Staunton council discusses ambitious four-area strategic plan; staff to refine public-facing summary

Councilors spent substantial time on Nov. 13 reviewing a draft city strategic plan (referred to in the meeting as the Stanton plan) presented to guide priorities for the next one to three years. Councilor Campbell, who consolidated the draft into four theme areas, told the council the document is intentionally ambitious and that staff and council will need to prioritize items and add timelines.

"I just wanted to get everything on kind of trying to get to 1 page," Councilor Campbell said, explaining he had condensed the plan and specifically added Staunton City Schools' capital needs and a focus on the West End in connection with courthouse property opportunities.

City Manager Leslie Beauregard and other staff said the internal spreadsheet in the agenda packet will serve as a working tracking document while a simpler two-page public summary and web dashboard could present progress to residents. Councilors discussed using dashboard metrics in the budget process and suggested a December follow-up for a refined version.

Council members discussed process options, including a two-member subcommittee to work with staff on wordsmithing and prioritization before Council sees a final draft. Several members emphasized the need for specific, measurable and time-bound initiatives rather than broad, open-ended goals.

Council briefly noted that some topics (for example short-term rental regulation) would be captured in the plan under code and land-use updates rather than called out by a brand name. No formal vote was taken; the discussion concluded with staff agreeing to reach out to councilors for further input and to return with a tightened public-facing summary for further review.