13-B
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Ryan Smoot, City Manager
SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to approve and adopt the Bellflower 2025-2027 Strategic Plan.
DATE: March 10, 2025
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In preparation for the upcoming Fiscal Years 2025-2027 Budget discussions, the City Council engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning initiative, culminating in the attached 2025-2027 Strategic Plan (“Plan”). The Plan is designed to address priorities set by the City Council aimed to address specific community needs and interests. Following a thorough review of resident survey data and analysis of the diverse interests and needs of the Bellflower community, the City Council identified five key priority areas to align the City’s spending programs and efforts with the specific needs identified by Bellflower residents. Subsequently, the City’s executive management team outlined specific actions that the City’s staff will take to better align resources and accomplish the City Council’s priority goals Developed with input from the City Council, staff, and community stakeholders, the Plan is intended to serve as the basis for the City’s efforts and investments over the upcoming budget cycle and beyond.
The Goal Areas identified through these processes include the following:
1. Enhance Public Safety
2. Increase Public Outreach, Education and Connection
3. Continue Investing in a High-Performing and Efficient Team at City Hall
4. Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal in the City
5. Strengthen Economic Development
RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL
1) Approve and adopt the Bellflower 2025-2027 Strategic Plan; or
2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact with respect to this item; however, the Plan will be the basis for budget preparation by the City’s various departments, and funding or adjustments may be discussed through that process.
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Staff Report – Bellflower 2025-2027 Strategic Plan
March 10, 2025
DISCUSSION
Strategic planning is a foundational best-practice for effective governance, offering organizations clear objectives, measurable benchmarks, and a unified direction. This process is particularly crucial in a multi-faceted public service organization to allow elected representatives of the City to define priorities and empower the City’s workforce to execute them, ultimately driving positive outcomes for the community.
Additionally, it facilitates communication between the City Manager and Council Members, ensuring that the organization is united and focused under a common mission. Beyond goal setting, strategic planning creates a framework for measuring progress over time. By outlining specific steps to achieve each goal, City staff can monitor outcomes and provide regular updates to both the City Council and the community.
The strategic planning process commenced in October 2024 with initial discussions with each member of the City Council facilitated by a leadership team from the City’s contracted facilitator, Tripepi Smith. These interviews were designed to begin to identify key success factors for the City and for each area of the community, including general goals, priorities, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and both current and future challenges. Following strategy discussions with the City Manager and individual meetings with each member of the City Council, Tripepi Smith consolidated those discussions into four proposed common goals. At a special meeting held on January 16, 2025, the City Council reviewed the results of a November 2024 community survey regarding resident priorities, discussed the four proposed goal areas, along with other specific identified goals and challenges, and ultimately revised these goals, agreeing on five targeted goal areas focused on resident priorities with updated objectives. On February 18th and February 27th, the executive team met to review the goal areas outlined by the City Council and develop a tactical working plan for each.
Developed with input from the City Council, staff, and specifically targeted to needs identified by residents, the Plan defines the following five strategic goals for 2025 -2027:
1. Enhance Public Safety
2. Increase Public Outreach, Education and Connection
3. Continue Investing in a High-Performing and Efficient Team at City Hall
4. Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal in the City
5. Strengthen Economic Development
The Plan identifies five core strategic goals. The Plan also identifies 129 separate tactical steps to assist in achieving the City Council’s goals over the coming years. The Plan is intended to serve as a guideline and reference for the City’s efforts going forward. Additionally, the City Council and City’s executive management team will regularly review the Plan, discuss progress towards the strategic goals, and make appropriate revisions and amendments as necessary on an ongoing basis. Accordingly, the Plan may be modified from time to time to ensure that the stated goals continue to be aligned with the needs and interests of the broad Bellflower community. Funding needed to achieve the strategic goals will be reviewed as part of the upcoming 2025-2027 biennial budget adoption process. The Plan will be posted on the City’s website and made publicly available, and the goals will serve as a basis for ongoing City-wide communications with residents.
