Council begins work on mission and vision priorities ahead of next year's budget; members propose fiscal-responsibility and community-program goals

Council members used a work-session item to review the city mission and vision statements and to surface priorities for the next budget cycle.

Council Member Jordan suggested listing specific Fire and EMS community-preparedness activities (search and rescue, CPR classes, smoke-detector checks) so they are recognized priorities in department goals. He also proposed that parks and recreation emphasize programs designed to foster community, and that Community and Economic Development (CED) include explicit recruiting and attraction goals to bring new businesses to the city.

Council Member Paul urged adding language about fiscal responsibility to the mission statement and proposed adopting key performance indicators to make the budget more transparent to residents; he suggested exploring measures such as a cost-per-household metric and year-over-year tracking.

Council Member Jordan (other comments), Council Member Julie and Council Member Brett each expressed support for the idea of formalizing goals that reflect responsiveness and people-centered priorities; staff said the suggestions will be scheduled for a future discussion and for inclusion in the budget retreat where formal decisions will be made.

The discussion was informational and no formal motions were made; staff said the ideas will be brought back for further review during budget preparation.