HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 14237
City of Palo Alto (ID # 14237)
City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: 4/11/2022 Report Type: Action Items
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Review and Approval of Workplans for City Council Committees in 2022
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council review and approve the list of tentative topics and
regularly scheduled work that the City Council Standing Committees of Policy and Services and
Finance expect for 2022.
Background
The Municipal Code provides that the City Council should adopt “a handbook of procedural
rules governing any aspect of the conduct of meetings and hearings for the Council and its
standing committees, including but not limited to agenda requirements, the order of business,
rules of order, rules of evidence, closed session procedures and rules for public participation in
meetings” (PAMC section 2.04.100). The City Council adopted the first version of the City
Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook in the early 2000s.
Discussion
As part of the routine processes for consideration of items, standing Committees are one of
many forums through which items are reviewed and represent a small subset of the Regulatory
and Advisory Boards, Commissions and Committees (full list here). Routinely items are
considered not only by these two standing committees but by the full City Council (including
both daily business and actions related to the nearly 70 major projects outlined in the 2022 City
Council Priorities workplan); through the workplans and routine meetings of the various
Boards, Committees, and Commissions such as Architectural Review Board (ARB) and Human
Relations Commission (HRC); City Council Adhoc Committees; as well as other meeting groups
such as the Housing Element Working Group and Expended Community Advisory Panel (XCAP).
Work Plan Calendars for Finance Committee and Policy and Services Committee
Standing Committees Per the CPP, Section 2 – Council Meeting & Agenda Guidelines,
Subsection 2.4, Letter Y (page 23):
The purpose and intent of committee meetings is to provide for more thorough and
detailed discussion and study of prospective or current Council agenda items with a full
and complete airing of all sentiments and expressions of opinion on city problems by
City of Palo Alto Page 2
both the Council and the public, to the end that Council action will be expedited. Actions
of the committee shall be advisory recommendations only.
Referrals for discussion and action at the committee level are referred to Standing Committees
by Council action or City Manager (staff) and are made to only one committee (CPP, page 24).
The tentative schedules include regularly scheduled work, such as audit updates and reports,
budget-related reports, as well as any items that have already been previously referred, with
the date of the referral. These schedules were shared with the new Chairs, as appointed by the
Mayor for 2022. The tentative workplans or calendars were created knowing that there will be
additional referrals and other topics that arise during the year.
This report and these tentative workplans, originally calendared to be reviewed as a component
of the City Council Retreat on February 5, 2022, (page 71 of the agenda packet here), have been
deferred to this item. These tentative workplans reflect a third step and review of the
continuation of the additional items placed for Council review and approval:
1) Study Session regarding community engagement (March 14, 2022), and
2) City Council 2022 Priorities workplans (April 4, 2022).
These prior reports transmitted workplans for the four priorities identified by the Council
during the February 2022 retreat for the 2022 calendar year (CY). The workplans are designed
to both identify the work ahead while also serving as a tool to track progress on those tasks. As
noted on March 14, 2022, details provided at the study session on community engagement
relate to and connect with the City Council priorities workplan. As priorities evolve and
workplans develop, engagement and other activities to implement these workplans will also
evolve.
To support the tentative workplans for the standing Council committees, major projects
discussed in the City Council 2022 Priorities, other high-priority initiatives as outlined
previously, and core city services, administrative resources are also required. In this time of
constrained resources, the City will continue to focus on services with the greatest community
impact, maintaining core city services and managing the vulnerabilities and risks associated
with constraints while pursuing the workplans.
Timeline, Resource Impact, Policy Implications
The current workplans as drafted are within current available resources. Depending on the
nature and extent of revisions sought, or adding standing committee topics could involve
substantial staff resources.
Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder engagement is planned across workplan elements both internally and externally.
Major community engagement plans were outlined in a Study Session with the City Council on
March 14, 2022 at which time staff received Council input. The staff report outlining
engagement can be found here on page 181:
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-
City of Palo Alto Page 3
minutes/city-council-agendas-minutes/2022/20220314/20220314pccsm-amended-final-
revised-ppt.pdf
Environmental Review
This is not considered a project and no environmental review is required.
