Wayzata Adopts Five-Year Strategic Plan

The City of Wayzata has unveiled its Strategic Plan for 2012 to 2017. The plan was adopted by the city council on Tuesday, Sept. 18. The role of the Strategic Plan is to guide all planning processes for the City of Wayzata over the next five years.

“I’m very pleased to unveil this plan, which provides a vision for Wayzata in 2017 and a blueprint for reaching these goals,” said Mayor Ken Willcox.

The plan was drafted over the course of six months and was informed by the city council and city staff, as well as boards and commissions staff.

Chief elements of the plan include:

• SWOT Analysis. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis connects the plan’s objectives and strategies to actionable tactics. The analysis identifies the external and internal factors that will either help or hinder the city from reaching its goals.
• Statement of Guiding Principles. The plan articulates six principles, such as positioning Wayzata as a well-maintained and safe community and building a strong, stable financial foundation, that reflect the city’s core values and underpin all of the city’s programs.
• Identification of Three Focus Areas. The plan identifies three focus areas where the city intends to make a significant difference over the next five years: 

1. Sustaining our community
2. Ensuring financial stability
3. Enhancing city assets. Each focus area includes measurable strategies and initiatives to help the city reach its goals.

For each focus area, a city staff member has been appointed to facilitate the execution of that area. The strategies and initiatives associated with the focus areas have been categorized with a staff lead assigned to each one.

“By setting priorities and building focus around our city’s future, we’ve already made a step in the right direction,” added Mayor Willcox. “We’ve painted a clear picture of where we want to go. Now the real work begins as we turn this document into actionable items that will help us get there.”

A full version of the plan is available at http://bit.ly/SmLehm.

Information provided by the City of Wayzata