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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, February 14, 2011 Page 33 Councilmember Pust suggested that individual Councilmembers take time to di- gest the information and have additional discussion and provide direction to staff on February 28, 2011. Councilmember Pust expressed her interest in hearing the perspective of City Manager Malinen. Councilmember McGehee suggested that individual Councilmembers provide their preferences in writing to City Manager Malinen and Finance Director Miller prior to the February 28, 2011 meeting. Mayor Roe reminded Councilmembers of Open Meeting Laws and the need to address that correspondence to the City Manager's office for distribution as appli- cable. City Manager Malinen expressed the importance from his perspective to continue the process begun by the City Council several years ago focusing on the pro- grammatic level and their priorities when considering levels of reduction. Mr. Malinen note that the process envisioned was to use City Council priority rank- ings to make budget adjustments, with staff providing the City Council with ap- propriate ways to reduce the budget based on those priorities; and remaining pro- grammatic, not arbitrary. Mr. Malinen recommended that individual Council- member input keep that process in mind. Mr. Malinen opined that a biennial budget was an important next step, in addition to saving time and energy for staff and Councilmembers. Councilmember Pust noted that it had been a suggestion of hers for some time, and she was fully supportive of a biennial budget. City Manager Malinen noted that the biennial budget process was not advocated by staff earlier in order to allow everyone to acclimate to priority-based budget- ing; with that process now running quite smoothly and not needing refinement at this time, with staff having developed better understanding of program costs. Mr. Malinen reiterated his recommendation that the next step be a biennial budget and not an overhaul of priority-based budgeting. Mayor Roe suggested that individual Councilmembers keep that as a basis in the process, and work around that in what they prefer for documentation. City Manager Malinen concurred, suggesting tweaking as opposed to a complete overhaul. Councilmember McGehee opined that the whole idea was that reductions were needed, and that priority-based budgeting was not moving the City any closer to that goal. Councilmember McGehee further opined that prior to priority-based budgeting, the past process better allowed for a serious look at the budget and recommendations for cuts in programs; however, priority-based budgeting states