Attachment 1
City of Santa Rosa
City Council Priority Setting Workshop
Held February 24, 2022
March 2022
Table of Contents
Workshop Report 1
Workshop Overview 1
Opening Comments 3
Ice-breaker Exercise 4
Review Accomplishments 5
Reflect on the City’s Mission, Vision and Values 7
Establish Goals and Strategies 11
Discuss Working Together to Achieve Results 15
Wrap up and Next Steps 17
Attachment – Workshop Evaluation 19
Workshop Report
The City of Santa Rosa held a City Council workshop on Thursday, February 24, 2022 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Utilities Field Operation Building. The workshop provided an opportunity for Councilmembers to set intentions for the organization’s focus of time and limited resources for the upcoming year. This report contains a summary of the results of the goal setting session.
Nancy Hetrick, Vice President for Management Partners, facilitated the workshop. Ashley Garcia, Principal Management Analyst, assisted and served as recorder.
Workshop Overview
Objectives
Affirm the City’s mission, vision, and values
Establish strategic goals and direction for FY 2022-23
Define expectations and methods for regular updates on Council priorities.
Participants
City Council
Mayor Chris Rogers
Vice Mayor Eddie Alvarez
Councilmember John Sawyer
Councilmember Dianna MacDonald
Councilmember Victoria Fleming
Councilmember Tom Schwedhelm
Councilmember Natalie Rogers
Staff
City Manager Maraskeshia Smith
Assistant City Manager/Operations and Transportation Jason Nutt Interim Assistant City Manager/Community Development and Engagement Director Clare Hartman Chief Financial Officer Alan Alton
City Attorney Sue Gallagher
City Clerk Stephanie Williams
Police Chief Ray Navarro
Police Captain John Cregan
Fire Chief Scott Westrope
Director of Human Resources Amy Reeve
Director of Water Jennifer Burke
Director of Housing and Community Services Megan Basinger Interim Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Technology Brian Tickner Communications Coordinator Elise Miller
Agenda
Welcome and call to order by the Mayor
Public comment
City Manager’s remarks
Review financial outlook and accomplishments
Reflect on the City’s mission, vision, and values
Establish goals and strategies
Discuss working together to achieve results
Wrap up and next steps
Workshop Ground Rules
At the start of the workshop, Nancy suggested the following ground rules to help the group have a successful workshop.
Listen to understand each other’s point of view
Assume good intent
Speak up if we need course correction
Seek consensus
Stay focused
Bike Rack. Nancy explained that if items were brought up that could not receive immediate attention, they would be added to a “bike rack.” The following items were added.
Create a visual list to help Council acknowledge non-priority requests, Discuss the role of Council-appointed committees and commissions, Operationalize values and goals for accountability (measurable), Take action on the Council’s declaration of racism as a public health crisis, Consider a manufactured homes ordinance,
Pursue annexation opportunities, and
Utilize study sessions for policy consideration.
Opening Comments
Mayor Rogers
Mayor Rogers convened the City Council meeting and asked for the roll call. The Mayor welcomed everyone and thanked Councilmembers for attending. He noted that the purpose of the day’s discussions was to meet as a team to discuss the vision for what they want to accomplish for the City of Santa Rosa. He noted that this was a critical tool for the City Council and department heads to focus attention and resources. Mayor Rogers then opened the session to public comments.
City Manager Smith
City Manager Maraskeshia Smith offered opening remarks. She shared how proud she is of Team Santa Rosa because they continue to deliver an exceptional level of customer service in spite of circumstances. She expressed that through ongoing disasters, members of the organization remain steadfast and resilient. She mentioned that the City is at a turning point progressing toward a full recovery, and that staffs’ bandwidth is limited.
City Manager Smith expressed her interest to balance core services, operationalize one-time funding and utilize innovation to drive a philosophy of high performance. She highlighted the need for intentional and deliberate goal setting. She stated that the City must get back to the basics and increase the use of metrics for deploying limited resources and achieving performance excellence. She thanked staff for a job well done and stressed the desire to move Santa Rosa forward.
