Community Update for March 1, 2024

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ PARA ESPAÑOL

Happy March, Petaluma! Our team is hard at work on some exciting projects and initiatives that are sure to put some spring in your step this season. Read below to learn more about the city-wide projects – large and small – that are filling our calendars, our to-do lists, and our hearts.

To start, we have a quick dive into the recent City Council Goals & Priorities Workshop plus a report on our Measure U revenue and spending from Fiscal Year 2022-23. These reports represent a tremendous amount of time, care, and dedication across every department, and we’re so excited to share our work for you, with you! Then, stay up-to-date on updates to Kentucky St. and the upcoming Cool Block Leader Trainings in 2024.

\Last but not least, don’t forget to cast your ballot for the upcoming election by March 5, Petaluma! Find a ballot drop box or in-person voting location at the link HERE.

GOALS & PRIORITIES WORKSHOP

At last Monday’s Council Meeting, City Staff held a Workshop to report on our progress towards our Council’s Top Ten Goals & Priorities. These Goals & Priorities represent legislation, programs, or capital improvement projects (projects to improve City-owned things like roads, parks, and infrastructure) that our Council – guided by our community – is most committed to accomplishing over the next two years.

At Monday’s meeting, we examined the following questions:

What progress have we made towards our current Goals & Priorities?
Are our current Goals & Priorities the right ones for our community?
Did we miss anything? Is anything no longer a priority?

To view a recording of the meeting or read the Staff Report and Progress Report, you can do so HERE. Busy weekend ahead? Check out Staff’s PowerPoint presentation HERE for a quick overview.

Over the next six weeks, staff will take the feedback from last Monday’s meeting and develop:

A clear list of priorities based on Council feedback
Work plans for the next two fiscal years, including timelines & resources required
Staff recommendations for implementing the revised Goals & Priorities

The Council will consider the new final Goals & Priorities list at their meeting on April 15. We’ll also have a Budget Workshop in May (including a 5-year Capital Improvement Plan) to learn more about our City’s finances in the year to come. Once the new Goals & Priorities are approved, staff will provide quarterly updates to our Council and Community about our progress.

Prioritizing Together
Council’s Goals & Priorities are not the only projects our City staff might be tasked with during a given day. We are always seeking to make progress on the big visionary projects while also performing essential services like fixing our roads, meeting with community members, running our parks, fighting fires, and more. That’s why it’s important for Council and staff to look together at our goals, priorities, major initiatives, and our employees’ workflows to make sure we’re prioritizing the right projects at the right time.

For example, the City Council has identified three big capital projects as community priorities:

Renovating the SMART-owned Trestle
Implementing our Safe Streets program

At the same time, Council has directed our Public Works & Utilities Department to build a bridge and street extension over the river at Caulfield to take pressure off traffic elsewhere. We also have some major repairs to make to our Primary Influent Pump Stations, a fancy name for Petaluma’s solid waste removal infrastructure, also known as “the poop pipe”. The latter project may not bring tourists to our glorious city, but we feel strongly we should keep it in working order for everyone’s health and safety.

By reviewing our Goals & Priorities together with the community, and then revising them when necessary, we do our best to ensure that the work your City staff spends our time on is important and impactful for all our residents.

MEASURE U AND YOU

In 2020, our community voted YES on Measure U, a sales tax initiative designed to keep funds local to serve Petaluma’s local needs. We are so grateful to our community for passing this impactful legislation!

To maintain accountability for how these funds are spent, we also established an independent citizens Measure U Oversight Committee to review our City’s Measure U expenditures. On January 31, the Measure U Oversight Committee held their first meeting of 2024, where they received the Measure U Biannual Report Overview for Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2023.

At the meeting, Director of Finance Jesse Gooch shared that the City’s Measure U revenue for Fiscal Year 2022-23 was $15.8 million, which allowed the City to continue providing core essential services to our community. Measure U taxes filled the General Fund deficit gap, funded long-deferred maintenance on our roads, and supported other important projects like:

Last year’s McDowell improvement project
The new Petaluma Community Baseball Field (opening Spring 2024)
A new fire suppression system at the Petaluma Library
A variety of priority initiatives addressing homelessness and climate change

The archived meeting can be watched here: https://petalumaca.new.swagit.com/videos/296461, and the agenda and all related documents and reports can be viewed here: https://cityofpetaluma.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=17301.

The next Measure U Oversight Committee meeting on March 27 will review the current fiscal year’s activity and the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25. Learn more about how and where to join in at https://cityofpetaluma.org/meetings.

UPCOMING KENTUCKY STREET UPGRADES

We are in the process of making safety and accessibility upgrades to Kentucky Street near the Golden Concourse (the pathway to the Keller Street parking garage). The project is split into 2 phases. Phase 1, removal of trees due to safety concerns, was completed in November 2023. We are now ready to begin Phase 2.

Phase 1 – Trees removal due to safety concerns – COMPLETED
Phase 2 – Sidewalk repairs, accessibility improvements and tree replacement

Phase 2 work is scheduled to take place the week of March 11, weather permitting. We anticipate three days of contractor work to include minor concrete demolition, followed by planting the new trees and pouring new concrete.

Pedestrian and vehicle access will be maintained throughout the work.

City engineering staff is currently researching design options for improvements to the Kentucky Street crosswalk. We will notify the community when upgrades are scheduled to take place.

To learn more, please visit: cityofpetaluma.org/kentuckyupgrades.

Questions or concerns? Please call or email project manager Kent Carothers, [email protected], 707-787-0916.

BECOME A COOL BLOCK LEADER

It is up to all of us to protect the future for the next generation. Cool Petaluma makes this journey fun and impactful by bringing the community together so that we can take care of each other while we take care of the planet.

Cool Petaluma Free Block Leader Trainings:
Sunday, March 24, 2024 from 1-5 PM at Lucchesi Community Center AND
Sunday, September 22, 2024 from 1-5 PM, location TBD

JOIN OUR PETALUMA TEAM!

The City of Petaluma is looking for talented people to join our team! Please click the links below for more information about our open positions. CLICK HERE for a full list of career opportunities.

Assistant Engineer I/II

Associate/Senior Civil Engineer

Facilities Technician II/Senior/Supervisor

Part Time Building Attendant

Part Time Recreation Leader (Summer Camps)

Part Time Tiny Tots Teacher I

Police Officer (Current Academy Attendees and Graduates)

Police Officer – Lateral

Police Officer Trainee

Project Manager

Public Safety Dispatcher – Lateral

Senior Transit Planner (Grants Management) / Transit Planner II