Consultant presents final Navasota strategic plan with five focus areas; staff to integrate plan into budget workflow

Consultant Ron Cox presented a final strategic plan to the Navasota City Council, summarized its vision and mission elements, and outlined an implementation table linking focus areas to actions, staff leads, budget responsibilities and reporting timelines.

Cox said the plan builds from earlier work in 2021 and follow-up sessions and presented a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis that informed five strategic focus areas: marketing and communications; infrastructure; facilities and buildings; community and economic development; and organizational excellence. "So those are vision elements. Those are what we want Navasota to look like when we grow up," Cox said.

Cox showed staff-developed implementation steps that assign lead staff, identify partners and budget responsibilities, and propose reporting cadence. He said staff will report on the plan's status through Robert Hemberg and recommended incorporating the plan into the annual budget workshop; Robert told the council staff would present updates formally about six months after adoption and again during the budget process so objectives remain active.

Sample objectives Cox identified include revising website content and the new resident packet under marketing and communications; completing an infrastructure capital improvements plan and pursuing grants under infrastructure; establishing a facilities replacement and maintenance plan and improving park Wi-Fi and safety camera coverage under facilities; and railroad safety, beautification of entryways and enhanced code enforcement under community and economic development. For organizational excellence, Cox emphasized employee engagement, training, succession planning and retention strategies.

Cox said the plan recognizes external threats such as legislative mandates and limited funding and recommends incremental approaches and ongoing communication to build buy-in. He told the council staff would provide reporting on progress, with quarterly and occasional annual updates identified in the implementation table.

Council members thanked Cox for the presentation; the transcript records no formal council adoption or vote. Robert Hemberg said staff will fold the plan into the budget workshop process and bring responsible directors forward for updates as work proceeds.