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retie pi I A- ANL 1 City Manager's Budget Message INTRODUCTION Through public and private investment, Pleasanton has created a quality infrastructure to support business opportunities. The business sector is a key anchor of Pleasanton's strong and cohesive community which values the jobs provided for residents and the revenues generated by local businesses. To remain competitive in business attraction and retention, particularly in the current economic climate, it is important to build upon our strengths. Over the next two years, the City will develop a number of initiatives to ensure its economic vitality. These include efforts to foster a green economy, business incentive programs, business retention and expansion programs, and an emphasis on tourism. In addition, the City's Economic Development Strategic Plan will serve as a roadmap to guide the creation and maintenance of an economically sustainable business landscape in Pleasanton. The Economic Vitality Committee has identified key objectives, benchmarks and measurements to implement the plan. Also included is the creation of a marketing campaign to promote local businesses through a retail strategy based upon trends and new opportunities. The goal is to encourage residents to shop locally and to attract new commerce to the city. Strengthen Youth Programs Services and Activities Partnerships with the school district and community continue to be a success. In response to Pleasanton's changing demography and to further improve programs, services and opportunities for partnerships, the Youth Master Plan (Master Plan) will be updated in the coming year. This Master Plan is a priority identified in the adopted City Council Work Plan. Originally completed in 1999, the Master Plan initiated the establishment of the Youth Master Plan Implementation Committee (YMPIC). The YMPIC continues to have oversight of the Master Plan and has completed an audit of its current goals and objectives. YMPIC members have been trained to engage community focus groups and will be working to collect input from the community using a variety of tools. Later this year the community will have an opportunity to review and comment on the updated goals and objectives. The updated Youth Master Plan will guide the priorities for Pleasanton Youth for the next five years. The Police Department has worked closely with the City Manager's office, Youth Commission, YMPIC (including the Tri Valley Adolescence Health Initiative) and PUSD to curtail teen alcohol consumption and at- risk behavior. Input has been received and several projects of support for new endeavors to address this issue have been completed including: town hall meetings for teen driving safety, input and support for PUSD suicide prevention forums, new MADD multimedia presentation for all 10th grade students, updated DARE curriculum for 8th grade students, officer training to leverage referrals to local resources such as AXIS and special at -risk training for School Resource Officers. This budget continues these efforts. Assure a Safe and Secure Community The most important service local government provides is ensuring the safety and security of its citizens, businesses and visitors, and public safety is of the highest priority in Pleasanton. In addition to enhancing our focus on routine police patrols and traffic enforcement activities, the operating budget continues to invest