Item No. {{item.number}}
Town of Atherton
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT – REGULAR AGENDA
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
GEORGE RODERICKS, CITY MANAGER
FROM: ANTHONY SUBER, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER/ CITY CLERK
DATE: FEBRUARY 26, 2024
SUBJECT: RECIEVE AND FILE THE 2024 ATHERTON ANNUAL EVENT
CALENDAR
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Council receive and file the 2024 Annual Event Calendar.
BACKGROUND
At the April 20, 2023, City Council Goals Session a few themes emerged from the discussion which included the following:
• Improving the representation in government,
• Building trust in local government; and
• Creating a sense of community
To give the Council a perspective on the various Town-hosted annual community activities and events, staff produced the attached 2024 Event Calendar. The City Manager wanted to provide the Council an opportunity to provide input into the various events and activities. The events listed do not include topic-specific workshops or community engagement meetings, such as Housing Element workshops, staff-attended neighborhood meetings, or meetings with community groups (such as ADAPT). Staff also conduct regular meetings with members of the broader community such as the Builders Roundtable which is held every other month, Committee and Commission meetings for the six Council-appointed governing bodies, and two additional resident-led community groups.
The calendar graphic included as Attachment 1 identifies events that have been scheduled and future events that are still in the planning process. The Town hosts several summer events in June, July and August and collaborates with community groups and private businesses for sponsorship opportunities for our summer event series.
Staff are planning for two concerts and two movies in June and July with target dates set as follows:
Atherton 2024 Event Calendar
FEBRUARY 26, 2024
7 8
7 • June 20 – Concert at the Park [Band is TBD]
• June 28 – Movie [TBD at Holbrook or Library Deck]
• July 11 – Concert at the Park [Band is TBD]
• July 19 – Movie [TBD at Holbrook or Library Deck]
In recent years, turnout at concerts and movies have been down coming out of COVID; however, turnout at recent library events and the turnout at the 2023 Centennial was higher. Most Town events involve collaborative efforts across multiple departments but there is typically a departmental lead for each event.
A Few Annual Event Highlights:
• April 6 & 7 - Annual Waste Wise Event for paper shredding, e-waste, and other recycling options. This year's event will include a Goodwill component which will be able to accept clothing, electronic products and other items to refurbish for resale. The event will also take place over 2 days.
• April 20 – Annual Police Department Open House
• April 22 – Annual Earth Day Event, which is led by the Environmental Programs Committee in partnership with City Management staff and the Council Committee liaison. • August 6 – Annual National Night Out, led by the Police Department. This is a wellattended event and brings out a few hundred residents and neighbors. The Town partners with numerous community groups to participate and involves food that has been historically sponsored by the Interwest Consulting Group.
In addition to these events, there is Coffee with a Cop, Halloween Event, Town Holiday Party, Shop with a Cop, Tree Lighting, Bike Rodeo, and various Police Community meetings throughout the year focused on contemporary public safety activities. Each year, the Town hosts, on average, 12-15 community events and staff attend/host 5-10 neighborhood, community group or specific outreach meetings in addition to the monthly or bi-monthly Committee or Commission meetings.
This is an informational item only.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
GOAL ALIGNMENT
This Report and its contents are in alignment with the following Council Policy Goals:
• Goal Area E – Strengthen Community Engagement and Transparency Atherton 2024 Event Calendar
FEBRUARY 26, 2024
7 8
7 POLICY FOCUS
The events calendar presented in this report represents the planned activities related to community engagement and education goals set by Council and staff. There are no significant policy issues associated with this item.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Public notification was achieved by posting the agenda, with this agenda item being listed, at least 72 hours prior to the meeting in print and electronically. Information about the project is also disseminated via the Town’s electronic News Flash and Atherton Online. There are approximately 1,400 subscribers to the Town’s electronic News Flash publications. Subscribers include residents as well as stakeholders –to include, but be not limited to, media outlets, school districts, Menlo Park Fire Protection District, service provides (water, power, and sewer), and regional elected officials.
COMMISSION/COMMITTEE FEEDBACK/REFERRAL
This item has not been before a Town Committee or Commission
ATTACHMENTS
1. Atherton 2024 Events Calendar