City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 27, 2025
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: DANA WEDELES, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES OFFICER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
2025-2027 City Council Priorities Initiatives Updates
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of Calendar Year 2025-2027 City Council Priorities
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Discuss and consider the proposed 2025-2027 City Council Priorities, as developed during the winter City Council Retreat.
2. Receive select initiatives for each priority and schedule for quarterly updates.
BACKGROUND:
On January 31 and February 1, 2025, the Alexandria City Council held a retreat to clarify expectations and shape the 2025-2027 City Council Work Program. Facilitated by Accenture, the retreat was a dynamic and collaborative workshop that allowed Council Members to refine their priorities, strengthen partnerships, and align around a shared vision for Alexandria’s future.
Through strategic goal-setting and open dialogue, Council Members brought perspectives and set action-oriented priorities that aim to deliver meaningful results for the community. During the retreat, Council Members discussed their top priorities and outlined clear expectations for each one (Attachment #1), building on the framework established by the previous City Council in 2022. As discussed and agreed upon in the retreat, the priorities and their objectives are:
• Housing Opportunities: How do we accelerate the increase in the quantity and quality of housing and its availability at a range of price points?
o Objective:
§ Preservation of quality housing through efforts to preserve affordability and expand engagement with property managers on housing equity.
• Economic Strength: How do we increase economic the strength of the City and its residents to ensure future financial stability by further diversifying the tax base and increasing revenue?
o Objectives:
§ Attract catalytic revenue generating industries that invest in and benefit the community.
§ Expand the local economy by generating increased business activity and providing support for new and existing businesses.
§ Grow talent and opportunity within our community’s workforce by attracting employers.
• Eliminate Community Disparities: How do we refine our existing communication strategies to more effectively engage with the city information and services they need?
o Objectives:
§ Build strategies to empower residents to engage independently via accessible resources.
§ Develop community engagement plans/targets for initiatives (i.e. build trusted leaders, advocates, liaisons, to serve as two-way channel).
• Employee Attraction and Retention: How do we develop a culture that attracts and retains diverse talent in the public sector and ensure our employers feel valued?
o Objectives:
§ Hear directly from employees and potential employers, their perspectives on the organization and white it would take to retain them.
§ Communicate to prospective candidates, current employees, and the community, why the City of Alexandria is an employer of choice.
DISCUSSION:
Staff have developed a data management system to align departmental work plans with the Council’s established priorities. Attachment #2 illustrates how the City Council and organizational priorities fit together to define staff’s current focus in achieving our mission and vision (“Our What”).
As part of “Our How,” which captures the projects and initiatives that drive outcomes aligned with our priorities, all City departments have submitted six initiatives into the strategic management system to inform their FY26 work plans. Each initiative is aligned with a Council priority, and departments will provide quarterly updates within the management system.
To support a focused approach for quarterly Council updates, the City Manager’s Office has identified four spotlight initiatives for each of the four Council priorities. These sixteen initiatives exemplify the City's commitment to Community Connection, Equity, and Environmental Justice, the three guiding perspectives Council emphasized as essential to integrate across all City efforts. This approach keeps attention on our shared mission and supports sustained progress toward eliminating systemic barriers, ensuring equitable access to services, and advancing local climate action (see Attachment #3).
Quarterly updates on these sixteen initiatives will align with the schedule used for Council’s capital project reports. The strategic priorities management system is synchronized with the Capital Project Management Information System to increase efficiency and avoid redundant data entry. This integration also offers a more comprehensive view of organizational progress. Updates will include any significant changes in key performance indicators related to Council priorities and associated initiatives.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Council Retreat Summary
2. Strategic Framework
3. Council Priority Work Plans
STAFF:
Yon Lambert, Deputy City Manager
Dana Wedeles, Strategic Initiatives Officer, City Manager’s Office
Josh Ferguson, Performance Analyst, Office of Performance Analytics