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CC:SA:HA:PA - ACTION ITEM: (1) Presentation and Consideration of Current and Proposed Work Plans for City Departments; and (2) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: March 3, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Lisa Soghor/Finance Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-6016
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (02/26/2025)
Department Approval: Lisa Soghor, Chief Financial Officer, Finance Department (02/26/2025)
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*****IMPORTANT: The City Council is scheduled to convene at 4:00 PM on Monday, March 3, 2025 to begin the work plan presentations and discussions. At such time as the City Council may deem appropriate, this agenda item may be continued to the Special meetings of Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 4:00 PM and Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 4:00 PM. *****
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council receive presentations on the core functions and proposed Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Work Plan Priorities from all City Departments and provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The City’s current budget reflects the City’s desired service levels, strategic priorities, and core community values. In accordance with the City’s budget policy, each department’s existing on-going funding level provides the starting point for implementation for the following budget cycle. These costs serve as the base budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 and reflect costs of the City’s current service levels. In recent years, the City has relied on the one-time use of City reserves to expand services, programs and initiatives. This is not financially sustainable and existing service levels and special projects must be evaluated with this in mind.
To help refine the base budget and inform the budget process, each department has prepared an update on their current Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Work Plans and developed future Work Plan Priorities for Council consideration prior to the development of the City Manager’s Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. These priorities are aligned with the Strategic Goals for 2024-2029 adopted by City Council on November 13, 2023.
During the meeting, each department will make a brief presentation of their core functions and proposed Work Plan Priorities for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The City Council will have the opportunity to take public input, ask questions and provide suggestions or direction. This is intended to give the Council and members of the public the opportunity to provide input at the on-set of the budget process and enable the City Manager and Department Heads the opportunity to address the direction received during the budget preparation process.
Over the past 10 years, City revenues have been strong enough to support a broad range of programs and initiatives. Strong reserves have enabled the Council to greenlight many projects. This is no longer the case.
Historically, departments have been ambitious when presenting their Work Plan Priorities as they have been listening to City Council requests and comments over the course of the year. This year, Council will need to give departments specific direction on their work plans. Not all items will be feasible within the budget constraints predicted for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, so Council must prioritize which things to pursue. The City’s Adopted Strategic Goals help provide a framework for Council prioritization.
The tentative order of presentations shall be:
Police Department
Fire Department
Housing and Human Services Department
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department
Human Resources/Risk Management
City Attorney’s Office
Information Technology Department
Planning and Development Department
Public Works Department
Transportation Department
Finance Department
City Manager’s Office
• City Clerk
• Economic Development
• Cultural Affairs
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact associated with the presentation of the proposed work plan priorities. The fiscal impacts of any proposed work plan items will be presented to City Council as part of the budget process.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025-03-03_ATT_1 - Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Work Plan Status Updates
2. 2025-03-03_ATT_2 - Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Proposed Work Plan Priorities
3. 2025-03-03_ATT_3 - Adopted Strategic Goals for 2024-2029
MOTION
That the City Council:
Receive presentations from City Departments on the proposed Work Plan Priorities and direct the City Manager as deemed appropriate.