Council sets goals for 2017 fiscal year budget preparation

After requesting feedback from the community at their last meeting, the Sidney City Council approved this week the preliminary findings of their goal setting retreat from last month to provide city administration direction as they prepare for the coming fiscal year's budget.

On April 21, council convened for a special meeting in the meeting room at the Hampton Inn located at 635 Cabela's Dr. to discuss and prioritize their long-term and short-term goals for City Manager Ed Sadler as well as city staff.

The retreat was facilitated by Nebraska Extension, with Don Macke, co-director for the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship acting as its moderator. Extension educator Connie Hancock and rural sociologist Randy Cantrell were also present for the retreat.

Prior to the retreat, the council, along with Sadler, City Clerk Geri Anthony and City Attorney J. Leef, filled out a survey identifying what they saw as Sidney's major accomplishments, issues, concerns, trends, opportunities and its significant initiatives or programs.

Council members also identified in the survey what they felt were their short-term goals, to be considered for the next two years, and their long-term goals, which could be implemented within the next three to five years.

External stakeholders representing the city's economic development community were also interviewed as part of the survey.

Using the results from the survey, councilors each identified their individual top three short-term and long-term goals for Sidney, and then voted from that list which they felt were the priorities.

According to the preliminary findings, the council's top long-term goal, which received four votes at the retreat, is economic development, which includes focusing on Industrial Park and Business Park as well as attracting new businesses and executing a target economic development study and plan.

City streets and utilities both received three votes at the retreat, while city recreation resources and city public facilities each garnered two votes.

In short-term goals, economic development topped the priorities list with five votes. Broadening the city's long-term financing options was the next priority with four votes, followed by city streets with three votes and parks and recreation strategy and development receiving two votes.

The preliminary findings from the retreat were presented to council during the council's May 10 meeting to allow for changes or additions before finalizing them. The council decided to table any action, however, until the public was given a chance to review the findings, which were posted on the city's website, and make comments.

During Tuesday's meeting, the preliminary findings were again presented to the council for approval. Mayor Mark Nienhueser opened the floor to public comments to start the agenda item, but none were received.

Sadler said no public comments regarding the findings were made through email or traditional mail prior to the meeting, either.

Nienhueser then asked his fellow councilors if they had any corrections or additions they wanted to make to the findings.

Councilor Roger Gallaway said while he felt the goal setting retreat was a great idea, he had concerns with the format.

"In my mind, maybe it would have been better to do the short-term goals before the long-term goals," he said. "I think that would have changed the outcome of some things."

Sadler said he did not disagree with Gallaway.

"I'm sure there were things that were put on the long-term because you weren't sure they would make the short-term," he said.

"Exactly," Gallaway said.

Gallaway said he would encourage the city perform a public survey prior to any future goal-setting retreat.

"That the council can take into the retreat with them," he said.

Sadler said it was discussed beforehand, but his concern, with this being the council's first retreat, was that it would be "somewhat overwhelming."

"That could have been some really broad things, and as it was you had a lot of items to consider to try to narrow this down and consolidate," he said.

Nienhueser said one thing they could have "dusted off" was performing another comprehensive study in the near future.

"The last one was in, what, 2012?" he asked. "As we get further away that 2012, it becomes less relevant."

Councilor Wendall Gaston asked Sadler about his experience running a "constant survey" through a city website. Sadler said Aspen, Colo., where he used to be assistant city manager, was famous for its surveys.

"We had all sorts of things tied to it," he said. "Especially in service departments where people are constantly coming in and out."

Sadler said such surveys are productive when they are given during the time the person receives a service, but not as much when they are given at the end of a year.

"I know there's been some places that do a town hall every quarter and take comments in that way," he said. "That's sort of their 'public feelers' about what are the issues in the summer as opposed to what may be more of an issue in the winter, so I think you've got other methods to do this."

Councilor Joe Arterburn said one glaring thing he could see in the preliminary findings is the omission of rebuilding 13th Ave.

"We've been talking about rebuilding 13th (Ave.) for years, and now it got bumped off of being a short-term," Arterburn said. "It's on the honorable mention, but it's not one of the top four, and that's been an issue before council for years and years and years."

Gaston said the project is one they had talked about enough, so it would not get lost in the shuffle, but he would still like to see a projected cost first.

Gallaway said council had budgeted for an engineering study this year, but Sadler said it was put on hold while they worked on their goals.

"I guess I was still looking at that as part of that overall view, that you wanted to take this holistic view, of how we're going to carry our street maintenance approach," he said. "Rather than deal with specifics, I was expecting there to be the study first, or at least a plan, of how we're going to tackle our street repairs and maintenance."

Nienhueser suggested to at least have under the short-term goals the preliminary cost estimate for 13th Ave. from Illinois St. to the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks.

"That gets us to a point to where we will know whether it's going to be $1 million or $5 million to do that," he said.