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59 <br /> <br /> Ms. Daugherty made the following comment: prioritizing <br />government services is necessary in a time of shrinking <br />revenues. To set priorities it is important to get advice <br />from citizen groups~ but the final decisions on which way <br />government should go rest on the elected City Council. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano recommended that the following groups <br />establish priorities for City services: people who deliver <br />service within departments, the general public, and the "Blue <br />Ribbon" Commission (longer term). <br /> <br /> Ms. Slaughter stated that she felt somewhere in the <br />process consolidation issues should be looked into. Ms. <br />Slaughter recommended that the Blue Ribbon Commission be <br />composed of a cross section of the community, including <br />educators, business people, and organizational leaders. <br /> <br /> Ms. Daugherty stated that she favored the idea of using <br />focus groups in the process. <br /> <br /> Rev. Edwards expressed concern about having <br />representation from the poorer segments of the community <br />and concern about what programs might be eliminated and the <br />impact of this on minorities. <br /> <br /> Mr. Vandever stated that he would like to see a process <br />established that accomplishes the restructuring goal without <br />allegiance to what is currently in place. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano stated that he felt the City can.offer <br />better service and further democratize the system. Mr. <br />Toscano suggested that options for restructuring be <br />publicized prior to Council's annual retreat so that public <br />comment can be taken into consideration at the retreat. <br /> <br /> Holding small group meetings and using a short survey <br />were discussed as ways to incorporate public comment. <br /> <br /> It was agreed that Ms. Slaughter and Mr. Vandever would <br />draft a charge for the Blue Ribbon Commission for discussion <br />at the June 7th Council meeting. <br /> <br /> Mr, Hendrix stated that guidelines for restructuring <br />would need to be set and decisions made about whether an <br />early retirement would be offered, whether there would be a <br />"no layoff" policy, what limits should be set, and whether <br />any areas are exempt. <br /> <br /> Responding to a question from Ms. Daugherty, Mr. Hendrix <br />stated that staff will try to develop a five-year projection <br />for budget purposes. <br /> <br /> Ms. Slaughter stated that while she has some concerns <br />about the long-term impact of early retirement she felt it <br />was an issue worth discussing. <br /> <br /> Mr. Vandever stated that he wOuld prefer a "no layoff" <br />policy, but would not absolutely commit to it at this time. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano stated that he felt it was important for <br />peoPle to feel they will not lose their jobs, but should <br />realize that they may not be doing the same job in the <br />future° Mr. Toscano added that he felt it was very important <br />to send the right message to employees in order to get <br />creative results. <br /> <br /> It was agreed that all areas of the City organization, <br />including the Schools, would be open for restructuring <br />discUssion. <br /> <br /> It was agreed that a specific plan would be discussed at <br />COuncil's retreat in October. <br /> <br /> <br />