Mayor’s Monthly - January

On my Mind (a few random thoughts)

Happy New Year Novato! It is a beautiful day in Novato and we are getting ready to enjoy a nice hike. As we start the New Year, I realized that it has been a little while since I put together a short summary of what is happening around Novato and what’s upcoming at the City Council. I am not big on resolutions, but one thing I am going to try to do is a monthly blog just like this. In each one, I will open with some random thoughts of what’s currently on my mind. I hope to keep it inspirational, encouraging, and mostly apolitical. It could be something or someone that really stood out or maybe a Novato resident or City employee who went above and beyond. It could also just be whatever happens to be on my mind at the time I put this monthly blog together. As a new dad, I am sure that our son will come up from time to time.

Each blog will also have a section for what’s happening around town. This won’t be an exhaustive list of everything going on, but maybe 3-5 highlights for the month. Finally, I will wrap it up with some key issues that will be coming before the City Council for that month. I am going to post the blog on the Novato Patch, but also share the links on Facebook and Nextdoor. Glad to make myself available to answer any questions, but will prefer to keep the blog and any Q&A to information only.

Around Town (happenings in Novato)

3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Super Ball Drop
Hundreds of kids and families packed Downtown Novato this past Monday for a Bouncy Ball New Year! Major thanks to the Downtown Novato Business Association and all the sponsors for a great event. Live video.

Check out Pearl Novato #pokebowl
We finally got a chance to eat at Pearl over the holidays and enjoyed their poke bowls and Vietnamese sandwiches. We will definitely be going back! facebook.com/PearlNovato

Green Film Series - Thursday, January 24th
Please join the City of Novato, Novato Fire District, Firewise Communities and Sustainable Novato for a screening of ‘WILDER THAN WILD: Fire, Forests and the Future’ on January 24th at Novato City Hall. RSVP Here

Novato’s Birthday Party, Paint the Town Red - Friday, January 25th
Tickets are on sale now at https://paintthetownred.org. Also, save the date for February 2nd when there will be a free daytime celebration on at City Hall for all residents including our younger families and their children.

Point in time count - Monday, January 28th
Every two years, Marin County does a complete count of every person experiencing homelessness in Marin. This Point-in-Time Count helps us understand the needs of our population and track our progress decreasing homelessness. I have volunteered for the past few counts and it is truly and eye opening experience. Volunteers all across Marin start at 5AM in groups of 2-3 people and are assigned set areas. There is also a 1-hour training for volunteers. Learn more here https://housingfirst.marinhhs.org/point-time-count

On the Agenda (upcoming at the City Council)

Below are a few key items and updates that are coming up at a future council meeting in January. Because dates tend to change, be sure to check the City Council agendas here (https://novato.org/government/city-council/agendas-minutes/city-council-agendas-minutes).

In January, we will be meeting on the 15th and the 29th. Here are some key topics:

Sustainability Update
Novato has made great strides with our sustainability efforts over the past couple of years. In early January, we are scheduled to hear a Sustainability Program Update as well as a Presentation of our 2016 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report.

Hamilton Commissary Site Proposals
The Commissary Site is a 4.7 acre parcel owned by the City of Novato in Hamilton. The City put out an RFP for the site and we received 4 proposals. In early November, it was narrowed down to two final proposals to be reviewed by the City Council in January.

Budget Update / Fiscal Forecast
We will also be receiving a midyear budget update and reviewing our long term fiscal forecast. This might not be the most exciting of topics, but we always encourage more public participation as the budget and our forecast really determine what we are able to do and provide as a city.