Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03A Strategic Planning Workshop Cottage Grove City Council and Staff Retreat Session Date May 12, 2018 Introduction and Purpose This document is presented as a proposed agenda for the Cottage Grove City Council and Staff Retreat, to be help on Saturday, May 12, in Cottage Grove, MN. The document also includes an appendix to be used in the session: statements of strategic priorities for the city provided by the Council as a starting point for discussion. Background This agenda was prepared with significant input from Council and staff. Facilitators Chad Weinstein and Martin Scheerer met with senior staff members as a group, conducted an introductory discussion with the city council, and conferred by telephone with the mayor and council members, as well as with staff members who wished to provide additional input. A draft of this document was reviewed and approved by the Mayor and City Administrator prior to distribution to Council. Workshop Objectives The City of Cottage Grove is already a highly effective city that is well-governed and well-run. This workshop will focus on team development both within and between Council and staff. This is an opportunity to build on success and to focus on the future. Objectives for this workshop include:  Strengthening communication and teamwork at the council level.  Strengthening communication and teamwork between staff and council.  Developing a shared strategic perspective for the city that is led and supported by Council and informed and executed by staff.  Identification of metrics or observable outcomes to determine success. We will achieve these objectives through the discussions outline in the agenda below. Deliverables will include creation of written guidelines for intra-council, intra-staff, and council- staff interaction. Participants will also work to define observable outcomes based on use of these guidelines. Proposed Agenda Page 2 City of Cottage Grove Council and Staff Retreat Agenda Times are approximate; we will adjust to the needs of the group. 8:30 AM Welcome – Mayor Myron Bailey and City Administrator Charlene Stevens 8:45 Substantive Ice Breaker: Perspectives on Cottage Grove 9:15 Summary of Learning from Interviews and Process Overview – Facilitator Weinstein 9:30 Breakout – Staff and Council Weinstein facilitates Council. Topics:  What commitments can we exchange to function even more effectively as a policy-making body and as a governing board for City staff?  How do we envision highly effective Council-staff interaction?  What do we need from staff do bring that about?  What do we see as our best role in Council-staff interaction? Martin Scheerer facilitates staff. Topics:  What commitments can we exchange to function more effectively as a staff leadership team?  How do we envision highly effective Council-staff interaction?  What do we need from Council do bring that about?  What do we see as our best role in Council-staff interaction? 11:30 Reconvening  Discus the council’s and staff’s respective shared commitments.  Work together to frame shared commitments between council and staff. 12:15 Break to set up working lunch 12:30 Strategy Discussion (working lunch)  Each council member presents his or her strategic priorities (presented in the appendix to this agenda) and obtains feedback from colleagues and staff.  Group works together to generate shared strategic priorities and discuss implications for strategic planning and execution. 2:00 Concluding exercise  Discussion: How will we know if we are on track or off track?  Next Steps  Participant Reflections 2:30 Adjournment Proposed Agenda Page 3 City of Cottage Grove Council and Staff Retreat APPENDIX Council Priorities The mayor and council members were asked to provide three top strategic priorities for the City. The following do not reflect final conclusions; they are offered as talking points for our discussion in the retreat. Mayor Myron Bailey 1. Establish a referendum in 2019 to support creation of a community center or YMCA. 2. Move forward building out water treatment facilities, consistent with the 3M Settlement. 3. Secure a movie theater in Cottage Grove, ideally on the former drive-in site. (Other priorities: Roadway connection from Langdon Village to County Road 19, and secure a large end user for our business park.) Council Member Steve Dennis 1. Promote economic health and prosperity. We have been recognized regionally and nationally for our economic development. The end goal of this is quality of life for all of our residents. 2. Respectful, dedicated service. Promote the ideals of making Cottage Grove the best Cottage Grove we can be, while keeping community satisfaction at the forefront of our priorities. 3. Sustainable economic viability. Grow the city’s tax base and fill empty business spaces. Continue this current, greatest period of sustained economic growth in this city’s history by bringing additional retail and service opportunities to town, including investors in our business parks. This reduces resident costs and funds city services. Council Member Wayne Johnson 1. Establish focused, agreed-upon priorities for business development. This includes specific priorities for types of business and geographic location within the city. 2. Develop a community center. It must be supported by a public referendum that authorizes the levy and confirms community support. 3. Identify and address the needs of city districts where residents have felt neglected. One example is the area east of 61. How can we assure continued vitality of those neighborhoods? Proposed Agenda Page 4 City of Cottage Grove Council and Staff Retreat Council Member La Rae Mills 1. The City of Cottage Grove is a welcoming environment for the arts; arts-oriented programs and resources bring CG community members together. 2. We thoughtfully design and develop a community center that truly serves, unites, and strengthens our community. 3. We must focus on being a sustainable city, in terms of all of our resources: financial resources, natural resources, and human resources. This includes creative thinking around areas like renewable energy and sustainable finance that drives continued growth without burdening our taxpayers. Council Member Dave Thiede 1. Finance new amenities by increasing tax base, rather than by increasing levy on residents. Goal is to maintain a stable tax rate that does not exceed the cost of living. 2. Continue the development of our business park by recruiting employers that generate new jobs. 3. Deliver and measure citizen satisfaction with city government. Implement measurement processes that assess improvement, report results, and adjust efforts based on those measures.