AGENDA
ITEM
21 AGENDA
Shira CALEXICO California ITEM
WHERE CALIFORNIA AND MEXICO MEET
21 CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA STAFF REPORT
DATE: June 3, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
APPROVED BY: Benjamin Martinez, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Benjamin Martinez, City Manager
SUBJECT: Draft Budget Prioritization Plan - FY 2026-27
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Recommendation:
Receive and file report.
Background:
Over the course of two weeks, commencing on April 30, 2026, Reliance Public Relations conducted Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) interviews with each of the five Calexico City Council Members. During these interviews, Council Members were asked to identify internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats. The resulting data was synthesized, categorized into 32 strategic goals, and subsequently presented to the City Council during a special meeting on May 13, 2026. The draft report is attached.
Discussion and Analysis:
As the City of Calexico presents the FY 2026-27 Draft City Budget during the month of June, the intention is to utilize the Prioritization Plan as a tool to help guide the City Council with the budget cit ude deliberations
Fiscal Impact:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this informational item.
Coordinated With:
City Manager's Department
Public Works Department
Attachments):
1. Draft Budget Prioritization Plan
ATTACHMENT NO. 1
CALEXICO
CALEXICO Calipsinia
WHERE CALIFORNIA AND MEXICO MEET
Draft Budget Prioritization Plan
FY 2026-2027
Page i
Prepared for the City of Calexico by:
RELIANCE
PUBLIC RELATIONS, INC.
Established in 1997
Page i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Pg. 1
1. PROCESS & METHODOLOGY Pg. 1
II. RANKED GOALS Pg. 1
III. UNRANKED GOALS Pg. 4
IV. OBSERVATIONS Pg. 5
V. CONCLUSION Pg. 5
APPENDIX A - SWOT INTERVIEW ITEMS Pg. 6
APPENDIX B - PROPOSED GOALS Pg. 9
APPENDIX C - INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS Pg. 12
City of Calexico • Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the course of two weeks, commencing on April 30, 2026, Reliance Public Relations conducted SWOT interviews with each of the five Calexico City Council Members. During these interviews, Council Members were asked to identify internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats. The resulting data was synthesized, categorized into 32 strategic goals, and subsequently presented to the City Council during a special meeting on May 13, 2026.
I. Process & Methodology
1. Ground Rules & Expectations: The session commenced with a review of the City's Mission Statement and established operational expectations emphasizing collaboration and effectiveness.
2. SWOT Analysis Overview: The compiled results from the individual interviews, which included verbatim SWOT items (Appendix A) and combined strategic goals (Appendix B), were disseminated to the Council Members, City Staff, and public attendees. Reliance Public Relations then delivered an overview of the findings and the framework used for goal categorization.
3. Priority Ranking: Council members were asked to select their top priorities through a two- phase process.
a. Phase 1: Council members selected their top 10 goals via a dot-selection method, which narrowed the overall list of proposed goals to 22 items. b. Phase 2: Council members were asked to assign a score from 0 to 20 to each of the 22 prioritized goals, resulting in a maximum achievable score of 100 per goal. In the scoring process, priorities that did not receive a score were assigned a score of 0, but the No Vote was recorded for record and evaluation purposes.
4. Preliminary Report: The scoring session was designed for procedural transparency, and the initial results were shared immediately with council members, city staff, and members of the public. Comprehensive details and the final rankings are available below.
Il. Ranked Goals (Highest to Lowest)
1. [Goal 2A] Address Public Safety Understaffing... ..Rank: 100 Prioritize the hiring of additional police officers and firefighters/paramedics to ensure community safety and adequate response times.
City of Calexico • Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
2. [Goal 6AJ Execute Capital Improvement Projects. .....Rank: 100 Utilize unspent capital funding for required city projects, establishing clear timelines for completion.
3. /Goal 6B| Urgent Facility Repairs...... Rank: 90
Address facilities needing repairs and critical safety issues in city buildings.
