City of Sebastopol
City Council Goalsetting Workshop
April 1, 2025
1:00 pm
Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street
Steve Mermell | Special Advisor
2 Welcome from the Mayor
Mayor
Stephen Zollman
Vice Mayor
Jill McLewis
Councilmember
Neysa Hinton
Councilmember
Sandra Mauer
Councilmember
Phill Carter
3 Public Comment
4 Comments from the City Manager
City Manager
Don Schwarz
5 Agenda for the day
• Discussion of what makes effective governance
• Recent accomplishments and current challenges
• Budget and financial update
• Staff capacity
• Introduction and context for priority setting discussions • Establish City Council goals
• Public comment
• Identify strategies to further established goals
• Staying on course with the priorities
• Wrap up and next steps
6 Ground Rules
Assume
positive intent
Seek
consensus
and areas of
agreement
Stay focused
in your
comments
Listen with
curiosity
7 Bike Rack
Time
management tool
Items to discuss at a
later time
Effective
Governance
9 Exceptional City Councils
1. Have a sense of team; a partnership with
the city manager to govern and manage the
city
2. Have clear roles and responsibilities that
are understood and adhered
3. Honor the relationship with staff and
each other
4. Routinely conduct effective meetings
5. Hold themselves and the city accountable
6. Have members who practice continuous
improvement
Institute for Local Government
10 Council - Manager Form of Government
Residents (Voters)
City Council
City Staff
City Manager
Elect Responsible to
Hire Report / Advise
Manage Report
Council sets policy – the
what and the why
The City Manager implements
the Council's direction – the
who and the how
11 Effective Council - Manager Teamwork
Makes for Good Policy and Solid Organizations
• Respect the professionalism and expertise of staff
and assume good intent
• Be sensitive to the need to pace the organization
• Employ the City Manager, City Clerk and City
Attorney
• Majority of Council provides policy direction and
City Manager translates and implements policy to
achieve results
• Refrain from directing staff - even informally
• Focus on outcomes rather than blame – to help
create a “no blame” culture
• Do not criticize staff – if Councilmembers have
concerns, bring them to City Manager privately
• Carry out the role as chief executive, provide
leadership to City staff and ensure accountability
• Employ, discipline, or remove City employees,
including department heads other than those
employed by Council
• Be direct and transparent with Council
• Practice the “no surprise” rule
• Communicate equally with all members of
Council
• Provide clear analysis and recommendations to
Council
• Serves as primary advisor, including telling
Council what he/she thinks they need to hear
• City Manager will work to help Council see the
“big picture” including impacts of policy
positions
City Council City Manager
Recent
Accomplishments
13 Council Interview Themes
• Fire department merger
• Passage of sales tax measure
• Collegial Council
• Clarifying budget
realities/improvements in financial
reporting
• Identifying key infrastructure needs
• New trash contract
• Water cost reallocation study (after 20
years)
• Clarifying Council policies such as mayor
and vice mayor selection process
Accomplishments
• Hired new City Manager and filled
key vacancies
• Adjustments in sewer and water rates
• Art installations
• Trail improvements
• Approval of affordable housing
projects
• Summary judgment in ACLU lawsuit
• Bike and pedestrian improvements
14 Current and Upcoming Challenges
15 Council Interview Themes
• Infrastructure needs including water, sewer, streets and municipal buildings • Homelessness and lack of services on the part of Sonoma County • Balancing the budget/financial challenges
• Negative public perceptions of City Hall
• Revitalize downtown
• Need of economic development
• Need for market rate housing, not just low-income
• More split votes these days
• Local economy yet to fully rebound from Covid
• Siloed staff due to remote work and multiple work locations • Staff vacancies
• Lack of confidence in financial reporting
• The City is trying to do too many things at once
Challenges
Long-term finances: Base Model
16 17
• $300K deficit next year, then grows
• Need two out of three for sustainability:
• Second ½ of Measure U sales tax
• Barlow Hotel
• Hotel Sebastopol
• Continue pursuing efficiencies
• Building Department to City Hall
• New Model for Fleet Management?
