Agenda Item No. 5
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council DATE: March 24, 2025 FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Kristin Eriksson, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: FY 2025-27 City Council Goals and Priorities
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the FY 2025-27 City Council Goals and Priorities as determined by the City Council at the March 3, 2025 Council Strategic Planning Workshop.
____________________________________________________________________________
BACKGROUND
On March 3, 2025, the Council held a workshop to discuss governance norms, long-term city vision, and goals and priorities for FY 2025-27. After agreeing upon governance norms, the Council considered, discussed and adopted broad multi-year goals as well as biennial Council priorities for FY 2025-27, as listed below:
• Broad Multi-Year Goals. These represent goals that the City’s budget is geared toward and what provide a foundation for the day-to-day work of the City. o Public Safety and Community Services – Provide a range of services that foster a sense of safety, enjoyment and well-being for community members. o Economic Development and Housing – Support businesses attraction and retention, revitalization of commercial areas, and development of housing opportunities.
o Community Infrastructure – Provide for long-range planning and well-maintained infrastructure, including streets, water and sewer facilities, sidewalks, City facilities and parks.
o Financial and Organizational Sustainability – Ensure fiscal responsibility, organizational viability and promote a culture of innovation and customer service. • Biennial Council Priorities. These represent those goals that the Council selected for focused attention and resources in the next two years.
o Water and Sewer Infrastructure and Needed Resources – Plan for the future, ensure appropriate funding levels, address aging infrastructure and educate the community on the systems’ needs.
o Community Engagement and Rebuilding Community Trust and Civility in Public Discourse – Provide education to the community, use various methods of communication, proactively initiate communication and broaden the audience for City communications.
The final report from the workshop shown in Attachment 1 shows these categories of goals and biennial priorities for FY 2025-27 along with the governance norms, results of the visioning exercise, and other topics. Following approval of these goals and priorities, the City Manager will identify and scope the goal so that appropriate resources are allocated in the FY 2025-27 budget, and progress can be measured in achieving the goals.
Staff Report: FY 2025-27 City Council Goals and Priorities Page 2 March 24, 2025
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact from this agenda item. The cost of implementing specific Council Goals will be included in the FY 2025-27 proposed budget which will be considered by the Council at the budget hearing on June 10.
ALTERNATIVES
The Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Approve the FY 2025-27 City Council Goals and Priorities as determined by the City Council at the March 3, 2025 Council Goals Workshop; or
2. Do not approve the Goals and Priorities; or
3. Provide alternative direction to staff.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
Attachment
1. Council Strategic Planning Workshop Report
City Council Strategic Planning
Workshop Report
Held March 3, 2025
City of Grover Beach
Attachment 1
City of Grover Beach, California Page 1
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
The City of Grover Beach, CA, held a City Council Strategic Planning Workshop on March 3, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Ramona Garden Park Community Center. The session was facilitated by Raftelis.
The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating.
The paths are not to be found but made.
And the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.
John H. Schaar, Loyalty in America
Summary Results
The results of the strategic planning session (detailed further in this report) were:
• Agreement on a set of Council norms
• Sharing of long-term visions
• Agreement on four broad goals and two top priorities
Goals:
Top Priorities:
• Water and sewer infrastructure and needed resources
• Community engagement, rebuilding community trust, and civility in public discourse
Participants
The following City Council and Executive Team participated in the strategic planning session:
• Mayor Kassi Dee
• Mayor Pro Tem Robert Robert, District 1
• Council Member Jules Tuggle, District 2
• Council Member Kathy McCorry-Driscoll,
District 3
• Council Member Clint Weirick, District 4
• Matthew Bronson, City Manager
• Rob Lomeli, City Attorney
• Kristin Eriksson, Assistant City Manager
• Greg Ray, Public Works Director
• Megan Martin, Community Development
Director
• Nick Szamet, Administrative Services Director
• Jim Munro, Police Chief
• Scott Hallett, Five Cities Fire Chief
• Wendi Sims, City Clerk
Facilitators: Jan Perkins and Julie Gieseke of Raftelis.
