Town of Corte Madera
Town Council
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING AND AGENDA FOR
TOWN COUNCIL AND MARIN COUNTY SANITARY DISTRICT NO. 2
STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2025
9:00AM
Location: Corte Madera Town Council Chambers
300 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera, CA 94925
NOTICE TO PUBLIC:
The Strategic Planning Workshop will be held at the Corte Madera Town Council Chambers and will not be videoconferenced over Zoom.
Members of the public may submit public comment by either:
1. Emailing [email protected] prior to 7:00AM on the day of the meeting.
2. Attending the meeting in-person at the Town Council Chambers, 300 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera.
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Public Comment Received After Agenda Publication
2. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP This workshop is for the Town Council to discuss short and long-term priorities and objectives for the Town as carried out by staff in the work plan. While Council will discuss priorities and the proposed work plan and may provide direction to the Town Manager, the Town Council will not take action to approve the proposed work plan or any projects within the proposed work plan at this workshop. The Town Council may direct the Town Manager to place specific items for discussion or adoption on the agenda of future Town Council meetings.
3. DISCUSSION OF WORK PROGRAM AREA PRIORITIZATION
The Town Manager will facilitate Council discussion of work program areas and receive direction from Council on priority areas for 2025.
4. PRESENTATION OF OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGETS
Pat Ravasio
Mayor
Rosa Thomas
Vice Mayor
James Andrews
Councilmember
Eli Beckman
Councilmember
Fred Casissa
Councilmember
Adam Wolff
Town Manager
Amy Ackerman
Town Attorney
Lorena Barrera
Town Clerk/Asst.to the Town Manager
Town Hall Council Chambers
300 Tamalpais Drive
Corte Madera, CA 94925
www.cortemadera.gov
Staff will provide a high-level overview of current and projected Operating and Capital Budget revenues and expenditures.
5. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF DRAFT 2025 WORK PLAN
Staff will present the proposed projects within the draft 2025 Work Plan for Council discussion.
6. LUNCH
7. CONTINUED DISCUSSION OF DRAFT 2025 WORK PLAN/RECAP
Continued discussion of remaining topics related to the Draft Work Plan and recap direction provided by Council relating to the proposed 2025 work plan.
8. ADJOURNMENT
REPORTS: Town Council Staff Reports and materials related to agenda items are usually available by 5:00 PM, the Friday prior to a regularly scheduled Council Meeting and available for review in the Town Clerk's Office and on the Town’s website via the hyperlinks included on the agenda which can be found at www.cortemadera.gov/681/Agendas-Minutes-and-Notices. Materials related to an item on this agenda (including but not limited to written public comments and staff presentations) that have been submitted to the Town Council or staff after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection in the Town Clerk's Office located at Town Hall, 300 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera, CA 94925, during normal business hours, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Thursday and 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM Fridays and in the Archive Center of the Town’s website:
https://www.cortemadera.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=58&Type=&ADID= AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: If you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Town Clerk at 415-927-5086. For auxiliary aids or services or other reasonable accommodations to be provided by the Town at or before the meeting please notify the Town Clerk at least 3 business days in advance of the meeting date. If the town does not receive timely notification of your reasonable request, the Town may not be able to make the necessary arrangements by the time of the meeting.
NOTIFICATION LIST: To sign up to receive automatic notifications regarding meetings and agendas, please visit the Town's website at www.cortemadera.gov and click on "Notify Me" to register, or email the Town Clerk at:
[email protected]
1 CORTE MADERA TOWN COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
REPORT DATE: January 16, 2025
MEETING DATE: January 23, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Town Council
FROM: Adam Wolff, Town Manager
Amy Ackerman, Town Attorney
Rebecca Vaughn, Assistant Town Manager
Daria Carrillo, Finance Director
Amy Lyle, Community Development Director
R.J. Suokko, Public Works Director
Tim Barry, Parks and Recreation Director
Michael Morarity, Communications/Code Enforcement Manager Lorena Barrera, Town Clerk/Assistant to Town Manager
Phoebe Goulden, Climate Action and Adaptation Coordinator SUBJECT: Strategic Planning Workshop: Prioritization of Work Program Areas and Review and Direction of 2025 Draft Staff Work Plan
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Discuss and prioritize staff work program areas and review and provide direction regarding Draft 2025 Staff Work Plan.
