February 8, 2025 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Agenda Page 1 of 2 12 City of Guadalupe
AGENDA
Special Meeting of the Guadalupe City Council
Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 8:30 am
Guadalupe Social Club, 945 Guadalupe Street, Guadalupe CA 93434 If you choose not to attend the City Council meeting but wish to submit a written comment for the Community Participation Forum or on a specific agenda item, please submit via email to [email protected] no later than 1:00 pm on Friday, February 7, 2025.
Please be advised that, pursuant to State Law, any member of the public may address the City Council concerning any item on the Agenda, before or during Council consideration of that item. If you wish to speak on any item on the agenda, including any item on the Consent Calendar or the Ceremonial Calendar, please submit a speaker request form for that item. If you wish to speak on a matter that is not on the agenda, please do so during the Community Participation Forum.
The Agenda and related Staff reports are available on the City’s website: www.cityofguadalupe.org Friday before Council meeting.
Any documents produced by the City and distributed to a majority of the City Council regarding any item on this agenda will be made available the Friday before Council meetings at the Administration Office at City Hall 918 Obispo Street, Monday through Friday between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, and also posted 72 hours prior to the meeting. The City may charge customary photocopying charges for copies of such documents. Any documents distributed to a majority of the City Council regarding any item on this agenda less than 72 hours before the meeting will be made available for inspection at the meeting and will be posted on the City’s website and made available for inspection the day after the meeting at the Administrator Office at City Hall 918 Obispo Street, Monday through Friday between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, including review of the Agenda and related documents, please contact the Administration Office at (805) 356.3891 at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. This will allow time for the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting.
1. ROLL CALL:
Council Member Eugene Costa Jr.
Council Member Whitney Furness
Council Member Amelia M. Villegas
Mayor Pro Tempore Christina Hernandez
Mayor Ariston Julian
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
February 8, 2025 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Agenda Page 2 of 2
3. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FORUM
Each person will be limited to a discussion of three (3) minutes or as directed by the Mayor. Pursuant to the provisions of the Brown Act, no action may be taken on these matters unless they are listed on the agenda, or unless certain emergency or special circumstances exist. City Council may direct staff to investigate and/or schedule certain matters for consideration at a future City Council meeting. Community input on Agenda Item 4 shall be heard during the Community Participation Forum.
REGULAR BUSINESS
4. CITY COUNCIL GOAL SETTING WORKSHOP FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024/2025.
5. ADJOURNMENT
I hereby certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing agenda was posted on the City Hall display case and website not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting. Dated this 4 th day of
February 2025.
______________________________
Todd Bodem, City Administrator
Todd Bodem
1 Leading public organizations and governing with colleagues on a council is a challenging art of community service. The Institute recognizes that many aspects of leadership and governance are not intuitive. This piece is intended to provide councilmembers and city managers insight into the attributes of exceptional councils as well as provide practical tips to help them become exceptional.
1. Exceptional councils develop a sense
of team – a partnership with the city
manager to govern and manage the city
The mayor, councilmembers and city manager see
themselves and work as a team as they undertake a
series of tasks to further their common purpose. The
individual team members work in a coordinated and
collaborative manner with a high degree of respect, trust and openness. The team values diversity in style and
perspective. The team thinks and acts strategically as it examines issues/situations and decides on a course of
action serving their city’s mission and goals.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Successfully transition from candidate
to a member of the council.
Become a champion of the city. Make
decisions based on the needs and
interests of the community at-large / the
greater good.
Develop, communicate and support
policy goals and council decisions.
Demonstrate a willingness to work
collaboratively (as a team) and have a
citywide perspective.
BEST PRACTICE TIPS
Build capacity to create a more effective team. The governance team (mayor, councilmembers and city manager) should get to know each other; how each person approaches issues, decision making style and so on. This can be accomplished at annual meetings or workshops through-out the year.
In the event that councilmembers disagree, clear ground rules (norms of behavior and practice) can help quell acrimony before it becomes a problem. It’s important to remember that trust is built around understanding and respect, not necessarily agreement.
Attributes of Exceptional Councils
Agenda Item No. 4
Attributes of Exceptional Councils
2 2. Exceptional councils have clear
roles and responsibilities that are
understood and adhered.
Exceptional councils understand their role is to serve as policy maker - to represent the values, beliefs and priorities of their community while serving in the community’s best interest. They carry out a variety of responsibilities including:
developing and adopting a vision for the city; focusing and aligning plans, policies, agreements and budgets in furtherance of this vision; and holding themselves and
the city manager accountable for results.
Exceptional councils understand that the city manager
is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city.
The city manager is responsible for undertaking and
accomplishing the policy objectives of the council.
Exceptional councils recognize the subject matter expertise of staff and utilize their knowledge and experience to
guide and inform decision making.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Understand the role of local
government and their responsibilities.
Know their role- to set vision and policy,
avoid micromanagement.
Councilmembers should strive to be
informed about the issues facing the
city and be prepared to ask questions of
staff and each other.
