STAFF REPORT

Operations Committee Meeting, April 3, 2008

Council Staff Retreat Priorities and Action Items (AD08-015)
Consideration of priorities and action items identified at the council staff retreat
Speaker:  Mr. Coleman

 

From:  William B. Coleman, Jr.
Prepared by:  William B. Coleman, Jr.
Approved by:  William B. Coleman, Jr., Town Manager
Approved by:  Benjamin T. Shivar, Assistant Town Manager

At the 2008 Council Staff Retreat, the council identified a list of tasks and projects related to its priorities for the community.  The priority areas identified were:  economic development, downtown development, environment, planning and development, citizen involvement, transportation and transit, safety, recreation, schools and town council effectiveness.  The action items identified in these priority areas were to serve as part of the work program and work plan for the staff and council for the coming year.

In order to give the council an idea of how these items fit into the organization’s current model for developing and implementing its annual work plan, I have organized the action items into the four major focus areas for the organization and identified the current status and the means for moving forward on each item.  I have also added a fifth focus area entitled “legislative goals.”  This category includes those items which may be accomplished by the council working with other elected officials or other elected bodies and only assisted by the staff.

It should be noted that council did not note in their priorities any action items related to the Town’s financial position.  These issues will be addressed in the FY 2009 budget process.

If one looks at the priorities and resulting tasks, it supports the idea that the Town of Cary would benefit from undertaking a community strategic planning/visioning process.  Even though the Town is close to build-out, major questions exist regarding how that build-out will occur and, after build-out, where and how the community wants to redevelop. In addition, as job growth and urbanization of the triangle region continues, what will be the vision of the community for how and where urban development will be accommodated, its relation to improving or worsening traffic congestion, and its affect on other infrastructure and services (i.e., water, wastewater, parks, schools, etc.).  The seminal question is this:  Given continued urban growth in the area, how will this future affect Cary and how does the community of Cary prefer all of the elements and demands of urban growth, population expansion and economic growth be managed in order to maintain the quality of life that exists now.

Fiscal Impact:  Some of the fiscal impacts are noted in the attached chart, while others will be identified in the FY 2009 budget.

Staff Recommendation:  Staff recommends that council review this report, clarify any action items that require additional information, set priorities as needed and consider requesting staff to come back to council with an outline for a strategic planning/visioning process for the Town of Cary.