ATTACHMENT
Strategic Planning Document…………………………………………………………........... 3 2 S T R A T E G I C
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K y l i e S u n , S e n i o r B u s i n e s s A n a l y s t C o m p l e t e d M a r c h 2 0 2 5
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ 1 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 2 Purpose of Strategic Planning ..................................................................................... 2 Terminology ................................................................................................................. 2 Strategic Planning Process ......................................................................................... 3 City Council Goals .......................................................................................................... 4 Goal #1: Enhance Public Safety .................................................................................. 4 Goal #2: Increase Public Outreach, Education and Connection ................................. 6 Goal #3: Continue Investing in a High-Performing and Efficient Team at City Hall ..... 8 Goal #4: Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal in the City ..................................... 10 Goal #5: Strengthen Economic Development ........................................................... 12 - 1 -
City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Executive Summary
Purpose of Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is a common best practice for effective governance, providing organizations with clear goals, success benchmarks and a unified direction. In city government, this process is especially vital, as elected leaders set priorities and empower city staff to implement them, ultimately delivering results for the community.
A well-structured strategic planning process benefits both city council and staff. It helps council members reconcile competing priorities, align on a shared vision and provide clear direction to city staff. It allows city managers to hear from all council members on their shared mission. The result is an aligned organization with a well-defined vision guiding operations and budget priorities.
Beyond setting goals, strategic planning establishes a framework for measuring progress. By identifying tactical steps to achieve each goal, cities can track outcomes and provide ongoing updates to the city council and community.
Terminology
To create a uniform understanding of key terms used throughout the report, the following explanations are offered:
Mission What is Bellflower ’s overarching purpose?
Goals How will Bellflower deliver on the mission?
Objectives What measurable outcomes support achieving each goal? Tactical Steps What are the actionable steps to accomplish each objective? The Mission statement serves as the guidepost to the strategic planning process, as it helps set meaningful City Council goals that are not only actionable but also reflective of the organization’s identity. Bellflower ’s mission is:
“To protect and enrich the quality of life, to make Bellflower an excellent place to live, work and play.”
Goals can be described as the 5% of initiatives that extend beyond the City’s routine services, which will continue uninterrupted. By establishing goals, the Council provides clear direction on how to allocate or bolster the City's available staff capacity, ensuring resources are focused on initiatives that drive the greatest impact for the community. - 2 -
City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Strategic Planning Process
The City of Bellflower engaged Tripepi Smith to lead its strategic planning process for FY 2025-27 and beyond. The process included the following:
Following strategy calls with the City Manager and one-on-one conversations with each Bellflower City Council member, Tripepi Smith identified consolidated concerns and priorities and presented four goals at a special meeting of the City Council the City’s executive staff held on January 16, 2025. The City Council discussed and revised the proposed goals, agreeing upon five goals with revised objectives.
On February 18 and February 27, Tripepi Smith met with the City’s executive staff to discuss a work plan for each goal, as seen in the Tactical Steps columns below. The consensus around those goals and tactical steps is the basis for this report. - 3 -
Deliverable Date
Kick-Off Call with the City Manager October 23, 2024
City Council Online Questionnaire October/November
City Council One-on-One Interviews November
City Council Strategic Planning Workshop to discuss
goals and objectives January 16, 2025
Planning Session with City Staff to strategize tactical steps February 18, 2025 February 27, 2025
City Council meeting to review and adopt the Strategic Plan March 10, 2025
City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
City Council Goals
Goal #1: Enhance Public Safety
Bellflower will be a safe and secure city
Objectives Tactical Steps
1.1 Strengthen partnership
between the City and
the County Sheriff.
Report bi-annually on prosecutions and Prop 36
changes, including arrest and charge numbers.
Connect Bellflower deputies and Sheriff personnel to
various community organizations (i.e. Chamber of
Commerce, Service clubs, etc.).
1.2 Improve community
education and
transparency in relation
to public safety efforts.
Conduct overarching Citywide Communications
Assessment (See Goal 2).
Coordinate and deliver timely and informative messaging of safety tips, significant arrests, code enforcement and homeless outreach efforts across the City’s
communication channels.
Provide quarterly informational public safety updates to the community.
Produce short format informational videos on public
safety efforts and public participation.
Continue to provide public safety-centered educational
events (National Night Out, etc.).
Highlight “Station Cities JPA” efforts to address regional public safety.
1.3 Encourage resident
awareness and
reporting to help them
be partners in
addressing crime,
disaster preparation
and blight issues.
Explore the use of a platform to deliver push-messaging to residents (in conjunction with a broader Citywide
communications assessment).