Ice-breaker Exercise
High Performing Organization
The facilitators began the workshop with an ice-breaker exercise. Participants provided feedback about what “high performing organization” means to them. The results of this activity are shown below.
High performing organization defined…Goals and priorities align with staffing capacityFreedom to innovateWell-defined organizational structureRemove silosCollaborativeAdaptableAppreciate and support staffA good place to workClarity of objectivesLong-term plansStrategic in actionMove in the same directionProactiveAnticipate community needsCustomer service orientationExceed expectationsHigh performing organization defined…Goals and priorities align with staffing capacityFreedom to innovateWell-defined organizational structureRemove silosCollaborativeAdaptableAppreciate and support staffA good place to workClarity of objectivesLong-term plansStrategic in actionMove in the same directionProactiveAnticipate community needsCustomer service orientationExceed expectations High performing organization defined…
Goals and priorities align with staffing capacity
Freedom to innovate
Well-defined organizational structure
Remove silos
Collaborative
Adaptable
Appreciate and support staff
A good place to work
Clarity of objectives
Long-term plans
Strategic in action
Move in the same direction
Proactive
Anticipate community needs
Customer service orientation
Exceed expectations
High performing organization defined…
Goals and priorities align with staffing capacity
Freedom to innovate
Well-defined organizational structure
Remove silos
Collaborative
Adaptable
Appreciate and support staff
A good place to work
Clarity of objectives
Long-term plans
Strategic in action
Move in the same direction
Proactive
Anticipate community needs
Customer service orientation
Exceed expectations
Review Accomplishments
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Alton briefly reviewed the City’s financial outlook. Assistant City Manager Nutt highlighted major accomplishments by department over the past year (a handout was provided). The City Council and staff reflected on the accomplishments.
Following the presentation, participants were invited to add additional accomplishments they wanted to acknowlege. Those are listed below.
Implementing the water demand offset fee,
Moving county offices downtown,
Purchasing equipment to increase efficiency (asphalt equipment), Council cooperation/cohesiveness,
Prioritizing funds (using staff recommendations),
Legislative advocacy, and
Responding to social service needs (inRESPONSE, childcare).
Nancy posed two discussion questions to small groups to reflect on and report back to the larger group. The groups identified the following factors contributing to the success of the organization.
What contributes to our success?
Clarity
Strong and engaged City Council
Experienced, engaged, motivated leadership team
Being adaptable
Dedicated employees
Collaboration
Community engagement
Applying an equity lens
Communication
Making progress addressing homelessness issues
Integrating DEI into all that we do; reflecting the community we serve Having our city manager, Councilmember, other key roles filled Putting the City first (even with districts)
High quality presentations for city council decision-making The following were identified as factors that can get in the way.
What gets in the way of our success?
“Shiny object syndrome”
Overwhelm creating silos
Great resignation/retention of staff
Staying on the hamster wheel – being reactive rather than strategic Lack of metrics
When we’re not adaptable; resistance to change
Funding
Limited staff capacity
Uninformed community; insufficient access to information Forgetting to celebrate success
Reflect on the City’s Mission, Vision and Values
Following a short break, the topic shifted to strategic planning and discussion of the City’s mission, vision, and values. This portion of the agenda began with a short ice-breaker activity.
Headline Exercise
Participants were invited to participate in the ice breaker using a feedback tool, Mentimeter, to reflect on their hopes for the City by writing a headline they would like to see in the paper/ online in five years. The individual responses scrolled across the screen at the front of the room as they were submitted. Below are the headlines submitted by participants.
Santa Rosa reaches 2030 climate goals 3 years early
Santa Rosa values and supports all parts of the community and finally lifts up those who have been marginalized and silenced Santa Rosa the #1 place to live, work and play in the USA John Sawyer elected to 7th term
Why should you move to Santa Rosa? Vibrant, safe, inclusive City opens Roseland Community Center
12-story building in Downtown Santa Rosa ready for occupancy Santa Rosa voted #1 Inclusive City in the World
Santa Rosa ends homelessness!
Most cutting-edge city in California attracts working families across state. Becomes statewide economic engine.
