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Regular City Council Meeting <br />Monday, October 26, 2009 <br />Page 11 <br />Councilmember Roe requested that the Skating Center line item in the amount of <br />$442,000 be broken down, in addition to any similar and large items as well. <br />Councilmember Roe also requested more explanation for the "citizen customer <br />service" item under the police patrol. In response to Councilmember Ihlan's con- <br />cerns about those items not currently included in the matrix, if not generally tax- <br />supported items, he opined that if Councilmember Ihlan could provide an idea of <br />those missing items from her perspective, perhaps staff could somehow plug them <br />into the matrix by reference. Councilmember Roe opined that just because they <br />were not currently listed, it didn't mean that they would not be taken into consid- <br />eration at some point during the process. <br />Councilmember Pust, as it related to process, questioned the next step in the proc- <br />ess from "drawing the line" on those items funded and those remaining unfunded, <br />and what next steps would be recommended by staff based on timing concerns be- <br />fore year-end in completing this process. Councilmember Pust also addressed <br />how impacts to various programs and staff would be provided to Councilmembers <br />as part of their decision making, as well as impacts between and among various <br />departments. <br />City Manager Malinen responded with staff's discussions and approach, based on <br />the complexities and intermingling of various positions for one service, advising <br />that the initial rankings, individually and as a composite, already allowed an iden- <br />tification of priorities that staff could apply to a recommended budget in rough <br />draft for further City Council and public dissemination. Mr. Malinen advised <br />that, in staff's review of the rankings, if there was something below the line that <br />had the potential for elimination, the staff-recommended budget would duly re- <br />flect that elimination; with staff providing further comment and recommendation <br />on other items currently unfunded that may need further consideration based on <br />their implications to the overall operation and community impact. Mr. Malinen <br />advised that staff was already working on those recommendations, and would <br />continue to refine them as discussions and reprioritizations continued with the <br />City Council, and thanked individual Councilmembers for their willingness to <br />proceed through this new process. <br />City Manager Malinen addressed Finance Director Miller for further explanation <br />of the significance of replacing State Aid, and the $450,000 that would only re- <br />flect what the State would automatically take off the top of the total levy; and the <br />need for the City Council to recognize that the amount would automatically be <br />decreased from the City Council-adopted Preliminary Levy. <br />Councilmember Pust opined that the council understood that description of the <br />"reduction of state aid" item, and had ranked it accordingly. <br />