BEST PRACTICE TIPS
Create a shared understanding of the city manager’s role and the council’s expectations to optimize the working relationships. This shared understanding is informed by local charter and ordinance provisions that provide the overall framework for the relationship. The council should make time to have conversations during retreats and or study sessions to define and/or reveal and refine their role and responsibilities. Since role clarity between the city council and city management is critical to mutual success, having clear protocols helps avoid misunderstandings.
Attributes of Exceptional Councils
3 3. Exceptional councils honor the
relationship with staff and each other
Exceptional councils understand that a good working
relationship with staff is vital for the city to be run successfully. Exceptional councils treat each other and staff with dignity and respect. They act with civility and a high level of professional decorum. Councilmembers
build trust by not playing the “gotcha game” and strive to have a no secrets, no surprises approach as an operating norm. Finally, they respect the diversity of styles and perspectives among their colleagues and staff and are
open to new ideas.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Councilmembers have the ability to
respectfully disagree (to disagree
without being disagreeable).
They are able to leave it at the dais;
debates are about policy, not
personality.
Exceptional councilmembers reflect
positive decorum/model of leadership
by providing respectful tone with
colleagues.
Establish a set of behaviors ahead of
time, potentially documented in a code
of conduct, to help promote civility and
respect.
BEST PRACTICE TIPS
Set council priorities and strategic goals at an annual meeting; these goals and priorities are a tool to guide the city manager and staff on where to focus their efforts. This annual meeting provides time for the council to reflect on community priorities as well as offer an opportunity to discuss their decorum and their relationship among each other and the relationship between the city manager/staff and the council.
4. Exceptional councils routinely conduct
effective meetings
Open and public meetings are central to democratic
decision-making. Exceptional councils master the art
of effective meetings. They develop and adhere to meeting protocols and processes. They spend time planning and
organizing the agenda with the aim of having a more
focused meeting. They allocate the council’s time and
energy appropriately (focused on the council’s role and responsibilities) and meeting short- and long-term priorities.
They honor the public’s participation and engagement
and they generally start on time and are held during
reasonable hours.
Exceptional councils use public meetings not only for their intended purpose, information sharing and decision-making,
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Councilmembers are respectful of each
other, the public and everyone’s time.
Councilmembers use engaging body
language as a way to demonstrate
respect.
Issues are not personalized, thoughtful
dialogue is the objective.
Agenda packets are read,
councilmembers come prepared and
have an open mind
Respect is demonstrated for varied
opinions.
Everyone strives to be civil and act with
decorum.
Attributes of Exceptional Councils
4 but they also use the meeting to demonstrate respect and civility for each other, staff and the public. Exceptional councilmembers prepare in advance of the meeting, remain focused on the city goals and objectives and mindful of their role and responsibilities.
BEST PRACTICE TIPS
Develop and adopt (with regular reviews and updates), guidelines for conducting meetings and making decisions. These governance protocols typically address meeting procedures (agenda preparation, how to put issues on the agenda, debate and voting procedures (parliamentary rules) and standards of decorum (civility)). As part of a regular self-assessment, councils should evaluate their meetings and their effectiveness and adjust behavior and practices for better results.
5. Exceptional councils hold themselves
and the city accountable
Exceptional councils operate openly, ethically and work to engage the community in a myriad of decisions impacting the prosperity and well-being of their community. Toward that end, exceptional councils consistently provide shortand long-term strategic direction and goals, as well as provide budget, program and policy oversight.
Exceptional councils hold themselves accountable for the conduct, behavior and effectiveness of the council. They establish clear priorities and goals and hold the city
manager accountable for results. And finally, they embrace accountability as a process and tool to calibrate ongoing efforts to address and meet policy and program objectives.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Councilmembers operate ethically and
with integrity.
Councils conduct team building / goal
setting exercise to track progress
towards mutually agreed upon goals
Councils taking responsibility for the
results (good and bad).
Councils celebrate success.
Councilmembers hold themselves
responsible for adhering to operating
protocols and codes of conduct.
BEST PRACTICE TIPS
Annually evaluate council and city manager performance toward achieving the city’s priorities and goals (consider having this be part of an annual goal setting meeting). Council should consider assessing its own behavior and effectiveness as part of its annual self-assessment.
Attributes of Exceptional Councils
5 6. Exceptional councils have members
who practice continuous personal
learning and development
Governance is not intuitive. In addition, the policy and economic environment impacting cities are ever changing.
Exceptional councils continually provide the opportunity to build their knowledge and skills, to enhance their
understanding of key issues, increase their awareness
of best practices and sharpen their leadership and
governance skills.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Stay informed on key issues
Gain key insights and knowledge on all
aspects of governing, from budgets to
plans and everything in between.
Learning to listen is sometimes more
important than learning to give a
speech.
BEST PRACTICE TIPS
Seek out national, state and local professional growth and educational opportunities. These opportunities can focus on the nuts and bolts of governing to helping you gain valuable information and/or insights on key policy issues facing your city. In addition, city run orientations for newly elected officials provide a good way to acclimate new members to the council’s norms and protocols as well as the budget and key policy issues.