Maplewood staff presents strategic priorities for FY 2025–26, traffic calming tops resident survey

City staff presented proposed strategic budget priorities for fiscal year 2025–26 at the Maplewood City Council work session on Feb. 11, asking the council to confirm goals that will guide budget requests and longer-term planning.

The presentation, which staff said incorporated a community survey that closed the afternoon of Feb. 11, identified traffic calming as the top priority in respondents’ top-three lists. "We determined that traffic calming was the top priority," a city staff member said, adding the survey produced "just shy of 35 respondents." The staff member noted the packet numbers were updated through 5 p.m. the day of the meeting to reflect the final responses.

The report framed the discussion as an opportunity to "articulate our goals and values for the upcoming budget year" and to assess the organization’s capacity to pursue multiple priorities simultaneously. The staff presentation grouped priorities that are ongoing projects or that have strategic implications for operations and financial sustainability.

Key priorities identified in the presentation included: - Traffic calming…