Citizen of the Year for 2010 was announced at the City's 51st Birthday Party held on January 20. The well-deserved award went to Mike Read, part owner of Randall Brothers Automotive. In making the announcement, Diet Stroeh, Chair of the Citizen of the Year Committee, spoke of the many programs and activities that benefit from Mike's dedication to the community. Mike is known as a "go-to-guy" who deals with the countless details that must be completed to put on events such as the July 4 Parade, the Art and Wine Festival, and the Train Depot Clean-Up day. Mike is also the "Photographer-in-Chief" at community events and records these occasions for posterity. Mike's interest in history has led him from being a docent at the Novato History Museum to becoming the current President of the Novato Historical Guild Board of Directors. His passion for history also steered him to compile information for the Novato Advance's weekly column "Pages from the Past". Additionally Mike has been on the board of the Novato Financing Authority. Quite a resume for a person who has only resided in Novato for 10 years!   Congratulations Mike!

The City Council met in a special work study session on Monday, January 10, to discuss various topics related to Council's own operating policies. The Council agreed on a schedule and format for reporting to Council and the public on progress made on the Strategic Plan, discussed the roles and responsibilities of Council members when representing the Council on outside agency committees and decided to discontinue the activities of several standing Council committees on a six-month trial basis.

The following evening on January 11, the Council convened its regular meeting and started by honoring the Reverend Dr. Paul J. Gravrock, Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, on the occasion of his retirement after 31 years of service. The Council Chamber was filled with well-wishers, and Pastor Gravrock received a standing ovation. Next came an announcement and energetic appeal for "Let's Move Novato," a campaign to promote healthy living starting with a community walk on January 27. See article below on "Let's Move Novato." The presentation section of the agenda ended with a staff presentation regarding the City's efforts to connect City Hall to the community and the community to City Hall, both via traditional and technology-based methods.

The Council adopted its Consent Calendar unanimously. They approved the extension of a moratorium on issuing approvals for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries in Novato and then moved into a discussion of whether it is legally permissible to charge property owners for excessive calls for police services. The Council heard public testimony and deliberated at length after receiving a report from the City Attorney who advised that it is not legal to charge for police services and that court challenges to this law have been unsuccessful. The Council also approved an emergency item to send a letter to Governor Brown to express its opposition to the elimination of Redevelopment Agencies throughout California and expressed concern about the significant negative impact it would have if this element of the Governor's budget proposal were to transpire. See article below on Redevelopment.

The Public Works Director made a presentation about seeking public input on fixture selection for streetlights which will be converted to either LED or induction lighting using Federal Energy Efficiency Grant funding (see next article). The item will come back to Council for a decision on February 8. Finally, the Council made assignments to various commissions, committees and boards on which the Council members serve to represent Novato. The Council will next meet in special session on February 1 to receive an update on the General Plan's Housing Element process and status.

LED Streetlight

In 2009, the City of Novato was awarded a $491,800 Federal Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant, of which $382,000 has been designated to convert existing High Pressure Sodium (HPS) streetlight fixtures to energy efficient fixtures. This grant funding will allow the City to convert approximately 800 of its approximately 3,900 streetlights to more energy efficient fixtures, resulting in an annual cost savings of about $30,000.

Induction Streetlight

The City will not increase the number of streetlights or install brighter lights as the goal of the project is to become more energy efficient while saving money at the same time. The City is also working to mitigate possible side effects -- the most common being that the new light is 'whiter,' and may appear to be brighter in some installations. Staff is actively reviewing options that can decrease the amount of light.

As the City is very sensitive to any potential concerns about increased lighting in neighborhoods, it is currently conducting a streetlight test to solicit public input to guide the selection of the new energy efficient streetlight fixtures. There are two energy efficient lighting options so the City has installed four of each along South Novato Boulevard for the public to see and comment on.

We hope that as many residents as possible will look at the lights and share their opinions with us via an on-line poll which will be available until January 31. The poll and additional information on the streetlight conversion program can be found on the City's website.

On January 10, 2011, Governor Brown presented his State budget and included a proposal to eliminate all of California's redevelopment agencies. This brief summary will provide some background to assist Novato residents in understanding what Novato's redevelopment agency has meant to the community.

