CC Min 2009-06-15 Special - Laserfiche WebLink

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approach and maybe a start is to send a letter to the League and Council of Cities to invite them to come and discuss the matter. Mayor Foust offered that there are two bills on budget reformation and it would be good to follow these closely. Mention was made of an upcoming meeting of the League of California Cities in July and the need for a Council Member to attend. Vice Mayor Howard would like to get more information on this event. Council engaged in some discussion about the HSFA grants and the Civic Cultural Commission. Director Centeno provided information and explained that the HSFA grants could not be cut in September because the contracts would be at mid-year then. As far as the Housing and Human Concerns Committee is concerned Council asked for some future understanding on how administrative costs compare to the money being given out. Ms. Centeno provided some details on the matter. One Council Member suggested having the newsletter move to electronic format, and this item is to come back in September. One Council Member would like to have donations be allowed at concerts as a revenue stream because in her opinion in hard times people want to be part of the solution. Four Council Members opposed cuts to the HSFA and the Civic Cultural Commission at this juncture. One Council Member added that these do not need to be on the table now but can be looked at in September for a review if indeed these are part of the core services. One Council Member would like to see a split between the two and an assessment of each one and how much staffing time is spent on these. Council consensus was to address the following items as part of leveraging opportunities at the September 14, 2009 budget follow-up discussions: PAL (Police Activities League) and Parks and Recreation Services assessment of what is provided by each; HSFA and Civic Cultural Commission evaluating if these are long term sustainable initiatives; costs associated with the Tree Board; CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and the costs associated with providing it; possibility of sponsors for certain events; looking at the newsletter in electronic format; revenue enhancements and creativity on the issue of wages and benefits. Mayor Foust mentioned economic development and looking at the strategic initiatives as a way of restructuring and realigning. She wants to see a push on economic development to assist in future budget discussions. She supports new businesses and more green industries. She provided a list of what businesses bring to the community. Council consensus was to conceptually approve the City Manager's recommended budget as proposed and in September 14 look at the other items discussed throughout the evening. The strategic plan will be addressed in more detail at next week's second Budget Study Session and the Council confirmed the agenda for the evening. (The above mentioned item lasted between 7:15 p.m. and approximately 10:18 p.m. For the full content of the discussion please view the archived web stream for the meeting of June 15, 2009 at http://www.redwoodcitv.orq/qovernment/council/aqendas/2009/mov 090615.htmi select the correct agenda item). 8. MATTERS OF COUNCIL INTEREST SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 15, 2009 MINUTES PAGE 7 MINUTE BOOK NO. 62 Page No. 390