Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Strategic Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City staff updates commission on Newton strategic plan priorities, staffing and infrastructure grants
Summary
City management presented a progress report on the 2025–26 strategic plan highlighting work on a classification and benefits study, succession planning, servant-leadership training, code updates, a $3 million grant for trails and an ongoing comprehensive plan update.
On March 20 the City of Newton provided the commission a status update on the strategic plan for 2025–26, reviewing priorities across three focus areas: sustaining exceptional public service, creating a welcoming place to call home, and planning and growing for the future.
Why it matters: The strategic plan guides staffing, capital investments and community programs over the next two years and informs the 2026 budget. Progress or delays on those items affects service delivery, development standards and grant-supported projects.
Staff said a classification and benefits study is underway with an external consultant and is expected to be completed in 30–60 days so changes can be considered in the 2026 budget. Succession planning and a continuity-of-operations plan will follow once the city’s HR director position is filled; staff said interviews were near completion.
The city is piloting a servant-leadership framework and a PCM communications model to strengthen internal training and employee engagement. Staff said it will expand leadership development opportunities, including sending staff to national conferences and developing in-house training.
On infrastructure and development, staff reported work to align local building codes with the City of Wichita code and to adopt the International Existing Building Code (IEBC); staff said they recently met with local business owners to discuss the timing of those code updates. Staff also noted receipt of a $3,000,000 grant to help connect missing segments of the city's trail system, which staff said will support downtown and quality-of-life initiatives.
Planning items include an update to the comprehensive plan (underway in Q1) and a planned housing study later in the year. Staff described leveraging partnerships and outside funding to advance projects and pointed to ongoing downtown facade-improvement programs and enforcement software that staff say improved property maintenance outcomes.
Staff asked commissioners for feedback and said they will return with additional updates as work proceeds.