BACKGROUND:
It is the practice of the Town Council to hold a strategic planning workshop each year to discuss and identify short and long-range Town priorities and objectives and ensure that the staff work plan is aligned to achieve Town goals. While the Town Council will discuss priorities and the proposed work plan, and may provide direction to the Town Manager, the Town Council will not take action to approve the proposed work plan or any projects within the proposed work plan at this workshop. The Town Council may direct the Town Manager to place specific items for discussion or adoption on the agenda of future Town Council meetings in order to further discuss and/or approve programs or projects.
A review of the prior year’s work plan, including accomplishments and status of specific work plan items, was reviewed by the Town Council at its December 17, 2024, regular meeting. The staff report 2 and recap of the 2024 work plan can be accessed here:
https://www.cortemadera.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10070/6C-Staff-Report-and-Attachments. Video recording of the discussion of this item at the December 17, 2024 regular meeting can be accessed here (at 01:17:35): https://youtu.be/ACj4Pyo1RP8?si=wmIR4fGiQSkbYnT-&t=4657 DISCUSSION:
Work Program Area Prioritization
At the February 20, 2024 Town Council meeting, the Town Council accepted the 2024 Work Plan, and set overall priorities by organizing various work program areas into three categories, with Category I being the most important. Staff has reproduced the Town Council prioritization table below for informational purposes (with brief descriptions and examples of the type of work and objectives associated with each work program area in parentheses). It should be noted that public safety and emergency response is not included within the Town’s work program areas despite Town Council recognition as a top priority, given the primary responsibility for the work to accomplish this objective is provided by Central Marin Fire Authority and Central Marin Police Authority, two JPAs that are operated under a shared governance structure.
Category I
Fiscal Sustainability: (maintain healthy Town finances, address unfunded OPEB and Pension liabilities, protect recurring revenues, controlling costs, explore shared service opportunities where appropriate; update fee schedules to address cost of services) Climate Action, Adaptation, and Disaster Preparedness: (plan and implement climate action and adaptation projects, sea level rise/flooding and wildfire/evacuation strategies, reducing the Town’s carbon footprint, disaster preparedness)
Town Operations and Administration: (staff recruitment, retention and development, IT modernization and cybersecurity, staff facilities and equipment, maintenance of effective and transparent decision-making processes)
Customer Service and Community Responsiveness: (day to day responsiveness to community questions, concerns, and complaints, and resolving complex community issues, development of systems, processes, and resources intended to support community’s interaction with government services)
Category II
Infrastructure Maintenance and Improvements: (circulation improvements, roadwork, flood control, sanitary services, parks)
Community Events and Involvement: (promotion, support, and development of town-wide events and opportunities for community gathering, volunteerism, and connectedness) Land Use and Economic Development: (Housing Element implementation, efficient permitting, 3 zoning amendments to support business and development policy) Category III
Quality of life issues: (i.e. short-term rentals; dogs off leash, lighting, nuisance issues) Equity and Inclusion: (ensure service delivery, decision-making, and Town policies include needs and promote well-being of entirety of current and future Corte Madera community) Everything else
At the January 23, 2025, strategic planning workshop, the Town Council will be asked to revisit the various work program areas and determine if modifications or adjustments should be made. The Draft 2025 Work Plan does not include specific work plan items within the Equity and Inclusion work program area category. Rather, work plan items meant to affirmatively support all Town residents or advance equitable access and outcomes for community members are integrated within the relevant work program areas and prioritized accordingly. Staff believe this reorganization more closely resembles the Town’s mission statement (see below), which permeates all of staff’s work.
Draft 2025 Staff Work Plan
The Draft 2025 Staff Work Plan is included as Attachment 1 to this staff report. The proposed plan aims to guide staff in advancing Council and organizational priorities in alignment with the Town’s mission statement to uphold its core values and purpose:
To enhance our community's health, safety, and quality of life by serving our residents and businesses through proactive, responsive, and inclusive leadership. We strive to serve our community with courtesy, transparency, and equity. We work to improve the beauty, infrastructure and character of our town in a responsible way that ensures a sustainable, prosperous, and just future for all of Corte Madera.
The Draft Work Plan highlights major areas of staff work, including work that is being carried over from 2024 and new projects and programs intended to be the focus of staff and financial resources in 2025.
