10 Staff Report - Jan 27th and 28th Town Council Retreat~pW N OF
!pS GA~pS COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: MARCH 15, 2006
MEETING DATE: 03-20-06
ITEM NO: 10
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: DEBRA J. FIGONE, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: ACCEPT REPORT ON GENERAL SCOPE AND TIMELINE FOR
ACTIONS FROM THE JANUARY 27TH AND 28TH TOWN COUNCIL
RETREAT
RECOMMENDATION:
Accept report on general scope and timeline for actions from the January 27th and 28th
Town Council Retreat
BACKGROUND:
The Town Council held a Council Retreat on Friday, January 27 and Saturday, January
28, 2006 to discuss their ideas about effective leadership and to share their visions for the
future of Los Gatos and potential challenges to and strategies for achieving the vision.
The purpose of this staff report.is to share with Council the general scope and timeline for
addressing the strategies discussed at the retreat.
DISCUSSION:
Attachment 1 provides the frill summary notes from the Council Retreat. The Saturday,
January 28th session focused on the Council members' vision for the future of the
community and the possible challenges and obstacles to achieving the vision. Council
and staff then discussed five possible solutions to the challenges, which are presented on
page four of Attachment 1.
Although staff is not bringing forward specific work plans for these actions at this time,
the following outline presents the general scope and timeline for addressing the actions.
If Council concurs with this general direction of travel, staff will return to Council with
more specific information at the appropriate time for review and approval of each action.
Pa,t,t. Q ~c o l .
PREPARED BY: PAMELA S. JACOBS
ASSISTANT TOWN MANAGER
NAN4GR\PJacobs\Counci1 Retreat\Action report 3-20-06.doc
Reviewed by: Assistant Town Manager Town Attorney
Clerk Administrator Finance Community Development
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: ACCEPT REPORT ON GENERAL SCOPE AND TIMELINE FOR
ACTIONS FROM THE JANUARY 27 TI AND 28TH TOWN COUNCIL
RETREAT
March 15, 2006
Page 2 of 4
Economic Symposium
This action envisions tapping local residents with business expertise to provide input
regarding the Town's economic future. Staff recommends that this action be linked with
other efforts that would provide a context for the input, rather than being a general open-
ended session. The input could then be applied to a particular issue, challenge, and/of
opportunity. The first opportunity for this could be in connection with the development
of the North 40 Specific Plan. Other opportunities for input from local business experts
would be identified as part of the Town's ongoing economic vitality efforts.
Public-Private Partnerships
This action reflects an existing ongoing practice undertaken by staff to identify
opportunities for working with businesses, private sector organizations, non-profits, and
other municipalities to deliver services. Due to budget challenges over the past four
years, the Town has placed greater emphasis on this approach. As discussed recently in
the mid-year budget report, staff will continue to explore other opportunities to deliver
services more cost-effectively given the projected budget shortfalls beginning in FY
2010/11.
On a related issue, the Council Policy Committee is currently developing policy
recommendations for Council regarding corporate sponsorships and donations. Once
adopted by Council, this policy will provide guidance for staff as opportunities are
identified.
Updating the General Plan
As noted at the Council retreat, work on the General Plan update will begin in 2007.
Staff will bring forward a work plan for the update in Fall, 2006. The work plan will
include opportunities for input from boards, commissions, specific stakeholders, and the
community. At the commission retreats scheduled for April and May, 2006, the Council
can advise the boards and commissions about the upcoming opportunities for input into
the update. Input from local business experts as noted above could also be incorporated
in the communication plan.
Disaster Planning
This action included a number of potential steps that could be taken to bolster the
community's ability to manage during and after a disaster. A specific step staff
recommends is to mount a campaign to educate the public about the need for being self-
sufficient for a 72-hour period in the event of a disaster. Funds for a campaign will be
recommended in the FY 2006/07 budget, and a scope for the campaign would be brought
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: ACCEPT REPORT ON GENERAL SCOPE AND TIMELINE FOR
ACTIONS FROM THE JANUARY 27TH AND 28TH TOWN COUNCIL
RETREAT
March 15, 2006
Page 3 of 4
forward for Council's review and approval prior to initiation. It is anticipated that the
campaign would be multi-pronged with general press releases and advertisements,
outreach to service organizations and other partners, partnerships to fund and make
available emergency kits, and an event highlighting emergency preparedness, among
other activities. It is also anticipated that the campaign would be conducted in
partnership with the CERT Program, the Police Foundation and other organizations. It is
possible that a broader countywide campaign will be undertaken.
Other actions focusing on emergency preparedness include CERT training, through
which residents in 21 districts throughout Town will be trained to support their
neighborhoods in the event of an emergency.
In addition, the Town's emergency preparedness efforts will be greatly enhanced if the
County Board of Supervisors approves the addition of a West Valley shared emergency
services manager in the County Fire Department, as indicated by Fire Chief Ben Lopes.
The recommendation is being considered by the County Board of Supervisors on March
28, 2006.
