Parking Permit Ad Hoc Committee Meeting

At the 1.16.24 Council meeting, we discussed the potential of a parking permit program in Stranahan and nearby neighborhoods.  At that meeting, the Council directed staff to come back with an agenda item to form an ad hoc Committee to discuss the issue.  At the 2.20.24 meeting, the Council designated myself, and Councilmember Tillman to form this ad hoc Committee.  

The ad hoc Committee is holding its first meeting  in the Stranahan Park on Monday, April 29 at 4pm.  For anyone interested please show up and we can discuss the issue and ideas for potential solutions.

On Negotiations with the CBCA

After Vice Mayor Trupiano cancelled her membership to the CBCA last week based on a pattern of behavior by certain CBCA members, there was renewed discussion regarding the negotiations between the City and the CBCA regarding a new Master Use Agreement (MUA).  After discussion with some members, it appears as though the leadership of the CBCA never shared the status or progress of negotiations, and instead characterized the conclusion of our discussions as the City rejecting their offers.  As this is not a fair characterization of events, in the interest of transparency I thought it useful to share the timeline of events:

3.7.23 – MUA between City and CBCA terminated effective 7.1.23.  Prior agreement can be found here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P2k4G4hIIfl_wExiiyZcxFSuDZpeO521/view?usp=sharing

City establishes Ad hoc Committee to renegotiate MUA.  My summary here:  https://www.jeffwanforclaytoncitycouncil.net/2023/03/my-3723-meeting-summary.html

3.15.23 – First meeting held with CBCA and Ad Hoc Committee.  My summary of the meeting here:  https://www.jeffwanforclaytoncitycouncil.net/2023/03/update-on-ongoing-discussions-with-cbca.html

May-23  CBCA cancels BBQ and Brew festival, citing uncertainty over fees, even though the fee waiver was still effective at the time.  I shared my thoughts here:  https://www.jeffwanforclaytoncitycouncil.net/2023/05/thoughts-on-bbq-and-brews-cancellation.html

July-23 – In a phone call with the President of the CBCA, I propose a revenue sharing agreement in exchange for a waiver of fees and part of a new MUA.   I wrote about it here:  https://www.jeffwanforclaytoncitycouncil.net/2023/07/common-ground-and-winwin-for-special.html

8.30.23  – In a phone call with the President of the CBCA, the revenue sharing proposal is rejected with no counter proposal offered.  I was told I would hear back about alternatives after the Sept 7 CBCA Board meeting.

9.27.23 – I host a town hall meeting at Hoyer Hall and take any and all questions.  Some are regarding negotiations with CBCA.  I indicate that I have been trying for months to meet with CBCA leadership and after proposing several dates I am told it may be “a while” due to medical reasons.  I write about the event here:  https://www.jeffwanforclaytoncitycouncil.net/2023/09/townhall-92723-summary.html

10.11.23 – CBCA sends invitation to meet.  After aligning schedules, we set meeting for 10.20.23.

10.20.23 CBCA leadership and the Ad Hoc Committee meets.  All information and correspondence regarding these meetings and associated negotiations can be found here:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o3L9gPKuidvwJE3nLqJH2m03yjw1Y-eR?usp=drive_link

In summary, in exchange for a waiver of Special Event fees, CBCA proposed a 5% revenue share, with an annual cap of $25,000.  CBCA was also interested in designated specific capital projects that the revenue share would be attributable to and that the organization could get recognition for.  The proposal suggested starting at a date certain in the future, with some contributions made to the City in the interim.

In response, the Ad Hoc Committee made a counter proposal actually reducing the % of revenue share to 4%, and also argued against the cap.  The current discounted Special Events Fee would be approximately $7K/day.  The Committee stated that at a 4% revenue share, CBCA events would need to generate $700K in gross revenue to yield a $28K City share.  $700K gross revenue is greater than what past events have generated, so under the proposed revenue share the CBCA would pay less than the current fee schedule calls for.  In addition, each event has historically required several days of preparation both before hand for setup, and afterwards for takedown.  As such, it is almost certain that the Special Event Fees for Art & Wine and Oktoberfest combined under the new Master Fee Schedule will exceed $28,000.

