TO:City Council
FROM:David Newman, Mayor
Bob Engler, Councilmember
Tie Gutierrez, Councilmember
DATE:December 2, 2025
SUBJECT: 2025 National League of Cities City Summit Conference RECOMMENDATION:
1. Receive report.
2. Find that this action is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines.
LEVINE ACT ITEM: No
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Direct and indirect costs for attendance at the conference and preparation of this report are included in the Adopted FY 2025-26 General Fund Budget.
BACKGROUND:
The National League of Cities (NLC) is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments throughout the United States. The NLC’s mission is to strengthen and promote cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance. Working in partnership with the 49 State municipal leagues, the NLC serves as a resource to, and an advocate for, the more than 18,000 cities, villages, and towns it represents.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
The NLC Annual City Summit Conference was held November 19-23, 2025, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, UT. City officials gather annually for policy committee meetings and workshops to learn about current practices and programs for America’s cities and towns. At the Annual Business Meeting, policy committees present resolutions for adoption by member cities which serve as the NLC program platform and elect new officers. Mayor Newman, Councilmember Engler, Councilmember Gutierrez, and Legislative Affairs Manager Layba attended this year’s conference.
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A. Pre-Conference Meetings/ Events
1. Public Safety Crime Prevention Federal Advocacy Committee (PSCP) Councilmember Engler serves on the NLC PSCP, and the committee held its meeting on November 19, 2025, during a pre-conference day. The meeting convened as follows:
Committee Chair, Councilmember Brian Kazy, Cleveland, OH, provided an overview of the PSCP work in 2025. The committee reviewed 11 NLC Resolutions for consideration by the General Assembly. Of the 11 resolutions, five were renewed; one was renewed with edits. Three resolutions were incorporated into permanent municipal policy. Two new resolutions will be proposed for adoption by the General Assembly: the first to expedite the delivery of fire and emergency medical apparatus; the second resolution reforms to the federal consent decree process.
Federal Advocacy Update: Yucel Ors, Legislative Director for Public Safety Advocacy, discussed the federal impact of U.S. Department of Justice programs, addressing issues like the FEMA Act 2025, disaster reimbursement delays, and new preparedness allocations.
The Prevent+Protect Program presentation: Colleen Hilton, Founder of AlliConnect, and Mayor Robert Matheny of Bridgeport, WV, shared about the program's primary focus: addressing the mental health crisis within the first responder community. This initiative consists of comprehensive support elements, including proactive mental fitness via peer support management, therapist matching, digital resources, wellness check-ins, and clinical support for government employers.
Committee Discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Law Enforcement and Real-Time Crime Centers: AI is used in crime centers and law enforcement to analyze vast amounts of data, predict potential criminal activity, and enhance the efficiency of investigations and operations. The committee discussed both the benefits and challenges associated with AI.
NLC Center for Justice Initiatives: Tony McCright, Program Director, and Maryam Ahmed, Program Manager, shared the Center’s work in research, education, and analysis on key topics and trends related to incarceration and re-entry programs.
The next PSCP meeting will be held at the NLC Congressional Cities Conference in Washington D.C. March 14-18, 2026.
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2. Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Federal Policy Committee Mayor Newman serves on the NLC Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources (EENR) Federal Policy Committee. EENR held their meeting on November 19, 2025, during a pre-conference day. The meeting convened as follows:
NLC President Steve Patterson: He thanked the EENR Committee for their work during the 2025 year. He recognized EENR Legislative Director for her work and shared that Climate Action is a priority in his community.
EENR Committee Chair’s Report- Mayor Katrina Thompson, Village of Broadview, IL: The EENR Committee met in the summer and had virtual meetings this year. The committee reviewed 12 NLC Resolutions for consideration by the General Assembly. Of the 12 resolutions, 10 were renewed with edits; one resolution was left to expire as a federal bill was adopted into law in 2024. A new resolution will be proposed for adoption by the General Assembly to support local preparedness and the use of scientific data during extreme weather events. Of note, Mayor Newman served on the subcommittee to research and develop the new resolution.
Federal Advocacy Update- Carolyn Berndt, Legislative Director for Sustainability, Federal Advocacy: During the recent government shutdown, NLC sent four policy statements to congress and met with 166 members to express the need to reopen the federal government. NLC has a summary of all presidential actions online. Congress has passed a few appropriations in the Continuing Resolution. There is a federal deadline of January 30, 2026, to pass the balance of the appropriations bills. Congress is working on a number of bills including ROAD to Housing Act; funding access for water and energy infrastructure; and FEMA reform legislation.
