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1 | P a g e <br />OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER <br />Melissa Stevenson Diaz <br />City Manager <br />Memorandum <br />To:Honorable Mayor Martinez Saballos and Members of the City Council <br />From: Melissa Stevenson Diaz, City Manager <br />Date:February 4, 2025 <br />Re: Background Materials for February 8, 2025 Offsite Meeting <br />At the City Council’s February 8, 2025 offsite meeting, I will provide a brief presentation on <br />anticipated major focus areas for the City Council this year. The presentation is provided as <br />Attachment A to this memo, framed as my “crystal ball” for the year. Overall, many of the items <br />relate to sustaining and improving our service delivery in light of a range of challenges, evolving <br />circumstances, and community needs. <br />I have also included a mid-year status report on goals established in the FY 2024-25 budget in <br />Attachment B. A final version of this document will be provided with the Mid-Year Budget report at <br />the February 24, 2025 City Council meeting. This will give you a sense of our progress on goals for <br />the year. It also is good background as you consider your top priorities for the year ahead. Goals are <br />organized by the Guiding Principles established in the City’s Strategic Plan. <br />Finally, Attachment C provides an update on our activities to advance equity in City services and <br />policy making. In 2020 the City Council adopted Equity as a Foundational Guiding Principle, directing <br />staff to consider equity in policy making and service delivery. Over the last five years we have been <br />on a journey to build the systems and knowledge that allow us to advance this direction. While I <br />expect this to be a long-term effort rather than a goal that is achieved, Redwood City is a recognized <br />leader in this work and I am proud of the accomplishments and learning to date. Later this year we <br />plan to bring a comprehensive five-year report to the City Council and community. <br />In closing, many thanks to Mayor Martinez Saballos and Vice Mayor Eakin for their work with <br />facilitator Ashwini Kantak to plan the offsite meeting. I think you will find it an engaging and thought- <br />provoking time, well worth your Saturday morning! As staff, we look forward to joining the City <br />Council at the offsite meeting and supporting you in your efforts to lead and serve our community. <br />5.A. - Page 1 of 75 <br />3