For the city, a major purpose of the proposed revenue sharing agreement was precisely to align the interests of the CBCA and the City.  In practice this would mean the City would share in the favorable or unfavorable results of events.  Larger events that generate greater revenue for the CBCA would yield greater revenue for the City.  Smaller events that didn't generate significant revenue would pay much lower fees, a .  A cap is contrary to this purpose - especially a cap set at ostensibly a similar amount that would be paid without a revenue sharing agreement.

The Ad Hoc Committee invited further discussion but none was offered by CBCA leadership and the City did not hear back after that.

1.12.24 – President of the CBCA sends communication to its members, not to the City or its Ad Hoc Committee, that the prior proposal was their last, best, and final offer and would not seek further negotiations.

I continue to hold out hope that the City and the CBCA can come to terms that is mutually beneficial for each, and especially the residents of Clayton.

 

 

My 4.16.24 Meeting Summary

Earlier this week the Council met to discuss one significant item:

The Council appointed Frank Gavidia to the Community Financial Sustainability Committee (CFSC).  We also renewed the term for the two existing members, Howard Kaplan and Hank Stratford.  Both existing members were appointed previously but due to lack of quorum the Committee could not meet.  Between the three, there is a Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).  

During the interview process with the Budget and Audit Committee, Frank was asked why he was stepping up to serve now.  He mentioned that even though he felt he was treated unfairly while serving on the Planning Commission based on politics, the fact was that this committee was needed to help build trust within the community and he could be effective in that role.  And since no one qualified had stepped up to serve, he believed that his knowledge and experience would be a benefit to the City overall.

The mission of the Committee is to act in an advisory capacity to the City Manager and City Council to make recommendations on the annual budget and other financial matters related to the City.  It is the goal of the Committee to increase engagement in the community regarding City financial matters.  The Committee has wide latitude on how they wish to direct their inquiry and activity.  They are charged with identifying areas to evaluate for financial savings and/or revenue generation.

As the idea of the CFSC was originally brought forward by Councilmember Cloven, it was odd to see him engage in what could only be described as mansplaining while he berated Vice Mayor Trupiano over the candidate's perceived political views.  The members of the CFSC are a group of people who have stepped up and offered to serve for the benefit of the City and I look forward to seeing the work that they produce.  

The Council voted 4-0-1 to appoint the new member and renew the existing members.  After introducing the idea, stressing the importance of the work, and trying to get the CFSC off the ground, Councilmember Cloven abstained.

At the end of the meeting during Council Reports, Vice Mayor Trupiano reported out some troubling information.  She has been working at securing sponsorships for City Sponsored Special Events, and has been having a very successful year.  Unfortunately, she was informed by some sponsors that members of the CBCA have been contacting them and challenging their support of City events.  This is actively working against the interests of the City.  

While Vice Mayor Trupiano has been working diligently to secure sponsorships benefiting the City and it is incredibly disappointing to learn that there are those trying to undermine that good work. She announced that until that organization can be more focused on supporting the businesses in this community, which is why it was started, rather than pushing their own agenda, she can no longer in good faith be a part of it and promptly cancelled her membership to the CBCA.

On Accusations of Meddling and Overreach

Earlier this week the editor of the Pioneer acquired emails sent by staff prior to their departure through what she claims was a Public Records Act (PRA) request.  In sharing the emails, she included commentary continuing to blame me for "meddling and overreach".  The editor claims this was quoted from our City Manager himself, however the word "meddling" does not appear in the email.  In her zest it appears she embellished the claim as is her pattern.  Here is the email that she shared:

Vague accusations of meddling and overreach without evidence is easy and has become the common refrain from detractors. This has been the case on multiple occasions - an vague assertion that something nefarious is happening without evidence - surprising from an editor of a newspaper.  

A little background on what appears to be the issue. At our 10.3.23 meeting, the Council rejected a proposal to spend $400K on a piecemeal approach to various landscaping issues, and instead directed staff to come back with a holistic view of what the City's needs were to we can make more informed decisions. Our City Manager welcomed the idea.

Approximately 5 months passed before we saw anything from that direction. City staff also neglected to perform a mid year budget review during this time as well. When the Council received this holistic analysis there was little in terms of detail regarding the forecast and more discussion about what services levels could be cut and what taxes could be raised.

