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Des Moines city manager outlines strategic-plan options; council favors fiscally focused, midrange approach
Summary
Council and staff discussed launching a citywide strategic plan, with the city manager proposing consultant-led facilitation, a $15,000–$50,000 budget range and a 6–12 month timeline. Council members emphasized fiscal realism, measurable goals and broad public engagement; no formal vote was taken.
City Manager Tara opened a study-session discussion on March 6, 2025, asking whether the Des Moines City Council wants to pursue a citywide strategic plan and how ambitious that plan should be.
The manager told the council the plan would translate the council’s mission, vision and values into measurable priorities and action items and recommended hiring an outside facilitator to guide public engagement and policy workshops. “This is really a discussion item,” Tara said, adding that cost would vary by scope and public-engagement intensity and that a basic process could cost “$15,000 to, you know, $50,000 and up.”
Council members broadly supported beginning the process but differed on scope and emphasis. Several…
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