Agoura Hills rolls out mission statement

In the midst of celebrating the city's 25th anniversary, officials in Agoura Hills have developed a mission statement.

Louis Celaya, assistant to the city manager, recently reported to the City Council that the "time has come" for a clear city mission.

The mission statement will be a guiding document for years to come, Celaya said. All city employees are contributing to its content.

"This was done to facilitate a bottom-up approach and secure important feedback and input on what the employees' felt should be part of the overall statement," Celaya reported.

Employees were asked to explore the city's core values and ethical principles. They are also to consider strengths and weaknesses of operations.

Core values are defined in broad terms and include service, integrity, positive solutions and cooperation.

The formal statement defines service as a "commitment to attentiveness and genuine concern" to residents. Employees are also expected to be courteous, helpful and professional when in contact with the public. The goal is for the staff to "exceed client expectations," Celaya said.

Integrity touches on both accountability to the public and fiscal responsibility.

Definitions of "positive solutions" and "cooperation" overlap in the statement. The city is committed to "providing firm, fair, creative, timely and flexible solutions . . . " according to the new statement of mission. To form partnerships with the community at large, which may include the school district, business community or nonprofit sector, a cooperative spirit must be fostered.

"The city has always been dedicated to providing great quality service for our community," Mayor Dan Kuperberg said. "The mission statement merely puts in writing what we've always tried to do."

A long-standing city motto, "Doing more with less," was also added to the mix of considerations. The motto points to Agoura Hills as a "lean and efficient organization," according to Celaya.

Kuperberg said the mission statement will be finalized within the next month.

Once approved by the City Council, the statement will be a reference by which to gauge the city's performance. It will be incorporated into Agoura Hills' budget, website and various documents, Celaya said.