Attachments:
• Attachment A: Policy & Services Tentative Topics Calendar 2022 (Updated)
• Attachment B: Finance Committee Annual Calendar 2022 (Updated)
City of Palo Alto I 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. I www.cityofpaloalto.org – March 2022 Update
Attachment A
POLICY & SERVICES TENTATIVE TOPICS
CALENDAR 2022
Updated on March 30, 2022
January
• Mayor appoints Committee and designates Chair; usually no P&S meeting
February
• Update: Summary of Recent Race and Equity Work since September 2021 including update on RMS
Contract for Police Data Collection
March
• Legislative Update
• Auditor: Risk Assessment and Audit Plan
• Auditor: Quarterly Report – December 31, 2021
• Auditor: Economic Recovery Advisory
April
• Update on the National Community Survey Plans
• Council Referral from Feb. 5, 2022: Discussion of Council Values, Strategic Priorities, etc.
May
• Referral from 2021: Council Referral – Affordable Housing Funding (from August 16, 2021 Council
Meeting)
• Update: Summary of Recent Race and Equity Work since February including update on RMS Police
Data Collection (short update or informational)
• Quarterly Audit Status Report (Jan-March)
• Auditor: Non-profit Agreement Management
• Auditor: SAP Report
• Informational Report: Legislative Update
June
• Council Referral from Nov. 29, 2021: Renter Protections: Staff to go to P&S with updated language
in ordinance for a renter survey and estimates on effort to enforce it for P&S discussion
• Audit Report – TBD
• Continued Item from November 2021: City Council Referral: Policy and Services Committee to
City of Palo Alto I 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. I www.cityofpaloalto.org – March 2022 Update
Recommend Strategies to Support and Strengthen Neighborhood Programs, Identify Gaps in
Existing Neighborhood-based Services, and Evaluate new Strategies as Proposed in the Colleagues'
Memo Regarding a Proposed Program for Neighbor Connection
• Procedures & Protocols Handbook Discussion
July
No meeting; Council break
August
• Quarterly Audit Status Report (April-June)
• Quarterly Race and Equity Update: Summary of Recent Race and Equity Work including update on
RMS Police Data Collection
September
• Legislative Recap (what passed/didn’t pass)
October
• Quarterly Audit Status Report (July-Sept)
• Audit Report – TBD
• Council Referral from Nov. 29, 2021: Renter Protections: Bring back to P&S [a] proposal and
discussion on expanding anti-gouging measure to address loopholes
• Council Referral from Nov. 29, 2021: Renter Protections: Fair chance ordinance to be reviewed by
P&S for analysis on consequences/unintended consequences
November
• Legislative Agenda and Guidelines (can also go in December)
• Informational: Report out on Status of Committee Referrals
December
• Quarterly Race and Equity Update: Summary of Recent Race and Equity Work including update on
RMS Police Data Collection
• 2023 City Council Priorities Discussion
Completed Referrals (status and date of referral):
1. COMPLETED: Review sworn versus non-sworn staffing for cost savings/enhanced
services/increased revenues. Finance Committee reviewed Fire services on November 2, 2021.
Policy & Services have reviewed and continue to implement new alternative service delivery
models, including creation of the PERT Program, grant to the Federal Government (earmark
process) for a CAHOOTS-type program, and staff working with Santa Clara County to implement
the new TRUST community mobile response program.
City of Palo Alto I 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. I www.cityofpaloalto.org – March 2022 Update
2. COMPLETED: Police reform legislative priority thoughts and input to the Policy and Services
Committee who will be discussing the City’s legislative priorities in December 2020 (Nov. 16,
2020):
3. COMPLETED: Refer all race and equity work to the Policy and Services Committee for citywide
diversity and inclusion practice areas and policing practice areas (Nov. 16, 2020)
4. COMPLETED: Policy and Services CEDAW recommendation: Direct Staff to proceed with a
community summit on gender equity issues and next steps in Palo Alto (Nov. 16, 2020)
5. COMPLETED: If the County does not assign a resource to Palo Alto in the next six months, refer
to Policy and Services Committee the exploration of the feasibility of a CAHOOTS-type program
(Nov. 16, 2020; no action needed unless County does not assign a resource by May 16, 2021)
6. COMPLETED: Refer to the Policy and Services Committee consideration of the Independent
Police Auditor (IPA) oversight of internal complaints regarding misconduct related to
harassment, discrimination, or retaliation resulting in city investigation of uniformed officers
(Nov. 16, 2020)
7. COMPLETED: City Council Referral Re Mid-Year Budget: Direct the Policy and Services
Committee to review a rent forgiveness program for qualified City tenants with program costs
not-to-exceed the $744,000 COVID-19 Council reserve (March 1, 2021 referral)
