Elected Officials Reflect on Past Year

Patch sat down with Cotati City Manager Dianne Thompson and Rohnert Park City Manager Gabe Gonzalez this winter, to talk about what the cities accomplished in 2011, and what citizens can expect in 2012.

We asked the City Council to weigh in too.

In Cotati, the city's Old Redwood Highway redevelopment topped priorities in 2011. The the two-lane Village Main Street concept, which incorporates roundabouts — citing safety concerns, the potential for economic development and the long-planned Downtown Specific Plan.

Officials also for the second year in a row, and is projecting a balanced budget for the next seven years. By year's end, Cotati is positioned to have nearly $400,000 left in the bank, and is projecting $76,000 more in revenues than expenditures.

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At Rohnert Park's final City Council meeting of the year, Gonzalez gave a brief overview of 2011.

Jake Mackenzie was appointed as mayor, replacing Gina Belforte, and Pam Stafford took Mackenzie's spot as vice mayor.

The City Council weighed in on the future of the 33-acre State Farm hub, on potential businesses to fill Pacific Market and how to attract more businesses in town. .

"When I first became mayor at the beginning of the year, we faced somewhat insurmountable issues," Belforte said. "We were in a fiscal emergency."

The entire council echoed Belforte's sentiment.

"When I got elected here, we had a deficit of close to $8 million," he said. "That was three years ago, and to sit here right now, knowing that we came within a couple hundred thousand dollars of balancing the budget is just unbelieveable."

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