Workshop Objectives
• Discuss norms and roles
• Share visions for the future
• Establish multi-year goals and biennial Council priorities • Strengthen the team
Public Safety
and Community
Services
Economic
Development
and Housing
Community
Infrastructure
Financial and
Organization
Sustainability
City of Grover Beach, California Page 2
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
Agenda
• Welcome from Mayor Kassi Dee
• Public comments
• Comments from City Manager Matt Bronson
• Review of today’s objectives and agenda
• Icebreaker
• Discussion of effective governance
• Share long-term visions
• Review accomplishments and key challenges
• Public comments
• Discuss and establish goals and priorities
• Recap on how best to achieve our priorities
• Wrap-up
Icebreaker Activity
Participants then engaged in an icebreaker activity involving sharing each individual’s first paid job.
Governance
Achieving important results for the
community requires effective governance as
well as clear goals. In this part of the
workshop, the City Council, along with the
City Manager, City Attorney and Assistant
City Manager, discussed governance.
The group discussed the attributes of an
exceptional council, referencing an article by
the Institute for Local Government. Comments
made are shown in the graphic on the right.
Comments included:
• We are one team: public, staff,
Council
• Having a sense of team is important
• Accountability and systems, as well
as continuous conversations with our
community, are key
• We know and operate within our
roles
• Stability is important in attracting
businesses and for jobs and economic
development
City of Grover Beach, California Page 3
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
Roles within the Council/Manager form of government were also discussed. • Mayor: Chairs Council meetings, represents the City and serves as spokesperson, assists in creating consensus on Council, is one member of the City Council, communicates with the public
• Council: Sets policy as a body, appoints the City Manager and City Attorney, communicates with the public
• City Manager: Serves as chief executive officer of the organization (appoints, directs, and supervises all City staff), manages operations, offers policy advice to the Council, communicates with the public
• City Attorney: Provides advice to the Council and staff on City matters, approves legal documents, handles litigation
The Council discussed the importance of respecting the roles and staying within lanes. The following graphic illustrates the discussion.
“Policy” was described as the “what” (the overall direction), and “administration” was described as “how” to execute the direction.
City of Grover Beach, California Page 4
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
Citywide Governance Resolution
The Council adopted a Governance Resolution on June 27, 2022, as part of transitioning to election of Council Members by District. Through the Resolution, the Council:
• Affirmed the value of Citywide governance regardless of the method by which Council Members are elected
• Considered that Citywide governance allows for the continuation of accessible customer service, the most effective use of taxpayer resources, and consistency of City services Norms for Governing
The Citywide Governance Resolution was referenced as foundational for a discussion of norms for governing. Many City Councils in other cities have adopted a set of norms that state their expectations for themselves in governing. Such adopted norms communicate to the community and staff, as well as each other, how they intend to work together on behalf of the City.
Through discussion, the City Council agreed to the following norms for governing:
1. Maintain a Citywide perspective while being mindful of our districts and communicate with our community.
2. Work together as a body, modeling teamwork and civility for our community.
3. Disagree agreeably and professionally.
4. Listen to one another. Communicate with each other. Seek to understand.
5. Assume good intent.
6. Demonstrate respect, consideration, and courtesy to others.
7. Share information and avoid surprises.
8. Keep confidential things confidential.
9. Respect the Council/Manager form of government and the roles of each party.
10. Communicate concerns about staff to the City Manager; do not criticize staff in public.
These norms are to be followed within the confines of applicable laws.
Visioning: Looking to the Future
The Council and the executive team then engaged in a visioning exercise, responding to the following questions:
1. What is true today about Grover Beach that you hope will still be true in 10 years?
2. What is not true now about Grover Beach that you hope will be true in 10 years? Responses are captured in the graphic below.
City of Grover Beach, California Page 5
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
Key themes were:
• Having an exceptional
culture
• Good streets and parks
• Being a vibrant
community
• Being a destination
community
Accomplishments and Challenges
The Council and staff reviewed key accomplishments over the past year. The key question was what contributed to these
accomplishments. The group also discussed key challenges the City is facing. Highlights of comments are shown in the graphic.
