Paso Robles council and staff set vision and give direction on priorities for FY 2026–27

El Paso de Robles City Council and staff on Dec. 23 held a full‑day visioning workshop led by consultants Jacob Green and Greg Devereaux, during which the council reviewed a draft vision statement, discussed six priority goal areas and directed staff to incorporate the council's input into the next budget cycle.

Consultant Jacob Green presented an initial draft vision: “Thriving community with a diverse economy and quality jobs that empower every generation to build their future here in Paso Robles.” Council members suggested adding language to emphasize the city’s inviting character; one councilmember recommended inserting the word “welcoming.” The consultants said they would incorporate council edits and deliver the slide deck to city staff for distribution.

The workshop centered on six broad goal categories the consultants presented: transportation and infrastructure; public safety; cultural, recreational and open spaces; housing and homelessness; community and economic development; and efficient and effective governance. Jacob Green and Greg Devereaux emphasized that the purpose of the session was to align the council’s high‑level priorities so the city manager and staff can translate them into a budget and implementation plan.

City Manager Chris Huot told the council the workshop is “the start of creating stronger alignment between you all and staff” and said staff will take the input back to executive leadership and may return with a prioritization tool during the upcoming budget cycle. Huot identified a long‑range funding issue for public safety, noting Measure J20’s scheduled sunset and that it represents roughly $13,000,000 a year in current funding support for police and fire staffing.

Council members pressed several specific priorities. They urged emphasis on engaging working families, preserving and expanding volunteer support for local programs, and strengthening multilingual outreach (several members recommended replacing the word “bilingual” with “multilingual”). Multiple members also highlighted airport and spaceport–related job growth as an economic opportunity; one participant warned, “we might be putting too many eggs in that basket,” expressing concern about overreliance on a single industry.

Consultants and many councilmembers underscored using the budget to create alignment: adopted goals should flow into a multi‑year work plan and budget so staff can assign responsibilities, track progress and report back. The consultants advocated “evolution, not revolution,” advising incremental change and signaling that major policy decisions should be adopted through duly noticed public meetings.

The council opened the item for limited public comment; a resident, Dori Feldman, offered a short suggestion for the vision statement. After that, the council gave direction to staff to incorporate the workshop feedback into their work ahead of the FY 2026–27 budget process. The consultants and staff agreed to consolidate the edits and return details as staff refines budget proposals.

Before moving on to the remainder of the agenda, the council recessed into closed session for the city manager’s performance evaluation under Government Code section 54957(b). City Attorney Elizabeth Hill reported after the closed session that there was no reportable action. The council then adjourned.

Next steps: staff will work with the consultant team to refine the vision and priority language, the city manager may propose a prioritization exercise if needed, and the council is expected to consider the refined goals and associated budget proposals during the next budget cycle.