Strategic Planning Work Session

Page 1 | Council Visioning Workshop | March 10, 2025 City of Cedar Falls Council Visioning Workshop March 10, 2025 Page 2 | Council Visioning Workshop | March 10, 2025 Introductions After a review of the agenda and norms for the workshop, participants shared how they hoped to use the strategic plan, captured below: Council and Mayor City Leadership  Point to the “Why”  Understand Council’s point of view  Define the vision for the future  Support Council’s goals  Coalesce and build on their plans  Guidance for staff  A realistic plan that can be fulfilled  What does our organization need to look like in  Community buy-in order to accomplish these goals  Longer term plan/vision to harness big  Consistency opportunities  Bringing all voices together and know the “why”  “How” we are vs. “What” we do – a “We” plan not “Us vs. Them” This I Believe Councilmembers were asked to come prepared to share “what they believe” about the future of Cedar Falls. This exercise is loosely based on the “This I Believe” essay format initiated by Edward R. Morrow on National Public Radio in the 1950s. Themes included a sense of community and belonging, excellent quality of life, and safety. Other notes from the “themes” discussion are captured below:  We’re aligned in our beliefs about Cedar Falls  Family  Coming home  Neighborhood identity  Safety  Trails/parks connection  Moving forward  We create the “magic”  Prepare you to leave but give you a reason to  Core memories stay Strategic Planning for Cedar Falls The purpose of strategic planning is to answer three questions: 1) What do we know to be true today? 2) What do we hope will be true in the future? and 3) How do we get there? The facilitator then reviewed the strategic planning project schedule, as well as key elements of a strategic plan, shown in the table below. Framework Elements Definition Owner Aspirational, intended to reflect what you hope will be true about Vision Elected Officials the City in the future The “big buckets of things that must go well” in order for the City Key Focus Areas Elected Officials to be successful and achieve its Vision Strategies are the projects, programs, or initiatives that the City Staff Strategies needs to undertake in order to make progress in each (with Elected Key Focus Areas/Goals Official Approval) The role and purpose of the organization, frequently expressed Organizational Mission Staff in statements about “who we are, what we do, and why we do it” Values guide behavior, whether stated or unstated, and are Organizational Values Staff observed when the workforce is “at its best” Performance Measures (Key Performance KPIs measure and demonstrate progress toward achievement of Staff each Key Focus Areas/Goals at a high level Indicators) Page 3 | Council Visioning Workshop | March 10, 2025 Environmental Scan The facilitator then reviewed findings from the Environmental Scan, which included demographic trend data and a review of strengths, weaknesses/ challenges, and opportunities. The Environmental Scan has been provided as a separate document. Upon reflection, Councilmembers noted that most findings were unsurprising and aligned with anecdotal evidence. They highlighted the fiscal strength of the organization. True Today – True in 10 Years Next, Councilmembers addressed two questions: 1. What is true today about Cedar Falls that you hope will STILL be true in 10 years? 2. What is NOT true about Cedar Falls today that you hope WILL be true in 10 years? Key themes from the exercise include:  True Today: Cedar Falls maintains its sense of community and remains a great place to raise a family. It still has a vibrant downtown, an excellent utility, historic homes, excellent greenspace, and fun community events.  True in 10 Years: Cedar Falls will enjoy more amenities and improved connectivity across town. The economy will be stronger, with a thriving College Hill area. It will have made greater progress with its parks and recreation offerings and have advanced its administrative and operational capabilities. The transcribed notes are captured in the table below: True Today True in 10 Years  Steady population growth  Thriving neighborhoods  Historic neighborhoods/historic homes  Diversity in all neighborhoods, businesses, and  Vibrant historic neighborhoods people; easy to get around  Historic architecture  Walkable  CFU (x2)  Easy access to healthcare  Innovative, smart local utility  Public transportation  Owned utility with low costs  Medical care (feel good about services)  Public safety  Housing that most people can afford  Safety  Multiple destinations beyond only Downtown  Public safety response  Enhanced recreation amenities  Robust public safety  Huge sledding hill  Vibrant UNI  Zipline  Public university town  Large outdoor event space  Great well-maintained trail system  Host larger concerts  Tree canopy in parks and neighborhoods  Indoor or all-season recreation (stuff to do)  Sitting in a good financial place  