Chico council workshop narrows strategic priorities to safety, long-term viability and core assets

At a March 19 special city council strategic-planning workshop, the Chico City Council and a contracted consultant identified three top priorities for the next budget and planning cycle: a safe community, long-term viability and protection and enhancement of the city’s primary community assets.

The session, led by Jeff Morrison, a local strategic planning consultant with Morrison & Company, brought council members, department heads and members of the public together for a facilitated exercise that produced a shared “why” and a set of goals tied to immediate, two-year and four-year timeframes. Morrison told the council, “the role of the city council is to optimize the quality of civic life.”

Why it matters: Council members and staff said they want a short list of focused goals that can be linked directly to the fiscal year budget and to measurable objectives. The workshop’s outcomes will inform the city’s upcoming budget discussions and produce a public-facing strategic plan and an internal version with more detail.

Morrison opened the workshop by describing his process: he met one-on-one with council members and department heads before the public session and said he would deliver a comprehensive strategic planning document for internal and external stakeholders after the process. Participants were asked to…