4. [Goal 8B] Implement Nuisance Prosecution. Rank: 84
Explore revenue via City Attorney misdemeanor prosecution for graffiti and public intoxication to improve the downtown climate.
5. [Goal 2C] Maximize Paramedic Revenue Rank: 79
Pursue revenue opportunities with Calexico's Paramedic Services such as exploring federal funding for border medical emergency responses and privatized EMS service partnerships.
6. [Goal 3B] Establish Border Service Revenue. Rank: 75 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.
7. [Goal 7A] Economic Development Plan. Rank: 75
Address the lack of an economic development department to recruit and retain business.
8. [Goal 9C] Expand Senior & Youth Programming .Rank: 70 Utilize the public library and recreation programs to expand services for seniors and connect with the youth population.
9. [Goal 3A] Optimize Border & Local Traffic Circulation.. •Rank: 67 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.
10. [Goal 1E| Systematize Citizen Concerns Rank: 65
Implement a formal system for documenting and responding to resident inquiries to improve customer service and responsiveness.
City of Calexico • Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
11. Goal ID| Enhance Community Engagement. Rank: 62
Utilize town halls and public workshops imore 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.
12. [Goal 7BJ Create a "One Stop Shop".... Rank: 62
Consolidate planning and building services to fix the slow permitting/development process and improve the developer experience.
13. [Goal 6C] Water Infrastructure Stability. .Rank: 56 Conduct a public education campaign regarding the necessity of a water rate increase to prevent water treatment infrastructure failure.
14. [Goal 1B] Establish Departmental Memos.. Rank: 50
Require each department head to produce a monthly memo, tracking project statuses and timelines to foster transparency and accountability.
15. [Goal 4A] Reform Chain of Command... Rank: 50
Re-establish a clear administrative hierarchy to address the lack of administrative chain of command and improve internal communication gaps.
16. [Goal 5B] Evaluate Mayor Rotation Policy. Rank: 50
Discuss transitioning from a rotation-based system to a set policy or an elected mayor to reduce political "bargaining" and instability during leadership transitions.
17. [Goal 4B] Mandate Supervisory Training. Rank: 44
Provide professional development and supervisory training to address high staff turnover, low morale, and accountability.
18. [Goal 4C] Litigation Management.. .Rank: 34
Work with legal counsel to proactively address potential litigation and mitigate fiscal impacts from legal threats:
19. [Goal 1A] Implement Routine Manager Recaps. . Rank: 33 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.
City of Calexico. Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
20. [Goal 4D] Funding Acquisition............ ..Rank: 30 Proactively pursue funding opportunities, including grant funding and border community funding programs to supplement the general fund.
21. Goal 8A] Relaunch Chamber of Commerce. ..Rank: 20
Rejuvenate the Chamber of Commerce by finalizing office space and seeking a collaborative partner to support commercial areas.
22. Goal 5A| Develop Council Decorum Policy.. ..Rank: 16 Enact formal policies to maintain professional behavior on the dais and limit personal attacks to address perceived dysfunction and political division.
III: Unranked Goals
1. [Goal 1C] Standardize Public Notifications. Create a protocol for timely press releases regarding significant city developments, such as business closures or facility issues (c.g., the movie theater closure or asbestos findings), to combat negative social media and uninformed public perceptions.
2. 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.
3. [Goal 3C] Expand Binational Partnerships. Leverage the strategic border location by strengthening the binational economic partnership with Mexicali authorities, agencies, and stakeholders.
4. [Goal 7C] Stimulate Housing & Industry. Utilize the strategic border location to attract industry and end the drought of new housing subdivisions.
5. [Goal 7D] Audit City-Owned Land. Identify and catalog all city-owned parcels to determine which can be utilized for commerce, parking, or development.
6. |Goal 8C| EV Infrastructure. Prepare for 2035 EV requirements by exploring the monetization of EV charging stations.
7. [Goal 9A| Resolve 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.
City of Calexico. Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
8. [Goal 9B| Measure H Funds. Address unspent Measure H funds by creating a plan for a city owned recreation facility.
