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Happy New Year, Gilroy! Let's look forward to 2025 with renewed enthusiasm and interest in bold ambitions and goals.
As your new Mayor, I want to again say how thankful I am to represent Gilroy. Our community has great potential. Along with the Council and staff, I want to help create an environment at City Hall that fosters strong customer service, economic opportunity, innovation, and inclusivity. Elected leaders and staff are tasked to ensure that all voices in our community matter and that we work hand in hand to build a brighter tomorrow.
One of the roles of the Mayor and each Council Member is to act as a bridge, connecting the residents' aspirations to the City's resources. We will begin that important process when we hold a special strategic planning session on February 12th. Here, along with city staff, the Council will publicly discuss and prioritize the wants and needs of our community. Much of the outcome of this session will drive the next crucial steps of the Council’s tasks to establish the next city budget, which runs from July 2025 through June 2027.
Some of the priorities the Council may consider include customer service at City Hall, public safety, and improved services for our residents. Achieving these goals and then sustaining them are related to an additional important consideration: economic development. Growing and establishing a larger, steadier stream of revenue is crucial for us to continue improving the quality of life for our residents. For too many years, we have increasingly found ourselves wanting and expecting more than resources have allowed. While significant improvements to our budget in the near term are not likely, the Council and staff need to find strategies to improve our long-term financial possibilities to provide better services and opportunities for our residents.
You can provide input by contacting and/or writing to all Council Members. Contact information for each Council Member can be found on the Council page of the City website. You can voice your opinions during the City Council meetings during the public comment section on January 27th or February 3rd, and at the special session on Feb.12th. To discuss your priorities for the City, come chat with me at Coffee with the Mayor on February 1st at 9:30 AM in Council Chambers.
It is with great hope that the new Council and staff can establish a dynamic culture of collaborating with each other and our community. It is by utilizing the collective personal and professional experiences of the people who live and work here that we will have the best chance for Gilroy to reach its full potential.
Sincerely,
Mayor Greg Bozzo
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