Assess the use or expansion of Nixle or similar service (in conjunction with a broader Citywide communications
assessment).
Distribute messaging to encourage resident participation in CERT Programs.
Encourage positive property maintenance and decoration
by expanding holiday decoration awards to include
Halloween.
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Consider establishment of business and residential
beautification awards to highlight positive changes.
1.4 Determine the location,
design, programming
and execution of a new
public safety building.
Include Phase 1 design of Bank of the West building as a potential safety building substation in the 2025-26 budget and begin planning for construction.
1.5 Finalize and implement
public safety
assessment
recommendations.
Establish a prioritization plan and identify funding
sources for recommendations included in the
assessment.
Bring implementation of BEAST Team to Council for
consideration.
1.6 Build a reputation
through communication
and action that
Bellflower is tougher on
crime than peer cities.
Develop a coordinated messaging plan to highlight City
and Sheriff efforts, including highlighting arrests and enforcement action.
Highlight Bellflower ’s proactive efforts (i.e. homelessness efforts, Caltrans and other agency efforts).
1.7 Develop a list of
community resources
for addressing
addiction and related
challenges and better
engage with partnership
to offer a spectrum of
solutions for crime
elements.
Identify existing community organizations, service clubs and non-profits.
Facilitate connections among community organizations,
such as Little House, Kingdom Causes and service
clubs.
Host bi-annual homeless services coordination meetings.
Foster relationships with County and other external
government resources for support.
1.8 Set a direction to tap
into Measure A funds to
support programming
that addresses
homelessness
challenges in the city.
Develop an implementation plan for Measure A Local
Solutions funding.
Actively seek funding through other aspects of Measure
A.
Develop a list of upcoming and potential housing and
homelessness projects for future applications for support through LACAHSA.
1.9 Aggressively work to
address homeless
population areas in the
City, including spaces
outside city jurisdiction
Establish dedicated homeless outreach and encampment
enforcement team modeled on the City of Norwalk’s
HOPE Team.
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
to reduce the homeless
population in the city.
Finalize and expand JPA (or alternative structure) with the City of Cerritos to allow for enforcement in the
riverbed area.
Solidify emergency
preparedness training
among staff, ensure a
degree of self-reliance
after a disaster and
communicate plan to
the public.
Finalize and adopt a hazard mitigation plan.
Provide training for all levels of staff on EOC and disaster service roles.
Conduct at least one annual Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) drill.
Goal #2: Increase Public Outreach, Education and
Connection
Bellflower will be an open and connected City that tells its story Objectives Tactical Steps
2.1 Explore communication
methods that reach
multi-generations with
focus on most effective
methods.
Conduct a Citywide communications assessment to
measure effectiveness of the City’s digital and hard copy communications.
2.2 Explore tools for
connecting residents to
each other and to the
City.
Produce and publish a budget brief focused on priority
funding areas.
Encourage resident and community participation in
volunteer center programs.
Highlight the work of local service clubs and community organizations.
Consider development of a resident leadership academy
to promote participation and engagement with City
efforts.
2.3 Establish
communication
channels to engage with
smaller businesses.
Expand the use of the Bludot Economic Development
Customer Relations Management (CRM) platform.
Explore a dedicated Economic Development website or
webpage, or a combination of the two.
Continue providing quarterly New Business Welcome
Packets.
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Reorganize Economic Development Dept. to include a
Business Relations Manager position focused on
connection to small business Citywide.
2.4 Develop a strategy to
leverage video, digital
and paper
communications to
balance reaching
across the community.
Utilize findings from the communications assessment
(see Objective 2.1).
Leverage the City’s most identified communication piece (Parks & Recreation Brochure), rebrand and grow it into a City News heavy/P&R subsection publication. Add a
fourth edition tied directly to year-end annual recap/State of the City.
2.5 Bring a unified,
consistent and
strategically chosen
voice and visual
presence to
communications across
City channels and
platforms.
Focus currently segmented communication efforts under
one division.
Establish, improve and streamline communication
systems between departments.
Leverage technology tools for scalability of
communication operations between departments, staff
and communications contractors.
2.6 Conduct
communications
assessment on
platforms and
processes.
Hire a consultant to conduct an overarching assessment
of current communications efforts and identify
opportunities for coordination and improved connections to residents.
2.7 Improve collaboration
and relationship with
school district.
