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Wildomar council adopts seven citywide goals for 2026 after lengthy recap of 2025 accomplishments
Summary
City Manager Chris Man presented a year-end review of 2025 and the council unanimously adopted seven broad goals for 2026 — including strategic planning, permitting modernization, and prioritizing key capital projects — after a discussion about staffing, software costs, and grant strategies.
Wildomar’s City Council on Jan. 14 adopted seven broad goals to guide the city’s work in 2026 after a detailed presentation by City Manager Chris Man that reviewed 2025 accomplishments and remaining priorities.
Man told the council the goals are intended to be high-level guideposts rather than a comprehensive project list. He reviewed work across seven areas last year — public safety, infrastructure, workforce and internal systems, land-use planning, fiscal health, community engagement and homelessness coordination — and then proposed seven 2026 goals including: launch a strategic planning process; pursue a historic Old Town overlay for Palomar Street; streamline permitting and consider a permitting software; prioritize and execute key CIP projects; enhance community engagement; strengthen emergency preparedness; and facilitate responsible economic development.
“The purpose of the city council annual goal setting is to clearly identify and adopt a list of agreed-upon priorities for the year,” Man said in presenting the item. He highlighted progress in 2025: a 20% increase in moving-violation citations after adding a motorcycle deputy; maintaining average fire response times under a five-minute benchmark; more than 1,700 weed-abatement inspections with roughly 95% completion; and securing more than $2.5 million in transportation and pavement grants.
Council members questioned practical implications and timing. Several members urged focus on parks and road repairs; others pressed staff for cost estimates for new permitting software, with one staff estimate noting initial implementation could range "from anywhere between $200,000 to $300,000" and ongoing license fees. Council members also discussed funding trade-offs for capital projects and the need to track metrics.
After discussion and modest edits — including a request to make “streamline procedures” more prominent — the council voted unanimously to adopt the 2026 goals and direct staff to return with implementation steps and, where appropriate, cost estimates and metric proposals.
What’s next: staff will begin drafting measurable objectives and timelines tied to the adopted goals; the council asked that cost and implementation plans return to the council for review during budget and program updates. The city manager said staff expects to report back on metrics and software options as those efforts progress.
