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Your civic brief · Updated September 1

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Thursday, February 15, 2024 · 2 topics, explained in plain English

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Meeting topics · 2

Work SessionOutcome pending

Adoption of 2023-2026 Strategic Plan Targets and Initiatives

Specific measurable targets for Richfield's 2023-2026 Strategic Plan were scheduled for consideration at this work session, spanning five priority areas: Operational Excellence, Community Development, Sustainable Infrastructure, High-Quality Workforce, and Equity and Inclusion. Proposed targets included 500 new downtown housing units and 15 new downtown businesses by 2026, an asset management plan by 2025, and increasing BIPOC employee representation by 3% annually. Staff presented these as a mix of achievable benchmarks and intentional stretch goals, noting that 100% completion is not expected.

final tally arrives when the city publishes the minutes

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Key figure: TBDStable funding for essential services to be in place by 2025; increase in value of new permits expected.

Potential benefit

If adopted, these targets would give residents a concrete, public-facing framework to hold the city accountable on housing affordability, infrastructure reliability, workforce diversity, and service delivery through 2026.

Concern to consider

Some targets remain incomplete — the new permit value dollar target is listed as TBD — and framing certain goals as stretch targets may cause public confusion if the city falls significantly short without clear communication about intent.

What happens next: Progress on these targets was expected to be discussed at annual effective governance meetings, with quarterly updates tracked through a new public dashboard. Some targets still needed baseline data established.

Sources: Work Session agenda (city portal)

Work SessionOutcome pending

Launch and Implementation of City Strategic Plan Public Dashboard

A public-facing digital dashboard for tracking the city's 2023-2026 Strategic Plan was scheduled for presentation and discussion at this work session. The dashboard, built on the Envisio platform, was designed to track 5 strategic priorities, 15 desired outcomes, 26 targets, 22 initiatives, and 118 specific actions — with 16% of actions reported as completed at the time of the session. Staff indicated the public dashboard was expected to go live on March 1, 2023, with automated quarterly updates built into the system.

final tally arrives when the city publishes the minutes

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Part of an ongoing matter · 1 related discussion

Potential benefit

If launched as planned, this dashboard would give all Richfield residents a free, publicly accessible tool to monitor city progress on housing, infrastructure, workforce, and equity goals without needing to attend council meetings or request records.

Concern to consider

At the time of the session, some initiatives lacked data or finalized targets, meaning the dashboard's usefulness would depend on city staff consistently entering accurate, timely information going forward.

What happens next: The public dashboard was expected to launch publicly on March 1, 2023, with quarterly data updates thereafter. Automated reminders to staff and automated progress reports to directors were described as built-in features of the Envisio platform.

Sources: Work Session agenda (city portal)