Auto Dealerships
Staff has proceeded to address the issues related to the continued viability of automobile
dealership uses in the Town. This is occurring through conversations with all the dealers,
research about trends in the auto industry and input from auto industry experts. This
issue is discussed in detail in the staff report for the study session scheduled for the
March 20th Council meeting.
CONCLUSION:
The five action areas discussed above represent Council's suggestions for possible
solutions to the challenges facing the Town as it plans for the community's future. If
Council concurs with the general direction of efforts in each of these areas, staff will
proceed to develop work plans where needed and/or to implement ongoing actions as
appropriate. If additional direction or further Council discussion is desired, staff should
be advised accordingly.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
Is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: ACCEPT REPORT ON GENERAL SCOPE AND TIMELINE FOR
ACTIONS FROM THE JANUARY 27TH AND 28TH TOWN COUNCIL
RETREAT
March 15; 2006
Page 4 of 4
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with acceptance of this report. Individual actions
will have fiscal impacts that will be discussed at the time they are brought forward for
Council review and approval.
Attachments:
1. 2006 Town Council Retreat, Summary Notes
LOS GATOS COUNCIL RETREAT
SUMMARY NOTES
January 27-28, 2006
Shawn Spano, Facilitator and Scribe
Friday Session
Leadership Conversation
Council engaged in a wide-ranging conversation about leadership with Barry Posner,
Dean of the School of Business at Santa Clara University and co-author of the Book
The Leadership Challenge. Many insights surfaced during the exchange, including
these:
■ Leadership, while as important today as it was in the past, is more complex and
difficult. This is due, in part, to the rise in communications technologies that
enable easy access to a wide range of different information sources.
■ Leadership development is, in part, about the development of the self and the
commitment that leaders make to their own professional and personal growth.
■ An interesting point of inconsistency between Posner and Council was the
relative distinctiveness between different spheres of leadership. Posner's position
was that all types of leadership-public, private, etc.-have more commonalities
than differences. Council's view was that leadership within the context of "elected
officials" has unique characteristics that do not easily apply to other types of
leadership.
Community Leadership Activity
Each Council member generated a list of the three most important characteristics of
effective leadership that they believe Los Gatos residents expect from Council
members. Each list was displayed on flip chart paper, and each Council member
described their list and gave reasons why they selected the particular items. These
leadership characteristics were selected:
■ Ethical, fair and honest
■ Proactive; anticipates needs
■ Demonstrates competence and knowledge
■ Concern for Town
■ Nice, personable
■ Getting all the facts; being analytical
■ Resolving difficulties and problems
■ Contemplative listening
■ Courage
■ Self respect
In an open discussion format Council commented on the items, noting the strong
agreement among Council members that being ethical, fair, and honest is a major
expectation of the community. Council also noted the overall degree of consistency and
similarity among the different lists.
ATTACHMENT I
2
Working Together as a Council
Council addressed issues relating to the implicit norms and expectations surrounding
discussion at public meetings. Drawing on informal agreements made at the 2003
retreat, Council agreed that effective public discussion is characterized by these
qualities:
■ There is an openness to differing points of view
■ Members are able to disagree with one another
■ Differences are managed constructively
Members listen and respond to each other with respect
Council agreed to continue this discussion at a later time, focusing specifically on two
issues: (1) implicit norms and policies from the Code of Conduct concerning the
permissible interactions between Council and Commission/Boards, and (2) the question
of appropriateness of Council advocacy on particular issues.
Saturday Session
Envisioning the Future of Los Gatos
Each Council member articulated their vision for the future of the community, answering
the question, "What do you want Los Gatos to look like and be in the year 2020"? From
the collective responses two prominent themes and several other themes emerged.
Two Maior Themes
1. Maintaining and enhancing the quality of life ("do no harm") as it is currently
reflected in:
The natural beauty; hillsides
13 Public safety
13 The business and residential mix
13 The schools
13 The arts
11 Family oriented/family friendly
13 The full range of services and businesses locally available
2. Creating a strong economic base; fiscal stability.
Other Parts of the Vision
■ Greater partnerships between public and private sectors to deliver services.
■ Improved public facilities (e.g. library, senior center, community center, sports
fields , theater, etc.).
■ Protecting historic and eclectic mix of homes.
■ Having a range of affordable housing and different styles of living.
■ Greater public awareness about how Town Government works.
■ Los Gatos as a model of outstanding municipal government.
3
Challenges and Obstacles
The following challenges, articulated as possible obstacles to achieving the 2020 vision,
were generated by Council and staff through an open discussion format.
■ Maintaining the current economic base, and increasing the revenue stream
beyond current levels. This item emerged as both a major challenge and a
complex one. Factors impacting economic health and vitality include:
Reliance on Netflix and auto dealerships for significant part of sales tax
revenue; need for more diversification.
Business, legislative, and economic influences beyond the Town's control
(e.g. sales tax legislation, health care costs, economic health of the region
and state, retail trends, etc.). '
13 Balancing the tension between need for revenue generation and current land
use decisions.
