City Council Special Meeting - Strategic Planning - March 19, 2025 Minutes
1.1. Call to Order - Mayor Reynolds called the March 19, 2025 Special City Council Strategic Planning Workshop to order at 11:00 a.m. in the Council Chamber, 421 Main Street, Chico, California.
1.2. Roll Call
Present: Goldstein, Hawley, O'Brien, van Overbeek, Winslow, Bennett, Reynolds
Absent: None
1.3. Public Comment - Addressing the Council on strategic planning matters were Bob Mulholland and Charles Withuhn.
1.4. Half Hour Lunch Break - Council recessed at 11:50 a.m. for a 30-minute break. The meeting was reconvened, with all members present.
2. STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP
Jeff Boian, a local strategic planning consultant of Morrison and Company facilitated this process aimed at achieving improved alignment of organizational priorities, enhancing collaboration, and defining a strategic direction for the City of Chico.
In order to prepare for this meeting, Mr. Boian met with each Councilmember and the Department Heads to lay the foundation for this session. Following the completion of the process, Jeff will also create a comprehensive strategic planning document which will be available to both internal and external stakeholders.
Through the efforts of this session, a strategic plan was formed with a focus on "Quality of Civic Life for all of Chico's Citizens." Priorities were developed that will help guide the budget process, with short, mid-term, and long-term goals prioritizing the following three overarching strategic initiatives:
1. A Safe Community
2. Long-term Viability
3. Protecting and Enhancing Primary Community Assets
QUALITY OF CIVIC LIFE
Identified Priorities
1. Safe Community-from ongoing and immediate crisis, physical safety, police/fire/flood, infrastructure.
Objectives:
Vision - Zero traffic deaths, enough fire staffing for size of the City (staff capacity • Safe infrastructure, making gems accessible in safe way, increasing staff/dept : Wild land management, greenways and outskirts of Chic Fire/Police infrastructure and policy that supports these entities March 19, 2025 City Council Minutes Page|/
Fire- vegetation management in Bidwell and keeping homeless out so they don't start campfires, (flood control is important, but County is dealing with this already, police/traffic safety
Steady investment in streets and roads, land use reform, follow general plan, accessibility for multiple modes of transit, code to facilitate infill development
2. Longterm Viability
Objectives:
Business/Economic Development, Economic strategic plan
Continued sound financial policy (short term to affect long term) Protect and Enhance Chico's Primary Community Assets- Chico State, Parks, etc.
Objectives:
Downtown- Support downtown and university
Attract and retain workforce and diverse array of businesses Downtown is attractive, enhanced park
Neighborhoods need to be priority as one of most important aspects of civic life Restoration and enhancement of parks and greenways, visual enrichment/big art projects
Support the arts, affordability, transportation
Support CSU in their endeavors, new opportunities, strategic partnerships with community organizations
Following the discussion, Council agreed that additional work would be completed on this process at a future meeting.
4. ADJOURNMENT - The meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m. to the Closed Session meeting on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. followed by a regularly scheduled City Council meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber, 421 Main St. Chico, CA.
Date Approved: drp 5/6/25
Deborah R. Presson, City Clerk
March 19, 2025 City Council Minutes Page 2