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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, May 23,2011 Page 24 f. Discuss Budget Program Ranking Results Finance Director Chris Miller provided budget program prioritization results as detailed in the RCA dated May 23, 2011 (Attachments A and B), including rank- ings derived from the recent citizen survey. Discussion among staff and Councilmembers included how the citizen survey re- sults were matched to City Council and staff rankings in an abstract nature with- out program/service cost information; how that information and ranking lined up with previous rankings and areas of comparables and/or differentiation; interpre- tation of rankings for some items created by composites of individual Council- members and staff; and next step in determining the level of service once the ranking has been completed,hopefully in the very near future. Mayor Roe concurred that determining a level of service was the next step; how- ever, he cautioned that development of performance measurements were still needed from staff as a vital part of ongoing budget discussions, and would relate to every single item listed in adjusting resources to get to those levels of service. Councilmember Pust opined that the City Council needed to quit spending so much time on numerical rankings, and get to line item rankings. Mayor Roe concurred, noting that this would be the next step. City Manager Malinen advised that this was included to provide City Council- members with citizen survey rankings. Mayor Roe advised that staff would provide the City Council with a proposed budget on July 11,based on the ranking information provided by the City Council between now and then; and advising if some of those items on the bottom of the list were mandatory and unable to be eliminated or reduced. If so, Mayor Roe noted that something higher on the list would then need reduced or eliminated ac- cordingly; after which the City Council and community would have time to react and respond; with the ultimate decision at the City Council level. When staff completed that exercise, Councilmember Willmus strongly recom- mended that the citizen composite be removed; and questioned if there were merit in removing staff rankings as well for the next part of the discussion. Councilmember McGehee sought clarification from Mr. Miller on 2012 levy package decisions; with Mayor Roe advising that that was the next item for dis- cussion. Councilmember McGehee sought to understand the $643,000 addressed in the staff memo on setting a Preliminary 2012 Property Tax Levy, those representing a