I asked to see the supporting documents - after 5 months of effort there should be some support. It is unfortunate but true that policy analysis requires detailed review. Unfortunately this legitimate request was denied. When asking questions and simple straightforward requests are denied, it raises my concern, as it should with everyone.

Looking through details is how it was discovered that the City executed a non-cancellable $30K contract (the limit of signing authority) right before staff resigned. Or how it was discovered that there were tens of thousands of dollars set aside in the budget for promotions and new positions that had not been approved.

If that is the example of meddling and overreach, I stand by my request. It is my right as a Councilmember and as a citizen to see and ask questions about how my government is operating. It is how we as Councilmembers remain informed and make better decisions. 

After involving the City Attorney on my legitimate request, I finally received the files. After 5 months of time, I would charitably characterize the level of analysis as light.  Here are the series of related  communications:

I've saved them for viewing if anyone is interested. The files may need to be saved off to be viewed properly.  I've saved the actual files as well as the associated emails in my request here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BVo5Xatb9S8X7CRQHpBllUqE2kqELWRm?usp=drive_link

Upcoming Meeting 4.16.24

At our next meeting we will be discussing one significant item:

- We will consider the recommendation from the Budget & Audit Committee to appoint a new applicant to the Community Financial Sustainability Committee, and renew the terms of the existing members.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

Regarding Political Theater

Public comment at the meeting on 3.19.24 mostly related to the recent Op-Ed in the Pioneer.  Of the few people who spoke, all were well known to the Council and speak at our meetings often.  These are the same people who's letters to the editor were published and often echo the comments of Councilmember Tillman and Cloven.

It’s interesting watching a manufactured narrative be propagated. The most recent is the amount of staff turnover at the City in an Op-Ed at our local paper. The Op-Ed asserts the City has turned over 8 City Managers, 7 Finance Directors, and 5 Community Development Directors in the last 5 years.

To be sure, there has been turnover at City Hall at a level that is undesirable. But it is not accurate to say that all turnover is for the same reasons. Some have left due to retirement, others seeking career growth, others for higher compensation, and others because the role may not have been a good fit. In some cases when a person separates, there are Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) or information subject to attorney-client privilege that is unable to be shared publicly. For example, if there were credible allegations of inappropriate treatment towards female subordinates, it would need to be addressed but that action would likely be taken in a way not able to be shared publicly. In short, trying to create a narrative that people are leaving for the same reason, and the reason is somehow known to an editorial author, is intentionally misleading and false.

Beyond misleading however, is inflating the number of people who have left to sensationalize a narrative. For example, the claim that in the past five years, the City has gone through eight City Managers. In reality, including the recent resignation of our current City Manager, the real number is four which is inclusive of the retirement of a person with 17 years of tenure. The only way that the figure comes to eight is if those serving in interim roles were counted. But this is intentionally misleading as these are different roles. There is a reason the title is “INTERIM City Manager”, and not simply “City Manager”. They are literally different roles - the difference in title is a pretty good clue of that. The author either didn’t understand this basic fact, or purposely conflated the difference to mislead readers.

Those who take on interim roles intend to only stay in the role as long as is needed to find a person on a permanent basis. In fact, many of the people who take on interim roles are retirees who are restricted from working over a certain number of hours. Similar discrepancies exist for the other positions mentioned as well.

Another intentionally misleading part of the Op Ed is that it blames the rate of turnover in the last 5 years on Mayor Diaz, myself, and Vice Mayor Trupiano. What it leaves out is that most of the inflated figures of people left while myself and Mayor Diaz were clearly in the minority on the Council, and Vice Mayor Trupiano hadn’t been elected. In fact, our current City Manager is the first in the role to leave while the group the Op Ed blames has been in the majority. To be clear, this is not to cast blame on other Councilmembers past or present– as I stated above people separate for a variety of reasons.

When someone intentionally misleads with exaggerations to push a narrative, it undermines their credibility. It is political theater and is also what Councilmember Tillman’s repeated badgering about having our City Attorney conduct an investigation into Councilmembers is all about.

