Five Spots Open; Deadline September 9

The City of Goleta is excited to announce that it is seeking applicants for the City’s brand-new Historic Preservation Commission. This is an important next step in the implementation of the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resources Ordinance enacted by the City Council in April 2022.

The goal of the Historic Preservation Ordinance is to preserve and protect resources that, once lost, cannot be replaced or replicated. Responsibilities of the Commission include but are not limited to:

• Making recommendations to the City Council regarding the designation of eligible properties as Historic Landmarks, Historic Districts, and Points of Historical Interest within the City and Mills Act requests.
• Making recommendations to the City Council regarding the rescission of or amendment to a historic designation.
• Reviewing and making recommendations to the Design Review Board on projects involving alterations to historic resources.
• Reviewing historic resources surveys and making recommendations to the City Council on periodic updates to the City’s Historic Resources Inventory.
• Making recommendations on any proposed design guidelines that may be developed by the City for project review or review of appropriate alterations or new construction within Historic Districts.
• Acting as an advisory board to the City Council, Planning Commission, Design Review Board, City Manager, and all City departments on all matters related to historic preservation.

The Commission will be comprised of five members appointed by the Mayor. The members of the first appointed Historic Preservation Commission will term out in varying years (June 2024, 2025, and 2026). After that, terms will be for four years, with no limit on the number of terms to which members may be appointed. A majority of the members must be residents of the City. Meetings are tentatively scheduled for the 3^rd Monday of every other month, subject to the agenda calendar.

The City is looking for both professional and lay members with demonstrated interest, competence, or knowledge in historic preservation. Commission members may be appointed from among the following disciplines: architecture, history, architectural history, planning, archaeology, or other related disciplines, such as American studies, landscape architecture, cultural geography, or cultural anthropology, to the extent that such professionals are available in the community. Commission members may also include lay members who have demonstrated special interest/expertise, competence, experience, or knowledge of Goleta history and historic preservation, and/or are members of local Chumash tribal group(s).

Don’t miss this historic opportunity! Apply for the City’s first Historic Preservation Commission at www.CityofGoleta.org/BoardsCommissions. Applications due by September 9, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. For questions contact cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.org.

Join Us in Expressing Appreciation to Ms. Greene for her Legacy of Service

Michelle Greene will preside over her last Goleta City Council meeting as the City Manager on August 16^th after 18 years of service to the City of Goleta, eight of those as the City Manager. The community is invited to attend the meeting either in person or virtually and show your appreciation to Ms. Greene for the legacy and impact she has left on Goleta during its formative first 20 years as a City.

At the August 16 Council meeting, Ms. Greene will be presented with a City Tile and Proclamation to honor her dedication and years of service to the City. This will be an opportunity for the Mayor, Councilmembers and colleagues to thank Michelle for her dedication and leadership. The public is invited to join us in expressing appreciation to Ms. Greene. Community members can come in person or virtually to comment or can send a note of appreciation to pio@cityofgoleta.org and it will be forwarded to Ms. Greene.

Ms. Greene is the first female City Manager in Goleta and is credited with bringing a new level of professionalism and sophistication to the organization during her tenure.

Significant milestones achieved by the City during Ms. Greene’s tenure as City Manager include:

• Building an effective and innovative organization, including creating new departments, hiring stellar staff and cultivating a positive organizational culture that reflects the values of the Goleta community;
• Completing the new Zoning Ordinance process and adoption of Title 17 of the City’s Municipal Code;
• Creating a municipal library and taking on direct management of the Goleta, Solvang and Buellton Libraries;
• Effecting the purchase of the City Hall facility at 130 Cremona Drive;
• Acquiring the parcel for a community park in Old Town Goleta and constructing Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park;
• Obtaining $3.9 million in state funding for restoration of the monarch butterfly habitat on Ellwood Mesa;
• Acquiring the former Direct Relief parcel on S. La Patera Lane and obtaining $13 million in TIRCIP Grant funding for the Goleta Train Depot project;
• Creating a Public Engagement Commission to advise the City Council on issues related to transparent public participation and governance of the City;
• Establishing the LEAD Academy to help community members learn about City operations, and how they can effectively participate in local governance;
• Achieving a new level of professionalism and regional recognition with the City’s public engagement and communications efforts, including keeping the community highly informed during numerous emergency events, such as wildfires, closure of the 101 Highway due to an unprecedented debris flow event, heavy rains and flooding, and an oil spill that impacted the Goleta shoreline;
• Creating, adopting and implementing the City’s first Homelessness Strategic Plan;
• Constructing capacity and fish passage improvements in San Jose Creek and adopting a Creeks and Watershed Management Plan;
• Establishing a robust Sustainability Program that reaches across several City departments and addresses climate change, recycling and reuse, efficient, clean and renewable energy in City facilities, streetlights, vehicles and in the community;
• Approval of critical fiscal improvements, such as the City’s Investment Policy, a Section 115 Trust for pension obligations, the City’s first long-range financial forecast, and helping grow the General Fund’s unassigned fund balance to ensure increased budget stability;
• The City’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, including maintaining critical services at all times, successfully addressing unprecedented fiscal ramifications, and assisting the local economy with the creation of an Economic Recovery Plan.

Ms. Greene began her career in Goleta as a Management Analyst, before being appointed to the position of Administrative Services Director and later Deputy City Manager. Prior to coming to Goleta, Ms. Greene served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Escalon, and the City Clerk for Grover Beach.

Newly hired City Manager Robert Nisbet will take over as Goleta’s City Manager on September 1, 2022.