Subject:
Title
2026 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN – GUIDANCE ON GOALS, POLICIES, AND STRATEGIES
Body
PURPOSE:
Council is asked to reach consensus on the criteria and guidance that staff will convey to the Planning Commission for reducing the number of goals, policies, and strategies in the draft Comprehensive Plan.
KEY QUESTIONS:
What criteria should distinguish which goals, policies, and strategies remain in the Plan versus which are removed, reworded, or deferred (e.g., level of specificity, presence of an identifiable implementing party, time horizon)?
Does Council want to set a target or range for the total number of strategies, and should that target apply Plan-wide or by chapter?
Should Council proceed by adopting a streamlined Plan now and reviewing the remaining/removed strategies in batches at future work sessions, or should the full revised list return from the Planning Commission before the Plan is adopted?
BACKGROUND SUMMARY:
At its September 14, 2026, work session, Town Council discussed the implementation framework included in the Planning Commission's draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan. The discussion focused primarily on the number and level of detail of the goals, policies, and strategies contained throughout the draft.
The current 2016 Comprehensive Plan contains 42 objectives and 182 strategies. The draft 2026 Plan contains 95 policies and approximately 300 strategies. The increase reflects, in part, more detailed policy direction, expanded subject areas, and input received from Town boards, commissions, staff, and members of the community during the update process.
Council members expressed concern that the number and specificity of the proposed strategies may:
Make it difficult for Council to adequately review and affirm the full contents of the Plan;
Create expectations that every strategy will be funded or implemented;
Include operational or program-level actions that may be more appropriate for departmental work plans, master plans, th...
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