To be clear, our City Attorney is able to take action independently if they have evidence or suspect any action that presents risk to the City. Without being prompted, our City Attorney has in the past offered counsel and advice unsolicited in areas they felt appropriate, and has given direction on other matters as well. Our City Manager has authority to engage a third party for up to $30K without any other approval from Council that could be used to engage a third party investigation should they so choose. Both of these roles exercise independent judgment and have not taken any action related to Councilmember Tillman’s requests for an investigation. The only reason to continually ask for an investigation is to engage in political theater and a sophomoric attempt to try and score political points. 

The City certainly has work ahead both in terms of staffing and in its finances. It’s unfortunate that rather than find ways to work together, there are those that would rather exaggerate and mislead in order to divide the community. As I have done throughout my tenure, I will continue to do what’s best for the City and this community.

My 3.19 Meeting Summary

Last night the Council met to discuss a several significant items:

- First we met in closed session to discuss the appointment of an Interim City Manager.  There were no reportable actions from the closed session.  As we go through the process of finding a new City Manager there will likely be several more closed sessions where the Council deliberates.  

- On the consent calendar we updated the City's Purchasing Policy to require an informational item any time the City Manager exercises their discretion in executing service/consulting agreements including a quarterly report out of all ongoing such agreements.  Recently the Budget and Audit Committee discussed with staff some of these expenditures, including over nearly $20K in HR consulting, nearly $20K in assistance implementing SB 1383 for recycling, $30K in a non-cancellable contract for the video website Rep'd, on top of the approximate $2K/week for accounting assistance.

- We received an update on the Interim and permanent City Manager positions and chose Bob Murray and Associates for the firm to assist in both placements.  Bob Murray is a well known governmental recruitment agency and agreed to do both placements at no cost other than direct out of pocket expenses.  We also appointed an ad-hoc committee to assist staff in administrative inquiries and later to facilitate negotiations with candidates.

Originally Councilmember Cloven was opposed to forming this ad-hoc committee, concerned that such a committee would unduly influence the process.  Our City Attorney explained that having the committee is a benefit to staff and that without it, the process may be delayed because we could only address inquiry during Council meetings rather than on an ad hoc basis.  In the interest of alleviating staff burden, I suggested it could be beneficial and that I would support Vice Mayor Trupiano and either Councilmember Tillman or Cloven.  Councilmember Tillman declined.  

Cloven relayed to me that he was very upset that upon hearing of the resignation of our City Manager, I had called Bob Murray and Associates directly.  Bob Murray and Associates is under contract with the City to provide recruitment services at no cost given the prior placement and I wanted to give them a heads up that the City would likely be in contact.  In these matters, time is of the essence and given that we would only have 1 regularly scheduled meeting between the time notice was given and our City Manager's departure, this was appropriate.  I also communicated the same to staff and our City Attorney as no one had yet made contact with the recruiter.

Cloven felt that upon hearing of the departure of a key staff member, we should wait until a meeting to discuss what we should do, even simple administrative functions like making a phone call.  And while Councilmember Cloven originally declined being part of the ad hoc committee, when he realized that if he didn't do it, I would, he changed his mind.  This vote was 5-0.

- We then discussed declaring up to 5 acres of two large City owned parcels at the bottom of Peacock Creek as surplus consistent with the Surplus Land Act (SLA).  The City does not use this land, and a developer has expressed interest in purchasing it for housing development.  The SLA requires that any surplus land first be offered to affordable housing developers for a period of 60 days.  If no affordable housing developers express interest, then the City can sell the land in the open market.  This vote was 5-0.

Upcoming Council Meeting 3.19.24

At our next Council meeting we will be discussing a couple significant items:

- We will receive an update on the Interim City Manager and City Manager recruitment process.

- We will discuss declaring a portion of certain city owned parcels as surplus in connection with the CA Surplus Land Act.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

My 3.5.24 Meeting Summary - A Path Forward

Last night the Council started our meeting with a recognition and celebration of the City's 60th anniversary.  People were invited to share their history with Clayton and what being in Clayton has meant to them.  The event was organized by our City Clerk and it was great to hear from and talk with people.

After the celebration, we moved into our regular meeting and discussed several significant items:

- We received a presentation regarding the City's five year financial forecast.  The forecast was similar to what we've seen in the past.  Deficits beginning this year, and continuing for all foreseeable years growing larger each year.  As with any forecast, it relies on many assumptions.  These assumptions in the long run will almost certainly be off by some degree, but barring some incredibly significant event like a global pandemic, not off so much that the forecast is not directionally accurate.