SolSmart Designation Outcomes: Kelly Dharani, Senior Program Specialist, provided an update on best practices and lessons learned from the SolSmart designation. The program has been around for 10 years and has supported cities in developing comprehensive plans, actionable goals, and zoning around solar use.
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Principal Deputy Associate John Eunice provided an overview of his department and roles to strengthen local partnerships with cities. His office is engaged in working with local governments when they have an issue. He encourages cities to set up meetings when in Washington D.C.
EPA is working on regulatory issues including per- and poly-fluoroalkyl 2025 NLC City Summit Conference
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substances (PFAS) and air quality. They have created a local government advisory committee with NLC and other local government representatives.
The committee will begin meeting in January.
PFAS Litigation and Settlements: Ken Sansone, of SL Environmental Law Group provided an update on current PFAS litigation and timelines for participating and testing requirements. 3M and DuPont have agreed to settlements. Settlements are only for drinking water supply. SL Environmental Law Group represents over 250 clients. Testing is required to comply with the settlement. Applications for settlements are due January 1, 2026.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Cities Programs: Hilary Varnadore and Jennifer Gunby, program managers from the U.S. Green Building Council, shared a comprehensive management framework for community-wide resilience and sustainability. The NLC cohort supports education/training, best practices, and engagement. NLC will be hosting a seminar for cities in December to learn more about the cohort.
Updates to the IRA Direct Pay program were reviewed. Projects that are still eligible include electric vehicles (EV), EV charging, solar, and geothermal heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC).
The next EENR meeting will be held at the NLC Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, D.C., March 14-18, 2026.
3. Finance Administration and Intergovernmental Relations (FAIR) Federal Policy Committee
Councilmember Gutierrez serves on the NLC FAIR policy committee. The committee held its meeting on November 19, 2025, during a pre-conference day. The meeting convened as follows:
NLC Second Vice President Mayor Van Johnson, Savannah, GA, provided a welcome on behalf of the NLC Board of Directors and thanked committee members for their service.
Federal Advocacy Update: Dante Moreno, Legislative Director for FAIR shared information about the government shutdown. The Continuing Resolution provides full funding for agriculture, the legislative branch, military construction and Veterans Affairs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be funded until September 2026. Nine more appropriation bills are pending to avoid another shutdown by January 2026. 2025 NLC City Summit Conference
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Archana Sridhar, NLC Grassroots Program Manager discussed options for how cities can get involved and build better relationships. Public officials need to conduct more storytelling, research, and engagement.
NLC is conducting a Pulse Survey to learn more about how cities are preparing for the U.S. Census 2030, group conflict in communities, and recent federal funding challenges impacting local budgets. Cities are encouraged to participate in the survey.
Reason Foundation- State and Local Govfinance Dashboard Presentation:
Guest speakers Mariana Trujillo and Jordan Campbell, both Managing Directors of Government Finance, provided an overview of the foundation's recent report on trends in revenues, expenses, assets, liabilities, population, and more for all 50 state governments, county and municipal governments, and school districts.
The FAIR 2026 priorities were discussed. The committee's agenda for next year includes educating stakeholders on tax and tariff issues, identifying alternative funding opportunities to decrease dependence on federal resources, and creating uniform federal grant funding guidelines.
The next FAIR meeting will be held at the NLC Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, D.C., March 14-18, 2026.
4. NLC Center for Digital Government Awards Dinner:
The City of Thousand Oaks has been ranked #9 in the 75,000-124,999- population category in the Center for Digital Government’s 2025 Digital Cities Survey. This honor highlights a city’s leadership and the dedication of the City’s Information Technology team in improving digital services and government operations. City delegates attend the dinner to accept the award.
B. Conference Program
1. Welcome: NLC President Steve Patterson, Mayor Athens, OH, and Mayor Erin Mendenhal, Salt Lake City, UT, welcomed delegates and provided a rundown of the conference schedule. Laura Evans Manatos, an Emmy Award-winning journalist served as the mistress of ceremonies at each general session.
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2. Keynote Speakers
AI in Action Panel featuring Dr. Jonathan Reichental, Chief Information Officer for O’Reilly Media and the City of Palo Alto, CA; Micah Gaudet, Deputy City Manager for Maricopa, AZ; and Melissa Scott, Chief Information Officer for the City of Philadelphia. The panel discussion focused on Generative AI (GenAI) as a promising tool that enables organizations, particularly cities, to achieve "more with less." The speakers emphasized the need for cities to actively drive change by leveraging GenAI for significant benefits, including improvements in customer service, enhanced data analytics, and the strengthening of data-driven decision-making. Central to successful implementation are the principles of trust, transparency, and shared values, along with an effort to dispel myths surrounding AI use. To ensure responsible adoption, the panel recommended that cities test ideas before full implementation, develop clear guidelines and policies, provide training, use data as guidance, and critically, keep residents at the center of the process, ensuring any technological vision aligns closely with community needs.
