HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2305-1589 City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: City Manager
Meeting Date: June 12, 2023
Report #:2305-1589
TITLE
Approval of a Protocol for Council Member Co-Hosting of Neighborhood Town Hall Meetings
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of a Protocol for Council Member Co-Hosting of Neighborhood
Town Hall Meetings
BACKGROUND
In the fall of 2022, the City launched a reimagined and retooled Neighborhood Town Halls
effort, in partnership with Palo Alto Neighborhoods leadership and former Mayor and current
Council Member Pat Burt and Mayor Lydia Kou. Based on Council input, Neighborhood Town
Halls are being held each quarter, for a total of four in a given calendar year. Based on the
experience gained to date, staff and the Council Members co-hosting the next Neighborhood
Town Hall have discussed issues associated with Council Member participation as co-hosts, and
are proposing a protocol to clarify this going forward.
Two Neighborhood Town Hall meetings have occurred to date:
October 2022: Included Barron Park, Barron Square, Greenacres I, Greenacres II, Palo Alto
Orchards and Monroe Park and co-hosted by former Mayor Pat Burt and Mayor Lydia Kou.
March 2023: Included Greenmeadow, Greendell, Walnut Grove, Fairmeadow, Charleston
Meadow, Charleston Garden, Greenhouse, Charleston Village, Adobe Meadow, Meadow Park,
and San Alma HOA and co-hosted by Vice Mayor Greer Stone, Council Members Greg Tanaka
and Pat Burt.
A third meeting is set for June 11, 2023 to include College Terrace, Evergreen, Mayfield,
Ventura and Palo Alto Central and will be co-hosted by Council Members Ed Lauing, Julie
Lythcott-Haims and Vicki Veenker.
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To date, Council Members have volunteered to co-host the Neighborhood Town Hall meetings,
except for the March meeting where neighborhood leaders requested a third Council Member
to participate. Following the June 2023 Neighborhood Town Hall, all current Council Members
will have co-hosted at least one Neighborhood Town Hall meeting.
ANALYSIS
Getting organized with City Council participation helps to advance the planning efforts of each
Neighborhood Town Hall meeting. Staff has seen tremendous value in the pre-planning and
hosting of the Neighborhood Town Hall meetings where both Palo Alto neighborhood leaders
and City Council Members co-host and offer input into the planning process.
The following outlines a proposed protocol for City Council co-hosting of future Neighborhood
Town Halls. This protocol as drafted was developed through discussions with Council Members
Ed Lauing, Julie Lythcott-Haims and Vicki Veenker to provide a clear Council co-hosting
structure for future Neighborhood Town Hall meetings and generally offers two co-hosting
opportunities per Council Member over a two-year period.
The following protocol reinforces the Neighborhood Town Hall meeting cadence of one per
quarter and equitable Council co-hosting opportunities:
A. The City will offer to co-host one Neighborhood Town Hall meeting each quarter, working
with Palo Alto Neighborhoods (PAN) to set the sequence of neighborhoods.
B. Each Neighborhood Town Hall will be co-hosted by 2-3 Council Members.
C. Staff will solicit interest from all Council Members to volunteer for upcoming Neighborhood
Town Halls, and confirm assignments using the following order:
a. Each Council Member has the opportunity (but not the obligation) to host at least two
Town Halls over the course of two years.
b. Council Members living in a participating neighborhood have the first priority to co-host
the respective Neighborhood Town Hall meeting.
D. The neighborhood leaders involved in planning a Town Hall may request 1 or 2 Council
Members in addition to the volunteers, up to a total of 3. For example, the request may be
based on a Council Member’s assignment on a particular committee or regional body.
a. If any of the Councilmembers requested has already hosted more than other
Councilmembers, staff will advise the neighborhood leaders that their request does not
fit with our Councilmember rotation.
b. If the neighborhood leaders would still like an additional Councilmember, staff will first
share the invitation with other Councilmembers next in the rotation.
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E. Given the mismatch between seven Council Members and eight meetings, while the protocol
may not all come out exactly equal, the goal is to establish a clear and more equitable process
with everyone having the opportunity to host at least two meetings every two years.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this recommendation.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The proposed process as outlined helps to advance the Neighborhood Town Hall effort and
supports the City’s community engagement activities presented to the City Council on April 10,
2023. Previous Neighborhood Town Hall meeting materials is available online.
•April 10, 2023 Community Engagement Study Session Staff Report,
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=1680&type=0
•Neighborhood Town Hall meeting materials are posted on the City’s website at
www.cityofpaloalto.org/engage.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Council action on this item is not a project as defined by CEQA because approval of this
protocol is a continuing administrative activity. CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(2).
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Neighborhood Town Hall Meeting Reference Materials
APPROVED BY:
Ed Shikada, City Manager
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ATTACHMENT A
The following table is for reference and summarize the completed Neighborhood Town Hall
meetings by quarter to date, those in the planning stages, and a proposed rotation through the
end of 2024.
Table 1
Quarter Council Co-hosts Neighborhood Town Hall
Grouping
Neighborhood Town
Hall Date
2022
Q4: October -
December
Mayor Pat Burt
Vice Mayor Lydia
Kou
Group 6:
Barron Park
Barron Square
Greenacres I
Greenacres II
Palo Alto Orchards
Monroe Park
October 12, 2022
2023
Q1: January –
March
Vice Mayor Greer
Stone
Council Members
Greg Tanaka, Pat
Burt
Group 7:
Greenmeadow
Greendell
Walnut Grove
Fairmeadow
Charleston Meadow
Charleston Garden=
Greenhouse
Charleston Village
Adobe Meadow
Meadow Park
San Alma HOA
March 26, 2023
Q2: April-June Council Members
Vicki Veenker, Ed
Lauing, Julie
Lythcott-Haims
Group 4:
College Terrace
Evergreen
Mayfield
Ventura
Palo Alto Central*
Confirmed: June 11,
2023
Q3: July-
September
Group 2
Downtown North
University South (Plus
Professorville)
Sand Hill Corridor
Tentative: Either set in
this quarter or would
need to host two
meetings in Q4 as a
result of Midtown/Palo
Verde requesting
October meeting date.*
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Neighborhood Town Hall
Meeting Reference
Materials
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Q4: October-
December
Group 5:
Midtown
Palo Verde
Mid-October
2024
Q1: January -
March
Group 1:
Crescent Park
Duveneck/St. Francis
Community Center
Triple El
February/March
Q2: April- June Group 8
Palo Alto Hills
Esther Park
Miranda
May or June
Q3: July –
September
Group 3
Old Palo Alto
Southgate
Leland Manor
September To Avoid
Summer
Q4: October-
December
Rotation Starts Again
Group 6:
Barron Park
Barron Square
Greenacres I
Greenacres II
Palo Alto Orchards Monroe
Park
Tentative: Late
October/Early Nov. To
Avoid Holidays
*To hold a fourth meeting in the calendar year, another meeting could be set either in Q3 (July-
September) or a second meeting in Q4 (likely November-December).
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Attachment A -
Neighborhood Town Hall
Meeting Reference
Materials
Item 11: Staff Report Pg. 5 Packet Pg. 258 of 461