Clayton is generally more predictable than other cities for a number of reasons.  We're smaller both in size, population, number of employees, and the types of activities those employees perform.  This makes expenses easier to predict.  We have a concentration of revenue from property taxes which are generally the most stable tax base available.  This means that the city's revenues are less elastic when it comes to economic swings, making revenues easier to predict.  The areas of highest volatility are health care and pension (PERS).  These are costs that we do not have the ability to influence so large swings could have a significant impact to the finances of the City.  

Overall the forecast for the General Fund was as follows:

More on how to address the projected deficits below.

- We reviewed the current Reserve Policy.  The Reserve Policy controls how the City's overall reserves should or should not be used.  Currently the General Fund Reserve is approximately $7.7M.  This represents approximately 125% of our annual General Fund expenses.  For perspective, most public agencies have general fund reserves significantly lower - Concord at 30%, Contra Costa County at 10%.

It's also important to note what these reserves represent.  All of the $7.7M is an excess of tax collection over and above the amount of services provided by the City.  Part of this is due to overly conservative budgeting and staff vacancies.  And it is certainly prudent for the City to retain a portion of funds for unforeseen circumstances, or to fund longer range activities over time.  But it is also true that over time, this underspending that has led to the larger accumulation of fund balance, necessarily means that certain activities or services that have been deferred could have been performed.

On a 5-0 vote, we adopted a policy setting our general reserve at 40%.  We also adopted on a 5-0 vote assignments within the reserve for specific purposes like potential budget stabilization, capital projects, vehicle replacement, etc.  Making these assignments is not a commitment to spend, however it does indicate the intention to utilize these funds for certain things for the betterment of the City.

- We discussed potential actions we could take based on the above forecast presented - either increasing taxes (revenue measures), or decreasing services (austerity measures).

When I ran for re-election in 2022, I committed to not supporting any tax increase unless it was a last resort.  When I first raised the issue of structural deficits in Jul-21, I did so with the intention of starting discussion, and motivating analysis.  Unfortunately that did not occur in earnest for a variety of reasons and in 2022 I did not believe that a sufficient level of diligence had occurred to support going to the taxpayer and asking them to tighten their belts as the City had not demonstrated it had done the same.

This is why after I was re-elected, I lead the Council to look at all potential ways to decrease costs and  increase revenues.  I wrote about what actions we took in greater detail here:  https://www.jeffwanforclaytoncitycouncil.net/2023/12/my-12523-meeting-summary.html.  

What we did that hadn’t been done previously was to begin to gather the information necessary to assess where we are as a City. Instead of rushing out pushing an idea of an exorbitant tax increase immediately, As Mayor in 2023, I took a more measured and prudent approach. Doing this allowed us as a City to make smarter choices, have more thoughtful conversations, and ultimately coalesce around a better approach that works for the City.

Based on the work we've done throughout 2023 and continuing, I believe we've taken all significant steps available to us in order to increase revenue and reduce costs.  We've looked at our Expense Policy, our Investment Policy, our Master Fee Schedule, conducted time studies on hours spent in all major areas including maintenance across the city.  We updated how we operate in several areas across City Hall to reduce unnecessary work.  We've invested in new technology and new ways to work to make the time spent by staff more efficient.  We've begun investments in our energy and utility infrastructure to be more cost and energy efficient over time.  We will continue to pursue any and all ways that are available to reduce cost and be more efficient.  

However, even with all of these efforts, it is now clear that the City needs more revenue in order to operate.  Rapidly rising inflation impacting the cost of all goods and the ability for Clayton to stay competitive from a staff compensation perspective has only exacerbated this need.  Increasing revenue is the only way that allows the city to provide necessary services and continue to help make Clayton a wonderful place to live and raise a family.  

Staff proposed placing a ballot measure this November 2024 to increase sales tax between 0.5% and 1.0%.  The rationale for doing so had merit.  Sales tax is paid by anyone who shops in Clayton so an increase in sales tax would generate a portion of revenue from those visiting and shopping within Clayton.  A 0.5% increase would not be sufficient to cover the projected deficits, so staff recommended the higher amount. A 1% increase in sales tax would keep Clayton in line with other nearby cities as well.

While I think a sales tax measure has merit, I raised a few concerns.

