REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Overview of City Council Priority Setting Session
Report
DISCUSSION
The focus of the 2020 City Council Priority Setting Session is to provide City Council the time as a governing body to discuss City priorities, discuss any new goals and provide a policy framework within which the City will make future budget and resource decisions.
SESSION FACILITATOR
Dr. Shawn Spano will facilitate this strategic priority setting session. Dr. Spano has over 25 years of experience working with city government and public organizations. He is a specialist in designing and facilitating public forums, meetings, training workshops and off-site retreats with elected officials, executive staff, middle managers, commissions and boards, and local residents.
As background, Dr. Spano served as a professor at San Jose State University where he taught courses and conducted applied research in interpersonal, small group and organizational communication. He specialized in bridging social construction and dialogue theory with practical skills and tools that enable students to design and facilitate processes to improve communication in community, organizational and interpersonal contexts. Dr. Spano also serves as President of the Public Dialogue Consortium, a non-profit organization committed to fostering high quality communication in the public sphere, collaborative problem solving, appreciation for different perspectives, and common ground for action.
SESSION OUTCOMES
During this session, City Council will discuss the following items:
• 2019 Strategic Goals/Pillars,
• New Strategic Goals/Pillars,
• Fiscal Outlook,
• Meet the City’s new Communications firms,
• City Workplan Items and review of current Council Referrals,
• Budget Items requiring City Council approval, and
• Other Major Strategic Projects as necessary
The Strategic Pillars approved by City Council in 2019 are:
1. Promote and Enhance Economic and Housing Development
2. Deliver and Enhance High Quality Efficient Services and Infrastructure
3. Enhance Community Sports and Recreational Assets
4. Enhance Community Engagement and Transparency
5. Ensure Compliance with Measure J and Manage Levi’s Stadium
6. Manage Strategically Our Workforce Capacity and Resources (previously Maintain Adequate Staffing Levels)
7. Sustainability (new)
DAY ONE FRAMEWORK
On the first day of the City Council Priority Setting Session, the Council will begin with a discussion of the previous year’s accomplishments and will identify their individual goals for the session. This is an opportunity to celebrate the work that has already been accomplished and discuss the focus for the future. Then, the facilitator, Dr. Spano, will provide a summary of the Council interviews conducted in Dec. 2019 around the current goals/pillars (Attachment 1), followed by Council discussion. During the 2019 Council Priority Setting Session, the Council approved adding a new pillar, Sustainability. As this is a new goal for the City Council, Dr. Spano will engage with the Council about what it means to each Councilmember to better define the priority.
During the afternoon portion, Dr. Spano will review the new workplan items the Council identified during their interviews and engage the Council in a discussion of priorities. The Council will discuss their new items and how to prioritize them.
DAY TWO FRAMEWORK
On the second day of the City Council Priority Setting Session, Dr. Spano will open the session by finalizing any discussions from the previous day. Then, the Finance Director will provide a Fiscal Outlook that includes a review of the organization’s financial status, a look at future fiscal projections, the 10-Year General Fund Financial Forecast, proposed FY 2020-21 Budget Principles (Attachment 2) and an opportunity for Council to ask any questions.
BUDGET AND FISCAL OUTLOOK
As one of the City’s major fiscal management and strategic planning tools, staff revised the 10-Year General Fund Forecast (Forecast) that will serve as a foundation for evaluating the long-term financial condition of the City. The Forecast also provides a starting point for evaluating priorities, identifying risk factors and vulnerabilities, understanding trade-offs moving forward, and developing potential mitigation actions.
After review of the state of the organization, staff will present the updated Forecast and discuss the implications to the City’s strategic planning and action. The proposed FY 2020/21 Budget Principles will also be presented for approval. The Budget Principles provide a general framework and approach for developing the City’s budget in a fiscally prudent manner.
The Forecast will show a relatively close alignment between General Fund revenues and expenditures. In the early years of the Forecast, there are projected shortfalls. This reflects the latest information on the City’s costs as well as the assumption that there will be a modest economic slowdown in the early years of the Forecast. The Budget Stabilization Reserve will provide bridge funding to address the projected small shortfall for FY 2020/21, while ongoing solutions will be pursued as part of revenue opportunities for consideration on the Nov. 2020 ballot and the next budget cycle. This will afford the organization time to strategically plan for expenditure and revenue changes necessary to bring the budget into balance and fiscally align the City Council’s priorities to resource investments.
COMMUNICATIONS
The Council will then discuss strategic communications within the City, including a review of the 2020 Communications Planner that will provide a more comprehensive look at the City’s upcoming content calendar. The Council will also engage with 3fold Communications (Attachment 3) and Circlepoint (Attachment 4), the newly hired communication firms for the City.
In 2019, the Economic Development, Communications and Marketing Committee (EDCM) recommended that the Council approve the hiring of a consultant to encourage more proactive communications and marketing of local activities for more resident awareness of municipal services and activities. Through a competitive procurement process, the City selected three firms that will assist with different aspects of communications and community engagement. One of the firms - Singer Associates Inc. - currently provides communications services with the City and Santa Clara Stadium Authority. The two new consultants will be present at the Priority Setting Session:
• 3fold Communications - a marketing agency committed to supporting and building “thriving communities.” They have 15 years of experience in California working on branding and identity creation, marketing and communications strategy.
• Circlepoint - a communications agency specializing in public engagement, marketing, creative and interactive services. They provide marketing and public relations services to local government agencies and municipalities throughout California. They work with partner agency, Civic Edge Consulting, to bring additional public engagement expertise and experience to their toolbox.
REFERRALS AND WORKPLAN
The Council will then review the items referred to the Priority Setting Session, including the Sept. 5, 2019 Governance Study Session referrals (Attachment 5), followed by a review of the current Council Referrals List (Attachment 6) and the City Workplan (Attachment 7). Staff will be available for any Council questions on these items. Please note that while there are items in the City Workplan that relate to the Stadium Authority, the Stadium Authority Annual Workplan will be brought forward as part of the regular budget process in spring 2020.
RELATED PROJECT PRESENTATION
After the review of the referrals and workplan items, the Council will receive a presentation and update on the Related Project and discuss other major projects as desired.
The Council will also approve any necessary budget items, as listed in the recommendations.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. Adopt FY 2020-2021 Budget Principles;
2. Accept the 10-Year General Fund Forecast; and
3. Validate Pillars and approve any amendments.
Staff
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Santa Clara City Council Interview Summary, Jan. 2020
2. Proposed FY 2020-21 Budget Principles
3. 3Fold Company Bio
4. Circlepoint Company Bio
5. Sept. 5, 2019 Governance Study Session Referrals
6. List of Council Referrals
7. FY 2019/20 City Workplan