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Newport News council reviews draft five-year strategic plan, refers metrics to staff
Summary
City council reviewed a draft five-year strategic plan prepared with the Virginia Institute of Government and referred the draft to staff to develop measurable project plans, timelines and KPIs for final adoption no later than June 30, 2026.
Newport News’ City Council on Nov. 12 reviewed a draft five-year strategic plan developed with the Virginia Institute of Government and moved the document into a staff-led phase to define metrics, milestones and implementation timelines.
Consultant Jane Dittmar said the draft reflects council input from interviews and a July retreat and is intended as a living policy document. "It's a 5 year plan, beginning with adoption no later than 06/30/2026," Dittmar told the council, and described Phase 2 as staff work to translate council-level goals into project plans and performance measures.
The draft organizes council priorities around four strategic pillars: People (workforce development, lifelong learning and inclusive economic growth), Place (resilient infrastructure, flood prevention and transit connectivity), Culture and Connection (arts, festivals and brand-building) and Engaged Government (modernizing technology, operational excellence and clearer communications). Dittmar said the plan "builds on existing plans and staff expertise" and will include metrics and timelines that staff will present for consideration.
Council members emphasized the importance of measurable KPIs. Councilwoman Vick said the most important part is "the metrics for me, how we plan to measure, KPIs," and asked for an interactive dashboard; City Manager Alan Fine pointed to an online scorecard already posted on the city's website as the first iteration.
Dittmar said the plan was developed from interviews, a comprehensive review of existing plans and a July workshop; she thanked staff and council for their engagement and described the draft as a policy-level starting point. Staff will return with detailed strategies, success metrics and proposed reporting frequency ahead of a planned adoption consideration in early 2026.
Next steps: the council referred the draft to staff to produce project-level plans, metrics and timelines and to return for final consideration and scheduled adoption.
