City of Capitola
Special City Council Meeting Workshop
Agenda
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 – 10:00 AM
Capitola City Hall Community Room
420 Capitola Avenue, Capitola, CA 95010
Mayor: Kristen Brown
Vice Mayor: Yvette Brooks
Council Members: Joe Clarke, Margaux Morgan, Alexander Pedersen Special Meeting of the Capitola City Council – 10 AM
All correspondence received prior to 5:00 p.m. on the Monday preceding a Council Meeting will be distributed to Councilmembers to review prior to the meeting. Information submitted after 5 p.m. on that Wednesday may not have time to reach Councilmembers, nor be read by them prior to consideration of an item.
1. Roll Call and Pledge of Allegiance
Council Members Joe Clarke, Margaux Morgan, Alexander Pedersen, Yvette Brooks, and Mayor Kristen Brown.
2. Additions and Deletions to the Agenda
3. Additional Materials
Additional information submitted to the City after distribution of the agenda packet.
A. Item 4A - Correspondence Received
4. General Government / Public Hearings
All items listed in “General Government / Public Hearings” are intended to provide an opportunity for public discussion of each item listed. The following procedure pertains to each General Government item: 1) Staff explanation; 2) Council questions; 3) Public comment; 4) Council deliberation; 5) Decision.
A. City Council Strategic Plan Work Session
Recommended Action: Receive a presentation from the City’s Strategic Plan Consultant, BerryDunn, and participate in the Strategic Plan work session.
5. Adjournment
The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting is on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 6:00 PM.
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Notice of In-Person Access
This workshop is open to the public for in-person attendance at the Capitola City Hall Community Room located at 420 Capitola Avenue, Capitola, California, 95010 1 Special City Council Meeting Workshop Agenda – November 12, 2024 City of Capitola Page 2
Notice regarding City Council: The City Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 420 Capitola Avenue, Capitola.
Agenda and Agenda Packet Materials: The City Council Agenda and the complete Agenda Packet are available for review on the City’s website: www.cityofcapitola.org and at Capitola City Hall prior to the meeting. Agendas are also available at the Capitola Post Office located at 826 Bay Avenue Capitola. Need more information? Contact the City Clerk’s office at 831-475-7300.
Agenda Materials Distributed after Distribution of the Agenda Packet: Pursuant to Government Code §54957.5, materials related to an agenda item submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at the Reception Office at City Hall, 420 Capitola Avenue, Capitola, California, during normal business hours.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Disability-related aids or services are available to enable persons with a disability to participate in this meeting consistent with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Assisted listening devices are available for individuals with hearing impairments at the meeting in the City Council Chambers. Should you require special accommodations to participate in the meeting due to a disability, please contact the City Clerk’s office at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting at 831-475-7300. In an effort to accommodate individuals with environmental sensitivities, attendees are requested to refrain from wearing perfumes and other scented products.
Si desea asistir a esta reunión pública y necesita ayuda - como un intérprete de lenguaje de señas americano, español u otro equipo especial - favor de llamar al Departamento de la Secretaría de la Ciudad al 831-475-7300 al menos tres días antes para que podamos coordinar dicha asistencia especial o envié un correo electrónico a [email protected].
Televised Meetings: City Council meetings are cablecast “Live” on Charter Communications Cable TV Channel 8 and are recorded to be rebroadcasted at 8:00 a.m. on the Wednesday following the meetings and at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday following the first rebroadcast on Community Television of Santa Cruz County (Charter Channel 71 and Comcast Channel 25). Meetings are streamed “Live” on the City’s website at www.cityofcapitola.org by clicking on the Home Page link “Meeting Agendas/Videos.” Archived meetings can be viewed from the website at any time. 2 11/6/24, 3:17 PM [PDF] For special meeting 11/12 24 - Gautho, Julia - Outlook about:blank 1/1
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Capitola City Council
Agenda Report
Meeting: November 12, 2024
From: City Manager Department
Subject: City Council Strategic Plan Work Session
Recommended Action: Receive a presentation from the City’s Strategic Plan Consultant, BerryDunn, and participate in the Strategic Plan work session.
