North Bend council reviews draft strategic plan vision and priorities, staff to finalize implementation schedule

During the April 21, 2025 work session, the North Bend City Council reviewed a draft strategic plan including a proposed vision and set of priority areas and discussed next steps for finalizing and adopting the document.

The meeting record shows the council examined the vision and mission language and then moved to a page-by-page review of priority areas. A councillor summarized that staff had incorporated notes from a previous meeting and that the intent was to focus the council on achievable items. "We envisioned a thriving...North Bend where residents, businesses, and builders prosper in a vibrant community that honors its rugged coastal [character]," a staff member read from the draft vision during the session.

Councilors suggested the final draft should capture achievable goals and left room to return items that staff later determine to be infeasible. Staff said there will be one final closeout meeting with the consultant/cohort group, after which a staff member (Steph) will compile an implementation schedule. A staff speaker explained the council's role is to adopt the goal statements; council does not direct staff on implementation specifics and the staff will bring the final plan back for formal adoption on a future agenda.

Council and staff discussed reorganizing priority areas (including narrowing one priority to focus on charter review) to reflect workload and deliverability. Several councilors said they preferred an iterative approach: finalize a workable set of priorities now and allow staff to report back if particular tasks are undoable. The transcript records multiple references to returning the plan to the council for formal adoption once staff compiles the implementation schedule.

The transcript does not record a formal adoption vote; the session functioned as a review and direction-to-staff step in the planning process. Staff said the next steps are the closeout meeting, final edits, preparation of an implementation schedule, and placement of the final plan on a future council agenda for adoption.