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Councilors urge multi-year CIP and post-election goal-setting to avoid repeated short-term fixes
Summary
Multiple participants at the workshop said budgeting based only on the current CIP encourages short-term, reactive spending; several urged a goal-setting session after elected officials take office to frame multi-year priorities that would guide future budgets.
Councilors and staff used the workshop to call for clearer multi-year planning, arguing the current approach leads to repeated "band-aid" fixes and last-minute levy increases. One councilor said the city should set goals after elections so the council's priorities can drive budgeting.
"Once after elections, after the 1st of the year, what is the goal of this city? What are the goals of the council? And that will drive this," the staff member said, urging a goal-setting session to inform future CIP and levy choices. Multiple participants said planning four to five years ahead would reduce the need for sudden levy bumps and repeated repairs.
The exchange referenced past CIP approvals and current concerns that cost estimates and funding strategies are not always well aligned with the projects they fund; staff said they had deleted some items after discussing priorities with department leads.