Background: In Fiscal Year 2023-24, the City Council directed staff to initiate a Strategic Planning Project aimed at defining five-, ten-, and fifteen-year goals for the City of Capitola. Recognizing the need for a structured approach, the City Council allocated $50,000 in the FY 2023-24 budget for this effort and approved a contract with BerryDunn, a consulting firm experienced in strategic planning, on December 14, 2023.
In March 2024, the City paused the project until the fall to allow for alignment with other City initiatives.
In late summer, staff collaborated with BerryDunn to prepare for community and staff engagement, including writing surveys, developing outreach strategies, and coordinating stakeholder interviews. Staff presented an update on the Strategic Plan Project to the City Council on September 12, 2024. Also in September, staff met with BerryDunn project managers to evaluate the project’s progress and plan next steps.
The project was publicly introduced to the community at the Capitola Wharf Grand Opening Event on September 25, with an in-person community forum held on October 1. Further outreach, including surveys, individual and group interviews with stakeholders (including all City advisory groups) and an online data collection portal, continued to the end of October. Staff promoted broad engagement and participation by sharing information across multiple social media channels. To reach a wider audience, staff utilized paid social media ads targeting both English- and Spanish-speaking communities, distributed bilingual flyers at local grocery stores, businesses, and the library, and updated the City website for easy, one-click access to project information.
Discussion: A consultant-led planning session with BerryDunn is scheduled for November 12, 2024. The work session is designed to identify strategic goals and begin drafting the initial plan framework. First, BerryDunn will present an environmental scan, developed with data collected during the community outreach and research phase; and share a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges (SWOC) analysis of Capitola. Then, BerryDunn will work with members to develop mission and vision statements, along with developing core values to assist in drafting the Strategic Plan.
Following this work session, the project consultants will draft the Strategic Plan, to be presented to the City Council in a second public work session tentatively planned for early 2025. After the City Council formally receives the draft, it will be available for public review so that the community can provide feedback. Staff anticipate adoption of the final Strategic Plan in early spring 2025.
Fiscal Impact: $50,000 was allocated for this project in the FY 2023-24 budget. Future activities related to the strategic plan may require additional budget allocations as needed.
Attachments:
1. Work Session Agenda
Report Prepared By: Chloé Woodmansee, Assistant to the City Manager Reviewed By: Julia Gautho, City Clerk
Approved By: Jamie Goldstein, City Manager
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1 City of Capitola, CA
City Council Strategic Planning Session Agenda and Background Tuesday, November 12, 2024
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 pm
Retreat Objectives
Review the current state and environmental scan
Review and develop the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Challenges (SWOC) Analysis
Brainstorm the City’s Mission Statement, Vision Statement, Core Values/Guiding Principles, Strategic Priorities, and Strategic Goals
Key Components of a Strategic Plan
Vision - A vision statement defines your desired future state and provides directions for where you are going as an organization. It is aspirational. Mission - A mission statement describes an organization’s purpose or reason for existing. It is the public statement of the contribution it promises to make to help accomplish the community vision.
Core Values/Guiding Principles - Core Values/Guiding Principles guide an organization throughout its life in all circumstances. They are expectations for how the city will conduct its business, make decisions, and deliver programs and services to the community.
Strategic Priorities - Strategic Priorities are the most important areas your organization needs to focus on. They are the small number of focal points that you have determined to be critical in achieving your mission and vision. Strategic Goals - Strategic goals are long-term, broad, continuous statements that define how you will make progress toward your vision within each of the strategic priorities.
Objectives - Strategic Objectives are the precise actions or intentions to move closer to goal achievement. They are usually time-bound with a milestone or schedule for completion.
Performance Measures – Performance measures are relative objective data points that measure progress towards the objectives and goals. 41 Item 4 A.
2 Purpose of a Strategic Plan
As the City of Capitola continues to change and evolve, it is critical that the City establish a five-year Strategic Plan. This plan will set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, and ensure that employees are working towards common goals and implementing the overall direction and vision set by City Council.
Strategic planning is a disciplined effort that produces fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, who it serves, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future. Effective strategic planning articulates not only where an organization is going and the actions needed to make progress, but also how it will know if it is successful.
