City Commission Sets Strategic Vision

January 16, 2019

At its annual goal-setting retreat today, January 16, at the Smith-Williams Service Center, City Commissioners took action toward the development of a comprehensive strategic plan that will guide City operations and help shape the future of Tallahassee.

"The crime rate is at a five-year low. Focused investment in infrastructure is enhancing quality of life and boosting economic viability throughout the community. With new leadership in place, now is the time to springboard Tallahassee to the next level as we look forward to our 200th anniversary in 2024. The crux of that will be the creation of a strategic plan," Mayor John Dailey said.

The Commission directed staff to develop an overarching five-year strategic plan for the organization that updates and incorporates existing departmental plans. To ensure the plan reflects the community, a review will be done of the existing City mission, values and vision, and resident feedback will be sought. Critical success factors will be determined to benchmark progress and guide operations. Routine updates will be provided during 2019 as the strategic plan is developed.

The Commission also discussed community-driven issues, which will continue to be a focus for City government. The four general priority areas set out for 2019 are public safety, infrastructure, quality of life and the impact of poverty and economic development. Within each area will be specific goals.

• Under public safety, a focus will be on the ongoing community involvement in the development of a new Public Safety Campus.
• Under quality of life and the impact of poverty, there will be a focus on environmental efforts, affordable housing and neighborhood beautification, among other items.
• Under infrastructure, there will be a review of municipal fiber optic broadband, as well as continued investment in neighborhood infrastructure needs.
• Under economic development, key efforts will focus on talent retention and job skills training.

Transparency, accountability and accessibility were the underlying themes of the day's discussion. Commissioners reconfirmed their commitment to maintaining the highest ethical standards and fostering community engagement, voting to have staff bring back recommendations for consideration.

The next regular City Commission meeting will be held on January 30 at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 300 S. Adams Street. Meeting agendas can be viewed at http://go.boarddocs.com/fla/talgov/Board.nsf/Public. Commission meetings are open to the public, air live on WCOT (Comcast and CenturyLink channel 13) and stream on Talgov.com. Citizens can also stay up-to-date on City news by liking the City of Tallahassee on Facebook and following @COTNews on Twitter.