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MINUTES
GARDEN GROVE CITY COUNCIL
Special Study Session
Friday, February 16, 2024
Great Wolf Lodge
Pine Conference Room
12681 Harbor Boulevard, Garden Grove, California 92840
CONVENE MEETING
At 9:10 a.m., Mayor Jones convened the meeting.
ROLL CALL PRESENT: (6) Council Members O’Neill, Tran, DoVinh, Klopfenstein, Nguyen, Brietigam, Mayor
Jones
ABSENT: (1) Council Member DoVinh was absent at Roll
Call, but joined the meeting at 9:40 a.m.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Speakers: None
OPENING COMMENTS AND WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
Mayor Jones and City Manager Lisa Kim provided a brief welcome and overview and introduced facilitator Jan Perkins with Baker Tilly – Management Partners. A PowerPoint was provided and workshop objectives and ground rules were introduced.
DISCUSSION ON GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES AND TEAMWORK
Topics covered included the foundation that has been set for future City Council members and the transition to new members on the council; common issues raised by constituents are: Code Enforcement, commercial blight and graffiti, traffic, and homelessness.
REVIEW OF CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES FROM MARCH 2023
The City Council priorities that were established in 2023 were identified in two tiers:
Tier one included: Homelessness, Public Safety, Infrastructure, and Economic
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Development and support for local business. Tier two included Code Enforcement and the celebration of Garden Grove’s cultural diversity.
ESTABLISH CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024-25
Council priorities in Fiscal Year 2024-25 were consistent with those identified in 2023; and are primarily driven by the overall financial health of the City as a baseline for addressing those priorities.
Finance Director, Patricia Song, reviewed budgetary items; noting that the City’s forecast is positive.
Council Members identified specific interests that included: Increased engagement and partnerships with the Garden Grove Unified School District and other agencies to collaborate on overlapping concerns and needs; continuous improvement in quality services provided to the community; address infrastructure and unmet needs such as street lighting and sidewalks to bolster safety; support and focus on larger development projects that increase the City’s sustainability; support diversity through art and cultural events; and address Code Enforcement concerns throughout the City.
OVERVIEW OF CITY MANAGER VISIONING FOR THE ORGANIZATION
City Manager Kim’s key areas of focus for 2024 are: The organization’s culture and its employees that provides for continuity and succession planning; utilizing technology for efficiency, communication and transparency; maintaining financial sustainability and asset management by continuing to harvest opportunities for projects that enhance the City.
WRAP UP AND NEXT STEPS
Staying on track with the priorities that have been identified and to focus time and attention on the stated priorities and carefully evaluate the necessity of proposed new items; use the budget process to allocate resources for priorities; and provide status information on the priorities identified.
ADJOURNMENT
At 11:55 a.m., Mayor Jones adjourned the meeting.
Teresa Pomeroy
City Clerk