Community, Staff and City Council Roles
The development of the Strategic Plan involves the engagement of the community, the vision of City Council, and the expertise of staff. These three groups bring their unique perspectives to help build out the components of the plan to align what the community would like to see, what City Council would like to accomplish, and how staff envisions carrying out the vision.
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3 Agenda
10:00 – 10:15 a.m. Welcome and Introduction
1. Welcome and Purpose
2. Overview of meeting agenda
3. City Council’s thoughts on success for the day: What would be a successful outcome from today?
10:15 – 10:45 a.m. Setting the Stage - Review the Environmental Scan and SWOC Analysis
Present the Environmental
Scan followed by a Group
Discussion
What did the information in the Environmental Scan
reveal to you?
What stood out?
Did you learn anything new?
What themes are the most important in shaping your
thinking about the strategic direction of the City of
Capitola?
Review the SWOC Analysis
followed by a Group
Discussion
What are the strengths of the community? Of the City
government?
What are weaknesses that need to be considered?
What opportunities does the City have that it can
capitalize on? For community impact? For City
operations, organizational culture, etc.?
What challenges is the community facing now and for its future? What threats does the City government face to
effectively serve the community now and in the future?
Outcome City Council members have input from the community to inform the development of the strategic plan. City Council members have a common understanding of the current
environment of the City.
10:45 – 11:15 a.m. Develop the Mission Statement
Mission Statement The Mission Statement describes an organization’s purpose or reason for existing. It answers the questions:
Why do we exist?
What do we do?
Current Mission Statement The mission of Capitola City Council is to represent the community and establish policy to provide the highest quality services to or residents, visitors, and businesses.
Examples of Mission
Statements
The City of Creswell exists to provide quality, reliable, and affordable city services to city residents and
businesses, creating a safe, livable, attractive
community with a unique small-town atmosphere.
Provide exceptional services and support for Lake
County’s people, communities, and environments.
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4 We responsibly manage available resources to
deliver vital, community-centered services with
passion, drive and focus.
Individual Reflection and Full
Group Discussion
Everyone will spend a few minutes reflecting individually and consider the following question. A full group discussion will follow.
As you reflect on the brainstormed information, does it accurately describe the purpose of City of Capitola?
Does it describe what you do?
If not, what needs to be changed?
Group Consensus Capture group’s insights/perspectives/ideas, synthesize and check for understanding and agreement.
Outcome Necessary ideas/content to produce a short, concise statement that clearly defines the scope of the organization. 11:15 a.m.– 12:00 p.m. Develop the Vision Statement
Vision Statement A vision statement defines your desired future state and provides directions for where you are going as an
organization. It is aspirational and answers the questions:
What will City of Capitola look like 5 – 10 years from now?
Current Vision Statement The City Council’s vision is for the City of Capitola to be the most desirable place to live, work, and play.
Examples of Vision
Statements
Waukesha is an accessible, vibrant, and desirable
community where diversity is celebrated, and sustainably sound and innovative practices are prioritized.
An engaged community with a sense of place and
belonging where everyone is welcome.
The City of New Braunfels is a vibrant and inviting place where people enjoy meaningful community connections,
unique cultural opportunities, and an exceptional quality of life surrounded by world class natural resources.
Individual Reflection and Full
Group Discussion
Everyone will spend a few minutes reflecting individually and consider the following question. A full group discussion will follow.
Where do you want to see the City in five years?
What does City of Capitola look and feel like? What is different? What is the same?
What do you want community members to be
experiencing?
How do you want City of Capitola to be described?
In the next five years, what has been achieved?
Group Consensus Capture group’s insights/perspectives/ideas, synthesize and check for understanding and agreement.
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5 Outcome Necessary ideas/content to produce a short, concise statement that clearly defines what the City Council envisions for City of Capitola’s future.
12:00 – 12:15 p.m. Break
12:15 – 12:45 p.m. Develop Core Values or Guiding Principles Core values/Guiding
Principles
Core values/guiding principles are the precepts that guide an organization throughout its life in all circumstances,
irrespective of changes in its goals, strategies, type of work or the top management. They are expectations for how the City will conduct its business, make decisions, and deliver programs and services to the community.
Current Values We value to quality of life in Capitola and are committed to maintaining and enhancing the unique character of our City.
We value an environment that creates the maximum
opportunities for success.
