City Council
SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA
Thursday, August 27, 2026, 12:00 p.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
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Public Comment during the meeting:
In person public comment:
Fill out a speaker card and give it to the City Clerk.
Online public comment:
Use the Zoom “raise your hand” button or telephone call in press *9 on your telephone (*6 to unmute/mute) when the comment period on your item of interest begins. You will be notified when you’ve been unmuted and it’s your turn to speak.:
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Email - Submit to [email protected]. In the subject line, please include the date of the meeting and the item number (if applicable).
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Pages
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Erica A. Stewart will call the Special Meeting of the San Luis Obispo City Council to order.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS ON THE AGENDA ONLY
Public Comment will only be accepted for items listed on the agenda.
3. CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP
3.a STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS DISCUSSION 5
Receive Council input on incorporating a longer-term strategic plan with the upcoming Council Financial Plan cycle.
4. ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular Meeting of the City Council will be held on September 1, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
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City of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum
City of San Luis Obispo
Council Agenda Correspondence
DATE: August 25, 2026
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Whitney McDonald, City Manager
Prepared By: Natalie Harnett, Policy and Project Manager SUBJECT: ITEM 3a - STRATEGIC PLANNING DISCUSSION
The following outline is being provided in advance of the August 27, 2026 Special City Council meeting to help frame the upcoming discussion and offer early visibility into several questions staff will be bringing forward for Council discussion and feedback during the meeting.
I. PURPOSE OF DISCUSSION AND RECAP ON 2025 RETREAT
At the 2025 Council retreat, Council expressed interest in refining the Major City Goal (MCG) process and identified the potential benefits of adopting a Strategic Plan with a longer-term outlook.
As part of the 2025–27 Financial Plan, Council added a Major City Goal work plan item under Cultural Vitality, Economic Resilience, and Fiscal Sustainability (Task 5g): “Develop a strategic framework that connects existing strategic plans, incorporates the City’s mission and vision, and outlines core services to support a longer-term planning approach beyond the two-year Financial Plan.”
The August 27, 2026 Special City Council meeting is intended to gather Council feedback on how best to evolve the upcoming two-year financial planning and MCG process into a broader strategic plan that supports long-term planning and community priorities.
Key Opportunities Identified in 2025 Retreat
At the 2025 Council retreat, Council identified several opportunities to strengthen the process, including:
Adjust MCG terminology/structure so goals do not serve as overarching community value statements
Identify and acknowledge existing City programs and core services, including work integrated from prior MCGs
Establish performance metrics/levels of service for each program to clearly communicate value and service delivery
Identify existing City plans (program-level and department-level) that inform work plans, MCGs, and long-term planning
Provide a longer-term roadmap for community, Council, and staff
ITEM 3a - STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS DISCUSSION Page 2
Expand strategic priority horizon to 4–6 years instead of the current two-year view
II. STRUCTURE OF A STRATEGIC PLAN
Examples of Strategic Plans
Cities approach strategic planning in different ways, but many use similar structures that support longer-term decision-making. At the 2025 retreat, Council explored a handful of strategic plans to identify preferred styles and components, including:
Alameda
Santa Cruz
Pleasanton
Carlsbad
Basic Structure
The City’s Strategic Plan could follow a standard, widely used structure, generally consisting of the following components:
Purpose and function of the plan (see vision statement discussed in next section) Strategic Priorities (typically 3–6 pillars identified following community and Council input)
Definition of the priorities with goal statements (i.e. what the priority aims to achieve)
Identification of tasks that will achieve the goals of each priority o Some tasks can be pulled from existing strategic plans (see Alameda example)
Include a list of existing programs and/or core services that help support or achieve the goals of the strategic priority (see Carlsbad example) Questions for Council:
1. Does Council agree with the proposed basic structure?
2. Should one of the example plans listed above be used as a model?
3. Should the plan horizon be 4, 5, or 6 years?
Optional Components
1. Mission, Vision, and Values
Many strategic plans include their mission, vision, or values statements. The City of San Luis Obispo has an organizational mission statement. A community vision was established through the General Plan and a City Council Vision was created with the 2017-18 budget. These can remain as foundational elements unless Council wishes to pursue revisions. Links to or copies of all statements are provided below:
City of San Luis Obispo Mission Statement
City of San Luis Obispo City Council Vision: The Council vision statement was first developed at the March 28, 2017 Council retreat and incorporated into the 2019–21 Financial Plan. It has been carried forward in all subsequent Financial Plans.
ITEM 3a - STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS DISCUSSION Page 3
“The City of San Luis Obispo is a dynamic community embracing its future while respecting its past with core values of civility, sustainability, diversity, inclusivity, regionalism, partnership, and resiliency.” City of San Luis Obispo Vision Excerpt from General Plan (Page 1-18):
“Our vision is of a sustainable community, within a diverse natural and agrarian setting, which is part of a larger ecosystem upon which its existence depends. San Luis Obispo will maintain its healthy and attractive natural environment valued by residents, its prosperity, and its sense of safety and community, within a compact urban form. Our community will have a comprehensible scale, where people know each other and where their participation in government is welcome and effective. The general plan outlines basic features of the city needed to sustain our livelihoods, our natural and historical heritage, and our needs for interaction and expression. The general plan is a benchmark in the continuing planning process, reflecting the desires of citizens with different backgrounds to sustain the community's qualities for themselves and for future generations.
