Council Planning

Sometimes it is necessary to step back and reflect. Each January, the City Council holds its annual retreat. Retreats are important because it gives the Councilmembers an opportunity to discuss issues informally and to engage in long term goal setting.

The retreat has three components. First, there is a review of last year’s goals and status reports on the various projects within those goals. This is followed by informal presentations by the City Manager and Department Heads to Council on various topics, issues and ideas.  The agenda for these discussions comes from either a specific request by a Councilmember or a staff recommendation for Council’s consideration.

The third component of the City Council Retreat is goal setting.  After considering the items presented, questioning staff and discussing each issue, Council identifies goals for the upcoming year. No formal action is taken and each item must be brought before Council at a Council Meeting for consideration. Depending on the issue, this can, and most time is, done as part of the budget approval process; however some items may be grant funded and would come to Council during the application process. Either way, public hearings are held to receive public comment.

Councilmembers comments are diverse and range from neighborhood preservation to economic development to utility infrastructure management to organizational professionalism.

The results of the retreat are presented to the citizens in two parts at Council Meetings immediately following the retreat. The first was a review of the prior goals and accomplishments and the second part covered the new goals for upcoming year. You can review these by clicking on the links below.

2008 Review

2009 Goals

2009 Review

2010 Goals