those documents and what they perceived to be the organization-wide needs. With this broader process, Mr. Trudgeon reported that those submissions led to thirty-five different ideas on what priorities should be included in the 2017 budget; with department heads subse- quently meeting to regroup those priorities into five larger categories as submit- ted. Mr. Trudgeon advised that this exercise served to strengthen relationships among departments for allocation of financial resources, and contrasted with past independent departmental budget cycles rather than this citywide viewpoint. Mr. Trudgeon noted this provided a sense of organizational priorities and allowed management staff to evolve out of past department-centric formats to move to- ward this new organization-wide priority-driven frameworlc. City Manager Trudgeon advised that this first look was not intended to define costs, but allow a broader discussion of the merits of proposed initiatives; with costs coming forward for those approved priorities as part of the subsequent pro- cess, including other funding sources and new levy dollars. While there may be a desire to talk specifics and better understand financial ramifications, Mr. Trudg- eon aslced Councilmembers to recognize that this initial discussion is only the start of the process. City Manager Trudgeon advised that each department head was available tonight, and would participate in and weigh in on organizational priorities, hopefully cre- ating a free-flowing discussion. As part of the process, Mr. Tnidgeon advised that other budget impact items and a proposed process calendar were included for feedback from the City Council tonight as well. City Manager Tnidgeon introduced the presentation, showing the initial priorities and the five areas subsequently identified by city staff, as detailed in the Request for Council Action dated May 16, 2016, with specific items addressed under each priority with an overview of each initiative by individual department heads, fol- lowed by Councilmember and staff discussion. Crime Reduction / Safetv Items Mental Health Liaison Officer Police Chief Rick Mathwi� reviewed the intent of this proposed new position and rationale for department heads agreeing to and seeing it as a priority. Councilmember McGehee pointed out that, within the metropolitan area and ex- tending as far as Rochester, NIN, there were no beds or psychiatric appointments available. While this position may be a good thing, Councilmember McGehee opined we as a state had failed, and since services aren't available for a significant number of people, with an estimated 30% to 40% of those incarcerated in correc- tional institutions having mental health issues, that needed to be kept in mind with this request.