Avondale council and staff workshop to update strategic plan; economic growth, community well‑being prioritized

Avondale officials and city staff held a strategic planning workshop March 5 to revise the city’s 3–5 year priorities, focusing discussion on economic growth, community well‑being, resilient infrastructure and improving how the city delivers services.

The process matters because the council will use the strategic plan to set budget priorities, guide major projects and target outside partnerships and grant efforts over the next several years.

Council members, city management and outside facilitators worked through stakeholder survey results, public panels held earlier in the week, and an interactive exercise that asked councilors to identify what is true today and what they want Avondale to be in 10 years. Facilitator Nancy emphasized the plan’s role as a unifying document, saying the strategic plan is “the document that provides a clear statement of work, a clear statement of expectations, and a clear … priority list.”

Discussion highlights

- Economic growth…