Concord mayor outlines priorities for 2023

CONCORD, CA (Jan. 18, 2023) — As a lifelong resident and longtime member of the City Council, I am grateful for the opportunity to once again serve as your mayor.

I would also like to recognize and thank outgoing Councilmember and former Mayor Tim McGallian for his years of service. He was a tremendous leader for Concord during the COVID-19 pandemic, working diligently to keep our city thriving, and supporting our small businesses and seniors.

I would also like to welcome our new Councilmember Laura Nakamura, who was elected to represent District 5. I Iook forward to working with her and the rest of my council colleagues on our goals for the year ahead.

Our top priorities include launching a homeless strategic plan, continuing to fix our roadways throughout the city, enhancing public safety and determining the next steps for the development of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station.

Over the last year, the council has dedicated $5.4 million in one-time funds toward addressing homelessness in our community. This is in addition to the more than $550,000 we spend annually on direct service providers who care for our unhoused residents. Exactly how we put those $5.4 million to work will be determined by our homeless strategic plan; we are launching the development of this plan in February.

We are in the process of appointing individuals to a working group that will act as an advisory body, providing feedback as the strategic plan is shaped, and there will be ample opportunity for the community to provide input on the plan over the next several months.

Fixing the roads

I’m excited to share that this year we will see roadwork throughout the city increase. Last year, we approved an ambitious five-year pavement improvement plan. This means we may all experience some traffic headaches, but we heard our residents loud and clear when you said you wanted more roads fixed. Our team is on it, thanks to Concord voters who approved Measure V, which is funding a significant portion of the improvements.

Public safety will always remain a top priority for us. We are continuing our extensive recruitment efforts and beginning to see some results to improve department staffing.

With respect to the base, the council held a special meeting on Jan. 7 to consider the developer’s proposed term sheet that establishes the development guidelines and community benefits to be included in the documents that must be finalized before development begins or property is transferred.

Following nearly eight hours of presentations, questions of staff and the developer and public comment (which was completed), the council continued its discussion to Jan. 28, when we will vote on next steps.

You can learn more about our plans for the year ahead at our annual State of the City luncheon on Feb. 1 at the Hilton Concord. Tickets are available at www.concordchamber.com.

If you’re interested in learning more about how the city operates, I invite you to apply to participate in our free Community Academy, which launches in April. You can get details at www.cityofconcord.org/cci.

Direct your questions and comments to the mayor at 925-671-3158 or Laura.Hoffmeister@cityofconcord.org.