City Council

Hybrid - Via Zoom and In City of Santa Rosa person at Utilities Field Operation Building 35 Stony Point Road, Rooms M&A Santa Rosa, CA 95401 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final Thursday, February 24, 2022 8:30 AM Goal Setting 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Rogers called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Present: 6 - Mayor Chris Rogers, Council Member Victoria Fleming, Council Member Dianna MacDonald, Council Member Natalie Rogers, Council Member John Sawyer, and Council Member Tom Schwedhelm Absent: 1 - Vice Mayor Eddie Alvarez Vice Mayor Alvarez joined the meeting at 9:07 a.m. 2. WELCOME Mayor Rogers welcomed everyone to the meeting and the importance of the work that goal setting provides the Council. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT Tom La Porta, Santa Rosa Manufacturing Home Association Member, spoke expressing interest in a change to the rent control ordinance. Thea Hensel, Co-Chair Southeast Greenway Campaign, spoke on the importance of acquiring the land from Caltrans to renew development of the Southeast Greenway Project. Bob Geiser, Co-Chair Southeast Greenway Campaign, spoke regarding the purchase agreements with Caltrans and requested funds to complete the appraisals, negotiations, and acquisitions for the Southeast Greenway project. Jenny Doyle, Santa Rosa Together Steering Committee Member, spoke expressing a desire for the Santa Rosa School Board and City of Santa Rosa Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 5 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final February 24, 2022 City Council to have a regular joint meeting, and the need for school evacuation plans to be coordinated with the City plans. Joanne Jones, Country Mobile Home Park, spoke expressing a change to the rent control ordinance. Alexa spoke expressing the need for the creation of a equitable de-carbonized safe transportation network connecting all seven districts, design implementation of a low stress bicycle network, the final acquisition of property from Caltrans for the Southeast Greenway Project, the continuation of Fare-Free ridership for youth, seniors, veterans, and any economically strained communities. Chris spoke expressing the need for the Council to invest in the transportation network and transforming it to support a low stress bicycle network connected to transit. Gregory Fearon spoke asking for the full implementation of City and County ARPA funds to support the programs that will be funded. Ceceil, Santa Rosa Together Steering Committee Member, spoke asking Council to invest in social capital towards incorporating neighborhoods as the basis for a community engagement effort, and to adopt an ordinance to elevate the role of the Community Advisory Board to become a Council of neighborhoods. Justin spoke asking Council to prioritize implementation of a low-stress bicycle network to make Santa Rosa more equitable, and improving climate resilience. Herman G. Hernandez, Sonoma County Board of Education Member, spoke thanking City staff for their support in the college and career week at Elsie Allen High School, asked Council to prioritize the equity department to be public and transparent, the need for setting expectations for staff to include policy and practice to help increase people of color in leadership positions. City of Santa Rosa Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 5 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final February 24, 2022 Dorothy Weitker submitted comment expressing thanks to the Council for their support for the Southeast Greenway Project, and the need to complete the acquisition of property from Caltrans. Greg Damron submitted comment asking Council to adopt a tobacco retail cap ordinance. Samuel submitted comment asking Council to adopt a tobacco retail cap ordinance. Caroline Banuelos, Santa Rosa Together and Sonoma County Democratic Latino Club, submitted comment on the need for the City to have an independent police auditor, a civilian review board, and for the positions to be included in the city charter. Pamela Grainger, Tobacco Free Sonoma County, submitted comment asking Council to adopt a tobacco retail license ordinance. Nancy Hetrick, Vice President Management Partners, made opening comments and introduced Ashley Garcia, Prinipal Management Analyst, who helped facilitate the workshop. Nancy Hetrick reviewed the objectives to affirm the City's mission, vision and values; to establish strategic goals and clear direction for FY 2022-23; and define expectations and methods for regular updates on Council priorities. 4. CITY MANAGER'S OPENING REMARKS City Manager Maraskeshia Smith thanked everyone for attending and Team Santa Rosa for their work and excellent customer service over the last four years during disasters. City Manager Smith expressed her expectations for the workshop with discussions to be on addressing the mental health of the organizations workforce, balancing core services, operationalize one-time funding, using innovation to drive a philosophy of high performance, to provide quality, efficient, and equitable services, engage the community, support environmental sustainability, create housing for all, and to provide a safe community for all. City Manager Smith thanked Executive Staff for their work. City of Santa Rosa Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 5 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final February 24, 2022 Council and Executive Staff divided into small groups to discuss what a "high performing organization" meant to them and each group shared their information. Chief Financial Officer Alan Alton provided an update on the financial outlook and status of the general fund reserves of the City. 5. REVIEW ACCOMPLISHMENTS Assistant City Manager Jason Nutt reviewed the City's accomplishments in FY 2021-22. Council and Executive Staff divided into small groups to discuss what contributes to the organization's success, what gets in the way of success, and each group shared their information. 6. REFLECT ON THE CITY'S MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES Nancy Hetrick provided a framework for the discussions on the Mission, Vision, and Values for the City and reviewed the current Mission and Vision statements. Council and staff divided into small groups to discuss the organizational values, guiding principles, and defining excellence. The meeting recessed at 11:50 a.m. and reconvened at 12:30 p.m. 7. ESTABLISH STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIES Nancy Hetrick reported on the following themes of priorities identified during her interviews with Council Members: - Housing - Homelessness - Organizational Effectiveness - Economic Development - Infrastructure - Public Safety - Community Resilience - Environmental Lens - Engaged and Connected Community - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion City of Santa Rosa Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 5 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final February 24, 2022 Council discussion ensued on possible strategies to meet their priorities. 8. DISCUSS WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE RESULTS Council discussion ensued on what their needs are from staff and the city manager in order to feel informed, prepared, the need to have a clear flow of information with regular updates, fiscal impacts if decisions are made that are different from a staff recommendation, and to be able to share in staff successes. Staff shared the need for Council to listen to the needs of staff, to communicate, to support initiatives all the way through the process, and to express an appreciation for staff successes. 9. WRAP-UP AND REVIEW NEXT STEPS Mayor Rogers adjourned the special meeting at 5:03 p.m. Approved on: April 26, 2022 /s/ Stephanie A. Williams, City Clerk