• The sales tax base in Clayton is relatively small, approximately 11% of general fund revenue.  Sales tax revenue tends to be more volatile with market changes over time.
• Currently Clayton has a Landscape Maintenance District (LMD) that assesses a per parcel tax on every household of approximately $290/year.  The LMD funds a significant level of maintenance in the City.  The LMD is also going to sunset in 2027.  Because tax measures can generally only be placed on the ballot during general election years, this means that in order to maintain the current funding that the LMD relies on, we would also need to seek voter approval for the continuation of the LMD.  This means that if we were to move forward with a sales tax measure in 2024, we would again need to come back to the voters and seek approval for another tax in 2026.  I didn't think it would be reasonable to ask voters to approve taxes multiple election cycles in a row.
• The LMD is a special tax.  This means it can only be used for specific purposes.  Because the City has a small number of employees, the same group of people could be doing general work in the City at a point in time, then immediately do work that qualifies under the LMD.  The tracking and administrative burden to ensure record keeping and financial reporting is burdensome and is not a value add activity.  In addition, the protocol for required meetings can also be a burden on staff time as well.
• Recently our City Manager informed us of his resignation.  This means that there will be significant time and energy dedicated to filling this vacancy.  This short term uncertainty adds risk should we seek to pursue a sales tax in 2024 as there is quite a bit of activity needed to give us the highest chance of success.

As an alternative, I suggested another plan.  Rather than rush to seek a sales tax measure for 2024, I suggested that we allow the LMD to sunset, and in 2026 place on a the ballot a general parcel tax that would replace what the LMD covers in addition to the other shortfalls we have as a city.  This means that residents would stop paying the approximate $290/year LMD assessment, and instead pay a general assessment.  This has several advantages:

• It gives us time.  Successfully passing a revenue measure takes significant work in informing residents of why this is necessary and what value it adds.  The more time we take to do this the greater chance of success.
• It makes us more efficient.  Shifting from a special tax which is what the LMD is, to a general tax means that all of the non-value add tracking, recording, reporting, and meeting goes away.  
• It's more stable.  Property taxes in Clayton are a stable less subject to market volatility.
• A single request.  Instead of asking for taxes in 2024, and then again in 2026, this method only asks the residents for money a single time.

Ultimately I considered how we would set up our revenue sources if we were starting from the beginning.  There was widespread agreement that a general parcel tax was a better overall outcome.  Unlike many other issues the Council has discussed recently, we were able to discuss these alternatives and reach a consensus.  We approved this course of action 4-1.  Councilmember Tillman was supportive, however she believed that a sales tax measure in 2024 was a better choice so she voted no.

Because it will take time to execute this plan, we know that we will need to use some of our reserves to fund current operations.  The use of reserves should have a high bar to overcome.  In this case, because we have a plan, and it's for a limited duration, I believe it is appropriate in this instance.  

If we are successful, we will set up the City to get out from under the weight of looming deficits and struggling to pay a market rate to our employees.  We will have created the environment where the City and its residents can thrive.

Over the next 18-24 months the City will be engaged in all of the activities necessary to bring a ballot initiative forward in 2026, including taking the time to do a detailed assessment so we can quantify and demonstrate what this amount will be used for.  During that time there will be questions and I look forward to discussing it with our residents.

Upcoming Council Meeting 3.5.24

Before our next regularly scheduled Council meeting, we will be Celebrating Clayton's 60th anniversary at 6:30pm on 3.5.24.  Please join us and share your thoughts on your history with Clayton, and what living in Clayton has meant to you. Everyone is welcome and we would be honored if you could attend and participate.

We will have cake and refreshments.

Afterwards, we will have our regularly scheduled meeting where we will be discussing a couple of significant items:

- We will review an updated five year forecast, an updated reserve policy, and discuss potential November 2024 ballot measure to increase taxes.

- We will discuss the current purchasing policy.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

Clayton Celebrates Our 60th Anniversary

Before our regular business at our next Council meeting, the City will be starting early in celebration of our 60th anniversary.  It wills start at 6:30pm on March 5, 2024.

Mayor Jim Diaz will be reading a proclamation in celebration and we are inviting speakers to attend and share their thoughts on their history with Clayton, and what living in Clayton has meant to them.  Everyone is welcome and we would be honored if you could attend and participate.

