VALLEJO –  The Vallejo City Council is scheduled to hold its annual goal setting retreat next week, seeking to establish its priorities for the remainder of the year and plot out its multi-year goals.

The council is expected to also review and discuss governance roles, norms, strengthen teamwork, and develop council meeting management protocols, according to the agenda.

Last year’s goal-setting retreat was held over two days when the council learned about the community’s priorities through a survey from the Oakland-based Urban Strategies Council, a policy research and community building nonprofit organization.

According to that survey, the community said quality of life, housing/homelessness, and public safety were the biggest issues facing the city. Respondents expressed support for quality of government, economic development, youth and education.

Many of those goals were repeats from the 2019 council goal-setting retreat,  when it established a tiered system.

Tier one priorities included completing development agreements, improving the relationship between police and the community, streamlining the development review process, improving technology, and growing opportunities for Vallejo youth.

Meanwhile, tier two priorities included enhancing the waterfront, establishing housing policies,  increasing employee retention and improving morale, finding new uses for vacant lots and buildings, and assessing the council’s outstanding risks.

This year’s goal-setting will be facilitated by Christine Butterfield and John Bramble of Management Partners, a local government consulting firm that specializes in strategic planning and organizational analysis.

The retreat will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 11 inside the California State University Maritime Academy Compass Room at 200 Maritime Academy Dr.

The public can participate in-person or remotely via Zoom , or via phone: 669-900-6833.

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