However, the Draft Staff Work Plan does not include the full body of Staff’s work in any given year.
Other critical functions, such as reviewing and processing permit applications, performing management and administrative functions, and responding to community member requests and concerns, also requires a significant portion of Staff time on a daily basis. Additionally, projects or programs which recur on a regular basis (such as responding to Civil Grand Jury requests or preparation of the budget), or items from prior work plans that have since become integrated into staff operations (such as administration of the park and recreation scholarship program) are not included in the draft work plan.
A significant portion of the Draft 2025 Staff Work Plan includes items that: 1) were not started or completed in 2024; 2) were anticipated in the 2024 Work Plan to “roll over” into the 2025 Work Plan; or 3) are implementing existing approved policy, programs, and/or projects from master planning documents, including the 2020 Climate Action Plan, 2021 Climate Adaptation Assessment, the 2023 Housing Element and Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan, the 2024 Sanitary District No. 2 Sewer Master Plan, and the 2024 Storm Drain Master Plan. These master planning documents were 4 developed via thorough public engagement processes that spanned several years and numerous public meetings and now define adopted Town policy.
Additionally, each year staff evaluates their respective department’s operations along with current/planned projects and needs. Where prospective work plan items overlap with Town advisory bodies’ subject matter expertise, staff engaged and presented draft work plan items at publicly-noticed meetings to garner further input.
A summary of the discussions on work plan items held at relevant advisory body public meetings is included below.
Climate Action
Staff reviewed proposed 2025 climate action work plan items with the Climate Action Committee at the Wednesday, December 18, 2024, meeting, and addressed follow-up questions at the January 15, 2025, meeting. The Committee was supportive of the proposed work plan and prioritization. The Committee discussed the item related to development of strategies to maintain and increase tree coverage in Town in further detail and provided feedback emphasizing that staff consider fire and other risks that trees may pose.
Additionally, the Climate Action Committee’s annual Climate Action Workplan always includes a community outreach item. In 2024, the focus was on community outreach and workshop related to heat pumps. In 2025, the Committee’s public engagement effort will focus on outreach to multifamily housing regarding EV charging as well as the development of a climate action scorecard. These engagement efforts have not been included in the staff work plan in the past, but do take considerable staff time to assist with the Committee’s efforts.
Video from the December 18, 2024, Climate Action Committee meeting can be viewed here:
https://youtu.be/V8BSypP4LVw?si=i4Qe5bS8v55snosE&t=3078 (Work Plan discussion begins at 0:51:20)
Community Development
Staff reviewed the proposed 2025 Community Development Department Work Plan with the Planning Commission at the Tuesday, November 12, 2024, meeting. The Commission was generally supportive of the items proposed. A request was suggested by one Commissioner to consider the inclusion of an item to address time limits on construction. While staff is not proposing to accomplish this in the 2025 work plan due to prioritization of the building code cycle adoption, the item could be considered in future years.
Video from the November 12, 2024, Planning Commission meeting can be viewed here:
https://youtu.be/WqnnKgLCvdw?si=-Ge1BSuy-VfOS18N&t=5055 (Work Plan discussion begins at 01:24:15)
Parks and Recreation
Staff reviewed the proposed 2025 Parks and Recreation Department Work Plan with the Parks and Recreation Commission over two consecutive meetings. At the October 28, 2024, meeting, the Commission reviewed the 2023 Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan and discussed projects that they were interested in including in the draft work plan or would like additional information about to 5 further the discussion. At the Commission’s December 16, 2024, meeting, the Commission reviewed the list of potential work plan items compiled from the discussion at the October meeting and engaged in further discussion to narrow the items to five projects to present to the Town Council for potential inclusion in the work plan. Their focus was on equity and ensuring that facilities on both sides of town receive focus if possible, with either a potential project or through addressing deficiency concerns.
Video from the October 28, 2024, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting can be viewed here:
https://youtu.be/6O9-LbaVP1E?si=_ti0JdEN3Y6tq8wR&t=4132 (Work Plan discussion begins at 01:08:50)
Video from the December 16, 2024, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting can be viewed here:
https://youtu.be/7aNg5kZiPRI?si=0rjIFb1LalTzMQVP&t=2338 (Work Plan discussion begins at 00:39:00)
Public Works
Staff reviewed relevant portions of the proposed 2025 Department of Public Works Work Plan with the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee at the Monday, January 13, 2025, meeting. The Committee was supportive of the work plan as presented. Some Committee members also expressed interest in discussions related to the issue of e-bicycles, should that be within their purview in the future. That item is not currently included as a work plan item.
