REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

 

Thursday, February 28, 2000

 

 

Present:                  Council Members:     Dando, Diaz, Diquisto, Chavez, Fiscalini, LeZotte, Matthews, Powers (left at 9:48 a.m.), Shirakawa, Woody; Gonzales. 

 

Absent:                   Council Members:     None.

 

Staff:    City Manager Del Borgsdorf, Mayor’s Budget and Public Policy Director, Joe Guerra, Mayor’s Budget Analysts Julie Shioshita and James Webb, Assistant to the City Manager Pamela Jacobs, Assistant City Clerk Nancy Alford, and Legislative Secretary Doris Casey.

 

Documents filed: (1) Memorandum from City Manager, Del D. Borgsdorf, dated February 18, 2000, summarizing the City Council’s discussions at the January 20, 2000 Committee of the Whole study session and presenting seven policy priority areas that were developed from the discussion. (2) Agenda for the February 28, 2000 Investing in Results study session, the City of San José Alignment Model Chart, and Investing in Results (IiR) Policy Priority Questions. (3) Report entitled: Council Discussion of City Policy Priorities, February 28, 2000, prepared after today’s meeting by listing the ideas generated during Council discussions on the Policy Priority Questions provided by the facilitator, Craig Holt.  

 

 

INVESTING IN RESULTS FOLLOW-UP STUDY SESSION

 

City Council Study Session on Follow-Up to Investing in Results

 

Mayor Gonzales convened the study session at 8:40 a.m. at the Mexican Heritage Plaza, and introduced City Manager Del Borgsdorf to explain the agenda for the study session.

 

City Manager Del Borgsdorf stated the Administration has been working on the area of consolidated or aligned service delivery strategy, focusing on what core services are delivered and how they should be measured, and stated Council’s input is needed to define core services from their perspective and to determine Council priorities. He stated the focus will be on Council’s view of the community, their concerns and what needs to be done differently. He stated the meeting will revisit priorities identified at the January 20, 2000 meeting, as set forth in the attachment entitled, Draft Policy Priorities, which lists seven major themes for discussion: (1) Neighborhood Pride; (2) Efficient Transportation Choices; (3) Clean and Sustainable

 

Environment; (4) Competitive Business Environment; (5) Safe Community; (6) Personal Growth and Enrichment, and (7) Customer-Driven Government. He introduced Craig Holt, President, Managing Total Performance, to serve as facilitator of the Council’s study session.

 

Council Discussion

 

Aided by Facilitator Craig Holt, Council discussed each of the seven draft Policy Priorities, addressing these three questions for each policy priority: (1) What does success in the Policy Priority look like? (2) What does the community need and expect in the Policy Priority? And (3) What would the Council like to accomplish for the community in the Policy Priority?

 

Neighborhood Pride - Council’s discussion from the perspective of the three Policy Priorities were focused on having neighborhoods that are safe, clean, and well-maintained; with infrastructure and facilities adequate to support the economic, social and ethnic make-up of the City; that provide a sense of community where neighborhoods can work together with the City to ensure that education, transit, retail, and recreational amenities are available in an aesthetic, convenient and safe living environment. Council comments included the need to partner with other agencies to maximize existing resources and facilities; determine basic needs and appropriate levels of service to accomplish equity across the City, and to identify areas where needs differ throughout the City.

 

Efficient Transportation Choices – Efficient transportation was determined to include an aesthetic, clean, well integrated intermodal and intramodal transit system, with routes and transit stops which are accessible, in a community-oriented design plan involving the community, and including user friendly transportation systems around the airport.

 

Clean and Sustainable Environment – Discussions centered on maintaining clean air and a safe and adequate water supply; increasing recycling and reducing solid waste disposal; developing green building policies, increasing permanent open space through acquisitions or development agreements, and better use of existing open space and facilities, described as “third spaces” i.e., “not home, not work” where people can pursue social, educational or recreational endeavors. The need for the City to provide leadership on environmental issues through education and other avenues was stressed

 

Competitive Business Environment - Issues discussed were what the City can do to create a business friendly atmosphere, such as removing hindrances, addressing the need for child care and housing; tracking to ensure equity in the cost of doing business and ensuring businesses understand the accompanying responsibilities, developing ways of partnering with small businesses, involving businesses in other areas of the City, and instituting measures to develop an adequate indigenous workforce. Mayor Gonzales stressed the enormous changes that are expected in the next decade, the impact that advances in technology may have on society, and the need to anticipate what the City can do to help San José keep pace with the advent of the Internet-based economy and beyond.

 

Safe Community – Discussions defined safe communities as requiring a variety of protective elements, from Police and Fire protection to neighborhood and City-wide disaster and emergency preparedness. Suggestions included government-sponsored disaster training for individuals and neighborhoods, community-focused urban design planning, after-school programs for youth, and domestic violence programs.

 

Personal Growth and Enrichment – Council identified community acceptance and accommodation of the changing kinds of work and work schedules as crucial to meeting the need for personal growth opportunities. Suggestions included opportunities for leisure activities, programs focused on elder and youth needs, and focusing on providing technological, educational, and advancement opportunities to City employees sufficient to attract and retain a quality work force for the City.

 

Customer-Driven Government – This area was described as the most important and the key to how well the others are working. Ingredients identified were the “one-stop shopping” concept for handling customer needs. Suggestions included maintaining a well trained, educated, and motivated staff who understand Council’s priorities and their responsibilities, and creating an environment where people want to live. Mayor Gonzales suggested adding a segment dealing with issues internal to the organization.  

 

City Manager Del Borgsdorf stated the IiR discussions are a vehicle for the Administration to listen to Council’s concerns and to incorporate those priorities into the organization, that the discussions will be complied into a description of what success looks like in the major services which the City provides, and the next steps will be the development of performance measures around City service areas with a report back to the Council in April 2000

 

The Committee of the Whole study session adjourned at 11:35 a.m.

 

 

NANCY ALFORD, ASSISTANT CITY CLERK