TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Nadine Nader, Assistant City Manager
Kendra Davis, Management Fellow
SUBJECT:Title
Adoption of 2015 City-wide Strategic Plan (Assistant City Manager Nader).
ADOPT
Line
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council adopt the final draft of the 2015 Manhattan Beach City-wide Strategic Plan.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications to this action.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Manhattan Beach initiated its most recent City-wide Strategic Planning process in September 2015. The Novak Consulting Group (TNCG) was selected to facilitate through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process and multiple interviews. The group’s broad range of experience and emphasis on efficiency and community engagement made them a strong fit for the needs of the City.
Since the Strategic Planning process began, Julia Novak, president of TNCG, has facilitated a number of meetings and feedback opportunities for stakeholders, including:
• Two community input meetings
• Two City Council Strategic Planning workshops
• Individual interviews with City Councilmembers
• City employee Strategic Planning focus groups
The information gathered at the community meetings and focus groups, as well as through online discussion, was used at the City Council retreat on November 4, 2015. At that meeting, the City Council discussed the priorities of the City of Manhattan Beach and how to best represent them in this Strategic Plan. City Council determined a set of values intrinsic to the City of Manhattan Beach and requested that governance activities be considered. A follow-up workshop was set for November 30, 2015 to approve the pillars of success and their corresponding governance activities. City Council established six pillars of success that will help guide future decision-making and budget allocations in the City. The final pillars are as follows:
• Strong Governance that Values Meaningful Resident Engagement
• Excellent City Services Provided by an Aligned and Committed Workforce
• Financial Sustainability
• Environmental Stewardship
• Effective Physical Asset Management
• Economic Vitality
NEXT STEPS:
This plan is the first phase of the City’s Strategic Planning process. It is designed to provide a foundation for development of both short and long term planning within the City. In the second phase, the City Council will incorporate the pillars of success into the City’s budget, as well as update the City of Manhattan Beach Work Plan and reorganize it so that it aligns with the Strategic Plan and its pillars.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
• September 15, 2015: Julia Novak of TNCG helped the City kick-off its Strategic Planning process and attended the City Council meeting to answer questions and outline how the process would proceed.
• September 16-17: individual City Council interviews were conducted to establish the priorities and expectations of the City Councilmembers.
• October 5, 2015: a topic titled “City-wide Strategic Planning Community Input” was opened to the public. The community was invited to give feedback regarding the priorities of the City and possible activities or projects they would like to see in the future. It was available through the end of the month, and the City Council received this feedback at their Strategic Planning Retreat.
• October 8, 2015: staff presented to the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business Association about the Strategic Planning process.
• October 14, 2015: meetings were held with employees and Department Heads to discuss the needs of the City staff to help facilitate the goals of the Strategic Plan.
• October 15, 2015: two community meetings were held to gather public comment on the Strategic Planning process. The first was held with the Older Adults Lunch Bunch, and the second was held later that same evening for the whole community.
• November 4, 2015: City Council attended an all-day Strategic Planning Retreat where they established the values and priorities for the City of Manhattan Beach and created an outline for the Strategic Plan. It was determined at this meeting that an additional meeting was required to finalize the draft of the Strategic Plan and its pillars of success.
• November 30, 2015: City Council reconvened to review and finalize the draft of the Strategic Plan. At this meeting they established the six pillars of success and their corresponding governance activities. It was also decided that the update of the City’s work plan incorporating the Strategic Plan would be scheduled after City Council’s intended adoption of the Strategic Plan on January 5, 2016.
Staff members attended the Downtown Manhattan Beach Farmer’s Market to promote the Community Input meetings on these dates:
• September 22
• October 6
• October 13
Notifications were also sent to residents that have participated in past planning events or have signed up to receive notifications through the City’s website. Flyers publicizing the community input meetings and other opportunities to participate were posted around town and on the City’s website, Facebook and Twitter.
The City’s Open City Hall forum posted two topics asking for community feedback on the Strategic Plan. Responses to the first topic were presented to City Council before their retreat on November 4. Fifty-six people visited the topic and submitted sixteen responses. This represents approximately 38 minutes of public comment.
The second topic allowed residents to respond to the final draft of the Strategic Plan and submit feedback to the City Councilmembers. Forty-five people visited the topic and two submitted responses through Open City Hall. Additional comments were submitted directly to the City Council. All these comments are attached (Attachment 2).
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends City Council adopt the City of Manhattan Beach Strategic Planning Framework final draft.
Attachments:
1. 2015 City of Manhattan Beach Strategic Plan Final Draft
2. Community Final Draft Review (includes Open City Hall and emailed responses)