White Bear Lake Development News

City Council Approves Updated Strategic Plan for 2024-2026

The City Council engaged in a work session to update the city's strategic plan for 2024-2026. This process involved refreshing the long-term direction, establishing a vision and mission statement, evaluating current conditions, and developing two-year goals. The updated plan outlines six core strategies and objectives, including creating a safe and welcoming community, becoming a historic destination, fostering responsive leadership, ensuring community support opportunities, attracting diverse retail and commercial development, and maintaining fiscal resilience. A proposed vision statement emphasizes lakes, connection, small-town feel, safety, and honoring the past, supported by exceptional services. The mission focuses on delivering high-quality services with professionalism, fiscal responsibility, engagement, and forward-thinking leadership. The plan also identifies high-priority goals such as completing a housing needs assessment, generating new non-property tax revenue, continuing EAB tree removal and reforestation, adding communications staff, and involving youth in city activities. Opportunity goals include implementing new technology, updating the emergency operations center, and boosting employee wellness. The council is asked to adopt the resolution for the strategic plan and direct the city manager to develop action plans and benchmarks for implementation.