Housing Panel featuring Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake City, UT; and Mayor Freddie O’Connell, Nashville, TN. Both mayors discussed strategies for addressing the housing crisis, focusing on inclusionary zoning and density incentives to encourage production of affordable housing units. Salt Lake City developed a gentrification densification toolkit. They created a perpetual dedicated tax to close the housing gap. Salt Lake City has an ambitious goal of creating 7,000 new units in 10 years. Mayor Mendenhall stressed the importance of partnerships, including suggestions for direct dialogue with developers when projects face hurdles. Mayor O’Connell shared that Nashville developed a Unified Housing Strategy. Nashville treats housing affordability as a central policy issue with a long-term goal of 90,000 new homes. The strategy is guided by a leadership council, think tank, and stakeholders.
Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics International, and CEO of UNITE, introduced the Dignity Movement and the Dignity Index. The Dignity Movement is a crucial tool for improving communication, addressing the nation's growing division and lack of trust in political figures. The initiative originated with college students at the University of Utah, spurred by recent campus unrest. Dr. Shriver argued that social media messaging fuels a "contempt industrial complex," which perpetually enforces a message of division—of correct versus incorrect—and cultivates anger. To counter this, the core belief is that the country must return to a feeling of trust, founded on the fundamental recognition that every human needs dignity. The work is expanding through an emerging partnership where the Dignity Index will be 2025 NLC City Summit Conference
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implemented to work directly with cities to foster more respectful discourse.
Bridging our Divide Panel featuring Utah Governor, Spencer Cox, and New Mexico Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham. Governors Cox and Lujan Grisham engaged in a discussion focused on the country's division and the necessity of fostering constructive conflict resolution. Both leaders strongly advocated for the importance of working through conflict by addressing issues substantively rather than resorting to personal attacks. Their recommended approach centers on genuine curiosity, suggesting one should ask, "Tell me more why you feel this way," to express interest in a differing opinion and actively seek common ground. They emphasized that solving complex problems is difficult and requires leaders and citizens to listen, lean in, and learn from others, including cultivating relationships with people we disagree with. Ultimately, they suggested that elected leaders have a duty to call out hate and to express empathy as a means to heal divided communities.
Angela F. Williams, President and CEO of United Way Worldwide and author of “Navigating the Age of Chaos," emphasized the critical need for community support in the aftermath of the federal shutdown. She encouraged cities to be “good neighbors”. The United Way has helped forge a path forward by providing essential resources, including food, shelter, jobs, and financial literacy. They coordinate a vital resource-the 211 support line. The speaker strongly requested that cities continue to support 211 to ensure these resources remain readily available. She announced the transition of 211 to a national platform, kicking off the initiative with eight cities in 2026.
3. Corporate Partners’ Presentations: City Summit Diamond Sponsor, Enbridge presented a video clip, introducing their company and natural gas products.
4. City Summit 2026 will be in Nashville, TN. Mayor Freddie O’Connell provided a preview of the 2026 City Summit featuring a video clip of the sights and sounds of the city.
5. Distinguished Awards. The following awards were presented during general sessions:
Public Leadership in the Arts- Councilmember Debra Porada, Ontario, CA.
All American Cities Award presented to Akron, OH; Carboro, NC; Chelsea, MA; Hampton, VA; Jacksonville, NC; Kinston, NC; Memphis, TN; Port St. Lucie, FL; Seattle, WA; and Tallahassee, FL. Stutz Award- 35 state league staff from across the nation were honored for over 20 years of service.
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Distinguished Service to Cities presented to Indigov- Granicus. Capstone Challenge Winner- Rancho Cordova, CA.
Healthy Housing and Innovation Cohort Award: Kansas City MO; Maywood, IL; and San Luis Obispo, CA.
