Northland council work session focuses on budget shortfall, ballot options and strategic priorities

Council members and staff used a Feb. 24 work session to begin drafting a three-year strategic plan while confronting a near-term budget gap and weighing whether to place new funding measures before voters.

Consultant Sarah Lechner, with Progyzio Group, opened the strategic-planning segment and framed the meeting’s objectives: “Today we get to dive into the work of starting to draft your strategic plan,” she said, asking the council to produce a draft vision, mission and priority areas to guide later work on measures and initiatives.

Finance figures presented at the meeting showed the general fund with about $8.3 million in projected revenue against roughly $9.4 million in projected expenditures, leaving an approximately $1 million gap going into next year. Staff also reported operating reserves of about $3 million and emergency reserves of about $2 million. The shortfall, staff said, means the council will need to identify revenue or expenditure changes to avoid drawing down reserves.

City staff outlined a range of revenue options the council could consider for the May or November ballot, focusing on a voter-approved monthly public-safety fee that would target funding for…