Survey: Petaluma Seeks Community Feedback On Key City Priorities

PETALUMA, CA —The city of Petaluma is seeking feedback from the community as city management and elected officials work toward long-term financial sustainability by ensuring the cost of services is balanced with available city revenue.

"This is challenging for cities because there are a lot of things that the city doesn't actually control, such as new laws that require staff time to oversee, or changes in state rules that reduce a city's revenues," city officials said in an email Tuesday. "Since the Great Recession, this has become even more challenging. To address the many decisions the city will need to make going forward, the city has embarked on a fiscal and organizational sustainability process."

City officials say the following key priorities have been identified by Petalumans in previous community surveys, workshops and meetings:

• Maintaining rapid 911 emergency response times
• Ensuring 24-hour police and fire staffing
• Repairing the conditions of local roads and highways
• Repairing potholes
• Maintaining essential fire protection equipment, including fire engines
• Attracting and retaining qualified police officers
• Providing safe routes to school for children
• Maintaining the number of police and emergency vehicles
• Improving roads safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians

Community members are invited to give their feedback on key city priorities by taking a brief online survey.

The city has a web page dedicated to the Fiscal and Organizational Sustainability Process, which began in November is expected to continue through summer 2020. Residents can sign up via the web page to stay informed throughout the process.