Workshops reveal perspectives of city leaders, set sights on current issues and outline future objectives
By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
City of Airway Heights council members and management staff convened for two “strategic goal setting exercises,” July 9 and July 26, to address mutual concerns and objectives.
Facilitating both workshops was Tom Agnew of Agnew Consulting, hired last year to oversee public relations and marketing for the city. Agnew specializes in teaching quality management techniques to business, government and community organizations.
“A major part of what I'm doing here is getting you as a group to tell yourselves what you need to hear in order to understand what you need to do,” Agnew told participants during the July 9 workshop.
Prior to the meetings Agnew interviewed each council and staff member separately to gather input, presenting a series of statements to which participants marked one of five answers, from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Respondents could write in additional responses and were presented with open-ended questions as well.
In most subject areas council and staff were largely in agreement. For example, everyone on both sides marked either “agree” or “strongly agree” to the statement, “Based on your observation and experience, in general, the City of Airway Heights provides good service to its citizens.”
Another, more specific statement – “Airway Heights' permitting process currently works well for developers, city staff and the public at large” – received a more nuanced reaction from both sides, with most falling in the “agree” and “neutral” zone.
One council respondent who disagreed strongly wrote in, “We've made some improvements but staffing issues and process issues create difficulties that should not exist. Staff needs to have more of a can-do attitude and facilitate the process better.”
A staff respondent held a different view, writing, “That's a tough one. I've seen worse. I can agree.”
In response to questions on how the city might encourage economic development, council and staff as a whole focused on maintaining a business-friendly environment, although the approaches varied greatly. “I think we should focus on defining the needs of our existing businesses and then develop programs or offerings that seek to meet those needs,” a staff member replied, while a council member wrote, “Continue to streamline city processes to facilitate business and get out of their damn way.”
Staff and council members were asked for some Airway Heights “success stories,” to which numerous respondents mentioned the city's annexation agreement with Spokane or the wastewater treatment plant currently under construction – big projects that they said have managed to stay on course even in lean budget years. Many also cited some variation on having a council and management team that has worked well together in recent years to further the city's image.
“We are no longer looked at as the small town just outside of the (Air force) base with the name no one knows,” one council member wrote. “We are now seen as a leader with no more good old boy mentality to run the government, to create a community in which we are all happy to live.”
City manager Albert Tripp said the workshop dialogue generated by the Q and A resulted in about nine objectives that will “position the city for success in 2011.” Agnew is now prioritizing a draft list of these goals, which will be made available for public input throughout Sept. and amended as necessary before being tied to the budget for next year.
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at [email protected].
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