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City Council singles out 12 priority goals over the next year

Reducing gun violence, ensuring workforce readiness for potential industry needs are among the priorities

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Reducing gun violence and ensuring safe neighborhoods were among the priority goals identified Wednesday by the Fayetteville City Council on the last day of its two-day strategic planning retreat.

In the process, the council did some team building while making decisions about its fiscal 2023 work plan.

"I think we had great success," Mayor Mitch Colvin said after the meeting. "They were very laser-focused on moving the city forward, retaining and retraining the workforce, and increasing corporate and industrial investment."

The high-priority goals, which were narrowed from an overall departments’ list of 201 staff initiatives that already are in the works, were initially placed under six goals before council members voted on which were the most important. Initially, they were whittled down to 30 initiatives before landing on 12.

Those final 12 selections include:

  • Reduce gun violence
  • Ensure workforce readiness; 
  • Improve neighborhoods;
  • Ensure staff retention and morale;
  • Increase direct airline flights from Fayetteville Regional Airport;
  • Increase of business and investments;
  • Ensure safe neighborhoods;
  • Trust and confidence of government and citizens;
  • Increase homeowners vs. renters;
  • Ensure future growth of city/county edges;
  • Safest city in North Carolina;
  • Forge public partnerships.

“All these things are important. Some don’t rise to the same level. When the funding rolls around, where do they get their funding, their grant money?” Deb Manzo of Business Transformation Solutions USA said rhetorically.

Manzo led the strategic planning session that included a review of the city’s commitment to being a high-performing organization driven by data-informed decisions, transparency and accountability.

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“We’re going to go back as a staff, and we’re going to try to define and expand on each one of those,” City Manager Doug Hewett said after the conclusion of the retreat. “If one of those will be, let’s see, as an example, ‘We want to be the best college town in North Carolina.’ We’re going to try to figure out what we’re currently doing that supports that and what additional things we can do to support that.

“We’re going to report back to council on that effort probably sometime in January or February as we get ready to start on the budget process. And this is what it means to us until we get that right,” Hewett said. “If they say ‘yes,’ which they will, we will come back as part of the budget to make sure those items get priority consideration for any funding.”

According to Hewett, these items stand “as unique opportunities for us to handle all the 30-plus other items. All the items are important.

“But the council said, as funding and capacity are available, these are the (12)  that we really believe we need to focus on in the near future. And that’s what staff is going to be working on to do.”

Councilwoman Shakeyla Ingram called it the best retreat she has ever been involved in. This was her second council retreat.

“I think we all have the right idea,” she said. “We learn to listen to each other and use the ‘yes and’ method. Having staff be part of this has been good when it comes to moving the city forward.”

Hewett noted that some of the chosen initiatives and ideas were already items that staff was working on. On balance, he added, several of those are already embedded in what the city is doing.

As for those chosen 12 goals?

Hewett said, “These are council priorities for high focus over the next 12 months that will also help the budget process."

The council plans to hold another retreat, a follow-up, before the budget, he said.

"Staff still has things to do behind the scenes," he said.

"It's always good to hear the council's interests and priorities," City Attorney Karen McDonald said, "so that I can assist them in making it compliant with the law."

Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins said the whole process over the two-day stretch involved strategic planning that keeps the council's focus on "the macro issues. The council’s job is to think about the big picture but never forgetting about that citizen and his quality of life."

Michael Futch covers Fayetteville and education for CityView. He can be reached at mfutch@cityviewnc.com. 

Fayetteville, City Council, retreat

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