■ The need for a sense of urgency, commitment, and perseverance in addressing
problems, developing solutions, and following through on implementation.
Includes developing a deep understanding of the challenges, clarity in
determining priorities, and openness and creativity in devising solutions.
■ Residents who have economic and business expertise are not being utilized to
provide the Town with guidance, advice, and long-term planning.
■ There is little or no space for new public facilities; no funding source.
■ Public participation and input: Gathering an accurate and representative
assessment of what the public wants, and developing effective ways to.educate
and create public awareness about Town budget and constraints as it relates to
service delivery. The need to engage the public in new and different ways.
■ Competition with other communities in the region for retail, shoppers, visitors and
resources
■ The impact on public safety by influences outside the control of local officials
(e.g. methamphetamine drug use).
■ Fragility and level of preparedness of the community in response to natural or
human-made disasters.
■ The need to take calculated risks, avoid being excessively risk adverse.
■ The need to anticipate and prepare for demographic changes in the community,
including potential increasing diversity.
■ The need to influence the region and state to fix economic structural problems
■ Recruiting and attracting "top talent" and a skilled workforce; being a
"competitive" employer in relation to other public and private organizations.
■ The need to be mindful of the emotions of stakeholders, and the impact that
emotions have on public participation and community change efforts.
4
Solutions and Actions
Council and staff identified and discussed five possible solutions to the challenges. The
solutions are listed below with a general description and suggested actions. Staff will
take responsibility for preparing scopes and work plans for each of the solutions,
bringing these forward to Council for review and approval.
1. Economic Symposium
Enlist local residents who have business expertise and economic experience (e.g.
business executives, brokers, former Council members, etc.) to provide the Town
with advice and guidance for long-term planning of the Town's economic future. The
format for enlisting local resource people could be a symposium-type event or focus
groups. Important considerations include establishing clear direction on purpose and
scope of the session, how advice is elicited and clear expectations for how Council
and staff will respond to input and suggestions.
2. Public - Private Partnerships
Continue to explore how the Town can leverage current partnerships and create new
partnerships with businesses and other private sector organizations to deliver
services, including exploring new service delivery opportunities and methods.
Examples include but are not limited to sponsorships for Town events (e.g. Screen
on the Green), steam cleaning downtown, residential tree trimming, and an adopt a
park program.
3. Updating the General Plan (2010)
Work on the update will begin in 2007, with some preliminary steps and actions
taken in the current year (e.g. staff can initiate GP discussions with Commissions
and Boards). There was consensus among Council that the 2010 GP address non-
land use issues and challenges, such as economic vitality and public facilities, which
have not been traditionally covered, and that the workplan includes varied
opportunities for community input.
4. Disaster Planning
There was consensus that the current disaster plans need to be reviewed and
updated, including a focus on -long-range planning beyond what will happen in the
"first-response" phase. Suggestions include educating the public about the need for
72-hour emergency packages and how these can be obtained, exploring a greater
role for the CERT Program, and exploring how a public-private partnerships can
assist in delivering disaster planning and response services.
5. Auto Dealerships
The overall idea is. for staff to engage in conversations with auto dealership and auto
industry experts to explore opportunities for how the Town can maintain and
enhance its current supply of local auto dealerships. Suggestions include
determining the status and future plans of the auto dealerships currently in Town,
working to ensure that the land now used for auto dealerships remain as auto
dealerships, exploring the appropriate "auto niche" for Los Gatos, and ensuring that
5
the Town communicate to the media and public a consistent message and single
position on issues related to auto dealerships.
Code of Conduct Review
In response to the Friday session about "Working Together as a Council," the Council
discussed the implicit norms and reviewed policies from the Code of Conduct
concerning the permissible interactions between Council and Commission/Boards, and
the question of appropriateness of Council advocacy on particular issues.
Council affirmed the relevance and usefulness of the Code of Conduct as it
relates to interactions with Commission/Boards. Specifically:
13 It is permissible for Council members to attend Commission/Board meetings,
as long as they notify the Chair in advance, do not speak, and use their
discretion about how their presence at the meeting might be perceived as
potentially influencing the deliberations.
The predominant view was to avoid attending commission meetings when an
issue is before the commission that has the potential to come before Council
and/or when a Council member has a strong interest or involvement in the
issue.
Council clarified the distinction between maintaining neutrality and impartiality on
a particular issue or decision under consideration and advocating for that issue or
decision.
Advocacy is present whenever a Council member expresses an opinion or
judgment for or against a pending issue or decision prior to the Council
meeting or before the public hearing is closed.
13 Advocacy is present whenever a Council member initiates a call to a
constituent, resident, or stakeholder asking them to attend a public meeting or
to recruit others to attend a public meeting.
13 Advocacy is not present (i.e. neutrality and impartiality is maintained) when a
Council member responds to a constituent, resident or stakeholder by
explaining how they or others can participate in a public meeting.