CITY OF SAUSALITO
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2026
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Woodside at 9:10 a.m. and the following members were present:
Councilmember Cox
Councilmember Hoffman
Councilmember Sobieski
Vice Mayor Blaustein
Mayor Woodside
BUSINESS
Carol Morales, Carolyn Revelle, Adrian Briton, Fred Moore, Mark Palmer, Babette McDougal, Arthur Giovara, Alice Merrill, Linda Fotsch, and Sharlie provided public comments.
Chris Zapata, City Manage, made a report on city finances and responded to questions posed by the City Council.
The City Council held a facilitated strategic planning workshop to review mission, vision, values, major infrastructure and revenue challenges, and provided the following directions:
1. Strategic Plan Direction: The City Council affirmed intent to initiate a new strategic planning process and directed the agenda-setting committee (Mayor, Vice Mayor, staff) to schedule a 2-3-hour special study session focused on prioritizing major strategic issues and defining next steps.
2. Mission/Vision/Values: The City Council discussed changes to the mission, vision, or values; the facilitator was directed to prepare a written summary of input for use in the future strategic planning process.
3. Infrastructure & Revenue Priority: The City Council identified infrastructure and fiscal capacity (roads, storm drains, stairs, buildings, climate resilience) as a top strategic priority for the coming year and directed staff/Finance Committee to continue developing high-impact revenue options.
4. Major Revenue Concepts: The City Council requested further staff and legal analysis on high-impact revenue and structural tools, including: Marinship Ordinance 1022 (study session and economic/land-use analysis), development agreements/CDA concepts, storm drain funding mechanisms (Prop 218), and EIFD feasibility; charter-city/transfer-tax exploration was noted as a long-term item.
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5. Downtown Economic Vitality: The City Council directed Vice Mayor Blaustein and Councilmember Hoffman to work with EDAC, the Chamber, and staff to develop options for downtown business support (including potential business license tax and/or fee holidays and related tools) and return with recommendations.
6. Financial Reporting and Policies: The City Council directed the Finance Committee to evaluate options and timing for resuming more comprehensive financial reporting (ACFR) and continue developing clearer financial policies regarding use of one-time revenues, surpluses, and key revenue sources, and report back to Council.
The City Council reviewed the Future Agenda Items list and, to better align workload with strategic priorities, reclassified items into three categories: (1) In Process, for matters already underway (including formula retail updates, landslide task force work, specific safety/traffic items such as Gate 5 and Bridgeway/Princess, Marinship visioning, Tracy Way optimization, and ongoing transit/parking coordination); (2) Parking Lot, for important but deferred items to be reconsidered during a later strategic planning phase (including an anti-displacement/rent control ordinance, certain FAR/zoning and CUP/notice process changes beyond current code clean-up, charter city/transfer tax exploration, catastrophe insurance beyond PRISM, a Narcan/red-zone audit, a Ferry kiosk concept, and broader Marinship FAR/upzoning concepts); and (3) Active Near-Term Items, to remain on the future agenda, focused on downtown economic vitality (including potential business license and/or fee holidays and related business support, Al strategy and governance, refinement of public art and naming policies, and continued conceptual work on storm drain funding and Marinship/Ordinance 1022 revenue tools, all aimed at freeing capacity to address infrastructure and revenue as top strategic themes.
Babette McDougal, Carolyn Revelle, Sharna. and John DiRe provided public comments
3. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Woodside adjourned the meeting at 2:29 p.m. in memory of former Marin County Supervisor and Sausalito resident Annette Rose.
Respectfully submitted,
Walfred
Tie
Solorzano
City Clerk
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