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Homestead launches six-month strategic plan process, city and consultant outline outreach, timeline
Summary
City officials and consultant Barry Dunn previewed a six-month process to produce Homestead's first strategic plan, asking council members to act as public advocates and setting public forums and staff surveys through April and May.
The City of Homestead and consultant Barry Dunn launched a six-month strategic planning process Tuesday, with a presentation that outlined phases for stakeholder engagement, draft development and adoption.
City Manager Kumar told the council the kickoff would “delve into an overview of what the strategic planning is going to entail,” including council expectations and next steps. Consultant Charlene Picayo said the consultant team will run interviews, workshops and surveys with both internal staff and external stakeholders.
The plan is intended to produce a five-year vision and mission, five strategic focus areas, measurable objectives and performance metrics that departments would tie to budgets and capital planning. Picayo said the document is meant to be a “living document” used for transparency and accountability, not a one-time publication.
Council members were asked to act as engagement ambassadors and to encourage participation. City staff and the consultant described the engagement program in three phases: project goals and data review; stakeholder outreach; and drafting, review and adoption. Online and in-person participation tools include a social-pinpoint “idea wall,” surveys for residents and employees, recorded interviews and three community forums scheduled for April 9–10 (two in person and one virtual lunch-hour forum), and a strategic planning workshop for council on May 9.
Staff set a staff participation goal of 60 percent for the employee survey (about 294 full- and part‑time employees) and said employee outreach will include in-person meetings, QR code access at staff gatherings and targeted videos. Picayo said the consultant expects to present an initial plan for council review on June 23 and deliver a documented plan by July.
Mayor and council members pressed staff on outreach tactics to increase employee and public engagement, including printed flyers, sandwich boards at parks, placing QR codes on utility bills and trolleys, attending HOA meetings, and recorded forums for members who cannot attend. Vice Mayor Fletcher asked staff to pursue higher employee participation and suggested department-level meetings. Councilwoman Bailey requested printed materials and promotional magnets for trolleys; staff said they would deliver stacks of flyers to each council member and pursue additional outreach at community events.
The council did not take formal action on the presentation; the item was a staff and consultant briefing to establish timelines, engagement methods and next steps.
The administration said the dedicated project site is homesteadfl.gov/plan and that initial online activity shows hundreds of views and dozens of contributors to the idea wall since the external outreach launch on Feb. 21.
No formal adoption or binding vote occurred on the plan during the meeting; council members directed staff to continue stakeholder outreach and to prepare for the May workshop and subsequent review cycle.
