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La Plata council schedules retreat to set priorities; staff to circulate August date poll
Summary
Council members agreed to hold a facilitated retreat to refine a collective vision and prioritize items for the next budget cycle; Town Manager Chuck Stevens will circulate proposed August dates by the end of the week and staff will prepare a dashboard tying priorities to budget implications.
The La Plata Town Council agreed June 17 to schedule a facilitated retreat to develop a collective council vision and set two‑year priorities, with staff to circulate a poll of August dates by the end of the week.
Town Manager Chuck Stevens urged a one‑day retreat within the next two months to align council priorities before the FY27 budget cycle. "Your budget is the one document that speaks the loudest," Stevens said, urging the retreat occur before staff begins substantive budget planning.
Council members expressed urgency for a sooner date than two months. Councilman McCormick said a 60‑day wait was too long and asked for an earlier meeting; Councilman Guttenberg and Councilman Sampson supported a full‑day retreat. The mayor directed staff to send a date poll with August options; Stevens committed to circulate that poll by Friday.
During a broad discussion the council used the packet list of priorities to identify several high‑priority themes staff should prepare information on for the retreat and upcoming agendas: addressing the stormwater maintenance backlog, standardizing town communications, tourism zone ordinance implementation, Dorchester Community Center planning, senior services and utility relief pilots, sidewalk planning on Washington Avenue, water supply negotiations and conservation planning, community engagement and events strategy, LEOPs pension study evaluation, and review of town property holdings and the adequate public facilities ordinance.
Stevens told the council staff will prepare greater granularity for each item, including metrics and budget implications, and suggested a public dashboard to track progress and align priorities with the town budget. Several council members asked staff to identify tactical items that could be added to upcoming agendas without comprehensive strategic work; Stevens said staff would flag such items.
Council members debated process: a motion to allocate 10 minutes per councilmember to speak through the priority list failed on a roll call, but the council continued an item‑by‑item discussion and identified follow‑up actions for staff.
The retreat scheduling and preparation are intended to inform the FY27 budget process and to provide quarterly public updates once the council adopts priorities.
