Study Session

The City Council held a series of Council study session in August and September 2012 to design a specific work plan for focusing City resources and establish performance indicators aimed at assessing progress towards achieving over-arching city and community outcomes. View the full report presented at the November 6, 2012 City Council meeting. They following is a summary of the goal statements and goal strategies.

Goal Statement / Objectives:

Quality of Life

Maintain and enhance Woodland's quality of life by ensuring the highest level of public safety, promoting a wide range of parks and recreational facilities and activities, and provision of exceptional public services, consistent with community expectations.

Strengthen Downtown

Revitalize the Downtown district as the Heart of the City, and center of civic activity, by enhancing a mix of residential and commercial activity, while preserving its historic and cultural resources and small-town character.

Economic Development / Job Creation

Provide for a diversified economic base with a range of employment opportunities by supporting growth of existing businesses, and providing expanded opportunities for new businesses through targeted infrastructure investments and leveraging existing community and regional assets.

Infrastructure

Ensure that the City's physical infrastructure is planned, funded and maintained to provide for current and future community needs, in support of commercial, recreational and environmental requirements and standards, while managing the overall cost consistent with available resources.

Fiscal Responsibility

Maintain structurally-balanced budget where current services can be sustained with ongoing, recurring revenues, while maintaining prudent reserves, adequately funding infrastructure maintenance and replacement needs, and addressing long-term unfunded liabilities and debt obligations.

Public Safety

Maintain and enhance Woodland's quality of life by enduring the highest level of public safety.

Governance / Organizational Effectiveness

Promote a local government and city organization that is committed to meeting the needs of the community, encourages collaboration, civic participation, and promotes accountability and transparency in the effective delivery of services.

Goal Strategies:

Quality of Life

• Ensure appropriate staffing and resource support of public safety departments, programs and initiatives
• Expand Crime Prevention and Neighborhood Watch and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
• Identify opportunities to restore funding to expand recreation programs and library services
• Ensure adequate funding to maintain parks, streetscapes, and other community amenities
• Promote bicycle and pedestrian friendly infrastructure: downtown, community, and safe-routes to school
• Identify opportunities to achieve city-wide conservation goals for use of energy, water, and other natural resources
• Work collaboratively with WJUSD and WCC to support enhanced educational opportunities and academic achievement goals
• Promote expanded community events in neighborhood parks

Strengthen Downtown

• Establish Downtown Committee / Task Force
• Update Downtown Specific Plan - focus on refinement/modifications
• Improve Live/Work Balance in the Downtown district
• Seek to leverage remaining Redevelopment Assets and Financing tools for targeted projects
• Increase number and frequency of Special Events and Community Activities throughout the downtown
• Explore opportunities for creating vibrant downtown beyond "9 a.m. to 5 p.m." business day

Economic Development / Job Creation

• Update General Plan
• Comprehensive Review of City Codes and Regulations
• Implement and Promote Business-Friendly Culture - "Open for Business"
• Develop Plan to Mitigate Flood Issues in City's Industrial Area
• Collaborate with Local and Regional Agencies/Organizations to Market and Promote Targeted Business Opportunities: Cities/County/UCD/Chamber/Business Associates
• Establish Economic Development Committee and Inter-disciplinary Economic Development Team

Infrastructure

• Implement WDCWA Surface Water Project
• Process Improvements at Wastewater Treatment Facility
• Explore opportunities for Regional Wastewater Treatment
• Update comprehensive Street and Sidewalk maintenance program and related funding mechanism
• Identify means to increase funding for maintenance of parks and urban forest
• Expand bicycle and pedestrian -friendly infrastructure in support of active lifestyle and environmental quality
• Complete Kentucky Avenue Reconstruction Project
• Address flood issues in Industrial Area
• Management Plan for addressing State/Federal storm water regulations

Fiscal Responsibility

• Ensure ongoing expenditures are supported by ongoing revenues; one-time sources applied to one-time needs
• Maintain prudent reserves across all major operating funds
• Achieve agreement on fair and sustainable labor contracts
• Implement measures to address long-term unfunded liabilities
• Reduce burden of existing debt obligations

Public Safety

• Identify new technology to improve crime prevention
• Expand community outreach to enhance Neighborhood Watch and communications with the community
• Strengthen and grow Volunteer Program
• Restore youth Diversion Program
• Regionalize Fire Promotional testing
• Involve County in Fire Prevention shared services
• Complete Confined Space Rescue training
• Develop Fire Department succession plan

Governance / Organizational Effectiveness

• Build-up and strengthen collaborations with Yolo County and its cities
• Actively engage in advocacy at State/Federal level to support City interests
• Partner with community-based organizations to leverage community assets towards common objectives
• Empower city employees and work groups
• Enable appropriate alternative duty models

Framework for Establishing Goals and Priorities

Foundation of Performance Management

• Goal Areas: What are the major policy areas for which goals and priorities are to be set? (i.e. Fiscal Responsibility, Economic Development, Strengthen Downtown, etc.)
• Goal Statements: What outcomes are we hoping to accomplish in each Goal Area? (i.e. Fiscal Stability - Achieve a structurally balanced-budget where current service-levels can be sustained over time with recurring revenues, while maintaining prudent reserves and adequately funding long-term infrastructure maintenance and replacement needs.)
• Strategies: How are we hoping to achieve the desired outcomes?
• Projects / Initiatives: What specific projects or initiatives need to be undertaken in order to implement each strategy and achieve the outcomes envisioned within each goal area?
  • Projects/Initiatives can be further organized as follows:
    • Short-Term ( Less than 12 months)
    • Medium-Term (12 to 24 months)
    • Long-Term (Greater than 12 months)
  • As well as:
    • Policy Initiatives: General Plan, Climate Action Plan, Zoning Ordinance Update
    • Priority Projects: Surface Water Project, State Theater, Downtown Streetscape
    • Program / Process Improvements: Permit Streamlining, EMS Response Time, etc.
• Performance Indicators: What metrics will be used to assess the extent to which the outcomes within each goal area are achieved?