AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED BY THE
CITY COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC REVIEW
PRIOR TO THE MEETING
AGENDA NO: 3a
MEETING DATE: March 25, 2025
2 Nancy Bast
2 Thank you for your consideration,
Hilary Soldati
1 Heather Goodwin
From: debbie highfil < >
Sent: Monday, March 24, 2025 7:49 PM
To: Council
Subject: Goal setting meeting 3/25
CAUTION: This is an external email. Please take care when clicking links or opening aƩachments.
Dear council, I know city revenue is always an extremely important priority. I hope that preserving our small town character is also a priority.
I hope you can do everything possible to work with the community to preserve the old Morro Elementary property. It’s many uses have been described before and the community wants it to be preserved.
Please include that in the goals that you are seƫng. We would be so grateful.
Sincerely,
Debbie Highfill
ReƟred teacher
long Ɵme Morro Bay resident
2 To conduct the straw poll, Council members will be provided with a simple ballot (see attachment).
Using the scale noted on the ballot sheet, each Council member will score their top goals. The worksheets included in the agenda report may be helpful in preparation for this straw poll. The City Clerk will tally the votes and the facilitator will report the results. This process, including tallying results, should take about 10 minutes to complete. Normally, with this type of voting there is a clear point differential between top priorities and other goals.
Following the straw poll, discussion of the individual goal topics will begin. Discussion will be focused on the goal statement, and then the objectives that support that goal, including any new objectives Council Members may suggest. This process will continue until the City Council has identified the appropriate number of goals (likely 2 to 4 goals total), and the associated objectives.
A few important notes. 1) Council is not limited to the goal topics recommended or identified in the staff report. The facilitator will confirm if any Council Member wishes to add one or more goals to the ballot before the ranking. 2) Once a goal topic is identified for discussion, the Council will be asked to comment on the draft goal statement. The draft goal statements are general and Council Members may wish to suggest modifications or have specific topics highlighted within a goal statement. The facilitator will help the Council arrive at goal statements that are supported by consensus whenever possible. 3) Objectives are already associated with goals in the agenda report, however, this relationship is not set in stone and the objectives supporting each goal will be discussed as time allows. 4) The results of the poll are not binding in any way and will only be used to help the City Council work towards consensus.
Please review the attached ballot, and let me know if you have any other questions about how the meeting will be facilitated. I am looking forward to working with the Council to arrive at goals that everyone supports!
Thank you, -Michael
Michael Codron
EM|BC Planning Strategies
www.embcstrategies.com
[email protected]
805-458-0273
City Council Goals – Straw Poll
Instructions:
Use the scale to apply the appropriate number to your top goals. Each Council Member may allocate a maximum of 15 points in total.
Scale:
5 = Top Priority
4 = Important Priority
3 = Priority
2 = If Resources Exist
1 = Consider for Future
Eckles Edwards Landrum LuƯee Wixom
Goal Topics Total
Economic
Vitality/Fiscal
Health
Infrastructure
Quality of Life
Housing
Homelessness
Community
Engagement
El Morro
Elementary
Environmental
Stewardship
Revenue
Enhancement
2 QUALITY OF LIFE
--homeless outreach. Until the City is ready to bring this back from the County, it's not a serious objective. What department is designated to take this on?
--fire dept improvements. Are these daily/yearly activities that automatically occur?
--waterfront master plan. I don't perceive this as a quality of like goal, more of an economic one.
--historical preservation ordinance. This should be directed to the planning commission to work with the community with minimal assist from staff.
These 2 are not recommended. The police and fire departments seem stable right now, so that's okay.
--police workforce.
--emergency response
COMMUNITY GOALS
--housing. ADU help is already in place.
--community engagement.
As articulated by the city manager, each council member has worked hard to improve communications with the public.
1. If anything could be improved it is the City's website: make it responsive to key words/phrases, keep hot topics updated weekly getting rid of old and adding new, make it obvious how to get to 2025 city council meetings, keep advisory membership current as well as posting minutes.
2. Reinstate Friday office hours.
--Morro Elementary. This is a quality of life issue because of the harm that can come if the City is not the lead. A developer, due to density laws passed by the State, can tie the City's hands ruining our town. This is priority.
--Environmental Stewardship. Other than keeping an eye on the non-paused wind companies and the governor, the 3 other suggestions--climate action plan, power plant property, electricity rebates--do not rise to the top.
--Parking. Let it be part of the Waterfront Master Plan. --Revenue enhancement. It's happening through the CFAC? Sincerely,
Betty Winholtz
2 #5 - The policy of having short term absentee owner vacation rentals is destroying the sense of community that has always made residents friendly and welcoming to their neighbors and visitors. In a town with less that 6000 homes and STVRs in the hundreds in residential neighborhoods, it not only has negatively affected full time residents quality of life, but also creates a major shortage for full time renters and affordable housing.
And needless to say, there should be no BESS facility and no industrialization of the harbor and waterfront in Morro Bays future.
Thank you for this chance to hopefully influence sensible future growth.
Nancy Bast
Sent from my iPad
3 4
5 1
Dana Swanson
From: debbie highfil <
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 5:48 PM
To: Council
Subject: The shape our future forum
CAUTION: This is an external email. Please take care when clicking links or opening aƩachments.
Dear council members. I won’t be able to aƩend the meeƟng, but I do want to voice that the school programs and historical building and the fields on the old Morro elementary property are important to us.
The community wants to fundraiser to acquire the property. It would be such a benefit to the community.
The five unique educaƟonal programs at that site and the well-used soccer fields are important for Morro Bay.
Please make acquiring that property part of our future.
Sincerely,
Debbie Highfill
Morro Bay resident for 23 years
2 Thank you for your time and all that you do to improve Morro Bay.
Judy Lynn Setting