Results of a survey of McKinney City Council members identified the priority of new and existing goals following a reassessment of the council’s strategic goals, according to a March 17 council meeting.
The council’s strategic goals include six pillars that outline a variety of city and community topics, including city operations, financially secure government and quality of life. Each pillar includes specific goals and objectives that are prioritized and tracked. City staff tracks over 25 strategic goals and over 150 specific objectives.
In this annual assessment of the goals, council members ranked each objective on a scale of one being lower priority to five being higher priority. The survey results ranked the goals based on a weighted average of the council member’s responses.
The council ranked establishing better coordination between city administration, the McKinney Community Development Corp. and the McKinney Economic Development Corp., as well as continuing a commitment to the historic downtown square, as top priorities, according to a presentation.
Other top priorities include investing in “middle missing” housing projects and increasing the city’s commercial property tax base.
The assessment of the council’s strategic goals also included revision and addition of specific objectives. Many objectives were revised to include language that supports the growth and implementation of technology, including high speed digital connectivity and other “Smart Cities” initiatives.
“I do think it holds a good purpose because it reminds us of what it is we want to focus on going forward, and I have enjoyed the process,” Council Member Charlie Philips said on the annual goals assessment.
Other additions include a focus on developing a “live, work and play” community, scheduling more joint meetings between City Council and city boards and commissions. A new objective was also added under the operational excellence category to support diversity, geographical representation and professional background experience when considering candidates for city boards and commissions.
Many goals and objectives remain unchanged, including the goals related to financially sound government and the maximizing of the development of McKinney National Airport.
“This [process] does not foreclose the opportunity for other things that may come up throughout the course of the year, but it does help us understand [the council’s] relative priorities are and what we need to be working toward,” City Manager Paul Grimes said of the process.
The city staff will review the revised goals and priority to ensure they can be reflected in measurable staff goals prior to bringing the item back to the council in May, Grimes said. The finalized list will be utilized to inform city budgeting, according to Grimes.
