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City launches strategic-plan reset, 10-year financial modeling and community survey process
Summary
City Administrator Lisa outlined a strategic-plan update, a 10-year financial modeling effort and a two-part community-survey program. Consultant DHM Research will present to council April 15; key council work sessions and Saturdays are scheduled through November for plan adoption.
City Administrator Lisa told the Tumwater City Council on April 8 that the city is launching a coordinated strategic-plan refresh tied to a 10-year financial plan and a two-part community-survey effort.
Lisa said the city’s strategic priorities have been in place for six years and staff selected Amy Lineker as the consultant facilitator for the council-led update. The process will pair a financial-forecasting consultant creating scenario-based modeling with DHM Research, the consultant selected to run a statistically valid survey followed by an open community-engagement survey.
DHM Research will present its qualifications and approach at the April 15 council meeting. Lisa said the statistically valid survey will use demographic quotas to produce representative results; the community-engagement survey will follow with the same questionnaire to broaden participation.
Key council touch points include a Saturday session on May 3 to catalog city projects and draft prioritization criteria, a May 25 work session for the financial-planning update, an appearance by the survey team at the June 10 work session, a Saturday prioritization session on June 21, additional summer staff work to convert council priorities to work plans, and fall sessions with the facilitator leading to a target council adoption of the strategic plan on November 18.
Lisa said the financial-planning consultant has begun analysis with management-team interviews and is developing a modeling tool to show long-term effects of different priority and revenue scenarios. The modeling tool is intended to inform biennial budget choices and longer-term capital planning.
Council members asked how the survey will address demographic representativeness; Lisa said the two-part approach (quota-based statistical survey plus open community survey using the same questionnaire) is designed to produce both representative and broad input. She encouraged council members to review draft question lists and to provide input in the near term.
Lisa noted the process aims to produce clear priorities and annual work plans tied to financial scenarios so the city can align staff work and budget decisions over the coming biennium and beyond.
