Council prioritizes financial stability and policy review in strategic plan; charter review discussed for potential ballot timing

Councilors spent a substantial portion of the May 12 work session discussing how to prioritize strategies in the staff implementation plan for the council’s strategic plan. City Administrator (staff) explained that ranking priorities helps staff allocate resources and guide the two upcoming budget cycles.

After debate among council members about whether to rank by category or by individual strategies, the council coalesced around this order (as stated on the record): 1) financial sustainability, 2) policy review (including potential Charter work), 3) public safety, 4) infrastructure, and 5) economic development. Councilors said prioritizing financial stability would inform budgeting and other choices; several council members also argued for a focused charter review because the city charter has not been comprehensively reviewed in decades and contains provisions the council flagged (for example, council term/staggering, member removal procedures and legacy stipend language).

City Administrator told the council staff will translate the members’ preferences into a ranked list of strategies and return the document for formal action. "What it helps staff understand is, like, when we're doing budgets and we're assigning resources and things of that nature, it's like, well, if financial sustainability is the most priority, you know, where staff's giving that a lot more weight," the City Administrator said. The council discussed timing for any charter amendment and noted a November 2026 ballot target listed in the draft is likely unrealistic without expedited work and possible consultant assistance. No formal amendments to the strategic plan were adopted at the work session; the prioritized ordering will be included in the agenda packet for the next council meeting for a formal vote.