Everyone, welcome.

This is a special council meeting up and sit now.

It is July 8th at one thought and meeting how called the order and for wealth meet and comment.

But rather than that, um definitely everyone, thank you all for being here uh today.

Uh really appreciate again the time and attention that everyone's uh providing uh for this uh workshop today and previous workshop we had at the end of May.

As we are aware of the budget work is one of the most important responsibilities we have as council because it is where priorities become happening.

Second retreat is a continuation of the work we began together, and our first budget retreat is not a start for stop process.

We already took important stuff by looking at bigger picture priorities and beginning to understand the plan in front of us.

Today we are building on that foundation as we move further into the decisions and trade offs that will be necessary, bring our next biennial budget in balance.

The objective of today's meeting is to explore the assumptions we have made along with service balance and revenue opportunities, and helps inform the point.

As part of that conversation, we will also do the actions already taken over half of the years, including savings and realize and new revenues already in planned.

That history matters because it helps us understand what's already been done, what remains available, and where we may still have options.

That's in your package on the side.

Um, as we do that, it's important to be clear-eyed about where we are.

Have a structural gap that will require real work and proper choices to attest.

That means we need to consider a full range of options and savings, efficiencies, revenues, and possible changes to assumptions that can help bridge that gap.

It also means we need to remain open to new information and new opportunities.

We will again be passing out the council and community parties.

I guess our interface as well to help keep those values front and center throughout this afternoon's workshop.

I also want to take a moment to recognize and review the actions again on page two.

Um council and the administration have taken over the past two years, particularly on revenue side that includes more than seven million in additional 2026 revenue, which contributes towards bridging our structural deficit.

That is separate from the savings and service trade offs.

We have also made to help balance revenues within the realistic capacity.

Closely tied to all of this are the council priorities of our constituents.

Those priorities should continue to guide us as evaluate trade-offs and determine what we want to protect, where we may need to adjust, and how invest aligned resources with the value.

So while today's conversation is focused on the budget before us, it is also part of a broader effort to make sure we are thinking ahead and making decisions that support the city, not just for the next two years, but beyond that as well.

Our role as a council is to lead by asking the right questions, weighing trade-offs, and setting clear direction so staff can have the feedback they need to prepare a responsible and balanced proposals up there.

Even though these conversations are difficult, I want to remain structured and a collaborative process.

But when we do that with respect, discipline, and a shared focus on community priorities, we give ourselves the best chance of producing the outcomes our community expects.

Thank you for the thoughtful engagement you will bring to this work today.

If we leave a day with a clearer shared understanding of priorities, a stronger grasp of the financial landscape, and continued momentum in our direction for staff.

We'll have advanced the continuous process that will get us to a balanced biannual budget that reflects our values and serves our community well.

Thanks.

Um, I want to start somebody say about budgeting that there's never enough money to do everything, but there needs to be uh enough wisdom in the room to do the most important things.

Um, and we absolutely have a challenge uh in front of us today, but I'm personally very optimistic about what we're going to accomplish today because of the wisdom sitting around this day, but we all um budgeting is a team sport, and uh there's council, the mayor, staff in this room, each of us has different perspectives, different expertise, and different responsibilities.

And there's council, the mayor staff in this room.

Each of us has different perspectives, different expertise, and different responsibilities.

And I think it's those differences that are going to be our greatest rank with the challenge in front of us.

So the agenda is on the top of the page.

You'll notice at the bottom of our attachments listed that you don't yet have because we're sort of dividing the conversation into a couple pieces.

Then the um we'll talk about we'll break it into pieces.

There's the assumptions in terms of looking at the short ball, looking at um the assumptions, seeing if there's any changes we want to make to that, and then um the next section will be sort of uh the bulk of it, three, you know, the bulk of the three hours or um will be from 130 to 430, looking at both sides of the coin.

Um, what can you in terms of uh potentially increasing revenues and what can we do uh in terms of service reductions, and it's gonna take both to to do this as well as any other opportunities.

Uh, I will um uh also uh remember the context of council has been engaging with Baker Tilk and that process, uh the first phase of that is to have their analysis on the forecast.

Uh so as we look at this, I think we should always remember that we will always change course based on new information or changing conditions.

So once we hear from that compare it to the forecast that we're working with today, that might be uh another point of opportunity.

Similarly, there will be the community task force.

Um, the council will be uh working with Anti Fertilian and the kind of recommendations that might come out of that.

So as we think about timing, um you know, we we are in the process of developing this two-year budget.

Um, and and we'll need to, you know, I need to deliver that to you by October.

Um, and uh again, once the task force has gone through their work, uh we might be looking at opportunities to course correct that uh in next year uh as we've already launched this budget.

Um we'll do if if you don't mind, let's do what we normally do in terms of of the process we're getting called on uh all in this room.

So please, you know, you have minds and mouths, so let's all use them.

We we need every mind we can get through this.

Um with that, let's go started.

And um uh Keisha's gonna talk about the differences in the forecast.

Uh and um I I will remind you, I'm just gonna emphasize what council president just said.

Uh the previous action items, just a reminder that it's happened taking actions through this council priorities.

You know, I think there was some reminders last time, which remember we have council priorities and we heard from the community in terms of what their priorities are.

So those are the things in front of you uh at the front of uh agenda, uh, so that you have those to refer to in terms of is everything we're talking about.