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and attended some classes. In visiting with other cities, she learned that San Marcos can be very proud of what we do with our neighborhoods. She attended one class titled "Leadership with a Brain" and it was encouraging to hear that we are okay even if we do not see everything the same way. Ms. Couch stated that Council had participated in a great workshop on Saturday utilizing citizen input. Chris Jones also thanked the citizens for the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. and work on behalf of the city to bring money back to San Marcos. He spent some time on the Hill and was privileged to witness some debates. He thanked Lloyd Doggett's staff for the passes that enabled to see the process and what goes on in the hearings. He also thanked the Mayor and staff who planned the workshop on Saturday. It laid the groundwork for visioning and helped to build stronger relationships with each other. John Thomaides reported that he was also on the D.C. trip and was able to make a lot of the events at the NLC conference and attended congressional events with colleagues. He noted that it is a different congress, and they have a different mindset when it comes to requesting dollars. He stated that the highlight at the NLC conference was when he attended the University Communities Caucus. He also attended leadership training sessions; one was regarding capital improvement program. He noted that we do engage our citizens more than most cities across the nation. He stated it was a good conference and expressed thanks for the opportunity. Gaylord Bose thanked the staff that put the Permit Center together from concept, design and staffing. He stated that he learned a lot at the visioning workshop on Saturday. Daniel Guerrero thanked the staff that assisted with the development of the visioning workshop. It was a real opportunity to get to know each other. He reported that everyone did the Myers- Briggs assessment, and it put into perspective the dynamics we deal with. The second half of the day was looking at our successes and what we have done. It brought us to a true vision. If we stick to that, and put in some critical thinking, we will be successful. Mayor Narvaiz agreed with Mr. Thomaides that it is a different time. It does not mean things aren't possible, it just means we have to present our case stronger. She noted that our presentation made it easier to the case for the city. All of our projects are community projects and safety projects, and we are willing to put our money into them. At the Saturday visioning workshop, we took the time to look at what we have put together. We are trying to bring a business perspective to the dais, and we put the customer first. She reported that attendees committed as a team that they wanted a strategic plan with four goals that staff will tweak and then bring back to Council. She noted they are not going to throw so much at the staff, and they have recommitted to what is meaningful to the city. Mayor Narvaiz stated she wished to give recognition to two employees. She read a letter from Charles Tokar, president of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, congratulating Sherry Mashburn, City Clerk, on her attainment of Master Municipal Clerk. Secondly, she read an email from Bruce Tipp, Goodrich, commending Commander Randy Holmes for the exceptional customer service always demonstrated by PDFConvert.2631.1.RM0318078 Minutes.doc Page 3 of 8