9. Goal 9D| Address Food Deserts. Partner with local food banks to develop delivery programs for homebound seniors who cannot access mobile food distributions.
10. [Goal 9E] Maximize Cultural Assets. Leverage the city's cultural richness and small city structure to facilitate stronger citizen connection through signature community events.
IV. Observations
The prioritization framework executed by the Calexico City Council provides a data-driven roadmap for the city's strategic direction for the 2026-2027 fiscal year (Appendix C). By analyzing both cumulative scores and individual point distributions, the following trends were identified:
1. Unanimous High-Priority Mandates: Goals 2A and 6A achieved 100 percent consensus, each scoring a maximum 20 points from all five council members. There was also general agreement on goals 6B, 8B, 2C and 3B
2. Consensus Trends Beyond the Top Rankings: Voting data reveal clear alignment on lower- priority goals. Most notably, Goal 4A (Reform Chain of Command) reflected absolute consensus, with every council member scoring it a 10. Similarly, Goals 4D, 8A, and 5A demonstrated a strong low-priority consensus, with at least four members grading each within the 1-5 point range.
3. Unranked Goals: An additional 10 issues identified during the SWOT analysis were excluded following the dot-selection phase. While these items were not subject to the scoring process, it is recommended that staff and the City Council review them as specific needs dictate.
V. Conclusion
This report establishes a strategic baseline to guide Calexico's administrative focus and resource allocation for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, Derived from council interviews and the prioritization workshop, this document serves as a foundational planning framework to align leadership vision with municipal action. Moving forward, the formal adoption and policy authorization of these prioritized goals remain subject to the final approval of the City Council, while the tactical implementation and day-to-day execution of these initiatives are the responsibility of city management and staff.
City of Calexico • Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
Appendix A - SWOT Interview Items
Strengths
• Strategic Border Location
• Strong Community Identity • Volunteers
• Infrastructure Assets (Ports of Entry, • Diverse Council Strengths Downtown Commercial Areas, Proximity • Good Stakeholders to Major Transportation Corridors) • Hopeful/Appreciative Community • Passionate & Engaged Residents Members
• Cultural Richness • Open Communication/Collaboration, with • Small City Structure facilitates Citizen Stakeholders/Agencies (IID, Mx.
Connection Consulate, etc.)
• Department Administrators • Follow Ups
• Shared Vision for a Better Calexico • Youth & Senior Communication • Public Library • Water & Sewage Improvements
• Recreation Programs • Border Location
• Good Employees • Passionate Citizens
• Fully Staffed Department Heads • SDSU
• Active & Collaborative Community • City Paramedic Services Members
Weaknesses
• Understaffed Police/Fire Departments
• Customer service & responsiveness
• Lack of Integrity
• Slow permitting/development process
• Unspent Capital Funding with no timelines
(permits, fees, responsiveness)
• Lack of Common Sense
• No new housing subdivisions
• Lack of Administrațive chain of command
• High Staff Turnover & Low Morale
• Communication Gaps Within City/Council • Lack of Supervisory training • Unclear Processes
(No Memos up the chain)
Communication Gaps with Community • Negative Social media • Infrastructure
(Ex: Theater Closure)
• Theater Closure
• Perceived Dysfunction/Political Division
• Internal Inflammatory Remarks
• Lack of Direction
• Lack of Communication from
• Leadership Accountability
administration to council
• No Economic Development Department
• No Chamber of Commerce
• Finance Management
City of Calexico • Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
Appendix A (Continued)
Weaknesses (Continued)
• Division Caused by Distractions (Cordova
• No Economic Development Department
Park)
• Slow Processes for Approvals (see: Gym)
• Loss of Public Trust
• Reactive Instead of Proactive
