Issaquah city staff came out in full force Saturday, May 2 for the annual City Council goal setting retreat where the mayor, City Council members and all department heads spent from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. reviewing 2009 goals, hashing out 2010 goals, and discussing budget priorities.

“It went very well, was very successful, and really provides the administration with a sense of council priorities and interests,” Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger said. “The focus this year was much more on the refinement of goals and an understanding of how those goals would be achieved, versus last year, which was a much more general look at things.”

The meeting opened with an opportunity for council members to speak about what they wanted to accomplish that day, policy direction and their hopes for the city.

“What we really need … is to focus less on what we’ve done, and more on where we need to go,” said Council President Maureen McCary, making a claim that came up repeatedly with other council members.

Councilman Josh Schaer agreed, and pointed to the need for better communication between the administration and the council, stating that receiving information late in the game hinders the council’s ability to ask “cohesive, coherent questions” and make timely decisions.

He also suggested re-vamping the goal system, by developing individual goals for each city department and stating what percentage or portion of an on-going city goal should be completed each year.

Many other council members focused on attracting businesses and improving transportation.

Councilwoman Eileen Barber said that the key to bringing in new businesses was to look at the city from a holistic approach — effective mobility, protecting the environment, arts and culture, and human services.

“All of these pieces contribute to the quality of life that interests business owners,” she said.

Council members John Treager and John Rittenhouse agreed, but said it was important to attract the “right” kind of business.

“We have to focus on attracting living-wage jobs, and we have to begin to think about reducing our reliance on retail,” Rittenhouse said. “It brings in a lot of sales tax, but it doesn’t really bring in the types of wages that allow people to live and work here.”

But, inescapable in anyone’s mind was the state of the economy. Ways of keeping Issaquah strong during an economic downturn crept into everyone’s comments, and Councilman Fred Butler emphasized the importance of keeping the city focused and prepared for whatever direction the economy takes.

“We need to be prepared to respond quickly as the economic conditions warrant, and now is the ideal time to focus on what we’re doing toward those factors,” he said.

Budget concerns

The city has several options available to combat a lack of funding, including using strategic reserves, or cutting back basic levels of service.

There is a $7 million strategic reserve fund that can be accessed if need be, and about $1.75 million of it is available for use during times of economic downturn, said Jim Blake, city finance director.

Issaquah has not reached a point where that’s necessary, but some services have been cut back on; an example cited by Frisinger was street sweeping frequency.

“We’re at a tipping point,” she said. “Right now, the stress on the city has been largely invisible, but we’re getting to a point where it may become visible.”

Council members agreed that some “luxuries” such as hanging baskets and holiday lights merited cuts, but that there are essentials that have to be funded; public safety, human services, city infrastructure, and the water fund, among others.

Schaer emphasized that they didn’t have to settle on one option, but could use a myriad of strategies to keep the city running well. He also pointed to the need to take action.

“At some point, we’ve got to get off the defensive and on the offensive,” Schaer said. “We’ve been doing a good job of keeping the puck out of our zone, but we have to get back on the offense and make stuff happen. Using our reserves is probably the best first option to make that happen.”

2010 goals

Council members pared down their goals substantially from the year before, removing anything that has been completed or is in the process of being completed from the list.

They were, however, careful to emphasize that removing something from the goal list doesn’t mean the city has given up on it; it’s been “institutionalized,” in that situation, just doesn’t need to be reiterated, Rittenhouse said.

The goal setting process was much more focused and less generalized than in the past, she said.

The council ended the day with nine goals focused on:

• Improving mobility in Issaquah’s transportation system

• Sustainability

• Earning our citizens’ confidence, faith and trust in the City government

• Parks programs and facilities

• Salmon habitat

• Ensuring a safe community

• Continuing implementation of the economic vitality plan

• Continuing to impact and influence regional decision-making

• Exploring and establishing a technology commission

Council members will be finalizing the goals over the next several months, and will use them as a guide when developing the 2010 budget in the fall.

For more information, go to www.ci.issaquah.wa.us.