Distinctive City, Thriving Future!

Strategic Plan/Priorities, adopted

Background

In early 2017, City leadership and Council conducted workshops to: review data and opinions about the City's current situation; reflect on options for the future; and refresh strategies to guide the priority of efforts. The Council's three grand goals for the City were to: sustain resilience and balance; assure fiscal responsibility; and assure effective, two-way communications in all things.

Since then, the Council has adopted fiscal guidelines and is making deliberate use of data in decision-making. In turn, City leadership has increased transparency via public performance reporting and is developing integrated, long-range plans for major City infrastructure assets and services.

The Council conducted two workshops in 2018 to review progress toward these goals and consider additional analysis about City needs and department plans. This report presents the resulting Council consensus about long-term aspirations for the City and near-term strategic priorities for planning and action by City Staff.

Overview

The City retained the strategic facilitation services of Mindset Matters to help the Council refresh the strategic priorities and align staff leaderships' plans and efforts in support. The Project was split into three primary objectives:


  • Review progress toward prior initiatives and staff's current plans;
  • Renew the Council's aspirations and strategic priorities for the City;
  • Refresh strategic priorities and initiatives to guide staff's longer-term plans.

To meet the first two objectives, staff presented current plans, performance

results, identified challenges and recommended actions during a workshop

conducted on Feb. 14, 2018, at Sandpoint Community Hall. Additional information was reviewed at a Workshop conducted on April 23, 2018, also at the Community Hall. During this second meeting, results from a survey of community advisors about the effectiveness of commissions and advisory groups as a means of engagement was also presented for consideration.

A Framework for the Future

Clear aspirations, commitment to core values, and steady focus provide lasting context for aligning near- and long-term efforts for greatest effect. The Council's framework for Sandpoint is as follows:

The pillars represent key result areas over which City government has meaningful influence and each pillar reflects distinct attributes. For example, Council and staff agree that accessible and open, transparent and accountable, and efficient and effective conduct are critical characteristics of a reputable, Responsive Government.


For a Resilient Economy, sensible regulation, fair taxation, a versatile workforce, and diverse mix of enterprises offering living wage jobs are viewed as key. Planned development and responsible growth that invests resources for long-term value are cornerstones of a Sustainable Environment.


A Vibrant Culture depends on residents having access to varied opportunities in education, recreation, arts, music, theater, and the like. Complementing all pillars, attributes of a Livable Community include well-maintained infrastructure, connected people, ready access to services, diversity of housing, balance of public spaces, and strong sense of safety and security.


Stating these attributes as aspirational goals helps inform decisions about priorities and keep efforts oriented. For each pillar, "Sandpoint is a City where..."

Strategic Priorities

Staff presented, and Council considered, a wide-range of activities in-progress as well as current and anticipated challenges and opportunities. Deliberations identified sixteen specific initiatives as Strategic Priorities for the next few years:

Initiative statements describing each Priority supporting one or more of the framework pillars are illustrated below:

Conclusion

lnformed discussions, thoughtful deliberations, and consensus-d riven decisions have been hallmarks of this process. With a clear framework for the future and specific near-term priorities, the City continues to strengthen the alignment of its actions and aspirations. Continued progress on the identified Strategic Priorities and completion of the integrated master plans for city assets and services will support new levels of achievement in public service for the benefit of all who experience Sandpoint - a distinctive city with a thriving future!