The Sweet Home City Council adopted new goals for 2009-10 during its regular meeting on Aug. 11.
The goals this year are intended to be achievable and measurable, rather than more vague statements, such as “support economic development,” City Manager Craig Martin said.
City councilors and city management staff participated in February in a goal-setting session facilitated by Joseph Bailey of the Linn-Benton Community College Business Development Center.
The Strategic Directions and Goals developed during this session are a result of the previous year’s visioning process, input from the community through the Sweet Home Active Revitalization Effort and constituent feedback to councilors, Martin said.
The goals take into account the changes that have occurred and are expected to occur within the community and city over the next several years, he said, providing guidance for obtaining the vision for the community and city as an organization over the next several years.
The council reviewed previous goals and found that many had been accomplished, including the construction of a new water treatment plant and infrastructure improvements, Martin said. Some are ongoing, such as “support economic development,” and specific goals pertinent to it have been made more definitive, with the idea of being able to measure the success of the city in achieving the goal.
Providing administrative and financial support is measurable, for example, he said. Another ongoing goal has been finding stable funding for police, library and fire services.
The fire service was spun off into a new district with a permanent tax rate, Martin said. This year, among the goals, the city will consider the possibilities of forming special districts for library and police services.
The city will continue to try to learn more about what residents want, Martin said, using the city’s website for unscientific surveys.
Residents can respond to city questions relatively easily, he said, and it’s a valuable feedback tool.
“Once again, the discussion is have there been changes in the community we’re not aware of,” Martin said, and his goal is to find out what the people of Sweet Home expect of their city government.
The city’s strategic directions include the following:
– Provide sufficient programs, services and leadership to improve the quality of life for and revitalize the community.
Goals are to establish and implement an education-development program for existing and future staff and to develop a plan to fill technology and program gaps and make recommendations for investments.
– Seek state funding for services critical for community quality of life.
Goals are to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine the need to hire a grant writer and to research and document the feasibility of creating “service districts,” i.e., library and public safety.
– Implement city strategies to maintain and enhance organizational stability.
Goals are to develop and implement three retention strategies for non-represented management staff and to develop and adopt a staffing succession plan for all city departments.
– Balance the needs of the community with responsible stewardship of natural resources.
Goals are to complete master plan updates for storm water, wastewater and water utilities; provide two educational conservation-sustainability programs to community members; and successful renegotiation of an agreement with the Department of Environmental Quality regarding inflow and infiltration problems within the city’s sewer system.
– Provide continued support and leadership for economic development.
Goals are to research and document three successful economic development programs for other communities; develop three community incentive programs to encourage business development; and provide financial and staff support to SHARE efforts.
– Provide a responsive, efficient, customer-oriented organization.
Goals are to create and maintain an outreach program to identify community needs, including an annual asset inventory of products and services being offered to the community; provide two educational conservation-sustainability programs to community members; and renegotiate of an agreement with the Department of Environmental Quality regarding inflow and infiltration problems within the city’s sewer system.
– Make organizational chan-ges to meet changing community needs.
Goals are to develop and implement a public image plan for personnel, equipment, facilities and services and to run a quarterly survey of the public to determine areas for improvement and changes within the city organization.
– Identify and integrate community values into the city decision-making process.
Goals are to use public surveys to gather community values, using the Web site, professional services and existing reports, and then to report the results annually.