Video from the January 13, 2025, Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting can be viewed here:
https://youtu.be/P0Ph3TQy_co?si=J6BedFWb3_TEkpS3&t=5603 (Work Plan discussion begins at 01:33:23)
In conclusion, the development process of the staff work plan has evolved significantly over the last several years to be more inclusive and provide opportunity for advisory body and public input.
Additionally, the Town has several recently adopted master plans that directly drive staff projects and programs. Finally, it is important to note that staff work plans should not be viewed as a static document and is intended to evolve and adapt as unanticipated needs and opportunities arise in the course of a given year. Staff intends to introduce a mid-year update to the Council in 2025 to communicate progress and/or changes to the work plan based on new information or changing conditions.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
WORK PLAN:
The development of the work plan is not listed as a project in the Staff work plan ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
This activity is not defined as a project under CEQA (Section 15378 CEQA Guidelines). 6 OPTIONS:
N/A
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft 2025 Work Plan
2. Public Comment Received Prior to Agenda Publication
7 ATTACHMENT 1
Draft 2025 Work Plan
Town of Corte Madera
2025 Staff Work Plan
# Program Area Department
Involved Project Description
Status
(R = Returning
from 2024
Work Plan, N =
New Initiative)
Indicates
project or
action item that
will likely
extend multiple
years
1 CDD Finalize and Adopt planning and building permit fee schedules for the Community Development Dept. R
2 ADM Create a Finance Advisory Committee to advise Town Council on long-range fiscal policy, investment strategies, and other fiscal health matters N 3 ADM Recruit, hire, onboard Finance Director N
4 ADM/PW Construct and begin operation of public EV chargers at Town Hall and Town Park and begin planning for future additional stations at Town Park, Menke Park, and an east Corte Madera location
R
5 ADM/PW Develop a fleet electrification plan with technical assistance from MTC R 6 ADM/CDD Review regulations, including the zoning ordinance, and consider modifications to reduce barriers to installing electric heat pumps N
7 ADM Develop an environmentally preferable purchasing policy (EPPP) for the Town R 8 ADM/CDD Evaluate and develop permit discount and streamlining programs that incent gas to electric conversions R
9 ADM/PW/CDD Work with Town arborist to develop a revised recommended street tree list and provide to public along with resources to support appropriate, safe tree planting N 10 ADM Achieve consistency with SB 1053 by amending or repealing Chapter 6.18, Regulation of SingleUse Carryout Bags N 11 ADM/PW Secure FEMA grant funding and initiate a project to fortify and raise the existing Marina Village Flood Berm, to include: 1) public outreach; 2) preliminary design and engineering options; and 3) environmental review
N
12 PW/SD2/CMFA Conduct public outreach with Christmas Tree Hill (CTH) community, coordinate with PG&E, and develop designs for Lower CTH Complete Streets, Evacuation Improvement, Sewer Rehab, and Undergrounding project
R
13 ADM/ALL Conduct staff trainings with Office of Emergency Management (OEM) related to disaster preparedness R/N
14 ADM Update the Town's Emergency Operations Plan in coordination with OEM; consider related changes to Municipal Code N
Fiscal Sustainability
Work program areas are listed into three categories of relative importance with Category I being the most important. * Work Plan projects or action items within each work program area are not listed in order of importance
CATEGORY I
Town Operations and Administration
Climate Action, Adaptation and Disaster Preparedness
15 TC/ADM/ALL Continue work to find appropriate space and develop program for new Intergenerational Center R 16 ADM Complete Town Hall projects including wayfinding signage, Haehl Archive Project, Town logo/art for Council Chambers (inside and out) N
17 ADM Formalize Town staff program for participation in the Sonoma/Marin Leadership Academy N 18 ADM/CDD/CE Revise and/or "clean up" Municipal Code sections related to: procurement and contracts, vehicle regulations, administrative citiations N
19 ADM Determine process and initiate negotiations for waste collection services (MVRS agreement expires Dec 2026) N
