HomeMy WebLinkAboutStrategic Plan pptStrategic Plan Priorities
This Strategic Plan
intends to foster a more Inclusive, Just and
Sustainable Iowa City
1. rn^ lepEro motel a Strong and Resilient Local
Economy
2.{4Encourae} a Vibrant and Walkable Urban
3. [&eate}Foster Healthy Neighborhoods
Throughout the City
4.fMaintain a Solid Financial Foundation
5.{Enhance Community Engagement and
Intergovernmental Relations
6.{Promote} Environmental Sustainability
7.{Advance} Social Justice and Racial
[DevelepEromote} a Strong and Resilient Local
Economy
• Identify how the City and local partners can effectively market
and grow the local foods economy
• Review and consider amending the City's Tax Increment Finance
(TIF) policy
• Promote neighborhood commercial districts and build stronger
relations with business owners throughout the community
• Work closely with the University of Iowa and Kirkwood
Community College on future facilities and economic
development opportunities, especially in the Riverfront Crossings
District
• Work closely with the ICCSD, Kirkwood Community College, Iowa
Works, labor organizations, and others to explore the feasibility of
an industrial arts/crafts facility in Iowa City
• Proactively seek opportunities to facilitate development of our
interstate entryways in a manner consistent with this strategic
plan
• Develop programs aimed to enhance small business development
and retention with a focus on diverse communities
{Bu i}d}Encourage a Vibrant and Walkable Urban
Core
• Consider creating a new City Council committee with a focus on the
sustainable built environment
�1'ITS_tSs:Rs7.TSr3rr.wrr-9 S'ii7M 1mrW-Mr." M r. ------------------
Support historic preservation efforts
• Initiate public dialogue about the meaning and importance of a
walkable neighborhood and how to achieve it
• Encourage diverse housing types and price points for a variety of
income levels
rr�Foster} Healthy Neighborhoods
Throughout the City
• Consider amending the City's Annexation Policy to require the
provision of affordable housing in new residential/mixed-use
areas
• Evaluate the implementation of a Form Based Code in one or two
parts of the community
• Develop strategies to diversify the membership of neighborhood
associations aad eenteFS
• Substantially improve access and use of public spaces through
improvements to sidewalks, G6IFb ^ tS ^^•!^ a^ ' streetscapes,
parks, and schools
{Maintain} a Solid Financial Foundation
• Continue to monitor the impact of the 2013 property tax reform
and evaluate alternative revenue sources as determined
necessary
• Continue to build the City's Emergency Fund
• Be attentive R Monitor potential changes to Moody's rating
criteria and maintain the City's Aaa bond rating
• Continue to reduce the City's property tax levy
• Maintain healthy fund balances throughout the City's diverse
operations
{Enhance} Community Engagement and
Intergovernmental Relations
Weigh inProvide timely and appropriate input on the ICCSD's
planned 2017 bond referendum
Televise regular City Council work sessions
Significantly improve the Council and Staff's ability to
^^,^,meat^ financia.1 i.A.Fithengage with diverse
populations on complex or controversial topics
{Promote} Environmental Sustainability
• Raise Iowa City's Bicycle Friendly Community status from Silver to
Gold by 2017 and aspire toward a Platinum status in the future
• Evaluate and consider implementation of a plastic bag policy
• Undertake a project in FY 2017 that achieves a significant
measurable carbon emission reduction
. !4pat..., ad, . home Climate Change Resp Rye task fe Fee etnntiall..
with Setting a measidreahle raFhn .n.J„rtien n -.I and
.,di 6t:9nlaR that la A the FRGqt 9t 4ft26t:,
Set a substantive and achievable goal
for reducing city-wide carbon emissions by 2030, and create an
ad-hoc climate change task force, potentially under an umbrella
STAR Communities committee, to devise a cost-effective strategy
for achieving the goal
• Collaborate with community partners on sustainability efforts
{Advance} Social Justice and Racial
• Develop and implement a racial / socioeconomic equity review
toolkit
• Support the Housing First initiative and other local homeless
efforts including the temporary winter shelter
• Consider creating twta-Rewa City Council committees with a focus
on social justice and
racial equity
• Evaluate initiatives to effectively engage the community's youth
• Identify and Implement an achievable goal to reduce
disproportionality, in arrests
• Create a racial equity grant program
• Develop a partnership with the University of Iowa and other key
stakeholders that will aid efforts to recruit and retain a greater
minority workforce
• Identify a substantive and achievable goal for the provision of
affordable housing in Iowa City and implement strategies to
achieve this goal