City of Santa Rosa Leads the Way Across the Board
City of Santa Rosa Transforms Mental Health Response
Santa Rosa infrastructure receives an A Grade
Santa Rosa voted #1 city to live, work, play!
Santa Rosa. Best. City. Ever!
Mission
Nancy reviewed the existing mission of Santa Rosa, which was affirmed by the group.
To provide high-quality public services and cultivate
a vibrant, resilient and livable City.
Vision
Nancy then reviewed the existing vision of Santa Rosa, which was affirmed by the group.
Santa Rosa – Leading the North Bay
Values
Next was a discussion about organizational values. Nancy identified values specifically mentioned during Council interviews.
Transparency
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Applying an Environmental Lens (Sustainability)
Engagement
These overlapped with the City’s existing values as listed below.
Excellence
Innovation
Teamwork
Integrity
Inclusiveness
Transparency
In small groups, participants discussed the desired mix of values, how they look in practice, and how they can be integrated and promoted in all the City does.
Key themes from the values discussion are presented below.
Potential Key Core Values
Sustainability – both an environmental and fiscal focus Resilience
Integrity – the “golden rule;” using an ethical approach Inclusiveness
Broaden to be Diversity, Equity and Inclusion + Belonging Define our “why”
Environment, Equity, Economy (the three Es)
Engagement
Customer service
Teamwork – collaboration
Transparency
Operationalize the Values
Provide focus
Universal
Resonate with Council, staff, and the community
Integrate into City culture
Align with personal values
Accountability and performance metrics
Evaluate for values/organizational competencies
Communicate values to the community
Define on website (clarity)
Make them accessible
Keep it simple
Memorable
Consider using an acronym to make it memorable (e.g., R.O.S.E. or R.O.S.A. acronym) (need to be aware of translation limitations) Resilience
Opportunity
Sustainability
Equity, economy, etc.; or Accountability
Establish Goals and Strategies
Following a lunch break, the group reconvened for the goal-setting portion of the workshop. Nancy began by reviewing the themes heard during individual Council interviews, which are listed below.
Pursue housing for all
Address issues and causes of homelessness
Strengthen organizational effectiveness
Facilitate economic development (i.e., business support, community investment, vibrant downtown) Maintain infrastructure
Ensure public safety using modern practices
Promote community resilience (including childcare)
Apply an environmental lens in all we do
Foster an engaged and connected community
Embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion as a core value Using the Strategic Plan framework, the facilitator provided a definition for goals. Goals provide direction and focus of the organization, including resource decisions; are multi-year in nature; and are achieved through a range of strategies.
Participants reviewed and discussed proposed goals along with potential strategies. Below is the agreed upon set of City Council goals. These reflect the changes discussed and affirmed during the workshop. There was agreement by Council that these goals should last longer than one year.
Council Goals
Deliver housing for all
Pursue housing options for residents of all income levels Reduce homelessness and its impacts
Partner with key stakeholders to offer housing and support services to the unsheltered and address the issues and causes of homelessness Ensure a healthy and safe community for all
Ensure the public’s safety by engaging residents and using a broad range of proactive approaches Promote economic and community vibrancy
Sustain and develop a diverse and thriving economy that benefits Santa Rosa residents and businesses and contributes to the community’s economic health Build and maintain sustainable infrastructure
Invest in and maintain infrastructure that supports environmental sustainability and supports a vibrant City Achieve organizational excellence
Create a high performing organization that is proactive; fiscally sound; promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion; and reliably delivers outstanding services to the community Potential strategies are presented on the following pages. Refinements made by Councilmembers during the workshop are noted in red font. The City Manager and her team will use these potential strategies as they evaluate available resources and develop a proposed budget and workplan for the coming year. The City Council will have an opportunity to affirm the plan for the next year.
