TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Steve Powers, City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Strategic Plan Update
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
end
ISSUE:
Work Session of the City Council to discuss the Strategic Plan.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information only.
body
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:
As part of the Fiscal Year 2016-17 Budget development, the Budget Committee and City Council discussed the need for an overarching plan to guide future decision making as the community and organization change. In mid-October 2016, this citywide strategic planning effort began. The strategic planning effort will span three phases and be complete this summer (Attachment 1).
The strategic planning effort includes:
• A citywide strategic plan stating the mission, vision, values, and goals for the community, and the actions that the government can take to achieve those goals;
• An annual work plan detailing the actions the City will take in the first year of the strategic plan; and
• A set of measures by which the City Council and the community can gauge progress.
The first phase of the project, the Situation Assessment, is complete. An executive summary of the document is attached (Attachment 2). The Situation Assessment includes existing data and performance measures for City services; economic and demographic trends; results of a statistically valid survey to assess resident satisfaction with City services and interviews with community members and civic partners, Mayor and Councilors, and department directors; and input from employees. Initial findings from this work were presented to the Budget Committee at their November 16, 2016 meeting and further discussed by Council at their January 30, 2017 Work Session, in which the City Council began to discuss the mission, vision, values, and goals for the City organization.
The Resident Satisfaction Survey, conducted by DHM and attached (Attachment 3), is one of several data sources included in the Situation Assessment. This statistically valid poll was conducted from November 30 through December 4, 2016, administered in both Spanish and English, and captured responses from 450 residents via phone - both cell and land lines. In general, the results were positive:
• Most are very satisfied (44%) or somewhat satisfied (48%) with City services;
• Overall, 66% responded that Salem is headed in the right direction compared to 21% who believe Salem is on the wrong track; and
• Residents would like to see the City make investments in affordable housing/alleviating homelessness; roads/potholes and infrastructure; and economic development, to include planning and development review, and job growth.
Also included in the Situation Assessment are the results from the well-attended January 31, 2017 community open house (Attachment 4). Approximately 250 people offered ideas for what the City could or should be doing in five broad service area:
1. Development, including economic activity, development of land and buildings
2. Public Works, including infrastructure, capital construction and facilities management
3. Cultural Services including libraries and recreation services
4. Public Safety including police, fire and courts
5. Central Services including strategic planning, information technology and human resources
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The desired outcome of the facilitated City Council discussions is clear direction around a set of priority City services. This direction will be articulated in the strategic plan, scheduled for City Council consideration this summer. From the list of priority topic areas or services, staff will support the Council in identifying existing issue area expertise and organizations active in the community. Together, these groups will recommend the best role for the City in moving the issue forward to meet City Council’s expectations for outcomes within the issue area.
Staff will continue to provide updates to Council and the community along the way through:
• Council briefings, as well as website, social media and print communications
• Additional engagement in the development of the Strategic Plan to include Work Sessions to discuss choices, agree on solutions, promote ownership of draft strategies and actions; and another Community Open House for input from the community in-person and in real time.
Courtney Knox Busch
Strategic Initiatives Manager
Attachments:
1. Strategic Planning Process
2. Situation Assessment Executive Summary
3. Community Satisfaction Survey
4. Engagement Report