Rachel's Council Review

As usual for the review, my comments are red and italicized in the context of the latest Council Preview by Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen.

The Ames City Council meets on Saturday at 8:30am for its annual Goal Update Session at Homewood Municipal Golf Course . The public is invited to attend, but there are no opportunities for public input at this meeting. The agenda is outlined below, followed by some supporting documents, including a memo on how to prep for the meeting, last year's goals, current Council referrals that staff are working on, and a few documents about Council can best work together as a decision-making body.
 

Goal-Setting Session Working Agenda:

8:30 a.m. Call to Order, Breakfast

8:30 – 8:35 a.m. Welcome (Mayor)

8:35 – 8:40 a.m. Review Agenda (Mayor)

8:40 – 9:15 a.m. Sharing: Apprehensions Council Members Had When First Elected, How These were Overcome, and Lessons Learned (Mayor)

9:15 – 9:30 a.m.  Effective Decision-Making Body (Steve)
- How have we done at this?

9:30 – 10:20 a.m. Different Roles of the City Council/City Staff:

• a. What is the role of Council?: (Mayor)
  • i. Policy Maker vs. Manager
  • ii. Representative Democracy vs. Direct Democracy
  • iii. Respecting the Roles of our Partners
• b. Interactions with the Public (Mayor)
• c. Council Member Interactions with Each Other (Mayor)
• d. Interactions with the Staff (Steve, Deb, and Brian)
• e. What Can the Staff Do to Help the Council Become a More Effective Governing Body? (Steve)
• How have we done in each area? (Mayor)

10:20 – 10:30 a.m. BREAK

10:30 – 11:20 a.m. Review Previous Values, Goals, and Tasks and Planning Program of Work (Deb and Brian)

11:20 – Noon Review the critical needs of the community submitted by Council Members; answer questions (Steve, Deb, and Brian)

Noon – 12:30 p.m. LUNCH

12:30 – 2:45 p.m. Identify and agree on values and goals (and tasks if time allows) that
respond to these critical needs (tasks may need staff follow-up after the
session) (Steve, Deb, and Brian)

Final 15 minutes Wrap Up and Discuss Next Steps (Mayor) (adjourn by 3:00)

Supporting Documents:
 

• 1 CC Goal Setting Preparation Memo.
• 2 Council Goals Jan2020-Dec2021
• 3 Council Report On Referrals
• 4 2022 PH Workplan Status 
• 5 Effective Decision Making Body 2020
• 6 What the saff can do to help the council become a more effective governing body
• 7-Mayor and City Council interaction policy

We spent the morning of our council goal setting session discussing how to be an effective decision-making body, reviewing the roles of council and city staff, and discussing what we each believed the most critical needs of the community were. At the end of our afternoon council goal setting session, we had come up with the following seven goals for the next two years. These goals fit under our existing "Council Values", and will be further broken down into the task level in the coming weeks. There also may be slight adjustments to these goals to provide clarity. 

WE VALUE COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC

• GOAL 1: By the end of 2023, develop, test, and evaluate strategies to improve community engagement, particularly underrepresented groups

WE VALUE DIVERSE HOUSING OPTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY

• GOAL 1: Prioritize and complete the tasks outlined in Ames Plan 2040 that affect housing availability and affordability

WE VALUE A FUN, VIBRANT, AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY THAT ATTRACTS AND RETAINS PEOPLE

• GOAL 1: Implement City programs (parks and recreation, library, etc.)  and initiatives (partnerships with others) that educate, train, and engage regarding mental and physical wellness

• GOAL 2: Establish a task force with community partners to identify steps each partner can take to improve workforce recruitment/retention

WE VALUE A DIVERSE, EQUITABLE, AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY

• GOAL 1: Develop a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan that identifies definitions and actionable strategies by the end of 2023

• GOAL 2: Implement additional accessible and equitable transportation options for the community (transit, bike, pedestrian, micromobility, rideshare, and others)

WE VALUE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

• GOAL 1: Receive the Climate Action Plan and prioritize and implement Council-approved tasks from it to maintain progress towards the adopted climate goal, and continue pursuing targets of opportunity to achieve greenhouse gas reduction

Thanks for reading,
Rachel Junck
Ames City Council,  4th Ward