Strategic Planning Precursor to Biennial Budget

Cathedral City Holds Strategic Planning Session

CATHEDRAL CITY — As the City Council prepares to set its biennial budget, it held a strategic planning session Saturday with the following goals as a foundation: Serve the Community with Pride and Dedication, Community Investment, Fiscal Stability and Sustainability, Innovation, Safety and Embracing, Inclusive Community

Strategic planning is crucial for a city as it helps set clear goals, allocate resources efficiently, and guide long-term development. It enables proactive decision-making, promotes collaboration among stakeholders, and ensures sustainable growth, enhancing the overall well-being of residents, according to Anne V. Ambrose, Assistant City Manager.

“Our annual goal-setting retreat focuses on these areas; What have we accomplished since the last conference? What will be brought forward that is still applicable? Is there anything we no longer want to bring forward? And in what order might these goals be prioritized?” Mayor Nancy Ross told Uken Report.

This process helps everyone understand the cohesive path forward and helps Council and staff work towards achieving these goals, she said.

“We define these outcomes in a variety of ways including reaching out to the community, listening to staff input as well as having Council interviews,” Ross said. “Keeping in mind throughout the process that this is a living document that must remain pliable in how we address and achieve the priorities. We have now completed this year’s goal setting and written down many of our wants and hopes, after agreeing on them as a Council. Work begins now establishing a roadmap to complete this process.”

You may read the updated and revised 2025 Strategic Plan here: https://ukenreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Five-Year-Stratetic-Plan-Updated-1-25-25.pdf

In November 2022 the City Council and staff leadership began a strategic planning process to develop a roadmap to guide Cathedral City for the next five years. Through a series of workshops, informed by City Councilmember interviews, a community survey, and
staff input, the City Council and staff refined the vision and values of the City organization, established goals and objectives, and created work plans to advance the city forward in the jointly shared strategic direction. The City Council adopted the strategic plan on April 12, 2023.

On January 27, 2024, the City Council conducted a strategic planning workshop and received comprehensive presentations from the
departments on their progress and goals for the upcoming year. Staff made additional progress reports to the City Council on February 14, 2024, and August 14, 2024.

“Despite the setbacks incurred because of Tropical Storm Hilary in August 2023, staff have continued to make consistent progress on goals and objectives agreed upon by the City Council,”” Ambrose wrote in a staff report.

This month, staff will begin preparing the next biennial budget for FY 2025/2026 and FY 2026/2027, so it is timely to review the strategic plan to ensure that resources are prioritized in alignment with the plan’s goals and objectives or to make any course corrections as necessary, she wrote.