Collaborate with the School District regarding Bellflower Connect.
Establish regular coordination meetings with School
District representatives.
Explore connections between the County Sheriff’s
department and local schools.
Explore partnerships for youth programming at the Oaks
Center.
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Goal #3: Continue Investing in a High-Performing and
Efficient Team at City Hall
Bellflower will be a City that wisely invests in its future and builds on its strengths Objectives Tactical Steps
3.1 Improve communication
and collaboration
between departments.
Host an annual off-site leadership/team-building retreat.
Continue improving employee activities.
Provide regular City Manager communications through
City scope.
Develop and consider an internal and/or external job
shadowing and cross-training program.
Re-establish City Clerk’s office training program (i.e. agenda review, records management, PRA process,
agreements).
Coordinate regular meetings between line-level
employees across departments.
Provide regular updates on City Council goals through
City scope.
3.2 Invest in technology
resources for staff.
Offer training on existing tools (i.e. Outlook, Teams,
Excel, SharePoint).
Continue and finalize the transition to digital plan
submittals and expand beyond the Building division.
Modernize the financial processes by implementing a
new resource planning system to replace the outdated
MOM system (Tyler Enterprise ERP).
Leverage SharePoint for task processing (i.e., PRAs,
agreements).
Complete Council Chamber upgrades.
Continue investment in long-term IT plan.
3.3 Modernize systems to
support resident
feedback.
Finalize the online permitting process (see 3.2).
Modernize graffiti and bulky item removal requests to
allow digital submittal and tracking.
Execute on fiber optic infrastructure into City Hall
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
through COG fiber project.
Implement new Parks & Recreation management
platform for classes, facility use permits and scheduling, point of sale systems for City Store, etc.
3.4 Invest in training and
career development for
employees.
Provide leadership training for line staff and department heads either on site or external (e.g. through CJPIA).
Provide more opportunities for front-line staff to attend professional conferences to learn from other
organizations and bring in new ideas.
Provide resources for department-level training,
recognition and team-building activities, including the part-time workforce.
Develop and implement an internal mentoring program.
Continue building partnerships with employee groups to
offer training valuable to each specific discipline.
3.5 Conduct a full
classification and
compensation study.
Allocate funds for the classification and compensation
study in FY 25-27 budget process.
3.6 Build organizational
capacity through staff
hiring and strategic
contract for services
that yield productivity
enhancements.
Consider departmental plans for capacity building as part of the budget process, and implement over time.
Finalize and bring to Council a landscape maintenance
contract to allow employees to focus on high-quality
maintenance projects.
3.7 Modernize city policies
that are ineffective or
inefficient as currently
written.
Review all administrative policies, including the outdated staff manual.
Review and update Citywide insurance requirements
and review procedures.
3.8 Implement procedures
for fielding and
following up on resident
requests in a timely
manner.
Develop an internal timely response and data tracking
policy.
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Goal #4: Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal in the City Bellflower will be a City that demands high performance and excellence and sets a model for other communities
Objectives Tactical Steps
4.1 Implement the Parks
Master Plan.
Reorganize and build staffing capacity as outlined in the Master Plan.
Establish systems to identify funding sources and
actively pursue and apply for grant funding related to the Master Plan.
Work closely with the Public Works Department to
establish P&R Master Plan priorities in the CIP plan.
Develop park and facility concept designs to prepare
“shovel ready” projects as grants and property
acquisition become available.
Complete concept designs and construction documents
and begin renovation of the recreation center at Simms
Park.
Implement new youth and senior programming
coordinated with construction of the Oak Center.
Rebuild youth, adult and senior sports leagues; build
staffing capacity for implementation.
Assess other Master Plan goals to be completed within
a five-year timeline and provide, at a minimum, annual
updates to the City Council.
4.2 Improve quality of
maintenance of public
areas.
Reorganize maintenance assignments to distribute work
and focus on quality and responsibility.
Establish improved processes between Parks &
Recreation and Public Works to increase the quality of
park maintenance. Leverage technology tools as
appropriate.
Add maintenance capacity through staffing and/or
contracts to allow for focused maintenance efforts and
responsibility.
Develop quality-focused maintenance and upkeep plans
for infrastructure (i.e. parks, buildings, fountains).
