City of Davis hosts annual State of the City Breakfast
Mayor Donna Neville and City Manager Daryel Dunston discussed infrastructure, housing, fiscal health and community development
By ALMA CULVERWELL — city@theaggie.org
The City of Davis hosted their annual State of the City Breakfast on Wednesday, March 4 at the Veterans Memorial Center.
The event serves as a yearly check-in with the community, where city leaders will discuss the past year and plans for the future. This year’s event was hosted by Mayor Donna Neville and Davis City Manager Daryel Dunston, with Rusty Seymour as the moderator.
Mayor Donna Neville described the importance of the event.
“The State of the City provides an opportunity to share updates on major projects, investments and the City’s financial outlook while connecting with local business leaders,” Neville said. “These partnerships play an important role in supporting Davis’ economy and helping our community thrive.”
Jenny Tan, the communications director for the City of Davis, explained some background on the event and the collaboration between the City of Davis and the Davis Chamber of Commerce.
“This is a partnership in which the Chamber of Commerce hosts the event and the city presents,” Tan said. “This partnership is important because the Davis Chamber of Commerce is an organization that represents the collective voice of local employers and advocates for economic and community prosperity. Working with the city on events like the State of the City [Breakfast] aligns both organizations around shared goals of transparency, communication and community-wide participation.”
Tan explained that the annual event has been occurring since 2014. She described a few of the topics up for discussion, including grants, developments, city finances and infrastructure.
“While specific projects and milestones change each year, the State of the City consistently focuses on our core priorities: infrastructure, development and fiscal stewardship,” Tan said. “The presentation highlights infrastructure upgrades [...], parks enhancements [...], aquatics improvements, skate park progress and Community Park upgrades, downtown safety and cleanliness efforts [...], community amenities [...], retail development, an update on the multi-year General Plan process shaping Davis from 2025-50, the status of housing projects under construction, completed and pending permits, including major proposals such as Village Farms and Willowgrove, an update for the new Walnut Park Library in South Davis and an overview of the city’s $250.6 million adopted budget.”
This year's presentation will also include a development update showing that 657 housing units have been completed or nearly completed since 2023. Two major proposals, Willowgrove and Village Farms, are still pending voter approval, with 1,250 and 1,800 units proposed respectively. Several additional projects totaling hundreds of units are currently under construction or awaiting building permits, including The Leonardo, a 368-unit apartment complex in North Davis slated to open in late fall 2026.
Tan explained the importance of the topics up for discussion at the breakfast.
“Each State of the City includes infrastructure, development and fiscal health because those are the foundational pillars of municipal government,” Tan said. “Infrastructure reflects the city’s core responsibility to maintain streets, utilities, parks and public facilities. Development speaks to how the community grows and evolves — housing, economic activity, commercial investment and planning decisions. Fiscal health underpins everything else.”
Tan expanded, emphasizing the importance of each foundation in collaboration.
“Without a stable financial outlook, the city cannot sustain services, invest in infrastructure or respond to emergencies,” Tan said. “Together, these three themes provide a complete picture — which is why they remain consistent year to year, even as the specific projects change.”
Tan also described how the city looks at success rates for the event.
“Success can be difficult to measure definitively, but a good State of the City presentation generally ensures attendees leave with a clear understanding of the city’s priorities, major investments and financial outlook,” Tan said. “It should reinforce transparency and trust by candidly addressing both accomplishments and challenges, while drawing strong participation from the audience. Ultimately, the event should help build momentum around shared goals and encourage continued engagement in the City’s long-term initiatives.”
The presentation from the event can be accessed on the City of Davis website.
Written By: Alma Culverwell — city@theaggie.org