City Council

454 In conclusion, Mr. Craft extended an invitation to the Council and City Administration to meet with him and walk through the neighborhood in order to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern involving drugs and crime in the Wildwood community. At 7:22 p.m., Mayor Lea declared the meeting in recess until Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 9:00a.m., in the Community Room, Williamson Road Library, 3831 Williamson Road, N. W., for a Council Strategic Planning Retreat The Recessed Meeting of Roanoke City Council was called to order on Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 2:00 p.m., in the Council Chamber, Room 450, fourth floor, Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building, 215 Church Avenue, S. W., with Mayor Lea presiding. PRESENT: Council Members Joseph L. Cobb, Michelle L. Dykstra (arrived late), John A. Garland, Djuna L. Osborne (arrived late), Anita J. Price, William D. Bestpitch and Mayor Sherman P. Lea, Sr.-7. ABSENT: None-0. The Mayor declared the existence of a quorum. OFFICERS PRESENT: RobertS. Cowell, Jr., City Manager; Daniel J. Callaghan, City Attorney; and Cecelia F. McCoy, Deputy City Clerk. Mayor Lea remarked that the recessed meeting was to come together to define the City's priorities as a group and to have an open and candid dialogue. The City Manager gave a brief overview of the objectives: o Clear understanding of the demographic, social, economic and governance context within which we work o Review of current Council vision, objectives and strategies o Recognition of roles in policy making, policy execution and accountability o Clear understanding of Council priorities including any refinements, additions or deletions regarding strategic approaches o Clear understanding of how priorities and strategies will be executed and how performances will be measured o Recognition of next steps (See documents on file in the City Clerk's Office.) ~'.  455 During the overview, Council Member Dykstra (9:14a.m.) and Council Member Osborne (9:16a.m.) entered the meeting. The City Manager reviewed the following items for comments: o Current approach of the City's Vision/Mission Statement. Consensus was the Statement was appropriate as currently written. o Current Strategic Areas of Importance - leadership development, communication and engagement were also identified. o Organization's Response to the current Vision and Strategic Areas of Importance. This review included the organization's value statements, the organization's framework and the five strategies currently deployed by the organization (For full text, see copies of documents on file in the City Clerk's Office.) There was discussion regarding each of the Strategic Areas of Importance, including the current strategies and performance measures used for each. As part of the discussion, the following was noted: o Education: Council satisfied with the current approach in general, including an emphasis on preparing children to enter and succeed in school and helping them receive a quality education and increase graduation rate. Increasingly, there is a need to (with our partners) dedicate more or our focus, time and money on what happens after graduation - how do we get more students to attain post-high school education (degrees, certifications, etc.). Also felt there should continue to be an emphasis on talent recruitment into the area (especially in light of the number of college students in proximity) but also that there should be an increasing emphasis on developing further those currently in Roanoke through workforce development, training, etc. - in an effort to expand labor pool from within and through attraction. o Safety: Council satisfied with the current approach in general with the understanding that safety entails much more than police and fire services. It is also about providing safe homes and businesses in safe neighborhoods with require addressing poverty, creating opportunities, code enforcement, empowering 456 neighborhood leaders, etc. Benchmarking of public safety services may be appropriate to help determine "right-sizing" of operations and budget but recognition that the primary measure should be are we getting the results/outcomes we are seeking - for example accredited departments, ISO ratings, reductions in Part I Crimes, etc. Increasing awareness of the role public health (opioids for example) is playing in safety for our residents and neighborhoods. o Human Services: Council satisfied with the current approach with perhaps an increasing emphasis on addressing homelessness issues - perhaps through some additional direct action oriented around employment opportunities (for example a program where homeless individuals are employed by the City or through a program the City sponsors).Recognize that the emphasis is (and should remain) on children and families. o Infrastructure: Council satisfied with the current approach in general with a continued emphasis on providing quality infrastructure in an environmentally responsible manner. Interest in expanding services and facilities, especially in the areas of drainage, sidewalks and perhaps alleys. Recognition that the community should be engaged in the CIP project development phase sooner than current practice. Interest in enhancing the vehicle replacement schedule but recognition that often constrained by available funds. Some interest in expanding consideration of energy conservation and alternative energy generation. Interest in enhancing transit services - first through implementation of the recommendations of the recent operations assessment and the relocation of the Campbell Transfer Facility then through expanded hours and routes as funds permit. o Good Government: Council satisfied with the current approach in general with an increased emphasis on community engagement and communication - maintain the current approach of multiple channels but perhaps more strategic use of some (such as direct mailers) along with increased opportunities for the Council to engage directly face to face with residents and businesses. Establish regular (quarterly or twice-annual) "town-hall" meetings of the · ""'  457 Council based around a specific topic. Increased opportunities for Council to formally recognize the contributions of excellent work performed by City employees. Adopt a strategic plan with refined and more meaningful performance measures/outcomes and report on progress on a frequent basis. o Livability: Council satisfied with the current approach in general, with perhaps an increased emphasis on more direct engagement with residents about priority investments - sidewalks, parks, alleys, etc. This is probably achieved best through updates of the neighborhood plans. Continue to emphasize Village Centers and the role they play in the livability of neighborhoods, the opportunities to "age in place" their contribution to walkability, etc. o Economy: Council satisfied with current approach in general which is maintain emphasis (with our partners) on economic "game-changers" such as our efforts in bio- health, tourism, and entrepreneurialism while working to improve opportunities for small businesses currently located in the community. Perhaps an increased emphasis on assisting small businesses establish and grow especially minority-owned businesses, may be desirable. Recognition that much of the area's economic success is linked directly to the quality of the education opportunities that exist within the community. There is an on- going need to understand where the gaps between labor force skills needed and skills possessed and how the gaps can be closed. Interest in understanding more about high-risk financing (angel investors, micro-loans, etc.) to aid in start-ups and/or acceleration and what the proper (if any) role might be for local government. Council was also asked to identify what they perceived as the community's greatest strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A list was generated that consisted of a set of priority strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. These priorities were used to evaluate the prior discussions to ensure gaps did not exist and will also be used in the formulation of the strategic plan. The priority strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats noted were: Strengths: caring and knowledgeable staff and arts culture and other tourism 458 Weaknesses: Economic segregation and poverty Outdated revenue structure Discrepancies in neighborhood assets and resource equity Opportunities: Youth leadership and programming Regionalism Engaged community - Threats: Poverty Following review of the abovementioned items, the City Manager stated that the next steps would include preparation of notes to be forwarded to the Council in August, a draft strategic plan for individual review with Council Members, presentation to the community with planned receipt of a final draft at the October Council Budget Planning Retreat. There being no additional comments by the Council, Mayor Lea adjourned the recessed meeting at 3:51 p.m. APPROVED ATTEST: ~c:'/k~ ~~tJ~ Sherman P. Lea, Sr. Deputy City Clerk Mayor .