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
4.3 Raise standards of
private property
maintenance
requirements
(commercial,
multi-family and
single-family
residential)
Identify strategies to recognize positive improvements
and consistently apply penalties as a means to achieve
it.
Develop a business-specific vandalism and blight
prevention program and identify funding available for
support.
Build internal code enforcement expertise and capacity
with regular training and additional support for staffing, as discussed in the Public Safety Assessment.
Regularly communicate and reeducate staff and
community on code enforcement priorities and process.
4.4 Activate public spaces
to connect residents by
expanding community
events in non-traditional
locations.
See Objective 4.1.
Dedicate Parks & Recreation staffing division focusing
primarily on activating unsupervised parks and public
spaces with recreation programs and small special
events.
Identify specific programs to be offered in underutilized areas (i.e., Town Center Plaza).
Look at purchasing a downtown building that could be
used for traveling art shows, museums and/or pop-up
shops.
4.5 Allocate resources for
traffic safety
improvement studies.
Identify specific feasible physical improvements to
reduce speed and deter cut-through traffic in
neighborhoods.
Push for additional traffic safety enforcement through
the Sheriff or JPA. If possible, reinstate the motor
enforcement deputy.
4.6 Explore ways to attract
young families as
residents.
Coordinate with SELACO to host job fairs specific to
Bellflower industries and encourage small businesses to participate.
Review community events and focus them toward the
target markets. Consider adding new events and
replacing or reimagining as needed.
Encourage high-quality housing at all income levels and programs to encourage homeownership.
Improve connections to local schools and school
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
districts.
Expand and promote parks & recreation programming
for young families (see Objective 4.1).
4.7 Explore strategies to
address developed and
undeveloped vacant
properties.
Re-inventory/catalog vacant properties.
Explore ways to encourage turnover or redevelopment
of open properties and discourage non-beneficial uses.
Explore ways/partnerships to encourage local small
business property ownership in the community (i.e.,
community land trust, economic development
corporation, lending partners).
Explore expanding and updating vacant commercial
property/land registration and fee.
Goal #5: Strengthen Economic Development
Objectives Tactical Steps
5.1 Continue strategic and
creative property
acquisitions.
Develop an overarching acquisition strategy.
Provide a monthly or twice-monthly review and update of available properties using Costar real estate platform.
Explore and consider establishment of an Economic
Development Corporation.
Monitor LA County Chapter 8 Tax Default Properties
available.
Consider existing and future City-owned properties for
reuse for open space and parks development, as outlined in the Parks & Recreation Master Plan.
5.2 Execute on
City-controlled property
to make impacts in the
community.
Finalize planning for recently acquired properties in
Downtown.
Finalize development of Whites Funeral Home property.
Finalize plans for Post-Office alternatives and property redevelopment.
Begin design and planning of public safety center (see
Objective 1.4).
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City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
5.3 Explore an economic
development plan that
aligns areas in
Bellflower with focused
economic development
themes, industries and
related land use
strategy.
Solidify long-term economic development vision and draft an Economic Development specific Strategic Plan for
adoption by the Council.
Commission a study/studies of corridor-specific long-term economic and land use planning.
Reorganize and add staffing to allow focus on long-range planning.
5.4 Begin planning for
comprehensive General
Plan update.
Consider fee increase for General Plan update and set
aside supplemental funding.
Begin planning for and consider consultants to assist with a full General Plan Update in the next 4 years.
Prepare staffing and consulting capacity to manage a
project of this scale (see Objective 3.6).
5.5 Solidify vision and plan
for the future of
Downtown (more
residential units,
parking, complimentary
business types).
Review existing Downtown Vision and Strategy
documents based on the projects to date and update or
prepare new implementation documents.
Improve long-term planning capacity through contract
and/or staffing and/or reorganizing (see Objective 3.6).
Consider options for additional parking development.
5.6 Revisit cannabis policy,
licensing and industry
activity in Bellflower.
Present status updates and data to the subcommittee
and bring recommendations to Council.
5.7 Evaluate alternative
revenue sources and
land use measures.
Reevaluate obsolete land use areas and specific plans
(WASP, DFD). See objective 5.3
Advocate for modernization of State and Federal revenue sources (i.e. gas tax, sales tax, utilities user tax). and explore alternative local funding sources for voter
consideration.
Consider dedicated revenue sources for implementation
of the Parks Master Plan.
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