Strategic Plan

The City Council initiated a strategic planning process in 2019 that established a practical vision for the community and identified several steps the City will take to achieve that vision. The following is a list of the strategic directions and some of the key initiatives that were identified:

1. Enhancing and Empowering the Community
   1. Establish criteria and method to get youth involved
   2. Implementation of Spanish and Hmong translation of printed/written materials
   3. Implementation of wayfinding signage in city parks
2. Creating Operational Efficiency
   1. Implementation of zoning code revision
   2. Conversion to electronic files (PermitWorks software & Laserfische)
   3. Completed staff assessment and implementing a revised organizational structure 
3. Maximizing our Assets to Catalyze Development
   1. Utilize parcel inventory to identify opportunities for development or redevelopment
   2. Schedule ongoing meetings with surrounding agencies
   3. Fund balance identified and explained during the 2020 budget and CIP process
   4. Developer presentations on market demand and redevelopment opportunities
4. Mandating Action and Accountability
   1. Establish calendar for City Council workshops and Special City Council meetings
   2. Establish format for tracking progress on Comprehensive Plan & Zoning Code

Many of these initiatives had been accomplished by 2022, and City Council members felt it was important to update the plan. City Council and staff members participated in a 2-day workshop on April 22 & 23, 2022 facilitated by Hue Life Consulting to review and update the 2019 Strategic Plan.

The result of this process was the identification of nine visionary outcome areas which were expanded into updated strategic directions with specific 1-year action steps and 2-year successes. These updated actions resulted in a clear list of initiatives that can be accomplished over the next two years. City staff utilized these strategic directions and initiatives to guide the preliminary 2023 budget process and have begun to work on several initiatives over the past six months. The City Council reviewed the draft Strategic Plan in detail at the City Council Workshop on July 13, 2022. There was extensive discussion about both the number of initiatives and the capacity for existing staff members to complete these initiatives in the targeted time frames. One of the critical components of the 2022 Strategic Plan is a staff capacity gap analysis, which was initially targeted for completion by June of 2023. City Council members recommended moving this forward as a top priority, as so many of the other initiatives depend on existing staff capacity.