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Special City Council Strategic Planning Meeting Saturday, February 7, 2009 Page 23 how to fund those services to get there and at what level or threshold those services should be provided; and how the model could be adjusted based on changing community needs and expectations. Additional discussion included the potential for each. area or department having three (3) different levels of service with a decision made on which level of service would be delivered; and looking at the best use of resources for specific functions (i.e., people/money). Councilmember Roe shared concern about how much it may cost this year; however, opined that he liked the concept. Mayor Klausing opined that the process offered potential possibilities; and it was obvious that "business as usual" was not a sustainable option. Councilmember Roe opined that, if due to the short-term constraints and lack of funding at this time, the City Council should consider this for the 2010 budget process; while addressing immediate budget issues before the City at this time. Public Works Director Schwartz opined that time was running short to implement this type of analysis for normal department budget submittals in May/June of 2009 for the 2010 budget cycle; however, expressed his interest in seeing numbers from a consultant to meet such a schedule and how much staff input would be required for assisting an outside consultant; how to determine the true cost of providing services, based on comparisons to other communities; and how often ad hoc committees or commissions could bog down rather than enhancing or improving the process. Police Chief Sletner opined that she continued to struggle with the process and overall idea; noting that most departments didn't have just one person doing one specific thing; but that they interacted and impacted other departments as well. Chief Sletner expressed frustration in attempting to define dollar amounts for specific services; and her lack of interest in current policing from a reactionary position rather than proactively. Councilmember Ihlan excused herself from the meeting at this time; approximately 1:00 p.m. Discussion ensued regarding resource allocations/decision-making for each department, activity or service; how to strike a balance between revenue and expenses by prioritizing the various components; benchmarking and tracking performance measurements for some services, while other functions (i.e., tracking statistics) not as amenable to such an approach; how to standardize the process within each department, or whether the City had that internal expertise to provide that analysis; and how functions impact allocations. Mayor Klausing summarized his thoughts by indicating his interest in pursuing whether budgeting for outcomes would work for the City; noting his interest in reviewing current