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City Council <br />Meeting Minutes <br />July 16, 2024 <br />Page 5 of 7 <br />Mayor Leh called out the Cultural Services and the Recreation/Senior Center staff for <br />their very high scores. He noted some of the numbers show a decline in ratings, so <br />these are opportunities to improve. He noted it has been a hard four years since the last <br />survey with COVID and the Marshall Fire. He stated the priorities identified in the report <br />are very consistent with what he hears in the community. <br />Councilmember Hoefner stated he is troubled by the decreases in scores in some <br />areas. The report does give us good direction on what our priorities should be. <br />Economic Vitality and commercial vacancies continue to be a core concern for many, <br />and we need to find ways to address that issue. <br />Councilmember Hamlington wants to ensure this information is threaded through the <br />work we are doing and that the data is used to make future decisions. <br />Councilmember Kern agreed the Recreation, Cultural Services, and museum are highly <br />valued and appreciated. She would like to see the areas where there are declining <br />ratings made a priority and to address economic vitality specifically. It is clear the empty <br />buildings need to be addressed and the website needs to be easier to use. We will take <br />this information seriously. <br />Councilmember Bierman stated the message is loud and clear for economic vitality. He <br />found it interesting that there is low support for mixed -use development yet residents <br />want the buildings filled. There are some dichotomies in this report. We will need to <br />improve the score for City government. <br />Mayor Leh stated we want to live up to the expectations of the community. We will use <br />this information to make sure we work better and set priorities. <br />Acting City Manager Fox stated staff does anticipate diving into this and using the <br />information as we come to Council with future work to support where the community <br />wants to go. She noted this was a very good survey result compared to national <br />averages. It is a testament to current and past councils and staff that the ratings are <br />very high after a very tough four years with COVID and the Marshall Fire. <br />Councilmember Fahey agreed the ratings are still very high after COVID and the <br />Marshall Fire and that is a testament to staff. <br />Mayor Leh noted the citizens have very high expectations and those did not flag during <br />our recent crises. We have to look at those expectations as we move into budget <br />discussions and we are going to have to make hard choices regarding where we put <br />funding. <br />DISCUSSION/DIRECTION/ACTION — INTERIM CITY MANAGER <br />