The City should provide a setting for comfortable living, including work and recreation. The City should live within its resources, preserve the relatively high levels of service, environmental quality and clean air valued by its residents, and strive to provide additional resources as needed.”
Questions for Council:
4. Would Council like to modify the current statements? 1 5. If so, when would Council like to discuss and complete the modifications (e.g. as part of this Brown Bag special meeting, as part of a future Brown Bag special meeting, as part of the Council Retreat in 2027, etc.)?
2. List of Existing Programs and Key Performance Metrics As described above, discussion during the 2025 Council Retreat included an expressed desire to identify and acknowledge existing City programs and core services, including work integrated from prior MCGs, as well as the desire to establish performance metrics/levels of service for each program to clearly communicate value and service delivery.
Some strategic plan examples from other cities include identification of existing core services provided by the city, as well as listing of any such services that help achieve any of the strategic priorities identified in the plan. Incorporating a list of the City’s existing programs and key performance metrics or standards for those programs as part of this
1 Staff recommend that any changes to the community vision or related statements in the General Plan be included as a work plan item/task for a future financial plan because this would be an amendment to the General Plan, which should be considered as part of an overall General Plan update process.
ITEM 3a - STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS DISCUSSION Page 4
strategic planning process would provide transparency around core services and ongoing program impact.
Question for Council:
6. Does Council wish to include a list of existing programs and key performance metrics to be developed with the Strategic Plan?
III. TIMING AND OUTREACH PLAN
The Financial Plan engagement process provides a strong foundation that can be adapted for Strategic Plan development. Instead of creating a separate engagement track, staff proposes building upon existing tools such as the Community Priorities Survey and Community Forum to gather both short-term and long-term input.
Proposed Timeline and Outreach
Tentative
Date
Currently known
as
Proposed Process
Nov 17,
2026 Setting the Stage
Setting the Stage
Provide Council and community with an update on
the financial planning process, including:
• Budget calendar
• High level fiscal update
• Survey details
• Draft strategic plan structure/outline
• Proposed priority-setting process
Nov–Dec,
2026
Community
Priorities Survey
Community Priorities Survey and Statistical
Survey (see next section for detail)
Jan 12, 2027 Budget
Foundation
Budget Foundation
• Review Community Priorities Survey and
Statistical Survey results
• Finalize plans for forum & workshop
• Long-term economic forecast
Jan 21 or
28, 2027
Community
Forum
Community Forum
• Review Community Priorities Survey and
Statistical Survey results
• Review key work program tasks from
existing City plans and policies associated
with priorities
• Receive feedback on potential new key
work program tasks
Feb 2 or 20,
2027
Major City Goal
Setting
Council Strategic Priorities Workshop
• Determine Strategic Priorities
• Identify key work program tasks as time
allows
ITEM 3a - STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS DISCUSSION Page 5
Tentative
Date
Currently known
as
Proposed Process
Feb–Apr,
2027
Develop work
programs and
budget
Develop 2027-31 Strategic Plan and 2027-29
Financial Plan
Apr 20, 2027 Strategic Budget
Direction
Review draft 2027–31 Strategic Plan and 2027–29
Financial Plan including four-year work program
for Strategic Priorities (previously known as MCG
tasks)
June 1, 2027 Adopt Financial
Plan
Adopt 2027–29 Financial Plan and 2027–31
Strategic Plan
Community Survey
The City already administers a highly participatory Community Priorities Survey every other November as part of the financial planning process. Beginning this year, and based on Council direction from the 2025 retreat, staff will also launch a biennial statistically valid community sentiment survey. An overview of both survey types is provided below:
1. Statistically Valid Community Sentiment Survey (October/November 2026):
This survey will reach approximately 500 residents and provide a representative, repeatable sample every two years. It will track trends and performance indicators across City services, offering Council a consistent and standardized picture of community sentiment. Questions will focus on baseline service perceptions. While it can inform the strategic planning, its primary value will be demonstrated over time as performance metrics are tracked longitudinally.
2. Community Priorities Survey (November/December 2026): Several thousand community members typically participate in this online survey. This survey can be adapted to serve two purposes: informing development of the longer-term Strategic Plan and gathering input on Strategic Priorities, as well as input on nearer term priorities for the two-year financial plan. While historically focused solely on the two-year Financial Plan priorities, it could now include questions to reflect the expanded planning horizon. The sections would include:
Introducing participants to the Strategic Plan concept. Soliciting feedback on Strategic Priorities for the 4-year plan horizon, as well as priorities for the nearer term two-year financial plan horizon. This section can mirror the prior Community Priorities Survey format to maintain familiarity for respondents.
Question for Council:
7. Does Council agree with the proposed plan for timing and outreach?