City creates cross-department project management team to prioritize backlog and align projects with comp plan

City staff described a new cross-department project management effort intended to speed decision-making on capital and operational projects and to give the council earlier visibility on items before formal agenda action. The team includes planning, public works, parks and recreation, economic development and other departments and will meet weekly to score and tier projects. Why it matters: staff said the new process will create transparency on projects that compete for limited staff time and funding, identify projects aligned to the comprehensive plan, and allow the council to reprioritize items based on strategy and community input rather than reacting at the final agenda stage. What staff said: the presenter described a workflow that turns the existing backlog into a database of projects with expected deadlines, partners, budget estimates, consultant needs and phase status (design/permitting/construction). Each item will be tied to sections of the city’s comprehensive plan, business attraction plan or housing needs assessment so council members can weigh strategic fit when prioritizing. The team was described as meeting weekly across six to seven departments and will use tier 1/2/3 ratings to indicate urgency and timing. Examples and priorities noted: staff identified current tier-1 items as the YMCA lease coordination and the courthouse road design; tier-2 items include certain drainage and design projects; tier-3 projects include longer-term ideas such as parkway reimagining, harbor upgrades and façade grant administration. Staff also highlighted specific infrastructure projects (water treatment replacement, harbor gate repair, Oak Street drainage) that will be included in the tracking system. Next steps and governance: staff said they will present periodic updates to the council and integrate project entries into a living document that includes alignment with implementation strategies from the comp plan. The effort is meant to surface dependencies (funding, consultants, permits) earlier and to reduce the number of items that return to the drawing board after council votes. No formal policy change was adopted at the workshop. The staff presenter said the team will continue to refine the tool and bring more detailed project pages (budget, timeline, partners) for council review in future meetings.