City Council Goals


The City's Five Goals

  1. Foster Organizational Excellence. Select, train, motivate and retain highly qualified employees who represent the city in a professional manner.
  2. Deliver Responsive Local Government. Provide a representative system that identifies and anticipates concerns, problems, and opportunities, which are effectively addressed with thoughtful and decisive governmental actions for the benefit of citizens.
  3. Ensure Government Efficiency and Effectiveness. Equitably deliver services in a cost-effective, efficient, professional, and timely manner.
  4. Promote Economic Development. Create an environment conducive to economic development for the long-term financial prosperity and stability of the community. 
  5. Enhance Community Quality of Life. Preserve the community's physical, human, and aesthetic assets by assuring that Quality of Life services are available for the leisure, educational, cultural, and personal enrichment of residents.

Goal Development

Each Fall, (typically in November or December) the Cedar Falls City Council, Mayor, City Administrator, and Directors meet in a two-day public work session to build consensus on the desired general direction for the city.  This includes revisiting the city's goals and adjusting policies and objectives, as necessary, to best achieve the city's goals.  The resulting document is the Council Goals, Work Program and Short Term Financial Plan (CFD 1101), which is adopted by the council the following January.   This document is then used to guide the development of the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and the upcoming fiscal year's budget. 

Goals and Content

The Council Goals, Work Program, and Short-Term Financial Plan is a key city document because it provides guidance to city staff on city matters, like:

  • The council's overall priorities for the coming fiscal year;
  • Large-scale projects that will be included in the Capital Improvements Program, and in some cases, identifying other projects for removal or postponement;
  • Implementation of staff initiatives, like tuition reimbursement and succession planning, through the upcoming fiscal year budget.

Importantly,  even with the approval of CFD 1101, each item tentatively agreed to during the Council Goal Setting Work Session must still come before the CIty Council individually for a final vote.    Despite this, the document still is an invaluable planning tool for staff, since it provides clear direction for what staff should research and bring forward to the Council for final approval.