REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Discussion of Meeting Dates and Adoption of a Resolution Approving the City Council Regular Meeting Calendar for April 2026 Through March 2027
Report
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Sunnyvale Charter Section 611 states that the City Council shall hold regular meetings at least twice each month as determined by ordinance or resolution.
In past years, the Regular Meeting Calendar has attempted to avoid conflicts with City and religious holidays, school recesses and various municipal government related conferences. Often, staff is unable to avoid all conflicts due to multiple conflicts in one month (e.g. elections, Veterans’ Day, and Thanksgiving in November) or because there are several dates that are not known at the time of Council’s calendar approval (e.g. conference dates, school district holidays). As a result, scheduling conflicts often remain despite best efforts to mitigate them). Attachment 1 outlines next year’s meeting schedule under the current practice of attempting to avoid as many known conflicts as possible at the time the schedule is made.
The current practice presents some challenges. It often leads to two or three Council meetings scheduled in consecutive weeks. Holding Council meetings in consecutive weeks does place a burden on staff, Council and the public as meeting preparation and late Council meetings impact individuals’ abilities to address their other professional and personal responsibilities. In addition, it provides less predictability for members of the public who are sometimes confused about the schedule. Finally, it presents operational challenges with preparing and reviewing significant volumes of staff reports (approximately 300 per year) for back-to-back meetings, creating significant pinch points in the agenda management workflow.
To address these challenges, staff have prepared a recommended meeting schedule that focuses on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, with a few exceptions to avoid City holidays and to create a longer July break between meetings (Attachment 2). This would increase predictability for the public, alleviate operational challenges with the current schedule, and still aim to avoid the most significant conflicts.
Staff have prepared resolutions and exhibits associated with each option:
• Attachment 3 - resolution establishing the Council’s regular meeting schedule using the practice of avoiding conflicts is provided in Attachment 3 for Council review.
• Attachment 4 - resolution generally setting Council meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.
Exhibit A of the respective resolutions outline proposed 2026 City Council Meeting Calendars, which specify the proposed dates of the Council’s regular meetings for April 2026 and through March 2027. These include potential dates for special meetings; note City, state and federal holidays; and indicate two tentative regular meeting dates that may be called as needed by the Mayor, in consultation with the City Manager.
With either option, Board and Commission interview meetings are scheduled for a 5 p.m. start instead of 6 p.m. and the two nights of Board and Commission interviews typically scheduled in May have moved to April, based on Council feedback. Also, the May Budget Workshop is proposed to begin at noon on a Tuesday in May, with a Regular Council meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on the same day. In recent years, the May Budget Workshop has taken place on a Thursday morning, sometimes in the same week as a Tuesday evening Regular Council meeting, which has required a very heavy time commitment from Councilmembers, staff and the public in one week.
Special Council meetings may be scheduled as early at 4 p.m. on the same evening as regular meetings for closed sessions, study sessions or other Council business. Councilmembers should plan to be available starting at 4 p.m. on Regular Meeting nights.
Agenda items for the proposed regular meetings will be added to the Tentative Council Meeting Agenda Council (TCMAC) as approved and scheduled by the Mayor, the City Manager, and/or the majority of Council.
EXISTING POLICY
Sunnyvale Charter Section 611 (Regular Meetings)
Council Policy 7.3.19 (Council Meetings)
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental, organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
Adoption of a Resolution approving the City Council Regular Meeting Calendar does not have a fiscal impact.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council meeting agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board at City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Public Library and in the Department of Public Safety Lobby. In addition, the agenda and this report are available at the City Hall reception desk located on the first floor of City Hall at 456 W. Olive Avenue (during normal business hours), and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Adopt a Resolution (Attachment 3 to the report) approving the City Council Regular Meeting Calendar for April 2026 through March 2027 avoiding scheduling conflicts, as submitted.
2. Adopt a Resolution (Attachment 4 to the report) approving the City Council Regular Meeting Calendar for April 2026 through March 2027 with meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays in most months, as submitted.
3. Other direction provided by Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 2: Adopt a Resolution (Attachment 4 to the report) approving the City Council Regular Meeting Calendar for April 2026 through March 2027 with meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays in most months, as submitted.
Levine Act
LEVINE ACT
The Levine Act (Gov. Code Section 84308) prohibits city officials from participating in certain decisions regarding licenses, permits, and other entitlements for use if the official has received a campaign contribution of more than $500 from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant in the previous 12 months. The Levine Act is intended to prevent financial influence on decisions that affect specific, identifiable persons or participants. For more information see the Fair Political Practices Commission website: www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/pay-to-play-limits-and-prohibitions.html
An “X” in the checklist below indicates that the action being considered falls under a Levine Act category or exemption:
SUBJECT TO THE LEVINE ACT
___ Land development entitlements
___ Other permit, license, or entitlement for use
___ Contract or franchise
EXEMPT FROM THE LEVINE ACT
___ Competitively bid contract*
___ Labor or personal employment contract
___ Contract under $50,000 or non-fiscal
___ Contract between public agencies
_X_ General policy and legislative actions
* "Competitively bid" means a contract that must be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.
Staff
Prepared by: David Carnahan, City Clerk
Reviewed by: Sarah Johnson-Rios, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Tim Kirby, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Potential City Council Regular Meeting Calendar for April 2026 through March 2027 avoiding scheduling conflicts
2. Potential City Council Regular Meeting Calendar for April 2026 through March 2027 with meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays in most months
3. Resolution approving the City Council Regular Meeting Calendar for April 2026 through March 2027 avoiding scheduling conflicts
4. Resolution approving the City Council Regular Meeting Calendar for April 2026 through March 2027 with meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays in most months