More activities – youth and all, indoor and outdoor  Low tax cost  Sports complex  Sense of community  Competitive indoor/outdoor sports complex  Quaintness  Diversified economic development  Great place to raise a family  Thriving College Hill  Family-friendly  No new vape shops Page 4 | Council Visioning Workshop | March 10, 2025 True Today True in 10 Years  Feels like home  Vibrant College Hill, University Avenue  Community/fellowship oriented  College Hill “Community”  Clean and green  More developer competition  Vibrant downtown (x2)  More rental code flexibility  Sturgis celebration  Navigable waterway  Concerts/weekly activities  No dam  Form of government (Council/Mayor)  Parks master plan actually implemented  Every neighborhood has a walkable park  Expanded park system offering wooded areas  High performing organization  Be receptive to new administrative ideas  Council talent shows or fun competition Vision and Strategic Focus Areas Based on the True Today – True in 10 Years discussion, Councilmembers worked together over the course of the afternoon to develop a vision and strategic focus areas. Vision Cedar Falls is a safe, welcoming community with distinct neighborhoods, a small town feel balanced with big city amenities, and a strong sense of connection that creates the magic that makes it feel like home. Focus Areas  Enhanced Recreational Amenities: Providing recreational amenities and spaces for the community to create lifelong memories, attract and retain new and existing community members, and provide for healthy and active lifestyles for people of all ages and abilities  Well Maintained Infrastructure: Strategically investing in modern infrastructure that meets the current and future demands of our growing community  Thriving and Connected Neighborhoods: Creating safe, welcoming, walkable, and accessible neighborhoods where people can live, work, and gather through community-driven planning and thoughtful development  Diversified Economic Development: Attracting and retaining a healthy and diversified local economy where individuals and businesses invest and thrive  High Performing Government: Serving the community with accessible, reliable, and highly functional city government in a fiscally responsible manner Initiatives Council and staff had the opportunity to brainstorm initiatives underneath each focus area, transcribed below: Focus Area Initiatives Enhanced Recreational  Camping in Cedar City Activities  Cedar City/river development  Additional inclusive park  Sports complex  Refresh existing parks  New skatepark  Splashpad  Redeveloping community center services Enhanced Recreational  Multi-use outdoor spaces Activities  Larger outdoor music venue Page 5 | Council Visioning Workshop | March 10, 2025 Focus Area Initiatives  Implement the parks master plan  Invest in recommendation – parks master plan  Pickleball complex  Implement parks master plan  Implement the parks master plan  Recreation should include all areas of mental and physical wellness so cultural amenities are big as well  Cedar City master plan Well Maintained  Public safety facility on W 1st Street corridor Infrastructure  New public safety building  Additional public safety building  Shamatoes  Current financial policies that support infrastructure  Planning and investing in the need for projects – large capital costs Thriving and  Neighborhood events (picnics, fairs, music) Connected  Prioritize people over cars in street designs Neighborhoods  Create multiple connections between existing neighborhoods, new developments, and yet-to-be-developed ones  A park for every neighborhood  Pre-approved housing plans  Free trees  Mix in retail and service industries throughout city neighborhoods  Allow retail nodes in residential neighborhoods via code changes Diversified Economic  Prepare for manufacturing opportunities Development  Hire a second economic development person  Update zoning codes  Review and refine the zoning code (comprehensively) additional FTE for internal economic development staff  Provide industrial incentives  Provide residential incentives  Downtown development plan with CMS  Develop a business attraction and expansion strategic plan  Signage and communication plan for parking  Expanded economic development staff capacity High Performing  Develop a platform for residential feedback on cost saving ideas Government  “Coffees”  Attract and retain staff  Retire the 2-year revolving debt permanently  More online services for residents/ businesses  Invest in tools and FTE to support the city  Benchmark survey of city services Next Steps Following the workshop, Raftelis will:  Solicit community input via ZenCity regarding the draft strategic plan elements  Meet with Elected Officials in April to review the community input and refine the strategic plan  Meet with staff virtually to develop an implementation plan to ensure accountability and progress toward achieving the vision  Finalize the strategic plan for Council adoption