8. All referrals from the January 2021 retreat have been fulfilled as well.
City of Palo Alto I 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. I www.cityofpaloalto.org
ATTACHMENT B
FINANCE COMMITTEE TENTATIVE TOPICS
CALENDAR 2022
Updated on March 30, 2022
January
• Mayor appoints Committee and designates Chair; usually no FC meeting
• Review Potential Local Ballot Measures (special meeting, 1/18)
February
• Preliminary Utility Rate Forecasts (2/1)
March
• Downtown Business Improvement District & Business Registry Certificate Review (3/1)
• Committee Report and Feedback on Potential Local Ballot Measures (stakeholder
engagement, analysis, and polling) (3/28)
April
• Utilities Advisory Commission Rate Forecasts and Financial Plan:
o Gas (4/19)
o Electric (4/19)
o Water (4/19)
o Wastewater (4/19)
• Rate Schedule Storm Water Management Fee (4/19)
May
• Impact Fee Updated calculations: Parks and Libraries [tentative,5/3]
• Planning & Development Services Fee Study [tentative,5/3]
• Annual Budget Review: Operating + Capital Five Year Plan (5/10, 5/11, 5/24; daytime
meetings)
• Fiscal Year XXXX Municipal Fee Schedule (5/11)
• Retiree Healthcare Plan and Annual Actuarially Determined Contributions (ADC)- Biannual
report, last done May 2020 (FY2021 and 2022 contributions), next scheduled May 2022
[tentative, 5/17]
June
• Third Quarter Fiscal Year XXXX Financial Report (6/7)
• Adoption of Fiscal Year XXXX Investment Policy (to be done by June 30 per code) (6/7)
City of Palo Alto I 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. I www.cityofpaloalto.org
ATTACHMENT B
• Report or item on the JMZ six months after it opens and what it would look like to eliminate
the General Fund Subsidy through a fully cost recoverable program. Referred June 2020.
[tentative, 6/7]
July
No meeting; Council Break
August
September/October
• Accept California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) Pension Annual Valuation
Reports as of June 30, 20XX
• Every 3-year review/decision on pension funding policy assumptions next review
scheduled for FY 2024.
November
• Discussion and Recommendation to the City Council to Accept the Macias Gini & O'Connell's
Audit of the City of Palo Alto's Financial Statements as of June 30, XXXX and Management
Letter
• Discussion and Recommendation to Approve the Fiscal Year (FY) XXXX Comprehensive
Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and Approve Budget Amendments in
Various Funds
• Evaluation of Printing & Mailing Services levels and service delivery. Referred May 2019.
December
• Review and Forward the FY 20XX - FY 20XX Long Range Financial Forecast
• First Quarter Fiscal Year XXXX Financial Report
• Informational: Report out on Status of Committee Referrals
Completed Referred Topics:
A full report on the status of Finance Committee referrals and the status can be found here, Item
3 on the November 30, 2021 agenda.
1) COMPLETED: FY 2021 Budget: Direct Staff to return by the end of October with preliminary
Q1 financial results so that the Council can consider budget amendments. Referred in June
2021, Reviewed October 25, 2021.
2) COMPLETED: FY2021 Direct the Finance Committee to have an additional review of Public
Safety long-term financial trends, beginning with the Fire Department, and concurrent with
the September review of pensions. Referred on February 2, 2021, Reviewed on November
2, 2021.
City of Palo Alto I 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. I www.cityofpaloalto.org
ATTACHMENT B
3) COMPLETED: CY2019 Fiscal Sustainability Workplan: Improvement of code enforcement,
311 system, and customer relationship management activities. Referred April 2019, system
redundancies eradicated March 2020.
4) COMPLETED: Refer to the Finance Committee, a proposal to consider affordable housing
funding. Referred February 2020, revised January 2021 (Council), June 2021 (Committee),
and September 2021 (Council). Referred to Policy & Services.
5) COMPLETED: Stanford University Medical Fund. Referred January 30, 2021, Reviewed May
4, 2021.
6) COMPLETED: Review sworn versus non-sworn staffing for cost savings/enhanced
services/increased revenues. Referred May 2016. Referred to Policy & Services.