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Council reviews draft 2026 strategic priorities; staff to return with fleshed-out draft
Summary
Maplewood staff proposed three 2026 strategic priorities—safety, sustainability and development—with focus areas and lenses; councilmembers requested clearer language on community inclusiveness, partnership and measurable focus areas and directed staff to return with a ~90% draft before a final July plan.
City staff presented a draft framework for Maplewood’s 2026 strategic plan on June 9, proposing three priorities—safety, sustainability and development—and a set of focus areas and organizational lenses intended to guide council and staff decision-making.
Lois Knutson, senior administrative manager, said the current plan (adopted in 2019 and updated in 2022) needs revision and described proposed focus areas including public-safety response, community engagement, infrastructure, environmental stewardship, housing diversity and business resilience. She said staff intends to weave Economic Development Authority (EDA) goals into the plan and to translate existing measures into updated performance indicators.
Councilmembers raised wording and scope questions. Councilmember Bercowetz questioned whether phrasing such as "contributes to household wealth" should be reframed; Councilmember Lee suggested "generational wealth" better captured long-term goals. Several members urged staff to avoid jargon and keep the priorities concise but meaningful. Councilmember Lee also proposed a distinct emphasis on strengthening partnerships with culturally rooted organizations, language access and inclusive civic representation.
City Manager Sable said staff will work with communications to produce an updated layout and to integrate the EDA strategic goals. He estimated the next meeting would include a roughly 90 percent draft, with final adoption targeted in July to align with the budget process.
Councilmembers and staff agreed on further edits; staff will return with more detailed focus-area language and sample agenda templates to display priorities in future staff reports.
