Title
Recommendation to Accept the 2025-2026 Annual Update to the Strategic Plan. (City Manager)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In February 2025, the City Council held a workshop to discuss the annual update to the City of Alameda’s (City) three-year Strategic Plan. The Mayor and City Councilmembers provided feedback in a pre-workshop survey and through discussion and a prioritization exercise at the workshop, as summarized in Exhibit 1. The attached report displays updated project lists and is being presented to the City Council for approval (Exhibit 2). Following City Council approval, the report will be shared on the City’s website at www.alamedaca.gov/strategicplan <http://www.alamedaca.gov/strategicplan>.
BACKGROUND
In February 2023, City Council approved a contract with CivicMakers LLC to develop a three-year Citywide Strategic Plan (2023-2026) that identifies the City Council's shared vision, strategic priorities, and project workplan. The 2023-2026 Strategic Plan was adopted in November 2023 after incorporating considerable input from the City Council, community members, and City staff through a comprehensive outreach effort.
To ensure continued alignment between the City Council’s strategic priorities and the City’s budget, a Progress Report was prepared and presented in May 2024 as an exhibit to the staff report for the City Council’s Fiscal Year 2024-25 Mid-Cycle Budget Workshop.
DISCUSSION
On February 8, 2025, City Council convened a workshop to discuss the annual update to the Strategic Plan. In preparation, Councilmembers were provided with updated project lists in a survey and were interviewed regarding their priorities. While some projects were noted as less of a priority than others, City Council unanimously supported the presented project lists. Councilmembers were also given the opportunity to propose new projects for consideration.
The February workshop began with an overview of the survey findings and a display of the project lists. After a presentation and questions, Councilmembers used dot stickers to vote on their highest priority projects and sticky notes to suggest modifications. The project lists incorporated new projects proposed in the survey and edits made during the input process.
The results of this prioritization exercise are detailed in the retreat summary report (Exhibit 1). Following the voting, a thorough discussion of the projects took place with input from City staff. During this discussion, it was noted that the Invest in Transportation, Infrastructure, Economic Opportunities, & Historic Resources (TIE) category was large and multifaceted. It was recommended that this category be considered for division into two separate categories during the comprehensive update for the 2027 - 2030 plan.
Following the workshop, staff worked with CivicMakers to prepare the 2025-2026 Progress Report (Exhibit 2) that includes final project lists and an updated workplan. The following new projects have been added:
Enhance Community Safety & Services
• Add Street Vendor Ordinance
• Negotiate police officer retention program for mid-career officers (years 6 to 10)
• Continue implementing community policing and sector specific beat meetings
• Enhance efforts to expand AC Alert including internal user trainings and criteria for use
Invest in Transportation, Infrastructure, Economic Opportunities, & Historic Resources
• Continue implementing intersection daylighting on high injury corridors as part of the street paving program
• Create economic development events and City website videos to educate residents on City efforts to attract new businesses in commercial districts, shopping centers, business parks, and Alameda Point
House All Alamedans & End Homelessness
• Identify ongoing funds for Dignity Village (affordable housing)
• Research if development ideas outside of or adjacent to Alameda Point proper counts to Navy-Alameda housing cap
New projects that were recommended in the survey but did not receive priority votes are noted in the summary and will be brought back for discussion in 2027. Edits made to the projects are noted in red in the summary report.
Conclusion
This 2025-2026 Progress Report provides an update to the City’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, adopted by City Council on November 21, 2023. The Plan establishes a shared vision for Alameda's future, along with key priorities and specific projects to achieve them. The projects within the Strategic Plan are reviewed and adjusted annually as part of the City's budget process.
The Strategic Plan undergoes an annual refresh, with the next update scheduled for 2026. The City will undertake a more comprehensive process to develop a new three-year plan extending from 2027 to 2030.
ALTERNATIVES
• Accept the updated report
• Accept the updated report with changes
• Do not accept the updated report and instead provide direction to staff.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact from accepting the 2025-2026 Annual Update to the Strategic Plan.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action is consistent with the Alameda Municipal Code and the Strategic Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action does not constitute a “project” as defined in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and therefore no further CEQA analysis is required.
CLIMATE IMPACT
There are no identifiable climate impacts or climate action opportunities associated with adopting this report. However, there are numerous projects in the draft Strategic Plan that are in alignment with the City’s adopted Climate Action and Resiliency Plan and are intended to address sea-level rise, reduce greenhouse gases, and address resiliency.
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the 2025-2026 annual update to the Strategic Plan.
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah Henry, Communications and legislative Affairs Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Ross McCarthy, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Alameda Strategic Plan 2025 Retreat Summary Report
2. 2025-2026 Strategic Plan Progress Report