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01/30/2018 - Work Session - Minutes MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL RETREAT/WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 , 2018 The City Council met in an Annual Retreat/Workshop on Tuesday, January 24, 2018 at the Leonardo Museum Event Center Room, 209 East 500 South, Salt Lake City. In Attendance: Council Members Erin Mendenhall, Chris Wharton, James Rogers, Andrew Johnston, Derek Kitchen, Charlie Luke, and Amy Fowler. Also In Attendance : Cindy Gust-Jenson, Council Executive Director; Jacqueline Biskupski, Mayor; Patrick Leary, Mayor' s Chief of Staff; David Litvack, Mayor' s Deputy Chief of Staff; Jennifer Bruno, Council Deputy Director; Russell Weeks, Council Senior Advisor; Jan Aramaki, Council Community Facilitator; Dan Weist, Council Communication Director; Molly Farmer, Council Constituent Liaison; Allison Rowland, Council Public Policy Analyst; Lehua Weaver, Council Associate Deputy Director; Amber Pehrson, Council Constituent Liaison; Nick Tarbet, Council Senior Public Policy Analyst; Becky Dangerfield, Council Staff Assistant; Libby Stockstill, Council Constituent Liaison; Brian Fullmer, Council Constituent Liaison; Ben Luedtke, Council Constituent Liaison; Kira Luke, Council Policy & Budget Analyst; Priscilla Tuuao, Council Staff Assistant; Brijette Williams, Council Constituent Liaison/Public Policy Analyst; Samuel Owen, Council Constituent Liaison; Cindy Lou Trishman, Council Staff Assistant; Tracey Fletcher, Council Staff Assistant; Robyn Hoggan, Council Front Office; Linda Sanchez, Council Front Office; Jeff Bedard, Police Officer; and Cindi Mansell, City Recorder. Others Present: Neil Lindberg, Council Legal Advisor; Brian Wilkinson, Outside Consultant; Patricia Comarell, Outside Consultant; Karen Kindred, Outside Consultant; and Jennifer Robinson, Gardner Policy Institute . The meeting was called to order at 2 : 15 . View Agendas 1 . 2:15:05PM Welcome, Introductions & Ice Breaker Councilmember Mendenhall welcomed those present and outlined the Council Retreat/Workshop agenda details . Introductions were made, followed by an Ice Breaker activity. 2 . 2:38:13 PM Group Norms View Attachment Councilmember Mendenhall discussed the concept of the City Council together as a team, yet also representing an individual component. She discussed shared responsibility of budgetary and legislative functions, political environment wherein they might compete for budget items, personal or district interests, and leadership positions . She said in 18 - 1 MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL RETREAT/WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 , 2018 effort to make the group more tangible and expand on previous teachings (Carlton Christensen) , there were a handful of Council ethics that were not in written format/just understood, including: do not forget "it takes four"; always call peers if you are going to change your vote (let them know in advance/communicate) ; do not hold onto grudges; respect the body, etc. She said there was much more to group norms than one could ever attempt to articulate but she wanted to establish a base line so if deviation occurred, the group would know where to return. She said she envisioned guidelines for what results in a safe, collaborative, and productive environment. Councilmember Wharton presented an illustration of a neighborhood, with seven different locations and housing styles . He offered comparison of the neighborhood to individual Council Members, and called it the "Salt Lake City Council Circle" . He said in a neighborhood, people have to work together and all have equal power; individuals cannot be chosen but cannot be kicked out. He said there was desire to be good neighbors on the Council and have good working relationships with each other. He said there would be times when there would be disagreement, but there should be certain understandings between the groups . He offered various scenarios such as a recreational vehicle blocking the street, overly tall fencing, zoning ordinance violations, loud parties, and unlicensed accessory dwelling units and suggested analogy to the need to communicate, not build walls around (or block) each other, or secretly working on individual projects . He suggested the neighborly approach when considering City Council work. Ms . Kindred referenced the Group Norms handout information. She discussed the desire to facilitate cohesiveness of the body under pressure from multiple external political relationships, to render them as productive as possible, knowing how to function, forgiving themselves (and each other) , and knowing what to return to when stepping out. She said transparency equals cohesiveness and a neighborhood ensures trust and safety. She discussed transparency, rules of engagement (firm, fair, and friendly) as being methods to negate defensiveness . She discussed how to encapsulate what this actually would mean to the City Council in moving forward. Discussion followed regarding concepts such as not having conversations about the past, moving forward (not looking back) , tension between personal and political overlap/being able to differentiate between the two, political battles being personal because they contain a personal aspect, potential to misconstrue, not holding onto something personal that can cause resentment, and the potential for when this could prove harmful for relationships . 