A cake and refreshments will be served.

My 2.20.24 Meeting Summary

On Tuesday the Council met to discuss two significant items:

- From our last meeting, there were nine strategic goals that were identified:

1. Public Safety, Infrastructure, and accessibility (roads, sidewalks, and ADA)
2. Community Parks and Recreation
3. Economic Development- promoting available spaces, growing number of families into community, improved downtown activity
4. Maintain vibrant police force, maintaining community policing model
5. Balancing the budget
6. Maintain the aesthetic of the City of Clayton (LMD)
7. Disaster Preparedness and Fire Prevention
8. Preserving the historical nature of the town
9. Environmental Sustainability

From there, we formed a mix of two person ad hoc committees among Councilmembers to discuss and present the strategic objective of each.  The intent of this would be discuss and narrow the nine goals down to five.  While all are important issues, like all organizations the City has limited resources and needs to focus and prioritize those most important right now.  After discussion, the Council chose the following five goals to prioritize (not in any specific order):

- Public Safety, Infrastructure, and accessibility (roads, sidewalks, and ADA)
- Community Parks and Recreation
- Economic Development- promoting available spaces, growing number of families into community, improved downtown activity

- Balancing the budget
- Maintain the aesthetic of the City of Clayton (LMD)

These goals will serve as guidance as staff prepares more information regarding financial projections and mid year budget discussions that will occur at our next meeting on March 5.  One thing to note about #4 above regarding the police force.  While I consider our police one of the City's most valuable assets, most Councilmembers felt that we addressed many of the needs of the police at our last meeting when we approved a renewed 3 year agreement with both the Clayton Police Officers Association and the Chief.  

The ad hoc committees among Councilmembers was an opportunity for us to collaborate on our shared visions, especially for those Councilmembers who haven't worked together very frequently.  Unfortunately there were slide presentations created as if they were authored by the committees, but during discussion it was clear that these presentation materials were never seen by either Vice Mayor Trupiano or myself and also attributed to us views that we did not agree with.  This misrepresentation undercut the ostensibly collaborative purpose of the committees.

- We formed an ad hoc committee consisting of myself and Councilmember Tillman to discuss potential solutions or actions that the Council could take regarding the impact excessive parking may create downtown.

Upcoming Council Meeting 2.20.24

 At our next Council meting we will be discussing a couple significant items:

- We will be discussing strategic goal setting.

- We will appoint two Councilmembers to an ad hoc committee to gather information on downtown parking and potential permit parking options.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above please let me know.

My 2.6.24 Meeting Summary

On Tuesday the Council met to discuss several significant items:

- We approved an updated agreement with the Clayton Police Officers Association (POA).  The current agreement is set to expire at the end of June and the Council wanted to ensure that an agreement was in place prior to that occurring.  While the details and negotiations were held in closed session, I believe that the POA and the City came to terms that all were satisfied with.  

Our recent community survey highlighted what we already knew - the community highly values our police and the Council wanted to ensure that message was received.  With this new three year agreement - members of the POA will receive a 15% increase in year 1, with a 4% increase in year 2 and year 3.

- We received a presentation of the results of the community survey.  The survey was lead by a highly experienced market researcher and supported by diligent and dedicated interns at very low cost to the City thanks to contacts made by Vice Mayor Trupiano.  Originally staff had proposed conducting similar outreach and engaging consultants to do so at a cost of around $30K that was rejected.  

The results of the survey were not surprising - public safety and our police, small town feel, and great trails and parks, were among the many things that make Clayton a great place to live.  There were additional insights that were revealed, including the community's sense of prioritization, and what direction they'd like the City to go in.  There were also a significant amount of free form comments offered that were helpful to read.  This survey will serve as a tool as we move forward with strategic planning.

- We identified strategic priorities and formed ad hoc committees to flesh out these ideas.  At our next meeting we will discuss each further and narrow down the list.  The next step will be to determine if and how these priorities can be operationalized.  Ultimately all will take additional funding or a reprioritization of current funding.

