Did you know that City employees recently held a holiday raffle benefiting the Novato Human Needs Center? Employees donated over $1,200.00 plus seven large bags of toys for the Center's annual Holiday Share program. The goal of the program is to make the holiday season brighter for some for our struggling families. The raffle was made possible by many of our local merchants who donated raffle prizes.

If you would like to assist the Novato Human Needs Center, there's still time, Contact the Center at 897-4147 or check the website at www.nhnc.org

The City Council held its annual reorganization meeting on December 7, 2010 and selected Madeline Kellner as Mayor and Denise Athas as Mayor Pro-Tem. Outgoing Mayor Jeanne MacLeamy recounted the year's successes and noted the issues that will come before the Council in 2011. As this was not a Council election year, no new Councilmembers were seated.

As the City of Novato was constituted as a General Law City, Councilmembers themselves select the Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem (Vice Mayor) for one-year terms. The Mayor signs official documents, chairs Council meetings, and acts as the official head of the City at public and ceremonial occasions, however the Mayor has no additional power on the Council. All the Councilmembers have equal power on the Council.

On January 20, 2011, the City of Novato will celebrate its 51st birthday. Once again PTTR Inc. ("Paint the Town Red") will put on a celebration to mark this anniversary. PTTR, a local non-profit, is a community partnership bringing together the City of Novato, School Fuel, the Downtown Business Association, the Novato Chamber of Commerce and the Citizen of the Year Committee.

The party will again be held in Novato's historic City Hall at 901 Sherman Avenue on January 20 from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Many highlights of last year's 50th birthday extravaganza will be featured, such as "Taste of Novato," a variety of hors d'oeuvres from Novato's best restaurants and fine wines from local wineries. Live entertainment will be headed by Marin's own Noah Griffin and there will be a live auction presented by School Fuel with a spectacular item for bid. The highlight of the evening will be the revelation of the 2010 Citizen of the Year, always a well-kept secret until this announcement.

There is an "early bird" ticket discount, so if you buy your tickets by December 31st, you only pay $40 per person. Starting January 1, the price goes up to $50 per person. And remember, this event always sells out and tickets are not available at the door. To buy your tickets and for more information, go to www.paintthetownred.org.

The City Council met on November 30th and the meeting opened with a presentation from the Co-Chair of the Novato 2010 Committee - Celebrating 50 Years, who presented the Council with a beautiful scrapbook commemorating Novato at 50. The Council presented the Committee with a proclamation of appreciation.

A large number of people spoke during Public Comment, and then the Council took action on the Consent Calendar, approving amendments to subdivision improvement agreements in the Rudnick Estates and Olive Court subdivisions and hearing a recap on the results of November 2 election.

The Council also held a Public Hearing to consider an appeal of the use permit for Good Shepherd Lutheran School filed by the owners of an adjacent property. After hours of testimony and deliberation, the Council decided to deny the appeal, and added a condition that the school be limited to students from preschool/kindergarten through eighth grade only. The Council then approved an item prohibiting excavation on certain roadways after pavement rehabilitation has been completed, and adopted Building Code standards. Updates on the Strategic Plan and Fall Financial report, as well as Council's agenda planning session, were postponed due to the lateness of the hour.

The Council next met for a Special Meeting on Monday, December 6. It acted on some routine business items, and then proceeded to the main purpose of the meeting, to provide an update to the community on the issue of whether to buy or build City offices, and to consider entering a feasibility period to explore the cost, timing, and impacts of building City offices downtown on City-owned property. City Manager Michael Frank, along with a consultant on real estate and building projects, provided in-depth information on a proposed process to investigate the feasibility of such a venture. The Council deliberated and decided to proceed with the study, directing staff to return frequently to the Council in public session with updates and status reports. The Council is still in an exploratory stage regarding the Downtown site and no final decisions have been made.  More information will be available in February/March.

The Council met a day later on December 7 to conduct its annual reorganization (see article above).

The next meeting, held on December 14, began with a proclamation for outgoing Design Review Commissioner William (Bill) Kelly, in appreciation of his service to the City. That was followed by a presentation from Heather Murray, Executive Director of the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and a status update on the Novato Theatre given by Bernice Baeza.

An item to consider reducing the City's contract with DC&E, its General Plan consultant, generated considerable public interest, and was moved off of the Consent Calendar for discussion. Also recommended in the agenda item was to use savings from the reduced contract to pay for a meeting facilitator for the City Manager's Ad Hoc Working Group on the Housing Element. Many spoke in opposition to DC&E, citing dissatisfaction with their work to date and a lack of local interest. Most speakers agreed with continuing to use the meeting facilitator for the City Manager's Ad Hoc Housing Working Group. After lengthy public testimony and Council discussion, it was decided to terminate the City's contract with the DC&E, seek another firm to complete the work on the General Plan and approve the use of up to $50,000 to pay for the meeting facilitator for the Housing Element.

As a service to our residents, sandbags and sand are available during emergencies for free pick-up. The sandbags and sand pile are located on Cain Lane, behind the City's former Parks and Recreation Department office at 917 Sherman Avenue. You will need to bring your own shovel, transportation and labor! For more information, please call 899-8280 or 897-4361 (between December 17- January 2) or check the City website.

All City Administrative offices and facilities, except the Police Department, will be closed for the last two weeks in December due to the holidays and employee furloughs. The Police Department will operate as normal. As always, please call 911 if there is a life-threatening emergency. In case of a non-life threatening emergency during this period, please call the Police Department at 897-4361.

75 Rowland Way
(Administrative Offices)
will be closed Friday, December 17, 2010
through Friday, December 31, 2010.

Margaret Todd Senior Center
1560 Hill Road
will be closed Monday, December 20, 2010
through Friday, December 31, 2010.

Gymnastics Center
950 Seventh Street
will be closed Monday, December 20, 2010
through Friday, December 31, 2010.