Attachment 1 - Annotated Retreat Agenda1 of 2
Annotated Agenda
Los Gatos Town Council Retreat
March 5, 2022
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Desired Outcomes
✓ Understand existing Council strengths
✓ Share decision making and visions for the future
✓ Develop Council values, norms, and principles
Materials
✓ Pre-retreat interview summary
✓ Town Council Code of Conduct
✓ “After the Campaign is Over: Aim for Exceptional” (Western City article)
✓ “Attributes of Exceptional Councils” (Institute of Local Government article))
✓ “Authority versus Power” (Public Management article)
I. Set Retreat Context (10 minutes)
• Welcome – Mayor Rob Rennie and Town Manager Laurel Prevetti
• Preview agenda and format – Facilitators
o Consider using first names during retreat
• Agreements for effective retreat communication:
- Be present and engaged
- Speak freely
- Listen to understand
- Challenge ideas, not the person
- Maximize participation
- Any additional agreements to add?
II. Public Comment (10 minutes)
III. Warm Up Exercise (20 minutes)
Councilmembers respond to these prompts:
• If you could only choose one vacation destination where would you pick and why?
• If you could meet any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
• What are two words that friends and family would use to describe you?
• If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why?
IV. Council Strengths (25 minutes)
Council reviews and discusses the strengths that were identified in the pre-retreat
interviews, with the opportunity to add items.
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V. Decision-Making Styles (40 minutes)
Council members share their approach to decision making, using one or more of these
prompts as a guide:
• How would you describe your decision-making approach? That is, the process you go
through when faced with an issue that Council will decide.
• What information and information sources are especially helpful in your decision-
making?
• How important is it to you to get into the details of an issue vs. staying at a higher,
policy level?
• Would you say you rely more on your analytical and quantitative skills or your gut-level,
qualitative skills?
• How important is making site-visits and consulting with stakeholders and community
members in your decision making?
VI. Council Visions (40 minutes)
Council reviews and discusses the visions that were identified in the pre-retreat interviews,
with the opportunity to add items.
VII. Lunch (30 minutes)
VIII. Values, Norms, and Principles (60 minutes)
Council engages in a two-part post-it note exercise:
1. Each Councilmember will write the values, norms, and principles that they think should
guide interaction and relationships between Councilmembers on post-it notes (one item
per note). These will be displayed in the room, categorized by the facilitators, and
discussed with Council.
2. Council will repeat the exercise by identifying the values, norms, and principles that
should guide interaction and relationships between Council and staff
IX. Wrap Up and Next Steps (15 minutes)
• Summarize and affirm key points, agreements, and the next steps to finalize a Values,
Norms, and Principles document.
• Mayor Rennie closes the retreat