Woodland highlights civic fellowship’s growth; staff to propose sustainable funding

The Woodland City Council on Aug. 19 received a report on the city’s Civic Fellowship Program, which organizers said ran for eight weeks this summer and expanded applicant interest and departmental placements. Amanda Portier, from the city manager’s office, told the council the program drew 205 applications, conducted 72 interviews and placed fellows in nine departmental positions over an eight-week period from June 16 to Aug. 8. "My goal was to give these fellows an understanding of pretty much every aspect of local government that we could squeeze within those 8 weeks," Portier said. The fellowship is a city council priority and an action item in Woodland’s equity plan intended to recruit locally for public‑service jobs and to expose students and early‑career professionals to municipal work. Fellows described hands‑on projects this summer in departments including library services, community services, human resources, public works, police, fire and community development. Gisela Galla Belcado, the library’s Maker Camp coordinator and a fellow, said her program ran six weeks with 12 campers each week and that the camp served 72 students. "Each week sign ups actually had a pretty long wait list, and camp spots were full within only 4 days of releasing the sign up form," Galla Belcado said. Other fellows presented measurable outputs and departmental support work: a marketing fellow’s short video on a teens‑helping‑seniors volunteer program drew roughly 7,000 views; human resources fellows supported an employee engagement survey and produced a video series about city staff careers; police department fellows created ArcGIS story maps and infographics to make crime data more accessible; public works fellows produced outreach content about infrastructure projects; and a housing and community development fellow drafted staff reports and grant documents for the city’s CDBG and PLHA programs. City staff described the fellowship as a three‑year pilot that the city will evaluate for ongoing funding. Portier said staff will work with the finance department to "present options for an ongoing funding strategy" during the midyear budget process. Council members repeatedly praised the program and its participants for expanding the city’s recruitment pipeline. Mayor Landsberg and several council members encouraged the fellows to consider Woodland for full‑time employment and thanked department staff who mentored the cohort. Looking ahead, staff said they have begun conversations with the school district and Yolo County about possible partnerships to expand the program. The council did not take a formal vote on expanding the program at the Aug. 19 meeting; the next step is the midyear budget presentation in which funding options will be brought back to council for consideration.