Oro Valley council reviews 2025–27 strategic plan, narrows 62 projects ahead of April draft

Oro Valley Town Council met in a Feb. 2025 study session to review projects, guiding principles and timelines for a proposed 2025–27 strategic plan.

The council spent the session working through a staff-compiled list of 62 candidate projects organized under seven focus areas — economic vitality, culture and recreation, public safety, infrastructure and town assets, land use and design, effective and efficient government, and financial sustainability. Consultant Mike Letcher and Town Manager Jeff Wilkins led the discussion with staff, and council members provided project-by-project direction, asked for clarifications and agreed which items should stay in the draft the town will return with on April 2.

Why it matters: The strategic plan steers Oro Valley’s priorities, integrates with the budget and agenda process, and will guide staff work and capital planning for the next two years. Council members repeatedly emphasized the need to balance operational capacity, staff time and available funding when converting priorities into work plans.

What the council did and discussed

Overview and schedule: Letcher said the goal is to refine the plan in the study session, return an updated draft April 2, and adopt the plan around April 16 if the council is ready. Wilkins said staff will come back with more detailed year‑1 and year‑2 assignments, timelines and responsibilities after council direction.

Project count and format: The council reviewed 62 projects across seven focus areas and 30 guiding principles. Letcher explained the new format: a vision and focus areas (“why”), guiding principles (“what”), and projects (“how”), with decision‑point projects returned to council when implementation requires further direction.

Economic vitality and tourism: Councilors supported several tourism and marketing items tied to the town’s new destination marketing work and the Explore OV app while asking staff to clarify the scope and return-on-investment (ROI) expectations. Wilkins said the council previously reallocated funds that had been budgeted for Visit Tucson, creating roughly $522,000 in town tourism investment; the leisure-travel study now underway will recommend…