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Manassas staff present draft 2026–2030 strategic plan; departments told to align FY‑27 objectives
Summary
Staff presented a draft five‑year strategic plan that sets priorities across community vitality, economic prosperity, advancing mobility, educational attainment and sustaining excellence; departments were directed to align budget objectives for the FY‑27 budget cycle.
City staff presented a draft of the City of Manassas 2026–2030 strategic plan and asked council to review goals and success measures as departments prepare FY‑27 budget objectives.
The plan lays out five strategic priorities identified by council — community vitality, economic prosperity, advancing mobility, educational attainment and sustaining excellence — and pairs each with measurable “success measures” to guide the next five years. Staff said the document will be incorporated into departmental budget pages and that department heads must align their FY‑27 budget objectives with the new plan.
City planning and administrative staff emphasized that the draft is intended as a guide and that departments were asked to broaden objectives beyond “sustaining excellence,” which staff said currently dominates most department objectives. Matt Arcieri, who presented the plan, described it as a community‑based document built from the council’s retreat guidance and earlier consultant work. Arcieri said the plan will be used to align budget requests and recommended renaming the mobility priority from “transformative mobility” to “advancing mobility” to reflect realistic, incremental changes rather than a radical transformation.
Council members asked clarifying questions. One member pressed whether departments must each address all priorities; staff said departments will be asked to identify how their core missions support multiple priorities, and that some departments (for example, economic development) will naturally focus more heavily on certain priorities. Another council member raised questions about the phrasing of the “educational attainment” priority and suggested language that would better capture partnerships and workforce pathways with local schools.
Next steps: staff will circulate the draft for additional council feedback and will require departments to align budget objectives to the updated strategic plan as budget development begins in the coming month.
Ending: Council did not take a formal vote on the plan at the work session; staff described the document as a draft for further review and alignment with the FY‑27 budget process.
