CPMS
Agenda Item A.4
CONSENT CALENDAR
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
SUBMITTED BY: Robert Nisbet, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Blake Markum, Management Analyst
SUBJECT: Consideration of the 2026 City Council Meeting Schedule and City Hall Holiday Schedule
RECOMMENDATION:
A. Authorize cancellation of the City Council meetings of July 7, 2026, August 4, 2026, and January 5, 2027; and
B. Authorize closure of City Hall from Thursday, December 24 , 2026, through Friday, January 1, 2027.
BACKGROUND:
Over the past several years, the City Council has canceled or rescheduled some of its meetings to accommodate holidays, vacations, and conferences attended by City Council members. Typically, the holiday and summer months are less busy than other times of the year and are well-suited to canceling one meeting per month.
Last year, the City Council approved the cancellation of the first meetings of July and August 202 5, and the first meeting in January 202 6. The Council also approved the closure of City Hall from Wednesday, December 24, 2025, through Thursday, January 1, 2026, in observance of the holidays and because this is a slower time of year for business.
DISCUSSION:
The City Council meeting schedule changes proposed in this report are in reference to the City Council meeting schedule of 2026.
The City Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month in the evenings.
Closed session begins at 4:00 p.m. and open session for Council meetings begins at 5:30 p.m. The dates in Table 1 reflect the July 2026 through January 2027 City Council meetings as currently scheduled:
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
Table 1. City Council Regular Meeting Dates July 2026 – Jan 2027 Jul 2026 Aug 2026 Sep 2026 Oct 2026 Nov 2026 Dec 2026 Jan 2027 First
Meeting July 7 August 4 Sept 1 Oct 6 Nov 3 Dec 1 January 5 Second
Meeting July 21 August 18 Sept 15 Oct 20 Nov 17 Dec 15 January 19
Summer Meeting Schedule
It is typically challenging to schedule meetings during summer months due to vacation plans of Councilmembers and staff. It has been staff’s practice to consolidate agenda items such that only two regular meetings between the months of July and August are necessary.
Staff have reviewed the 2026 summer meeting calendar and recommends City Council cancel the July 7 and August 4 meetings, which would allow additional time between summer meetings . The proposed schedule would provide a significant period durin g which Council and staff could plan vacations. If any pressing or time-sensitive issues were to arise during this time, staff would consult with the Mayor about whether a special meeting should be scheduled.
Fall/Winter Meeting Schedule
The 2026 League of California Cities Annual Conference is currently scheduled to be held September 23-25, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The City Council is scheduled to meet on September 15, 2026. The National League of Cities City Summit is scheduled for November 20-22, 202 6, (pre -conference November 19, 2026) in Salt Lake City, U tah. The City Council is scheduled to meet on November 17, 2026, two days prior to the conference. Staff does not recommend canceling either of the meetings immediately before these conferences.
Holidays on or Adjacent to Meeting
When a holiday falls adjacent to a Council meeting date, staff may recommend the meeting be canceled. In 2026 two (2) holidays will fall on the Monday before a Tuesday City Council meeting: the Martin Luther King holiday will occur on Monday, January 19 and the Presidents Day holiday will occur on Monday, February 16. However, staff does not recommend canceling either of the meetings adjacent to these holidays.
Staff f urther recommends that Council cancel the January 5, 202 7, meeting, due to observance of the Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day holidays’ impact on staff’s ability to prepare and distribute the agenda.
A summary of the proposed Council meeting cancellations or adjustments is provided in Table 2 below:
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
Table 2. Proposed City Council Meeting Cancelation
Jul 2026 Aug 2026 Sep 2026 Oct 2026 Nov 2026 Dec 2026 Jan 2027 First
Meeting
Cancel
July 7
Cancel
August 4 Sept 1 Oct 6 Nov 3 Dec 1 Cancel
January 5
Second
Meeting July 21 August 18 Sept 15 Oct 20 Nov 17 Dec 15 January 19
City Hall Holiday Hours
City Hall is normally open Monday through Thursday. Annually, the City Council considers a holiday schedule for City Hall and typically authorizes that City Hall be closed for public business between the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day holidays. The holiday period is typically the slowest for calls and visits to City Hall by the public and for meetings with other agencies. A holiday closure will allow staff an opportunity to schedule vacation time if they wish without impacting operations.
Should the Council authorize a closure for the 202 6/27 holidays, Table 3 below shows the proposed City Hall schedule:
Table 3. Proposed City of Goleta 2026/27 Holiday Schedule Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 12/20/2026 12/21/2026 12/22/2026 12/23/2026 12/24/2026 12/25/2026 12/26/2026 Closed
Open –
NORMAL
BUSINESS
HOURS
Open –
NORMAL
BUSINESS
HOURS
Open –
NORMAL
BUSINESS
HOURS
Holiday Holiday Closed
12/27/2026 12/28/2026 12/29/2026 12/30/2026 12/31/2026 1/1/2027 1/2/2027 Closed CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED Holiday Holiday Closed
With the observance of these holidays in mind, the proposed schedule above would result in three additional days (December 28th, 29th and 30th) that City Hall would be closed for public business for all departments. As noted above, the January 5 meeting is recommended for cancellation because of the holidays’ impact on staff’s ability to prepare and distribute the agenda.
If the City Council elects to support this modified schedule, staff will notify the public accordingly, and will take the fo llowing steps to mitigate any potential service or other impacts:
No additional holiday leave time other than what employees receive for designated holidays including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, will be granted. If em ployees would like to take time off during the additional days of closure, they would be required to use other types of leave time (such as vacation or management leave) to cover those hours. Employees with Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
insufficient leave balances will have the option to request leave without pay if they prefer to be off during the closure. If employees prefer to work, that option is available pending approval of the supervisor, director, and City Manager. The main City Hall phone number will have an after -hours greeting indicating the City Hall closure period and will provide a special phone number in the event the public has an urgent need for timely assistance. Staff will be assigned to address these calls during the scheduled closure.
Field maintenance and code com pliance personnel will be on stand -by for emergencies and other needed responses.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
Cancellation of regularly scheduled City Council meetings in July , August of 2026, and January of 2027 would save staff time, which would be devoted to other projects, while also resulting in reduced video recording services costs. The proposed additional closure days for City Hall would also result in utility cost savings, including water and electricity.
ALTERNATIVES:
Meeting Dates
Council could elect not to cancel the July 7, 2026, August 4, 2026, and January 5, 2027, City Council meetings or Council could reschedule these meetings to occur one week later: July 14, 2026, August 11, 2026, and January 12, 2027. Council could also elect to cancel other meetings not mentioned in this report.
City Hall Holiday Closure
The Council could elect not to close City Hall for public business during the holiday period, except on those days that fall on observed legal holidays (December 24, 25, and 31, and January 1).
LEGAL REVIEW BY: Isaac Rosen, City Attorney
APPROVED BY: Robert Nisbet, City Manager