18 - 2 MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL RETREAT/WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 , 2018 Ms . Kindred said communication was key, and there should be the ability to "just say it" and tell the group why. She said the group should recognize and respect that any given circumstance could have personal or political implications, aspects, or effects to any given Councilmember. She encouraged conversation rather than competition. Councilmember Mendenhall referenced the item to consistently apply and reinforce the rules of decorum in public meetings . She said she personally appreciated the Council' s Standard of Conduct that ensured the ability to handle these types of situations . Ms . Gust-Jenson provided the example of one Councilmember doing something in another Councilmember' s District. She said under policies, Staff would encourage giving a "heads up" to the other member to assist in role clarity and relationships . Ms . Kindred said what one member was doing outside of the Council that could affect the entire Council was key. She encouraged the Council to make each other aware of outside interests and meetings so there were no surprises . Councilmember Mendenhall said she wanted it to be a group norm that when Council Leadership had a meeting or conversation with an outside entity, the remainder of the Council would be informed before of any meeting and after about any results . Councilmember Kitchen said this concept was incredibly important, and there was also need to recognize the two government branches and to loop in the Mayor/Staff as well . Discussion followed regarding respect of the institution, maintaining the integrity of the City Council (and City) , importance of transparency, and representing the entire body. Ms . Kindred said these were all core pieces to consider. Councilmember Rogers discussed concepts such as taking the path of least resistance, bypassing process to get things done, and the need to play within bounds . Councilmember Wharton compared those concepts back to the neighborhood and "no fighting in the front yard" . Councilmember Rogers said sometimes what the City thought was good may not be good for a District (balance of community) . Further discussion followed regarding the need for appropriate balance between the two branches of government. Councilmember Fowler said it legitimately may be impossible to not surprise each other as colleagues and would be disingenuous to say it would never happen. Councilmember Mendenhall said she was not looking for a group norm which the Council could not speak in opposition with one another or the Administration. She said she wanted to speak genuinely yet have the ability to weigh the impacts of speaking out, listening, and open to hearing individual opinions or impacts . Ms . Kindred said openness to speak honestly and truthfully was key to communication. 18 - 3 MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL RETREAT/WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 , 2018 Councilmember Johnston discussed wisdom in looking back at major issues and being able to see that individuals might have acted out of self-interest but the real problem followed when they then isolated themselves from each other, stopped talking, and basically offended each other. He said the group should have the ability to disagree, but maintain the ability to consistently communicate (between any/all) . Ms . Kindred said the norm was an idea that communication was important and safe even when it was hard. Discussion followed regarding how to make it easier for people to start having those necessary conversations, understanding the need to communicate with each other in order to get a voice, chasms being obvious/ineffective or effective at shutting down conversations . There was consensus to disagree agreeably and understand any communication was a two-way conversation and there needed to be the ability to take in the other side of the conversation. The Council discussed the ability to disagree, not worry, resentment not being healthy, and returning to norms together. Discussion included private discussion, potential for small group meetings when a contentious or divided issue was involved. Ms . Gust-Jenson said sometimes Staff or Council were asked to keep items confidential . She said the majority of Council information was in writing and discussed publicly (public record/transparency) which worked best for constituents . Councilmember Mendenhall said norms could be established by what was shared with one Councilmember would be shared with the body (norm of communication) . Ms . Kindred said norms were a culture and not rules . She said it was important for the Council to function well and establish basic ways to conduct business . Ms . Gust-Jenson said Staff would take the conversation points, try to group discussions to determine if there were a few common themes, and distribute information to the Council for review. 3 . 3:44:08PM 2018 Budget & Priorities Review View Attachment Councilmember Mendenhall introduced the 2018 Priorities Review agenda item. Ms . Bruno provided a brief Staff presentation of major budget items in effort to provide the Council with a sense of the financial landscape . She discussed pending needs being addressed prior to consideration of new or optional items . She said approximate annual needs totaled $84, 301, 478 and one-time needs totaled $59, 500, 000 . Discussion followed regarding the Transportation Utility Fee (TUF) option. Mr. Litvack offered information on potential legislation that mostly exempts counties from paying a TUF. He said the Utah League of Cities and Towns (ULCT) had discussed the effectiveness of exempting all 18 - 4 MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL RETREAT/WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 , 2018 tax-exempt entities . He said they had not taken a position on SB120 but were aware more cities had interest in using this option. Ms . Bruno