Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 1.A
Meeting Date: January 25, 2025
From: Anne V. Ambrose, Assistant City Manager
Title: Strategic Plan Workshop
RECOMMENDATION:
This report is for discussion and direction only.
BACKGROUND:
Strategic planning is crucial for a city as it helps set clear goals, allocate resources efficiently, and guide long-term development. It enables proactive decision-making, promotes collaboration among stakeholders, and ensures sustainable growth, enhancing the overall well-being of residents.
In November 2022 the City Council and staff leadership team began a strategic planning process to develop a roadmap to guide Cathedral City for the next five years. Through a series of workshops, informed by City Councilmember interviews, a community survey, and staff input, the City Council and staff refined the vision and values of the City organization, established goals and objectives, and created work plans to advance the city forward in the jointly shared strategic direction. The City Council adopted the strategic plan on April 12, 2023, and on August 23, 2023, staff conducted the first study session with the City Council to provide an update on staff’s progress. On January 27, 2024, the City Council conducted a strategic planning workshop and received comprehensive presentations from the departments on their progress and goals for the upcoming year. Staff made additional progress reports to the City Council on February 14, 2024, and August 14, 2024.
Despite the setbacks incurred because of Tropical Storm Hilary in August 2023, staff have continued to make consistent progress on goals and objectives agreed upon by the City Council. This month, staff will begin preparing the next biennial budget for FY 2025/2026 and FY 2026/2027, so it is timely to review the strategic plan to ensure that resources are prioritized in alignment with the plan’s goals and objectives or to make any course corrections as necessary.
DISCUSSION:
The Strategic Planning workshop will begin with the departments presenting overviews of their goal accomplishments for the past year and present the key initiatives that they wish to focus on over the next year. Since economic development has re-organized under the Community and Economic Development Department since last year, Economic Development Manager Becerril has prepared a document outlining Economic Development’s proposed roadmap which is included as attachment to this report. The complete update of the staff’s efforts to date to accomplish the plan’s goals and objectives are outlined in the attached strategic plan document. Completed items have been listed at the end of the document to track goal accomplishment.
Following the department presentations, Financial Services Director Kevin Biersack will provide a midyear budget update and discuss the current revenue and expenditure projections for FY 2024/25 and for the next biennial budget period (FY 2025/26 and FY 2026/27).
The City Council and staff will then review and discuss the current goals and objectives outlined in the strategic plan and make and modifications or reprioritizations necessary.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Depending on the outcome of the strategic planning session, strategic priorities will be prioritized in the preparation of the next biennial budget.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal A: Serve the Community with Pride and Dedication
Goal B: Community Investment
Goal C: Fiscal Stability and Sustainability
Goal D: Innovation
Goal E: Safety
Goal F: Embracing, Inclusive Community
ATTACHMENTS:
Cathedral City Five-Year Strategic Plan – Updated 1/25/2025 Economic Development Roadmap
Strategic Plan Workshop PowerPoint Presentation