City launches comprehensive-plan update after regional grant; steering committee to be named

City officials said Wednesday that the city will update its comprehensive plan after securing a regional grant and will form a steering committee to guide the work. Mr. Rasmussen, the city administrator, told the City Council that the administration had been using the term “strategic planning session” but that the longer-term document is a comprehensive plan; he invited council members to pursue a shorter, budget-focused session while staff pursues the comprehensive-plan update. Council member Lisa said the city applied to and received funding through the Delta Regional Authority with technical support from the Boot Hill Regional Planning Commission and that “this plan is gonna guide our city's growth and priorities through the year 2032.” Jim Grieving, executive director at the Boot Hill Regional Planning Commission, described the planning process as a roughly five-year horizon exercise and said the commission will work with the city on community surveys, town halls and data collection. He said recent regional studies (housing and economic development) will be used where appropriate. City staff said the grant award was “nearly $60,000,” the steering committee will include about 14–16 community members, and an application for the committee will be posted on the city website with an application deadline of July 31. Staff also said the steering committee will review results from a recent public survey that drew 275 responses. No council vote was recorded on the plan update at the meeting; staff and regional partners will proceed with the grant-funded work, nominate a steering committee and schedule public engagement events. The administration said the grant-funded process is expected to be completed within the grant window (18 months) but that staff hopes to finish sooner; city staff will return to the council with steering-committee appointments and a public meeting schedule.