said Staff was not convinced how strong of a tool it would be because it could easily be taken away by the State Legislature . She said it was listed because it could pay for maintenance and public utilities but not police officers . Inquiry was raised as to potential to bond against this, with Ms . Bruno stating possibly due to ongoing revenue stream but typically sales tax bonds yield the lowest borrowing cost. Further discussion followed regarding items such as ongoing golf operating fees, property tax increase, budget cuts, fund balance, and other tools . Inquiry was raised as to Staff vacancy savings, with Ms . Bruno stating it would reflect a one-time funding source. Ms . Gust- Jenson said the more the budget was balanced with one-time funds, the bigger the structural deficit from year to year. Inquiry was raised as to whether some of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) budget could be utilized, with Ms . Bruno stating it would typically be separate . She indicated Staff would provide one chart, including RDA budget, to offer an entire visual picture for consideration. 4 . 3:59:16PM 2018 Mayor Priorities Review Mayor Biskupski thanked the Council for their valued partnership and said information sharing and dialogue was crucial to coming together on a united front rather than allowing others to divide them. She said she intended to discuss the areas of focus in her "State of the City" address tomorrow evening. She said she did not intend to bring anything new into the fold but rather, take action on all the hard work that had taken place during the past two years . She thanked the RDA for sharing funding with Salt Lake City Housing, there were multiple avenues and ways to utilize the fund and leverage it to full potential . She said upon research, it was determined that $6 .2 million spent was leveraged by $150, 000, 000 for affordable housing and definitely paying dividends forward. She said her message today was mostly gratitude for the City Council and RDA for allowing Staff experts to do what they know best. She said she intended on having further discussions and additional dialogue surrounding the Northwest Quadrant. She said there was a great deal of legislative support for Salt Lake City not to be run over on the Northwest Quadrant. Councilmember Mendenhall thanked Mayor Biskupski for her time. She said the Council would begin brainstorming on their priorities after taking a brief glimpse at the existing financial reality and demands . She said she hoped the Council' s work, combined with the content of the existing budget, financial structures, and options for future revenues 18 - 5 MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL RETREAT/WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 , 2018 would continue to be collaborative and bring productive conversation to the budget. She discussed the benefit of including the public' s voice in these discussions and the intent to keep them involved. Mayor Biskupski said it was an exciting time because a great deal of time and effort had gone into consideration of problems and now they have plans, vision, and opportunity to embrace . She said her areas of focus would be the Transit Master Plan, housing, and what needed to happen to implement the Housing Plan as well as the Transit Master Plan. She said Growing SLC had a short-term five-year window and specific items needed to move quickly, in particularly, anything driven by ordinance change . 5 . 4:11:44PM 2018 Council Priorities Exercise Councilmember Mendenhall requested the Council and Staff each take two minutes and produce as many post-it notes with policy ideas, funding opportunities, or straight up interests . She said some would have direct budget requests and some may be more ordinance related than budget. She said Staff would then attempt to group the items to create a reality of the existing landscape (in comparison to Staff bandwidth) to consider which items could be made priority. Ms . Weaver said Staff would note either items which they know were coming up or would naturally return based on what the Council had done. Councilmember Mendenhall said the Council would be considering funding options and budget opportunities to match up priorities and need with possible funding sources at the next meeting. Individual Council Members presented their various ideas, including: implementation of plans created (housing, transit) , Northwest Quadrant, using City property as secondary property (dual purpose community use) , infrastructure, public safety funding, economic development, priority-based budgeting, transportation, public engagement/responsiveness tool or gauge, Japan town/central city, better use of City property (wealth of a City is its land) , ways to get more value or revenue from City property (public/private partnerships) to gauge a more effective return (book value rather than market) , budgeting philosophy from a business concept, City asset inventory tool, homeless issues associated with housing, access to mental and addiction resources, consideration of other city models being utilized, finding resolution (i .e . golf) and not providing funding for everything which requests funding, leveraging investments in affordable housing and housing initiatives by improving access to transit and investing in area infrastructure, long-standing budget needs (Fleet, Golf, Streets) , and significant additional funding for 50 public safety officers . 18 - 6 MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL RETREAT/WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 , 2018 All of the ideas were then grouped and reduced to: Transportation Master Plan Funding, Affordable Housing, curb-to-curb street maintenance, public safety funding, alternate uses for City property, public wealth of the City (overall budget health) , homelessness (including homeless resource center development) , priority-based budgeting, air quality, and the Northwest Quadrant. 