• Cross-training
Implications
18 • Measure U helps, even at ¼ cent
• Purpose: Maintain City services
• No $ to add new programs/projects – even at ½ cent
• No Lay-offs
• Will propose some use of reserves for Buildings/Infrastructure, Fleet/Technology
• Some challenges:
• No room to add new positions without deleting some
• New amenities v. maintaining what we have
• Need to invest in the organization
Financial Outlook: FY 25-26 Budget Preview
19 Balancing Capacity and Achieving Council Goals
• Council goals and priorities
• Policy direction
Routine work of the City
• Providing services to the community
• Planning for the future
• Managing human and financial resources
• Responding to unplanned events
• Interacting with other government
agencies
• Maintaining infrastructure
• Meeting statutory requirements and state
mandates
How
Management’s
Time is Spent
85%
5%
5%
5%
Management’s Time
Day-to-day management of municipal services
Unforeseen challenges
New initiatives
Strategic improvements and training
21 We can’t do
everything
But we can do
some things
very well
Successful Local Governments
• Respect the ongoing work of departments as
the day-to-day operations must be well
managed, and this takes time
• Maintain a collaborative, trusting relationship
between the City Council and staff
• Set a few focused priorities with a staff work
plan (strategies) to achieve them
Goal Setting
22 Don’t fill up the
bucket with so
many small rocks
that there isn’t room
for the big ones
Put the big
rocks in first
Then add the small
ones where there is
room
“Big Rocks”
23 Some Definitions…
Goals
Brief statements of the
desired outcome to be
achieved in the long
term
Strategies
Initiatives/projects
designed to move the
City toward achieving a
goal
Priorities
Those strategies
deemed most important
by the City Council
24 Council Interview Themes + 1
Long-term
fiscal
sustainability
Economic
Development Infrastructure
Public Safety Homelessness
High
Performing
Organization1
Goal Areas
1 Suggested by the executive leadership team.
25 Public Comment
26 Current/planned/potential projects and
strategies
SEE ATTACHMENT
Is anything missing?
27 Maintaining Success
Create an Implementation Action Plan to track
progress with regular reporting back to City Council
Build Council direction into budget and work plans
Stay on track with priorities; maintain parking lot of
new ideas/projects for future consideration
Remember that resources are limited and shifting
them away from Council goals is not strategic
28 Implementation Action Plan – SAMPLE
Economic
Development
Action Strategies
Implementation Steps Lead
Department
Support
Departments Time Frame Funding Status Comments / Barriers
1. Update the
Economic Strategic
Plan
Economic
Development Consultant
18 months;
complete by
December 2025
ARPA 3%
2. Identify
development
alternatives for surplus
lands
Economic
Development
City Attorney’s
Office
Phase I by
May 2025 General Fund 50%
3. Waterfront and
downtown specific
plan
Economic
Development
City Attorney’s
Office
18 months
following funding None identified Not yet started
4. Small business
grants
Economic
Development SBDC
12 months;
complete by June
2025
ARPA 15%
5. Improve roadway
construction citywide Public Works Multiyear
Various potential
funding
opportunities
Ongoing
/ yearly Funding
6. Citywide broadband
project
Information
Technology
Expected
completion
December 2025
ARPA
Other potential
grants
10%
Best Practice
Criteria for
Adding
Initiatives
and Projects
Mid-Cycle
Emergency (natural disaster,
pandemic, civil unrest)
New outside funding opportunity that
is time-sensitive
New multi-agency opportunity that
cannot be delayed
Community safety issue that must be
addressed in near term
Changes in law or mandates
Otherwise, wait until next prioritysetting process
Wrap Up
Closing comments from
the Councilmembers
and City Manager
All participants fill out
an evaluation form
Thank you!
Steve Mermell | [email protected]