Here are the ideas we gathered for further discussion:

- Public Safety, Infrastructure, and accessibility (roads, sidewalks, and ADA)
- Community Parks and Recreation
- Economic Development- promoting available spaces, growing number of families into community, improved downtown activity
- Maintain vibrant police force, maintaining community policing model
- Balancing the budget
- Maintain the aesthetic of the City of Clayton (LMD)
- Disaster Preparedness and Fire Prevention
- Preserving the historical nature of the town
- Environmental Sustainability

Upcoming Council Meeting 2.6.24

At our next meeting we will be discussing several significant items:

- We will be discussing the terms of an updated collective bargaining agreement between the City and the Clayton Police Officers Association.  The current agreement will expire at the end of June this year and the Council wanted to get a head start on negotiating and finalizing this agreement.  The police are an incredibly valuable asset of this community and this agreement recognizes that.

- We will discuss the recent community survey and its results.

- We will discuss strategic goals in preparation for future meetings in February and March.

If you have any thoughts or questions on these items please let me know.

My 1.16.24 Meeting Summary

Last night the Council discussed two signficant items:

- We approved a new contract with our Police Chief.  This concludes multiple rounds of closed session discussion regarding the details of that agreement.  I am extremely happy where we landed and am grateful for the service of our Police Chief.

- We then discussed a potential parking program near the planned 81 unit Olivia Project downtown.  The Council gave direction to staff to come back with an agenda item to establish an ad-hoc committee to discuss potential solutions or actions that we could take regarding the impact excessive parking may create.  

While I think the Council ended up in the right place, how we got there left a lot of room for improvement.  Initially Staff recommended that no action be taken.  Further, if any action were to be taken, it would be costly, involve hiring more people, purchasing a vehicle, hiring an outside consultant, perform City wide analysis, and tie our hands for future activities.  While these are possible outcomes, they are far from the only ones, and not even highly likely ones.  Rather than present options and elicit discussion on policy decisions, the staff report seemed designed to push towards the desired result of taking no action. 

There was widespread agreement and acknowledgement that if the 81 units are built, it will result in a parking problem.  This problem would most directly be borne by the immediately surrounding areas in Stranahan.  But when faced with concern from residents that has persisted unaddressed for years, staff's recommendation was to do nothing.  It is true that there isn't a specific problem at this very moment, but the challenge that has been identified is a question of when, not if.

The Staff report contemplated hiring 2 additional employees, making the cost of a parking program to be approximately $275K/year in addition to hiring an outside parking consultant at $50-$75K.  This seemed odd as when we implemented the parking program at Regency none of these costs were incurred.  In fact, the only out of pocket cost borne by the City for the Regency program was the cost of installing signage, approximately $750 per sign.  It's unclear why an option similar to what already exists was not presented.

During staff presentation, there was also the implication that if we were to implement a parking program, there would need to be city wide analysis which meant hiring consultants.  I questioned that.  The problem that we are trying to address is not the same at the far west end of town as it would be right in the nearby neighborhoods.  It seemed artificially burdensome to saddle a discreet program for a discreet area with an entire city of administrative bloat.  We should be focused on the problem we are trying to solve, not inflate the scenario to make it unwieldy.

Related to the push for a city wide effort was the idea that if we moved forward in this area that the City would be obligated to move forward in other areas.  This is not so - the Council always has discretion when it comes to matters of parking on City streets.  If there were known issues that existed in other areas, or were expected to exist, then certainly the Council should take action.  And that is what moving this issue forward would do.  It does not create any obligation to take action beyond what was being discussed.

In considering possible solutions, I made a suggestion that a relatively few number of signs restricting street parking could be placed at the entrance of Stranahan.  For our Downtown area, a small number of signs could be posted to prohibit overnight parking.  These could even be established to be effective at a date in the future.  This way, our residents know that their concerns will be addressed without incurring an exorbitant cost to the City.  This is only one possible solution however.  

When the ad hoc committee is constituted more discussion will be had and the Council determine the next course of action.

Upcoming Council Meeting 1.16.24

At our next Council meeting we will be discussing two significant items:

 - An updated employment agreement with our Police Chief.  The existing contract for the Chief ends this June and we are getting a head start in renewing it.

 - A discussion related to a parking permit program near the Olivia development.  Last year we were presented with a petition to restrict parking in nearby neighborhoods to mitigate potential impacts of the development receiving waivers for required parking as a result of CA density bonus law.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above please let me know.