Title
Staff Report for City Council's February 25, 2023 Planning Session
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that the City Council review the following report and attached documents to provide direction to staff at the February 25, 2023 annual planning session.
BACKGROUND
Each year, the City Council gathers for an annual planning session (also commonly referred to as the annual "City Council Retreat") that typically takes place on a Saturday in the first part of the calendar year. The purpose of this important annual meeting is to formulate the City's policy priorities and staff's work plan for the upcoming calendar year.
Although the precise details of the planning session agenda vary from year to year, it typically includes the following components:
1. Updates on the previous year's projects and accomplishments
2. City Council discussion of priorities and goals for the upcoming year
The planning session is publicly noticed as a special meeting of the City Council, in accordance with the Brown Act. The City Manager, City department heads, and other City staff attend the event, and the public is invited to provide comments and to help inform the Council's discussions. As part of item 2 referenced above, the Council typically is presented with a list of known projects or objectives that have arisen over the past year or which are anticipated for the upcoming year and is asked to prioritize those items, typically through a "dot exercise". This is a very important process because it ensures that the City's finite staffing and budgetary resources are directed towards those matters that are of most critical importance to the City Council and the community.
The retreat's format this year will include work on how the City approaches prioritization to continue its efforts to stay focused on the highest priorities to most effectively deploy our limited resources. This methodology affords Council the opportunity to communica...
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