CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
5/17/2025
1 SUBJECT:
Facilitated Discussion on City Council as a Team and Possible Council Meeting and Other Governance-Related Modifications
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Conduct a facilitated discussion on the City Council as a team and review possible Council meeting and other governance-related modifications.
STAFF CONTACT:
Kevin Woodhouse, City Manager
650-738-7409
[email protected]
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
For many years the City Council has conducted a Council governance training and teambuilding workshop focused on the City Council as a team and Council member roles and relationships.
With the move to district-based elections several years ago, and the recent election of two new Council members, this year’s retreat will focus primarily on Council roles and responsibilities, the City Council as a team, and Council meeting management and performance.
Facilitator Greg Larson, who has facilitated the Council’s strategic planning sessions for the last three years, has conducted interviews with each Council member, the City Manager, and the City Attorney. These interviews have narrowed the areas of focus and provided possible suggestions for City Council consideration and discussion. In addition, Mr. Larson will provide best practices and alternatives from other jurisdictions, where appropriate.
This discussion is intended to be less formal and more conversational than a regular Council meeting, and even more so than the Strategic Planning and Priority sessions. It will be important for individual Council members, as well as the City Manager and City Attorney, to listen to each other and explore opportunities and alternatives together.
Public comment on the day’s meeting is, of course, valued, and will be provided for at the beginning of the workshop. There will be a mid-morning break as well as lunch, which may be a “working lunch” if needed to conclude the workshop by early to midafternoon.
Attached is the current Council Rules and Code of Ethics as updated in 2023. It is provided as background information. There will be time at the end of the workshop for Council members to suggest possible modifications to the Council Rules and Code of Ethics based on the prior workshop discussions or otherwise.
Pacifica City Council 2
May 17, 2025
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct or immediate fiscal impact associated with the discussion of Council roles and responsibilities. However, clarity of process and improved collaboration should benefit all City operations.
ORIGINATED BY:
City Manager's Office
ATTACHMENT LIST:
Attachment A: Current City Council Rules and Code of Ethics (PDF)