Contributing factors for accomplishments included:
• Teamwork
• Everyone knowing their role
• Council vision and staying true to our North Star
• Having an open mind
• Fulfilling the community’s vision
• Seizing opportunities
• Staff
City of Grover Beach, California Page 6
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
Key challenges highlighted included:
• Factors outside the City’s control
• Balancing resources
City Manager’s Key Areas of Focus
To provide further context for priority-setting, the City Manager shared his key areas of focus for the coming year. These are:
• Council onboarding, support, and goal setting
• FY2025-27 budget development and implementation
• Water and sewer system needs and funding issues
• Community engagement
• Business support
• Regional cooperation for water supply and fire/EMS
• Enhance
organizational
performance
The discussion with the
Council is captured in the
graphic.
Strategic Plan Framework
A new Strategic Plan framework was introduced. It includes the following elements:
• Vision, Mission, Values
• Broad Multi-Year Goals
• Biennial Council Priorities
• City Manager’s Operational Plan
• Departments Work Plans
The visioning exercise held will be a starting point for creating a vision statement for the City.
A purpose statement (or mission) already exists, as does a set of principles (values). These are:
Purpose (Mission): Enhance the quality of life for those who live, work and play in Grover Beach
City of Grover Beach, California Page 7
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
Our Principles (Values):
• Provide exemplary City services and experiences
• Encourage innovation and a culture of constant improvement • Foster a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the community we serve • Strengthen community connections to promote an ethical and transparent City government • Advance policies that support regional cooperation through teamwork and action-driven leadership
Broad Multi-Year Goals
The next element of the new Strategic Plan framework is a set of four broad, multi-year goals. These will be what the City’s budget and services are directed toward in pursuit of the City’s mission and vision.
Four goals were proposed for discussion, and the Council agreed. The proposed goals were based on input from pre-workshop interviews with the Council. The final wording is shown below:
Public Safety and
Community
Services
Provide a range of
services that foster a
sense of safety,
enjoyment and well
being for community
members.
Economic
Development and
Housing
Support business
attraction and
retention,
revitalization of
commercial areas,
and development of
housing
opportunities.
Community
Infrastructure
Provide for long
range planning and
well-maintained
infrastructure,
including streets,
water and sewer,
sidewalks, City
facilities and parks.
Financial and
Organization
Sustainability
Ensure fiscal
responsibility,
operational viability,
and a culture of
innovation and
customer service.
City of Grover Beach, California Page 8
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
Discussion
of these
multi-year
goals is
captured in
the
graphic.
Top Priorities
Following the discussion of the multi-year goals, priorities for the coming year were discussed.
The focus for determining priorities is to select the items intended for significant and additional progress.
The list shown below was discussed. It was generated through pre-workshop interviews, and one item (police facility) was added during the workshop.
The City Manager noted that work being done on all items, depending on resource availability. He said it is helpful to know which among these are most critical to the Council.
City of Grover Beach, California Page 9
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
A dot voting exercise was used to ascertain
which of the issues were of most
importance to the Council as a body.
Agreed Upon Priorities
The two items gaining five dots each were:
• Water and sewer infrastructure
and needed resources
o Plan for the future
o Ensure appropriate
funding levels
o Address aging
infrastructure
o Educate the community
• Community engagement,
rebuilding community trust, and
civility in public discourse
o Provide education to the
community
o Use various methods of
communication
o Proactively initiate communication
o Broaden the audience for City communications
How to Best Achieve Our Priorities
As the session ended, the City Manager said he would be reporting progress on the top priorities, as well as other important work plan items. The Council agreed that it was important to stay focused on the agreed-upon priorities so that the City could make progress and achieve results.
Wrap-Up
The next steps out of the workshop are:
City of Grover Beach, California Page 10
City Council Strategic Planning Report
Trusted Advisors Transforming Communities
• The City Manager will present a staff report to the Council for adoption of the Council’s governance norms, four multi-year goals, and top priorities.
• The City Manager and staff will continue working on the budget and bring that forward to the Council this spring.
Closing Comments
As the strategic planning session came
to a close, each member of the
Council and executive staff offered
some closing comments about the
day’s session, as captured in the
graphic.