Laguna Niguel adopts 2025 strategic plan emphasizing public safety and fiscal sustainability

Laguna Niguel City Council unanimously adopted the city's 2025 strategic plan at its regular meeting Tuesday, March 18, 2025. City Manager LeTourneau presented the plan and council members voted 5-0 to approve it.

The plan sets six goals for 2025: public safety; fiscal sustainability; open space and environmental preservation; infrastructure and technology; economic and community development; and communication and outreach. City Manager LeTourneau said the document builds on the city's mission and values first adopted with the 2019 strategic plan and recommended adoption of the 2025 update.

The plan also recaps 2024 accomplishments, which staff summarized in the meeting packet. LeTourneau highlighted a $2.2 million general fund surplus for the last fiscal year and a year-end general fund reserve balance of more than $53.3 million (reported in the staff presentation as about 8.3% of general fund expenditures). He noted completed and ongoing capital work such as the long-term Phase 2 plan and restored two-way traffic on La Paz Road, about 10,500 square feet of concrete repairs and roughly 88,000 square feet of asphalt repairs, and joint wildfire-preparation briefings with the Orange County Sheriff's Department and the Orange County Fire Authority.

Council members praised staff for the plan and the year's accomplishments during the discussion before the vote. Council Member Kelly Jennings thanked staff and partner agencies for their work. "Your commitment to excellence and service to our community is evident in the many accomplishments we have achieved as a city," Jennings said. Council Member Otto called the plan "a good plan forward for the future of our city. It's not written in stone, and we make adjustments throughout the year and years to come," and said it will serve as a policy guide for staff.

The 2025 strategic plan lists specific strategies under each goal. Examples noted at the meeting include: expanding volunteer public-safety support and community education; transitioning to a biannual budget process; conducting a 10-year trails and open-space maintenance plan; completing a habitat restoration project at Chaparosa Park; performing an energy-efficiency evaluation and an IT infrastructure assessment; completing the general plan update and a comprehensive municipal code update; implementing the certified housing element; and expanding the summer trolley program.

Council members also called out several programmatic highlights tied to the plan: the city's quarterly newsletter (Laguna Niguel Beacon), expanded senior-center hours, a 53% increase in volunteer recruitment in parks and recreation, Crown Valley Community Center rentals exceeding projections with a reported 99% customer satisfaction rate, and an application and award for Tree City USA designation.

The council directed that the approved strategic plan be posted on the city's website. LeTourneau confirmed the plan and past plans would be available on the city's strategic-plan web page. The council adopted the plan by a 5-0 vote (motion: Council Member Winstead; second: Council Member Jennings).