• Employee Morale
• Lack of Security (Vandalism)
• High Employee Turnover
• Facilities needing Repairs
• No Hospital
• Lack of Administrative Direction
• Current Border Traffic Impacting 2nd
• Lack of Professionalism
Street
• Lack of Accountability
• Border Traffic Control Expense (850k
• Negative Social Media
annually)
• Finances
• Mayor Rotation (Charter City)
Opportunities
• Binational Commerce potential • Privatized EMS Services • Border community funding programs • Grant Funding
• Manufacturing/Warehousing • Implementing System for Citizen Concerns • Binational Partnership to address traffic • Overnight Border Parking Fees • Policy/Procedure Implementation for • Low Cost/Paid Border Restrooms (50) Council decorum • Cordova Park IVHD Relationship
• Expanding Senior Recreation • Federal funding for border medical • Gaining Citizen Trust Via Actions emergency responses • City Gymnasium • Border Traffic Circulation plan
• Park Improvements implementation
• Hiring First Responders • Border Express Lane Fee (US to MX) • HIring Economic Developer • Revenue via City Attorney Misdemeanor • Binational Economic Partnership Prosecution
• Utilizing City-Owned Land • Policy Implementation for Council • Fee for Expedited US to MX entry Decorum
City of Calexico Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
Appendix A (Continued)
Threats
• School Impact Fees • Upcoming EV Requirements with no • Council Dynamics supporting infrastructureBorder traffic • Council Experience pattern impacting local businesses • Lack of Chamber of Commerce • Measure H expiration date • Council behaviors/actions deterring • Potential litigation investors/growth • Lack of First Responders
• Stalled water rate increase threatens fiscal • CalPERS costSlow Processes/Bad stability Communication resulting in Lost
• Uninformed Public Opportunities
• Water Treatment Infrastructure • Homeless Population
• Homelessness • Litigation
• Roads & Aging Buildings • Inflation
City of Calexico • Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
Appendix B - Proposed Goals
1. Communication & Transparency
• Goal IA: 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 ID: 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 Börder 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.
City of Calexico • Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
Appendix B (Continued)
• 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.
City of Calexico • Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027
Appendix B (Continued)
• 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 secking 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.
City of Calexico Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027 /
Appendix C - Individual Rankings
Goal Council Council Council Council Council Total Goal Narrative Dots Number Member 1 Member 2 Member 3 Member 4 Member 5 Score Address Public
Goal 2A ,20 20 20 20 20 100 Safety
Understaffing
Execute Capital
Goal 6A 20 20 20 20 20 100 Improvement 4
Projects
90 Urgent Facility
Goal 6B 20 20 20 15 15 Repairs 1
Implement
Goal 8B 15 14 20 15. 20 84 Nuisance 3
Prosecution
Maximize
Goal 2C 19 15 10 15 20 79 Paramedi 4
Revenu
Establish Border
• Goal 3B 10 10 20 15 20 75 Service Revenue 3
Economic
Goal 7A 18 17 5 20 15 75 Development Plan 3
Expand Senior
Goal 9C 13 10 20 15 70 Youth 3
Programming
Optimize Border
Goal 3A 12 No Vote 20 15 20 67 and Local Traffic
Circulation
Systematize
Goal 1E 15 No Vote 20 15 65 Citizen Concerns 2
Enhance
Goal 1D 17 No Vote 20 15 62 Community 2
Engagement
20 Create a One Stop
Goal 7B 17 No Vote 20 5 62 Shop 2
Water
Goal 6C 20 20 • No Vote 15 1 56 Infrastructure 2
Stability
Establish
Goal 1B 10 10 50 Departmental 2
Memos
Reform Chain of
Goal 4A 10 10 50 Command 2
Evatuate Mayor
Goal 5B 10 20 50 Rotation Policy 2
Mandate
Goal 4B 14 No Vote 10 44 Supervisory =1:
Training
10 8 Litigation 2
Goal 4C 15 No Vote 1 34 Management
Implement Routine
Goal 1A 12 No Vote 10 10 33 Manager Recaps 1
No Vote Funding
Goal 4D 5 No Vote 5 20 1
Acquisition
Relaunch the
Goal 8A 13 No Vote 1 5 1 20 Chamber of 1
Commerce
Goal 5A 15 No Vote 1 No Vote 16 levelop Counc 1
ecorum Polic
City of Calexico - Budget Prioritization Plan FY 2026-2027