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City Council — May 13, 2026

City Council — May 13, 2026May 13, 2026

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BodyCity Council
MeetingRegular Meeting
Date📅 May 13, 2026

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Meeting Summary

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Present: 2-Santangelo, 5-Martinez-Bravo, 3-Kildee, 4-Trembley, 1-Tennessen

This summary was AI-generated to save you time. It may miss or misstate details, so verify against the official recording and the transcript.

At a glance

FY 25-26 Strategic Plan Progress and FY 26-27 Draft Review

  • Staff reported an increase in action strategies from 125 to 132 while maintaining the same number of goals.
  • Proposed revisions for the upcoming fiscal year aim to eliminate redundancy and incorporate new initiatives.
  • The Council deferred discussion on remaining strategic plan goals to a future session due to time constraints.

Fiscal Management and Grant Updates

  • Staff submitted 13 grant applications totaling $65.2 million, securing approximately $8.3 million in awards so far.
  • Unsuccessful applications will be reviewed for feedback, with some rolling over automatically while others require new submissions.
  • Councilmember Tremblay emphasized the need to update the city's strategic financial plan for infrastructure and IT needs.

Community Enrichment and Library Programs

  • The Teen Civic Engagement Club held 14 sessions with participants primarily from Rancho Camara High School.
  • Staff plans to broaden marketing efforts to reach a wider demographic of teens in future years.
  • A new objective was added to protect local waterways by complying with municipal stormwater permits.

Public Safety Community Engagement and Technology

  • Police command highlighted over 125 annual engagement events and identified social media as an area for improvement.
  • A Drone as First Responder program proposal seeks to provide real-time aerial awareness within 70–90 seconds of a call.
  • Staff is currently developing data privacy policies and seeking regulatory waivers for drone operations near the airport.

Personnel Initiatives and Training

  • New wellness programs include biometric screenings, a "Be Well" team, and a LinkedIn Learning pilot.
  • Operational improvements feature a centralized HR SharePoint hub and automated evaluation reminders.
  • Human Resources plans to develop a citywide training plan targeting supervisors for technical and soft skills.

Pleasant Valley Historical Society Museum Project

  • The society has raised $1.1 million of the $1.7 million needed, with $80,000 required specifically for underground utilities.
  • Council directed staff to explore waiving utility fees and identifying funding opportunities for site improvements.
  • Staff will report back during the budget process with a plan for potential city support on demolition and grading costs.

Closed Session

  • The meeting was recessed to proceed with a closed session following the conclusion of the workshop.

Full summary

Agenda Item A: Review of Progress on FY 25-26 Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives (Workshop)

  • The City Council convened a workshop to review third-quarter advancements on the Fiscal Year 2025-26 Strategic Plan and discuss the draft plan for Fiscal Year 2026-27. Assistant City Manager Carmen Nichols presented an overview noting that while the number of goals remained unchanged, action strategies increased from 125 to 132. The proposed FY 2026-27 plan includes revisions to objectives primarily to eliminate redundancy and incorporate new initiatives.

Fiscal Management Update

  • Principal Management Analyst Alonzo Ramirez provided an update on grant management efforts aimed at diversifying city revenues. Staff submitted 13 grant applications totaling approximately $65.2 million, including major requests for the Las Posas Bridge replacement and water reservoir projects. To date, the city has been awarded approximately $8.3 million in grants. Four applications were unsuccessful. Councilmember Kildee inquired about the process for rolling over unfunded applications; staff clarified that some applications roll over automatically while others require new submissions, and staff receives feedback on unsuccessful attempts to improve future competitiveness.

Community Enrichment Update (Library)

  • Library Director Mandy Nassar reported on the Teen Civic Engagement Club, which held 14 sessions involving presentations by city staff and elected officials. Two teens from the club addressed the City Council during public comment in April. Vice Mayor Martinez-Bravo asked about school representation; the Director noted that while all high schools are represented, the majority of participants attend Rancho Camara High School. Staff indicated plans to broaden marketing efforts to reach a wider demographic of teens in future years.

Public Safety and Emergency Resilience Update (Community Engagement)

  • Commander Eric Tennyson presented on police community engagement efforts, citing over 125 formal events annually, including "Coffee with a Cop," school visits, and partnerships with local organizations. He highlighted transparency initiatives such as online dashboards for crime data and the Citizens Academy program. Councilmember Kildee commended the increased visibility of these efforts. Commander Tennyson identified social media engagement as an area for improvement to provide real-time incident information. Vice Mayor Martinez-Bravo noted the success of holding "Coffee with a Cop" events at local panaderias to better reach diverse community members.

Public Safety and Emergency Resilience Update (Technology)

  • Commander Tennyson presented a proposal for a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program intended for inclusion in the FY 2026-27 budget. The program aims to provide real-time aerial situational awareness to responders within 70–90 seconds of a call, potentially reducing response times and use-of-force incidents. The proposal involves using Skydio drones with automated docking stations. Commander Tennyson stated that staff is developing policies regarding data privacy, identifying partner locations for docks, and seeking regulatory waivers for flight near the airport. A comprehensive presentation on the program is scheduled for the following month.

Personnel Initiatives Update

  • Human Resources Director Wendy Levy outlined progress in wellness initiatives, professional development, and process enhancements. New programs include biometric health screenings, a "Be Well" team, a Lunch & Learn series with a book club, and a LinkedIn Learning pilot. Operational improvements included launching a centralized HR SharePoint hub and automating evaluation reminders. In response to Councilmember Kildee's inquiry about future needs, Director Levy indicated plans to develop a citywide training plan targeting supervisors to enhance both technical and soft skills.

Discussion of Strategic Plan Revisions

  • The Council reviewed proposed revisions to the strategic plan objectives.
  • Fiscal Management: Councilmember Tremblay emphasized the importance of updating the city's strategic financial plan for infrastructure, including IT and capital needs. Staff confirmed that while priority is currently on the water reclamation plant project, an overall city strategic financial plan is in development and will be presented to the Council soon.
  • Community Enrichment: A new objective was proposed to protect local waterways by complying with municipal stormwater permits. Two action strategies were added regarding communications expansion, while others already implemented as normal operations were removed.

Public Comment: Pleasant Valley Historical Society (PVHS)

  • During the discussion of Community Enrichment goals, community member Bart Stern requested city investment to assist the Pleasant Valley Historical Society in completing a museum project. He noted that PVHS has raised $1.1 million of the estimated $1.7 million needed, with approximately $250,000 remaining for site improvements to open the parking lot. Of this amount, $80,000 is required for underground utilities, which Stern suggested might be waived to reduce costs. He argued that opening the parking lot would allow for fundraising events to secure the remaining funds and provide a venue for community education and meetings.

Council Action on PVHS Request

  • Following the presentation, Councilmember Tremblay asked if the city could waive the underground utilities requirement to accelerate the project. City staff indicated that a waiver might be possible pending verification of requirements. The Council directed the City Manager and staff to work with the Pleasant Valley Historical Society to explore waiving the underground utility fees and to identify other funding opportunities. Staff was instructed to report back during the budget process with a plan for potential city support, including covering demolition, surveying, grading, and concrete costs to open the parking lot.

Conclusion of Workshop

  • The Council reviewed revisions to the Public Safety and Emergency Resilience goal, which included clarifying objectives regarding meeting community members "where they are" and enhancing communication through social media and intergovernmental reports. An objective regarding wireless communications was moved from another goal to this section. Due to time constraints and the need for further discussion on remaining goals, the Council decided to defer the remainder of the strategic plan workshop to a future session. The meeting was subsequently recessed to proceed with a closed session.