2026-2027 Fiscal Year Goals
1. Communication & Transparency
• Goal 1A: Implement Routine City Manager Recaps. Establish a policy requiring the City Manager to send a routine summary of administrative actions, incidents, and solutions to the City Council to address communication gaps and ensure council members are not "broadsided" by community inquiries • Goal 1B: Establish Departmental Monthly Memos. Require each department head to produce a monthly memo, tracking project statuses and timelines to foster transparency and accountability.
• Goal 1C: Standardize Public Notifications. Create a protocol for timely press releases regarding significant city developments, such as business closures or facility issues (e.g., the movie theater closure or asbestos findings), to combat negative social media and uninformed public perceptions. • Goal 1D: Enhance Community Engagement. Utilize town halls and public workshops more effectively to inform citizens about the benefits and necessities of specific projects, such as rate increases or infrastructure repairs, and leverage the city's passionate and engaged residents.
• Goal 1E: Systematize Citizen Concerns. Implement a formal system for documenting and responding to resident inquiries to improve customer service and responsiveness.
2. Public Safety
• Goal 2A: Address Public Safety Understaffing. Prioritize the hiring of additional police officers and firefighters/paramedics to ensure community safety and adequate response times.
• Goal 2B: Pursue Dedicated Funding. Finalize the survey and ballot language for a public safety sales tax to provide non-general fund revenue that supports public safety staffing.
• Goal 2C: Maximize Paramedic Revenue. Pursue revenue opportunities with Calexico's Paramedic Services such as exploring federal funding for border medical emergency responses and privatized EMS service partnerships.
3. Border & Traffic Management
• Goal 3A: Optimize Border and Local Traffic Circulation. Adopt and implement the comprehensive Border Traffic Circulation Plan to mitigate impacts on local streets, specifically redesigning patterns near the outlet malls and commercial corridors to eliminate barriers to business access (e.g., restricted left turns) for visitors arriving from Mexicali.
• Goal 3B: Establish Border Service Revenue. Leverage border traffic as a revenue source by implementing services such as express lane fees (US to MX), overnight border parking fees, and paid border restrooms to generate revenue that offsets the $850k annual border traffic control expense. • Goal 3C: Expand Bi-national Partnerships. Leverage the strategic border location by strengthening the binational economic partnership with Mexicali authorities, agencies, and stakeholders.
4. Administration & Workforce
• Goal 4A: Reform Chain of Command. Re-establish a clear administrative hierarchy to address the lack of administrative chain of command and improve internal communication gaps.
• Goal 4B: Mandate Supervisory Training. Provide professional development and supervisory training to address high staff turnover, low morale, and accountability.
• Goal 4C: Litigation Management. Work with legal counsel to proactively address potential litigation and mitigate fiscal impacts from legal threats. • Goal 4D: Funding Acquisition. Proactively pursue funding opportunities, including grant funding and border community funding programs to supplement the general fund.
5. Political Organization
• Goal 5A: Develop a Council Decorum Policy. Enact formal policies to maintain professional behavior on the dais and limit personal attacks to address perceived dysfunction and political division.
• Goal 5B: Evaluate Mayor Rotation Policy. Discuss transitioning from a rotation-based system to a set policy or an elected mayor to reduce political "bargaining" and instability during leadership transitions.
6. Public Works & Infrastructure
• Goal 6A: Execute Capital Improvement Projects. Utilize unspent capital funding for required city projects, establishing clear timelines for completion. • Goal 6B: Urgent Facility Repairs. Address facilities needing repairs and critical safety issues in city buildings.
• Goal 6C: Water Infrastructure Stability. Conduct a public education campaign regarding the necessity of a water rate increase to prevent water treatment infrastructure failure.
7. Planning & Economic Development
• Goal 7A: Economic Development Plan. Address the lack of an economic development department to recruit and retain business.
• Goal 7B: Create a "One-Stop Shop". Consolidate planning and building services to fix the slow permitting/development process and improve the developer experience.
• Goal 7C: Stimulate Housing & Industry. Utilize the strategic border location to attract industry and end the drought of new housing subdivisions. • Goal 7D: Audit City-Owned Land. Identify and catalog all city-owned parcels to determine which can be utilized for commerce, parking, or development.
8. Commercial/Downtown
• Goal 8A: Relaunch the Chamber of Commerce. Rejuvenate the Chamber of Commerce by finalizing office space and seeking a collaborative partner to support commercial areas.
• Goal 8B: Implement Nuisance Prosecution. Explore revenue via City Attorney misdemeanor prosecution for graffiti and public intoxication to improve the downtown climate.
• Goal 8C: EV Infrastructure. Prepare for 2035 EV requirements by exploring the monetization of EV charging stations.
9. Library/Recreation
• Goal 9A: Resolve the Cordova Park Dispute. Follow through on the RFP for a park redesign that incorporates amenities requested by residents (e.g., walking paths, basketball courts) while maintaining a compromise on baseball fields. • Goal 9B: Measure H Funds. Address unspent Measure H funds by creating a plan for a city owned recreation facility.
• Goal 9C: Expand Senior & Youth Programming. Utilize the public library and recreation programs to expand services for seniors and connect with the youth population.
• Goal 9D: Address Food Deserts. Partner with local food banks to develop delivery programs for homebound seniors who cannot access mobile food distributions.
• Goal 9E: Maximize Cultural Assets. Leverage the city's cultural richness and small city structure to facilitate stronger citizen connection through signature community events.