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Council considers town‑hall series on housing and transportation; staff recommends research‑driven outreach
Summary
Council discussed a proposal to hold public town halls on housing and transportation. Staff recommended a short community survey to collect resident questions, then plan and evaluate gatherings; council members debated Brown Act constraints and staff workload.
Councilmember Rubio proposed a pair of resident town halls — one focused on housing and one on transportation — and recommended collecting resident questions in advance and inviting subject‑matter participants (city staff, school district, water agency, police, fire, developers and transit agencies).
City staff recommended using a research→plan→implement→evaluate framework: first run a brief community survey to identify top concerns and preferred formats, then design outreach to match resident interest (roundtables, Q&A, or informational panels). Staff noted Brown Act constraints when multiple council members attend and cautioned that hosting agency representatives requires coordination with those agencies.
Council members discussed several practical points: keep topics focused (traffic, school capacity, water supply, police/fire service levels), collect questions in advance so staff can prepare evidence‑based answers, and monitor staff workload for supporting events. The city suggested that council members may hold informal sessions on city facilities, with staff support scheduled through the city manager when needed.
No date was set. Staff proposed returning with a draft survey and a recommended engagement plan; councilmembers said they favored a modest, well‑organized outreach program that emphasizes clear answers and tangible next steps rather than open‑ended debate.