FY 2022-23 City Council Goals and Potential Strategies
Strategic Goal
Potential Strategies
Deliver Housing for all
Pursue housing options for residents of all income levels Update the City’s Housing Action Plan
Reduce barriers to ownership and access to housing opportunities through education, awareness, and financial assistance Encourage higher density housing development in the downtown, expand housing stock options Encourage innovation in achieving increased inclusionary housing Streamline the approval process; be nimble and quick
Consider annexation opportunities
Reduce Homelessness and its Impacts
Partner with key stakeholders to offer housing and support services to the unsheltered and address the issues and causes of homelessness Maintain the City’s commitment to the Housing First Strategy in partnership with the Sonoma County Continuum of Care (Home Sonoma County) Fund programs that enable emergency shelter and deliver wrap-around services to assist people experiencing homelessness Support temporary housing options like the Safe Parking Pilot Program Invest in prevention and intervention programs to prevent vulnerable individuals from becoming homeless Improve and expand coordinated outreach and engagement (i.e., Homeless Outreach Services Team, Downtown Enforcement Team) Use a compassionate approach to address the health, safety and shelter needs of those living in encampments and ease the impacts on surrounding communities Rely on evidence-based or best practices
Ensure a Healthy and Safe Community for All
Ensure the public’s safety by engaging residents and using a broad range of proactive approaches Increase community partnerships and engagement, using an equity lens Utilize data-driven strategies and tactics to deploy resources and reduce crime Engage neighborhoods
Develop and implement strategies for mental health response Invest in prevention and intervention programs
Implement the Fire Resiliency and Response Strategic Plan Promote Economic and Community Vibrancy
Sustain and develop a diverse and thriving economy that benefits Santa Rosa residents and businesses and contributes to the community’s economic health Retain, attract, and expand businesses citywide
Develop business incentives and tools for underserved neighborhoods Promote open dialogue with education partners
Engage private employers and the business community in workforce development and job placement Support and engage local businesses and workers
Establish Santa Rosa as a desired destination for business Create spaces for residents to gather, learn and connect Support access to childcare, including preschool and early childhood support and recreational and summer camp programming Encourage public-private partnerships
Build and Maintain Sustainable Infrastructure
Invest in and maintain infrastructure that supports environmental sustainability and supports a vibrant City Be responsive and competent stewards of public infrastructure and the environment Identify and implement strategies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 Establish policies that support environmental sustainability in building and infrastructure investment to facilitate carbon neutrality (electric fleet, bikeways, SWOT analysis of PG&E independence) Safeguard the City’s assets by anticipating, planning, and allocating resources for infrastructure upgrades and replacement as needed (i.e., set a policy threshold for desired Pavement Condition Index) Educate the public about water usage impacts and long-term water-saving strategies to meet conservation goals Develop strategies that allow multi-modal improvements to reduce reliance on vehicles Complete solid waste system improvements (engage businesses) Adopt Climate Action Plan update
Finalize the Roseland Creek Community Park Master Plan
Achieve Organizational Excellence
Create a high performing organization that is proactive; fiscally sound; promotes diversity, equity and inclusion; and reliably delivers outstanding services to the community Sustain fiscal health by maintaining reserves, forecasting and monitoring expenditures and revenues, and creatively leveraging other funding sources Plan for asset and technology maintenance needs (i.e., streets, facilities, technology, capital assets, adjust facilities for gender accommodation, include supporting cost for public safety, such as recreation, sheltering, water, building safety, etc.) Utilize data-driven strategies and tactics
Implement process improvements and best practices that prioritize customer experience (i.e., multilingual approach to website as the portal to the City) Invest in staff training and professional development
Create a culture of that cultivates diversity, equity, inclusion, safety and belonging Optimize organization structure to strengthen teamwork through interdepartmental collaboration to deliver results Discuss Working Together to Achieve Results
Nancy reiterated that working together is a team sport with specific roles. Council sets policy; staff implements. Participants discussed what the City Council needs from the City Manager and staff to feel informed and prepared and what the City Manager and staff need from City Council to be most successful in achieving results. A summary of the discussion is below.
City Council needs from Staff
Clear flow of information/timelines (facilitate constituent services, district-specific), Realistic cautions about policies in development,
Keep apprised of “add to bucket” impacts on staff capacity, Awareness of fiscal/staff impacts of alternative decisions, No surprises, and
Keep informed about staff departures and staff successes.