We value an accessible, participatory, and responsive government.
We value the preservation of our natural environment and resources through responsible land use planning.
We value our cultural and historical heritage.
We value ethical and professional conduct.
We believe in fostering a sustainable community.
We believe in ensuring a safe community.
Individual Reflection and Full
Group Discussion
Everyone will spend a few minutes reflecting individually and consider the following question. A full group discussion will follow.
What values accurately capture how you would like the City to carry out its mission and vision?
Group Consensus Capture group’s insights/perspectives/ideas, synthesize and check for understanding and agreement.
Outcome Necessary ideas/content to produce guidelines for a short set of essential core values/guiding principles.
12:45 – 1:30 p.m. Develop Strategic Priorities
Strategic Priorities Strategic Priorities are the broad areas where you want to focus the City’s resources and energy to achieve the vision.
Individual Reflection Everyone will spend a few minutes reflecting on the following question and write down any ideas they want to share with the group:
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6 Based on what we learned from the Environmental Scan and the vision you developed for the City, what are the four to six strategic areas of focus that should guide the next five years, so we can make progress toward our
shared vision?
Once you identify your ideas, write your four to five priorities on the provided colored cards.
Each Council member will share the ideas that came to mind.
Consider the following:
How would we define the current and future state of each of these focus areas?
If we make gains in these areas, will we achieve our
vision?
If the answer is no, what should we focus on instead? Full Group Discussion The full group will cluster the priorities posted, name them, and gain consensus on the strategic priorities that will achieve progress toward the vision.
Using just two or three words, how would you name each category?
Are the identified priorities the right areas of focus to make process toward the vision?
If not, what would you add or refine?
Group Consensus Capture group’s insights/perspectives/ideas, synthesize and check for understanding and agreement.
Outcome Identify four to six strategic priorities that focus the City’s energy, resources, and City toward achieving the long-term vision.
1:30 – 2:00 p.m. Develop Strategic Goals
Strategic Goals Strategic goals are long-term, statements that define how you will make progress towards your vision and describe the outcome to be achieved in five years for each of the strategic priorities.
Individual Reflection Everyone will spend a few minutes reflecting on the following questions individually and write down any ideas they want to share with the group:
What is the result we want to achieve in each focus
area?
What words and phrases will define the desired outcome each strategic priority?
Full Group Discussion The full group will discuss the individual ideas and gain consensus on the five-year goals for each strategic priority. Are they aspirational and achievable?
Will life be better in City of Capitola as a result?
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7 What, if anything, would you add or remove?
What needs refining?
Group Consensus Capture group’s insights/perspectives/ideas, synthesize and check for understanding and agreement.
Outcome Identify a long-term goal that defines each strategic priority and provide the framework for the City’s plan.
2:00 - 2:15 p.m. Break
2:15 – 2:30 p.m. Process for Updating, Evaluating, and Reporting Progress
Large Group
Discussion
What criteria should the City use to determine
whether or not to add something to the plan?
How frequently should the City update the plan?
What are the process steps?
How often should the City report progress on the
plan? Internally? Externally?
Group Consensus Capture group’s insights/perspectives/ideas, synthesize and check for understanding and agreement.
Outcome Determine how to maintain the City’s strategic plan as a living and actionable document.
2:30 – 3:00 p.m. Reflection, Closure, and Next Steps
Reflection and Closure What worked well today? Is there anything we could have done differently to make the experience better?
Is there any additional guidance you would give the
consulting team and City leadership team in preparation for developing objectives, outcomes, and performance
measures?
How did this retreat contribute to your ability to work together collaboratively as the City Council to serve the needs of the City?
What are your expectations for monitoring and reporting progress on the plan?
Next Steps BerryDunn will develop draft language for Mission, Vision, Core Values/Guiding Principles, Strategic Priorities, and Goal Statements.
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8 BerryDunn will hold a Strategic Planning Leadership Retreat with staff to refine today’s work and develop
objectives, outcomes, and performance measures.
BerryDunn will facilitate follow-up, virtual sessions with City department leadership and their key staff continue development of the overall implementation plan, finalize outcomes and performance measures.
BerryDunn will present the draft Strategic Plan with the City Council in a work session.
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