Redevelopment started in California in 1945 and voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1952 to create its funding mechanism. There are over 400 redevelopment agencies throughout California. Redevelopment's tax increment funding is an important tool to assist them in their community revitalization efforts. Tax increment is the term used to describe the increase in property taxes that occurs when property in a Redevelopment area is reassessed. The incremental amount is used by communities only within the boundaries of the redevelopment areas to help pay for revitalization projects. It is important to remember that the formation of a redevelopment area itself does not increase taxes. The increased tax occurs because of the increased value of the property. Novato's Redevelopment Agency (RDA) was established in 1983 and Vintage Oaks, Hamilton and Downtown were later designated as Redevelopment Areas. The Redevelopment funds have been used as follows:

Vintage Oaks- The retail center was the first redevelopment area in Novato and has generated approximately $40 million to the City's General Fund since it opened. Novato's sales tax revenue increased 50% after Vintage Oaks became fully operational. Many services that we take for granted such as police, senior and youth services would not have been funded at the level we enjoy today but for the establishment of Vintage Oaks. While Novato may not ever see another project of this scale, the long term financial benefits provided by Vintage Oaks have been significant in contributing to the quality of life residents enjoy.

Hamilton Field- The redevelopment of the former military base is considered by many to be one of the most successful base reuse projects in the country. When the national base closure process was undertaken there were proposals to build an airport or prison at Hamilton. However with a high degree of community involvement and financial participation from the redevelopment agency an exciting community was created instead. While work remains to be completed, a transformation of the former military base has occurred. Hamilton now includes residential neighborhoods, artists' studios, open space, trails, parks, a community swim center, shopping/dining and places to work. Hamilton is truly a model of successful redevelopment.

Downtown Revitalization- Much of the funding for Grant Avenue's $10 million revitalization came from the Redevelopment Agency.

Homeless Prevention and Crisis Services- The Novato Redevelopment Agency has provided $1.2 million in financial support over the last 12 years to the Novato Human Needs Center to help those in need of housing assistance when a crisis arises.

Workforce and Senior Housing- In a four-year period, the Novato Redevelopment Agency was a major source of financing for approximately 800 units of affordable workforce and senior housing.

In order to fund some of the projects above, the Redevelopment Agency needed to borrow money from the General Fund to make improvements early in the life of the Agency. Because of this, the Redevelopment Agency owes the City's General Fund over $15 million which will be repaid to the City. The Council would like to use the repayment to build new City offices and discontinue the $700,000 yearly rent payment made by the General Fund for City offices. Currently staff is undertaking a feasibility study to explore the viability of returning City offices to the Downtown area.

The elimination of redevelopment would cause the City to lose all future redevelopment funding. In November 2010, the voters of California approved Proposition 22, which prohibits the State legislature from raiding local governments to balance the State budget. Proposition 22 specifically included redevelopment agencies under its protection so there are now a number of questions being raised regarding the legality of what the Governor has proposed. The City Council voted unanimously to send a letter to the Governor adamantly opposing the elimination of redevelopment funding.

For more information on Novato's Redevelopment Agency, please contact Ron Gerber, Redevelopment Administrator at 899-8900 or rgerber@novato.org.

As part of a County-wide Law Enforcement Partnership in which the City of Novato participates, a training session on "Gang Awareness and Identification" was presented on January 27, 2010.

Additional training for parents and other interested community members will be held in Novato in the near future. The training will include:

· Identifying gang-related clothing, symbols, tags, colors.
· Identifying warning signs of gang behavior/activities.
· Developing procedures when students are involved in gangs.
· Partnering/communicating efforts to discourage young people from joining gangs.

Details of the Novato training session will be publicized in the near future in the local media and on the City's website.

At the Council meeting on January 11, 2011 staff made a presentation regarding community outreach measures that the City has pursued in an effort to better connect with the public. This presentation also introduced various actions the City will be taking in order to further communicate and connect with the community.

Staff's presentation began with an overview of how the communication world has changed in recent years. New technologies have created new opportunities and some challenges for the City to interact with the public. Staff emphasized that open government and community involvement are core City values. Without open and consistent dialogue, the City is unable to effectively serve Novato residents. Another point of emphasis throughout the presentation was that staff seeks to communicate with individuals through the medium that each individual prefers to use. Information can be accessed in a number of different ways therefore the City's communication strategy utilizes a number of different methods to convey information. For example, the City distributes press releases through community newspapers and shows Council meetings on public access television while at the same time using the City's website and social media portals such as Facebook, and Twitter to provide updates on City issues and activities.

