Out of a lengthy list of city goals and priorities for the new fiscal year, creating a climate mobilization strategy, focusing on affordable housing and implementing Spanish translation for city council meetings, agendas and documents rose to the top as the biggest Healdsburg City Council priorities for the new year.
“We are excited to work through what is an ambitious project list that we’re in the middle of and looking to take on in the upcoming year. It is a healthy list,” said Healdsburg City Manager Jeff Kay.
Kay, city staff and the council convened for a special city council workshop on March 7 to discuss current priorities and come to an initial consensus on goals for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
The goal of the day was to create a shared understanding of existing projects and initiatives along with resource capacity and establish a set of realistic and achievable goals for the year with the help of workshop facilitator Jan Perkins of Management Partners consultants.
Part one of the four-hour long meeting included public comment, reviewing context for setting priorities and a discussion on existing priorities and staff recommendations. Part two included a discussion on the council’s goals for the coming year and a round of virtual dot voting in order to determine which goals unanimously took top priority.
The presentation also included a review of current fiscal year accomplishments and a brief budget review.
To help guide the goals discussion, Kay noted current council goals that are in progress, goals that need to be addressed in the upcoming budget and goals that should be deferred.
Initiatives that are currently moving forward include:
• Housing element
• Cannabis policy development
• Food truck policy
• Preschool implementation
• Healdsburg Avenue design and funding
• L&M Motel Project Homekey implementation
• 3 North Street project design and planning
• Pavement management plan projects
• Capital improvement plan implementation
• Fire substation construction
• Community Oriented and Equity policing team
• Community wildfire protection plan
• Montage Park master plan
• Badger Park update and river access work
• Fitch Mountain access improvements
• Affordable housing at montage and 155 Dry Creek Road
• Outreach and recommendations regarding diversity, equity and inclusion
• Hiring/training and succession planning.
Priorities that will be addressed in the upcoming budget include pavement management projects, the completion of the Montage fire substation and arts and culture work.
City staff is recommending to keep work on current climate action items but to defer work on new climate related items until a climate mobilization strategy is prepared, an item that some council members and residents have been advocating for.
During the almost hour-long public comment session, many people mentioned addressing climate change and creating a climate action plan as goals that should be on the city’s “to-do” list.
Tyra Benoit, an active climate action advocate in the community, urged the council to create a climate action plan.
“Please do more, solidify climate action as part of your goals today,” Benoit said.
Walter Niederberger, Stephanie Turk and Brian Gegan all echoed Benoit’s recommendation.
“No measure is too small. Anything we can do to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to consider the climate and the environment is worth doing,” Turk said.
Turk also asked the council to consider prioritizing bike lanes and implementing more pedestrian-friendly features around town.
Other topics that were brought up during public comment included vegetation management, general plan updates, affordable housing, maintenance of city infrastructure, grants for art projects, performing arts and a shared art space, residential recycled water and early education.
With a city climate mobilization strategy, the city could potentially increase their reach of state mandated climate goals. Kay said resources — staff and money — could be better allocated through a multi-year approach that identifies what’s within the capacity of city government, and it would allow staff to better plan climate work in context of key services demands and staff capacity.
“The goal is to create a cohesive, overarching work plan in conjunction with staff, the council and of course the community wherein we can inventory what we’re doing, what we have on tap, and what ideas we may not have on tap but we’d like to include,” Kay said.
Vice Mayor Ariel Kelley opined that the city could look at the regional climate protection authority’s climate mobilization plan.
“I agree that we should be adopting a mobilization strategy that doesn’t get put up on the shelf, but I don’t see why we have to hit pause on efforts that are critically important that we are already doing to do this mobilization strategy process,” Kelley said of the recommended deferred items.
Councilmember Skylaer Palacios said it would be good to have a climate mobilization strategy that’s specific to Healdsburg.
Following the discussion, council members were provided with a survey and were told to select six items for virtual dot voting. Based on that emerged the top council priorities for the coming year.
Councilmember David Hagele selected the housing element, the south entry plan, Healdsburg Avenue improvements, affordable housing, water security improvements and infrastructure improvements.
“To me, the affordable housing and all of these things speak to some of the climate emergency things that we are looking at and so by addressing affordable housing we’re addressing greenhouse gas emission reduction by allowing people to live and work in Healdsburg. If we invest in infrastructure we’re helping people to get around without being in their cars and the more we can invest in things like purple pipes, aquifer storage and recharge and recapture, those are the kind of things that are going to have long term impacts that are very positive to help us achieve our goals,” Hagele said.
Councilmember Evelyn Mitchell selected the housing element, Project Homekey, climate mobilization, climate committee, affordable housing and Spanish translation.
“My selections were improve water security, purple pipes and other considerations by council members; Spanish translation for documents, agendas and also availability for in-person translation; long term funding plan for parks; the housing action plan; and the adoption of the climate mobilization strategy; and cannabis policy,” said Mayor Ozzy Jimenez.
Kelley chose Spanish translation, the Healdsburg Avenue improvement plan, climate mobilization strategy, housing action plan implementation, prioritizing zoning and general plan amendments to build housing that is affordable and resources for infrastructure improvements.
Palacios selected climate mobilization, DEI plan (Diversity, equity and inclusion) implementation, general plan update, affordable housing and arts funding
“We’re clearly not on the same page on every item, but we are one council and these are the goals and we all put our shoulders up and we push forward,” Hagele said.
In terms of next steps, city staff will pen a report of the March 7 workshop and the goals will come up at a future meeting where there will be additional opportunity for public comment. There will then be a review and the potential adoption of the goals by city council.