Staff needs from City Council
Trust,
Listen to staff needs,
Drive policy,
Communicate,
Support initiatives/alignment, and
Appreciate staff work.
Updates and Communication
A discussion was held about preferred methods of communication between Council and staff. Below is a summary of the items discussed.
City Councilmembers complimented the following methods of communication and would like them to continue.
Regular, good communication, access to staff,
Staff reports are thorough (questions, presentations),
City Clerk’s Office is helpful with transparency, and
Event promotion in specific districts (representative focus is going well).
The following ideas were presented to improve communication.
Provide a data dashboard on the website (for example, showing rebuild numbers), Be sure to include new Councilmember MacDonald on all communications, Prepare bullet point takeaways from committee meeting report outs, Provide talking points for status updates, and
Provide open and honest feedback.
Wrap up and Next Steps
Recap
A recap of the goals discussion emphasized that goals are multi-year in nature. Prioritizing strategies and initiatives will occur when staff returns to Council with the report.
Closing Comments
Councilmembers and staff spent time reflecting on their key takeaways from the workshop. The comments offered are listed below.
Do we have enough resources and staff capacity to accomplish all of these goals? Ensure health and safety for all.
Council sets aspirational goals and staff will return with what they can accomplish this year.
Staff will evaluate workplans to implement goals and strategies, while incorporating core services and delivery timelines.
Study sessions and staff reports can also be used to guide policy direction on specific items.
Additional final thoughts that were offered to conclude the workshop are listed below.
We are a team that is already going in the same direction, Missed the dot exercise,
Prioritization/policy direction,
Thank you for all the hard work, and
Staff dedication to the community is appreciated.
Overall, participants expressed the value of being together face-to-face for the workshop and were grateful for a collaborative and productive day. A summary of the workshop evaluations is included as an attachment.
Next Steps
This report will be used by the City Manager and Executive Team to build the workplan and establish metrics to measure success. The intent is for the City Council to affirm and adopt the strategic goals and strategies identified during the workshop.
Attachment – Workshop Evaluation
At the end of the workshop participants were asked to complete a workshop evaluation form. The following responses are a compilation of answers from fifteen of the workshop participants.
Overall usefulness of the workshop (4.69 average score) Not Useful Very Useful
1 2 3 4 5 Overall quality of the workshop (4.75 average score)
Poor Quality High Quality
1 2 3 4 5 The best thing about this session was...
Participants valued the interactive nature of the workshop and that it provided an opportunity for both Council and staff to participate with open and free dialogue. One respondent shared that the willingness to be transparent with each other builds trust.
Some things that could have been better...
Two respondents noted core services could have been emphasized better. Others wished for more time to prioritize the goals and a room arrangement that allowed for the group to face one another.
What elements of the session will be most useful to you? Most respondents said that establishing high-level Council goals and the strategy discussion are the most useful takeaways. Others said that the workshop enabled Council and staff to both be “on the same page” to clarify expectations.
I’m glad that the facilitators…
Participants complimented the facilitators on their positive and friendly demeanor. They appreciated that the facilitators helped move the conversation forward and worked to clarify any confusion. Providing space for everyone’s comments and capturing detailed notes was helpful.
I wish the facilitators would have…
Most respondents did not feel there was anything to improve. One wish was that the facilitators would have been more direct about the definition of goals and strategies. Another was to incorporate more fun Mentimeter exercises in the afternoon when energy wanes.
Other Comments…
Some participants noted that the energy of the workshop was higher in the morning than in the afternoon. Some mentioned they were ok not having dot voting, while others missed it. 2 2107 North First Street Suite 470 www.managementpartners.com 408 437 5400 San Jose, CA 95131 Fax 453 6191
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1 City Council Priority Setting Workshop
Table of Contents
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City Council Priority Setting Workshop
Table of Contents
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City of Santa Rosa
City Council and Executive Team Retreat Table of Contents City Council Priority Setting Workshop
Workshop Report
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City Council Priority Setting Workshop
Workshop Report
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