The presentation concluded with a discussion of new initiatives the City will be pursuing in the coming months. These initiatives include developing a new "Hot Topics" page on the City's website to provide updates on the most high-profile issues, creating a "Just the Facts, Novato" page and encouraging more community members to follow the City on Facebook and Twitter. The City also plans to create a sign-up card which can be distributed at City events and meetings. This card would ask members of the public to request information through e-notification emails, social media websites or the Our Town newsletter. Staff will also partner with other community organizations to expand outreach. The full presentation can be viewed here.

Please contact City staff with any questions about how to connect with City Hall by calling 899-8900 or email to city@novato.org.

Let's Move, Novato! Get Active, Get Healthy! is a yearlong health and fitness campaign aimed at making Novato a healthier community. The idea was inspired by the National Let's Move campaign championed by First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Novato has joined this campaign along with over 300 other communities across America who all have the common goal of educating their communities about the importance of staying active, having a nutritionally sound diet, and having an overall lifestyle that is healthier. Obesity is a national epidemic. This epidemic is affecting children and adolescents across all socioeconomic, racial and ethnic communities. Unchecked, the growing problem of childhood obesity will undermine the long term health and economic vitality of every community in America.

A kick-off walk through Downtown Novato was held on January 27 at Noon. The round-trip loop began at the Novato Gymnastics and Teen Centers and went to City Hall and returned to the Gymnastics Center. The goal of the Downtown Novato Walk was to spotlight the campaign and the health benefits it can bring to our community.

City Councilmembers were joined on the walk by almost 150 walkers, including a representative from the national "Let's Move" campaign, City Commissioners, local businesses, City staff and members of the community. A large contingent of students from Good Shepherd School also participated, as well as Miguel Villarreal, the Director of Nutrition Services for the Novato Unified School District, and a group from Kaiser Permanente. 

Please join us for the "Let's Move, Novato!" Get Active, Get Healthy! kick-off event on May 14, 2011. Look for more details soon.  For more information about the "Let's Move Novato!" Get Active, Get Healthy! campaign, go to www.letsmovenovato.org.

The City is currently working to update its eight year old Housing Element. The Housing Element is a State mandated chapter in the General Plan that lays out the housing policies for a city. As part of the update discussions, there will be three work sessions conducted by the City Council for the community on housing related issues.

The first work session will be February 1, 2011 and will discuss the Regional Planning Perspective on housing issues as addressed by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), two regional agencies that provide Bay Area wide policy direction. This session will also cover Novato planning activities regarding the Housing Element update, the update of the overall General Plan, the North Redwood Planning Study and the work of the City Manager's Ad Hoc Housing Group on the Housing Element update.

The second Council work session will be on March 1, 2011, which will discuss Housing Design and Density. This workshop will focus on characteristics of density, community compatibility, and architectural character.

The final Council work session will be conducted on March 7, 2011 and will cover Crime and Housing Management. This workshop will discuss crime statistics in Novato, any relationships to housing density and housing management practices. All of the sessions will be conducted in the Novato City Hall, 901 Sherman Avenue and will be televised. The meetings will begin at 6:30 PM and are open to the public and public comments will be welcomed.

Housing Element Work Sessions

All meetings will start at 6:30 PM at City Hall,
901 Sherman Avenue.

Regional Planning Perspective - February 1

Housing Design and Density - March 1

Crime & Housing Management - March 7

The City has created a web page to keep the community updated on the current status of the Downtown Novato Wayfinding Signage Program. On December 1, 2010, the City hosted an open house, inviting the community to review the draft Downtown Novato Wayfinding Signage Program analysis, and view the three sign concepts prepared for the Program. Following the open house, the Design Review Commission conducted a public workshop to review these proposed design concepts. MERJE, the program consultant, is currently developing a fourth sign option that incorporates comments and suggestions received at the open house and Design Review Commission meeting. This new design will be presented to the Design Review Commission in early 2011.

The proposed sign options, and information on the progress of the Wayfinding program can be found on the City website.

The Novato Theater renovation project wants you! Make it your 2011 resolution to get involved with the Novato Theater renovation. Efforts are under way to raise funding for the renovation of the theater - one way you can stay involved with the Novato Theater is via Facebook. From your Facebook account, just search "Novato Theater" and then click the button 'like' that appears to the right. This will provide you with periodic updates on the Novato Theater renovation effort. Bernice Baeza, the lead applicant for the renovation of the Novato Theater reminds everyone - "When you are giving and investing in your community, great things can happen!"