20 ADM Develop a Town policy for staff use of Artificial Intelligence resources N 21 ADM Implement additional cybersecurity measures including additional two-factor authentification, migration to new anti-virus protection system, and development of a disaster and incident recovery plan
N
22 ADM Develop and implement a community engagement/needs survey to gather public opinion on Town services N
23 ADM/CDD Continue to digitize Town property files and other records and documents and implement a software solution that will enhance both staff and public access to the Town’s records and archives R 24 CDD/ADM/P+R Evaluate fee schedules and consider strategies to make Town programs and services more accessible to lower income community members R
25 PW Construct multimodal transportation and road projects including: R/N • Casa Buena Complete Streets Project
• Hart Street Connector Path Project
• Bike Rack Expansion Project
• Madera Gardens Complete Streets Project
26 PW Design/RFP multimodal transportation and road projects including: R • Paradise Drive Complete Streets Project
27 PW Construct flood control and storm drainage projects including: N • Priority pump station upgrades per SDMP
• Priority storm drain culvert upgrades per SDMP
28 PW Design/RFP flood control and storm drainage projects including: N • Open Channel Maintenance Project
• Shorebird Marsh Pump Station Replacement
29 SD2 Construct sewer projects including: R/N
• 2024 Madera Gardens Storm and Sewer Project
• Paradise Pump Station Rehabilitation Project
• CAT 5 Pipes Rehabilitation Projects, Phase I
• CM Creek meter vault repairs
Infrastructure Maintenance and Improvements
Customer Service and Community Responsiveness
CATEGORY II
30 SD2 Design/RFP sewer projects including: N
• CAT 5 Pipes Rehabilitation Project, Phase II
• Paradise Drive Parallel FM, Phase I (to Village)
• Paradise Drive Parallel FM, Phase II including valve replacement 31 PW Implement a tree inventory and assessment program for Town parcels R 32 ADM/PW Complete work w/ Caltrans on final design of Tamalpais Overcrossing Project & define project schedule R
33 PW Implement reduced speed limit signs per AB43 and implement red curbs on high volume streets per AB413 N
34 PW/ADM/CDD Complete ADA self assessment plan report R 35 PW/P+R Replace substandard surfaces and play structures at Town Park Playground N 36 PW Conduct public outreach and further design of Menke Park renovation and accessibility project N 37 PW Prepare design-build RFP for Town Park east field natural turf renovation N 38 ADM/PW Plant new trees around Town Park picnic area/new pickleball courts/skatepark where appropriate N 39 P+R/PW Conduct grand opening of new skate park and new dedicated pickleball courts N 40 P+R Update Building/Facility Use Agreements with Town Civic Organizations R 41 P+R Establish policy and application process for memorial gift donation program (benches, bike racks, picnic tables, etc.) R
42 ADM/P+R Hold Town Volunteer Fair Event N
43 P+R Establish a policy and process for athletic facilities use (athletic fields, basketball court, tennis courts and gymnasium) N
44 ADM Hold "State of the Town" Event N
45 CDD/ADM Work with Chamber of Commerce to develop strategies to support economic sustainability N 46 CDD Establish enhanced public noticing standards for large projects R 47 CDD/ADM Adopt building code amendments for 2025 code cycle including updated green building reach codes N
48 CDD Consider amendments to the short-term rental ordinance N 49 CDD Consider adoption of zoning code amendment package to address new state legislation and housing element implementation. N
50 CDD Consider opportunities and options for the development of housing for staff to address long-term staff recruitment and retention needs R
51 CDD/CE Complete project to close, final and otherwise resolve expired building permits throughout Town. R 52 CDD Implement Menke Park/Old Corte Madera Square Pilot Microbusiness Program N 53 CDD Facilitate technical assistance grant for priority housing site projects R/N 54 CDD Review tenant protection strategies consistent with adopted Housing Element policy N Community Events and Involvement
Land Use & Economic Development
55 CDD Prepare zoning amendments to modernize commercial uses and allow businesses to expand operations outdoors (i.e. gyms) R
56 P+R Implement measures to address summertime nuisance issues at Town Park that negatively impact surrounding residential uses N
CATEGORY III
Quality of Life Issues
8 ATTACHMENT 2
Public Comment Received Prior to Agenda Publication