6. Workshops attended by City Representatives include:
What’s At Stake for the Great Salt Lake- Mobile Workshop Utah’s Olympic Legacy: Past, Present and Future- Mobile Workshop Tiny Home Talks- Mobile Workshop
Building Bridges Through Service: How Volunteerism Strengthens Communities
Public Comment- The Good, The Bad and The Legal
Drones at Work in Cities Roundtable
Practical Solutions for Communities Using AI
Designing for a Cooler Future: How Cities are Tackling Extreme Heat with featured panelist Mayor David Newman
Financing the Future: Unlocking Creative Capital
City Fiscal Conditions 2025 Release Event with featured panelist Councilmember Tie Gutierrez
Revitalizing Downtowns: Media that Powers Community Impact Government Strategies on Federal Immigration Policy
Building Family-friendly Communities
Building Better System to Respond to Homelessness
AI & the Changing Labor Market: What Local Leaders Need to Know
7. President’s Address:
NLC President Steve Patterson, Mayor of Athens, OH, concluded his year of service with deep gratitude, reflecting on the love he experienced visiting cities nationwide and thanking his family, state, city, NLC, and its leaders for their support. He recapped his Ready and Resilient platform, which worked to uplift small and underserved communities through the infrastructure hub, cultivated the next generation of local leaders by working with youth councils, and sought to address local issues with global solutions via the creation of NLC Global Engagement Committee.
8. CEO Address:
NLC Executive Director Clarence Anthony offered words of gratitude and motivation, commending cities for their exceptional leadership and resilience amidst federal challenges, disasters, and political division. He praised Councilmembers for showing up with strength and determination, even when facing uncertainty. Anthony emphasized that the NLC provides a dedicated 2025 NLC City Summit Conference
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space for local leaders to learn from each other, confirming that their "ordinary is extraordinary." He concluded by defining the superpower of local leaders as their proximity to residents, who embody the H.E.R.O. framework (Hope, Empathy, Resilience, and Ownership).
9. Incoming President’s Address
Incoming 2026 President, Kevin Kramer, Councilmember, Louisville, KY, provided his platform. Drawing upon his background as high school teacher, he understands that effective leadership, like effective teaching, is about building deep understanding and delivering core concepts clearly. Looking ahead to the 2026 anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, he is driven by a commitment to help cities better serve their residents by delivering services in the most effective and efficient manner possible. His focus areas include leveraging digital innovation to transform local governance, improving health and connectivity for all residents, and developing the city as an innovation hub. He recognizes that while every city is unique, the underlying challenges and goals are often alike, meaning solutions developed in one community can be shared and scaled to benefit others.
10. Annual Business Meeting:
State of the Organization: NLC Executive Director Clarence Anthony reported that the organization is strong. He thanked NLC staff and the board of directors for a good year. The budget balance is $45.9 million, with $26 million in assets. NLC has 2,700 member cities and 49 state leagues. NLC has 70 strategic partners who have dedicated $300 million worth of resources, technical support, and services to help strengthen cities. In 2025 NLC hosted an Economic Mobility Summit, strengthened the organization’s branding with various media advertising, and developed a new global engagement committee to identify issues and solutions that are common worldwide. In 2026, NLC will continue its work on political civility, data gathering, and new partnerships.
The 2026 Officers and Board of Directors were elected and sworn in. The 2026 Officers are:
President: Kevin Kramer, Councilmember, Louisville, KY First Vice Chair: Van Johnson, Mayor, Savannah, GA
Second Vice Chair: Doreen Garlid, Vice Mayor, Tempe, AZ Immediate Past President: Steve Patterson, Mayor, Athens, OH 2025 NLC City Summit Conference
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Adoption of 2025 Resolutions: Mayor Newman served as the City’s voting delegate. New policy resolutions were reviewed and adopted by the voting delegates for inclusion in NLC’s National Municipal Policy book. The book is a living document that codifies all policy positions that the organization advocates for on Capitol Hill.
Fifty-one existing resolutions were amended or renewed, and five new resolutions adopted. The five new resolutions are as follows:
Urging Federal Action to Expedite Delivery of Fire and Emergency Medical Apparatus.
Calling for Reforms to the Federal Consent Decree Process and the Development of Alternative, Cost-Effective Approaches to Police Reform.
Protecting Federal Scientific Data and Resources to Support Local Preparedness to Extreme Weather Events.
Advancing Federal Immigration Policy to Empower Economic Growth Across Key Local Industries Including Agriculture, Construction, Hospitality, Health Care, Technology, Science and Entrepreneurship. Calling for Federal Cybersecurity Investment and Partnership.
11. NLC Congressional Cities Conference:
The next NLC convening will take place in Washington, D.C., March 14-18, 2026.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goal:
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
PREPARED BY: Mina Layba, Legislative Affairs Manager
CMO: 150-20\wl\H:\COMMON\City Council\Council Items\2025 Staff Reports\120225 NLC City Summit Conf Report.docx