ATASCADERO – The City of Atascadero is preparing for the public outreach meetings to help implement the recent passage of the 1 percent Sales Tax Measure D-20. 

The Atascadero City Council is encouraging the public to 

In order to implement this Measure, the City has scheduled numerous public meetings to provide opportunities for public input on goals, priorities, and expectations for these funds. Members of the public will only need to attend one of these sessions to voice their opinion. 

Starting this month, several meeting sessions have been scheduled to achieve public participation and outreach desired by the Council. 

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The meeting schedule is as follows: 

  • Kick-off Session: Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m., during the regular City Council Meeting
  • Study Session 1: Thursday, Jan. 14 at 10 a.m.
  • Study Session 2: Thursday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.
  • Study Session 3: Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 4 p.m.
  • Study Session 4: Saturday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m.
  • Study Session 5: Thursday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m.
  • Study Session 6: Friday, Jan. 29, at noon
  • Study Session 7: Monday, Feb. 1, at 1:30 p.m.
  • Study Session 8: Thursday, Feb. 4, at 4 p.m.
  • Study Session 9: Saturday, Feb. 6, at 9 a.m.

The Atascadero City Staff will gather all of the public input and prepare a report for the Council’s annual goal-setting session to be held in mid-February. 

According to the City, the Council members will review and confirm or revise any direction provided during that goal setting session at the regularly scheduled meeting in March. 

In April, staff will provide the Council with an Action Plan detailing steps to be taken and the estimated costs associated with each action. This will be included in the Council-approved Action Plan and incorporated into the City’s 2021-2023 budget. 

The City plans to have no less than six well-publicized Finance Committee meetings held between mid-April, and the end of May, during which various sections of the budget will be discussed in detail. 

At the Jun. 8 Council meeting, the budgets for fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 will be presented to the Council for adoption, incorporating the priorities, actions, service levels, and metrics developed throughout this expanded public process. 

Community members are highly encouraged to attend and participate in any of these public meetings to ensure their voice is heard early in the process. 

For any questions regarding this or other topics related to the City of Atascadero, contact City Manager Rachelle Rickard at (805) 470-3400 or email rrickard@atascadero.org or MeasureD20@atascadero.org.