Ojai Council narrows 2025 goals; financial stability, website and town halls rise to top

At a special meeting focused on council goals, Ojai council members completed prioritization for goals 8 (financial stability) and 9 (communications and relationships), selecting a short list of tactics the city will pursue in the next year.

Council members individually picked their top three tactics from a staff spreadsheet; votes were tabulated in public. The top items the council prioritized for the financial stability and communications goals included: evaluating the sheriff’s contract, implementing interactive public budget software (examples cited: OpenGov or ClearGov), assessing a policy for any surplus beyond the city’s reserve target, and establishing rotating or bimonthly town‑hall events and a community survey to review council progress.

City Manager Ben Harvey and staff briefed council on timing and next steps. Staff said the budget and reserve “delta” — discretionary funds above policy reserves — will be clearer after year‑end audit results and when the city’s new finance director is fully onboard; staff expects a more precise dollar estimate in the coming months. Council members asked staff to research interactive budget platforms and present costs and pilot options.

On civic engagement, the council favored a mix of recurring town‑hall sessions (the item description used “bimonthly town halls”) and a community survey to gather public priorities; staff proposed options ranging from quarterly listening sessions to rotating council member‑hosted forums, noting Brown Act limits on deliberation. Council also asked staff to coordinate with the local chamber on welcome materials and outreach to renters and new residents.

Under direction from the council, staff will refine the tactics into an implementation schedule and return with cost estimates and proposed timelines for the top priorities.