6 . 4:53:41PM Priority-Driven Budgeting View Attachments Councilmember Johnston discussed the philosophy and said the City already utilized the process with Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) . He discussed the premise of revenues not growing (potentially shrinking) , and the City continuing to fall farther behind by not doing anything. He said there was a need to define the budget amount and what was most important for the quality of life in SLC, and how to measure success (i .e . prioritize services, properly execute important matters, question past patterns of spending, spend within the organization' s means, know the true cost of doing business, provide transparency of community priorities and service impacts, and demand accountability for results) . Councilmember Johnston considered the concept that if most of the budget was allocated each year before the Council saw it, it would be difficult to change without closing or cutting back departments . He suggested taking new revenue (not encumbered) and focus on trying that for this budgeting process . He said it could entail a fresh start, determine participants, departments, tracking measures, process, annual cycles, visuals (retain accountability and tracking) , and engage and respond to the public. He further discussed potential for public/private partnerships wherein private money could be invested in public needs . He said a requirement of such a process was tracking and discussed new funding models to demonstrate effectiveness in services and to be prepared for the future, along with shrinking revenue and budget restraints, yet having the capacity to increase with the mindset of accountability. He said other areas such as Minneapolis were using that concept, and discussed ideas such as creating a quality of life dashboard for the City with existing data in combination with private sector data on job statistics and education levels . Councilmember Mendenhall said Transit Master Plan funding would benefit not only residents, but businesses (and incoming businesses) along routes . Discussion followed regarding interest in doing projects outside typical realms, committing funding to implement portions of the plan and wanting certain outcomes fulfilled by those investments, or asking the private sector who else would have interest in the City making 18 - 7 MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL RETREAT/WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 , 2018 these kinds of investments and what they want included. The Council discussed the benefits of listening to stakeholders during the creation of a plan as well as direction for funding elements, or potential for other public/private partnerships . Ms . Bruno said it would be good to categorize existing spending to recognize, track, quantify, assign metrics and consider return on investment. She said many departments overlap and thinking around those issues could prove beneficial . Discussion followed regarding allocation not mattering if measurables were not determined. The Council discussed concepts to solve problems yet gain sustainability as well as retain public trust. Councilmember Johnston said this model would address a project or measurable from beginning to end. He said priorities had to be made by a majority of stakeholders with common goals, broadcast to the public, and include transparency as part of the up-front process . Councilmember Johnston suggested the Council consider "can we do it", "should we be doing it" and "can it be done a better way" up front instead of status quo. He said it was not an easy process but they could start putting the process in place with new revenue. 7 . 2018 Priority Project List - Next Steps Discussion followed regarding priorities, Staff capacity, coordination with Administration, and department data being collected. Councilmember Mendenhall discussed a dashboard concept to illustrate fund balance on a continual basis as a reminder to ensure funding was allocated and spent appropriately. Discussion followed regarding if specific projects were assigned under specific priorities and included real time data input, the Council could have a visual briefing versus a written briefing. The Council determined to reiterate their commitment to long- standing priorities of increased funding for public safety, affordable housing, development of new homeless resource centers, and air quality. The Council ultimately determined to pursue the following 2018 priorities: • Facilitating development of the Northwest Quadrant • Funding implementation of the Transit Master Plan • Securing sustainable funding for Street Maintenance Councilmember Mendenhall thanked everyone for attending. She said there would be future discussion, consideration of putting the "Balancing Tests" and "Outline of Expectations" tools into play, and using the 18 - 8 MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL RETREAT/WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 , 2018 contract with the Gardner Policy Institute to further Council priority projects . The meeting adjourned at 7 : 01 p .m. COUNCIL CHAIR CITY RECORDER This document is not intended to serve as a full transcript as additional discussion may have been held; please refer to the audio for the entire content pursuant to Utah Code §52-4-203 (2) (b) . This document along with the digital recording constitute the official minutes of the City Council Retreat Workshop meeting held January 30, 2018 . clm 18 - 9