Sandpoint approves proposal
SANDPOINT — A process spanning two years culminated Wednesday night in the adoption of a city strategic plan by council members.
“It’s been a lot of effort on behalf of the staff, as well as the council, and I am happy to see that it is coming before us tonight and that we are moving forward in a positive direction,” said council president Shannon Williamson during a special meeting of City Council on Wednesday.
Mayor Shelby Rognstad agreed with Williamson, noting that the process had “spanned two councils” with new council members, as well as staff, on board since it began.
“I feel like this has been well vetted and is a quality product of a great team over two election cycles,” Rognstad said.
City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said the overall framework of the plan came from council discussions. That framework surrounded one overarching statement — “The City of Sandpoint is distinguished by its lakeside beauty, small-town feel, and welcoming people.”
“This includes adoption of a set of core values for our city council, mayor and staff, with core values of high integrity, collaboration and effective stewardship,” Stapleton said. “And then it identifies a set of five strategic priorities.”
The five broad priorities include responsive government, resilient economy, sustainable environment, vibrant culture and livable community. The strategic plan was drafted by Roger Woodworth of Mindset Matters, after gathering input from city officials.
Woodworth, city staff and council members recently workshopped the document before it came to council for approval. During the workshop, they delved into each of the five priorities.
Some specific initiatives that will emerge from the plan over the next two years include refining city codes and expanding citizen engagement, as well as optimizing stormwater management, fire protection and police services. Each of the initiatives, in turn, are described in more detail within the full document. The optimization initiatives, for example, include evaluating the cost, risk and benefits to the city and the citizens of regional fire protection program through the existing joint powers agreement between Sandpoint, West Side and Sagle fire districts.
Stapleton said the plan was brought to council for approval ahead of the budget, as it will be the framework for determining budget priorities over the next two years.
“I am excited to see that we have a framework to work with,” said Councilwoman Deb Reuhle. “Priorities sometimes that we have made in the past have gone to the wayside, so I’m glad that we have a plan where things are written down, and we have a direction and we can have some accountability moving forward to follow through on what we say we want to do and what we end up doing, so I’m excited to see that happen.”
Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.