Columbia council reviews plan to refresh 2021 strategic plan; staff seeks consultant proposals, $125,000 budgeted

Columbia Assistant City Manager Carol Rose told the City Council on Oct. 6 that staff are preparing to refresh the city's strategic plan, adopted in 2021, and are seeking council input on the scope of an RFP to hire a consultant to lead the work.

"Thank you. Stacy and I are here tonight to talk about, a refresh or an update to the current strategic plan, which was adopted by council in 2021," Carol Rose said. She said staff had provided council and the public with a PowerPoint, a proposed scope of work and a strategic-planning flowchart that aligns the city's other processes to the plan and that the intent is to begin work with a consultant in January after community-survey results are available.

Stacy (staff) summarized the prior planning process, saying the development work began in 2018; that the last process included eight focus groups (three open-to-the-public sessions and five targeted sessions) with "just under" 140 residents participating; and that staff engaged about 65 frontline employees. She described five proposed RFP scope elements: data gathering (including a SWOT analysis and compiling existing summit and survey data); assistance on vision, mission and values; development of strategic goals and SMART objectives; action plans tied to resource allocation; and implementation and monitoring with recommendations for routine reporting and key performance indicators.

Councilmembers pressed staff on outreach and inclusion. Councilmember Nick asked how outreach was done to ensure representation for each group; Stacy said staff used an application/press-release process and partners such as the chamber, disabilities commission and youth advisory council, and acknowledged low-income households were difficult to reach. Several councilmembers suggested adding or ensuring outreach to groups that might be underrepresented, including residents experiencing income and job disparities, college students and Citizens Academy alumni. Councilmember Vera asked whether the previous focus groups tracked ward representation; staff said they would check and report back.

The procurement approach was discussed. Cale Turner, the city's purchasing agent, recommended leaving specifics about methods and the number and format of engagement events to proposers: "ask those questions in the RFP and then those be part of the evaluation process," he said. Staff said the goal is to finalize the scope so the RFP can be issued this month, with an award by the end of the year and consultant work beginning in January.

On format and accessibility, councilmembers urged that the process include virtual options so people without transportation or childcare could participate; staff agreed to include accessibility considerations. The council also discussed whether to require a minimum or maximum number of focus groups, workshops or town halls; the prevailing direction was to allow proposers flexibility and to evaluate proposed methods during procurement, then negotiate specifics in contract discussions.

Staff told the council the FY26 budget includes $125,000 to cover consultant costs and public-engagement expenses. Councilmember Jackie asked how the plan would be aligned to the budget; staff and Cathy (staff) said the city already incorporates the strategic plan and its core values into the employee performance workbook and that supervisors mark whether individual goals tie to the city strategic plan, which helps link priorities to performance and, ultimately, to budget decisions.

Councilmembers also discussed the duration and review cadence of the strategic plan. Staff noted the current plan does not have an end date and asked whether the council prefers a three- or five-year horizon; several councilmembers favored a five-year timeline while emphasizing the plan should remain a "living document" with regular reports on progress.

In closing business, staff asked council to schedule two two-hour work sessions: one to discuss the transit study (the council tentatively set Oct. 21, 4-6 p.m.) and another on tax increment financing (TIF) to be scheduled in late October or November. The meeting concluded with a motion to go into a closed meeting to discuss legal matters under Section 610.021, Revised Statutes of Missouri; the motion was seconded and roll-call votes were recorded (a majority voted yes; one member was absent).

What council gave staff: broad direction to finalize an RFP that asks proposers for methods to conduct outreach and engagement (including accessibility options), to include budget alignment and reporting recommendations, and to negotiate exact numbers and deliverables during contracting. Staff will return with additional details requested (ward participation from prior focus groups and other clarifications) and proceed with the procurement timeline described.