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Zeeland council prioritizes Washington Avenue development in 2026 strategic plan ranking
Summary
At a Jan. 26–27 goal‑setting session, the Zeeland City Council reviewed its Vision and commitments, heard department reports and ranked proposed action steps for 2026; Washington Avenue development received the most support in the council’s prioritization exercise.
The Zeeland City Council on Jan. 27, 2026, completed a two‑day goal‑setting session that reviewed the city’s Vision, Commitments and Core Values and produced a ranked list of proposed strategic action steps for 2026. Mayor VanDorp opened both sessions and City Manager Klunder led the review and prioritization process.
Klunder reviewed the 2025 Strategic Action Plan Scorecard Assessment and reported that staff earned 77 points on the 2025 scorecard. Council members heard presentations from each department summarizing accomplishments in 2025 and identifying opportunities and challenges for the coming year.
The council then listed and discussed potential new action steps for 2026 and recorded vote totals as a prioritization exercise rather than as a formal binding vote. The highest vote totals recorded were: Washington Avenue Development (13), Mead Johnson Implementation (12), JR Automation Implementation (12), Park & Rec Master Plan Update (12), Roundabout at Main and Fairview (11), and Feel the Zeel 20th Anniversary Planning (11). Several other proposals received between 10 and 5 votes, including a Facility Improvement Plan (10) and a set of items that each received 9 votes (Regional Biosolids Facility; Master Plan Rewrite; Funding Mechanisms for Facility Improvements; Underground Utilities – State, Washington, Lincoln).
Council members preliminarily agreed that items receiving eight or more votes would remain on the 2026 Strategic Action Plan. Members also recommended maintaining several items that received six votes: funding for the BL196 pedestrian bridge, expanding parking options, and the Main Street Auto redevelopment. City Manager Klunder said the city’s administrative team will work with the council to further refine the ranked list, define concrete action steps and organize the overall implementation plan over the next several weeks.
The Monday session began at 5:30 p.m. and concluded at 8:56 p.m. after department presentations; the Tuesday session ran from 5:30 p.m. to 8:09 p.m. and ended with the prioritization and next‑step directions to staff. The clerk recorded the session minutes.
