Council discusses goals for 2027 retreat: long-term vision, housing and regional partnerships

City Manager John Piper introduced agenda ideas for the 2027 council retreat, emphasizing long-term visioning, facilitated discussion, legislative priorities, and agency briefings. "In your packet, you will see the most recent council retreat that we did in January of this year, and the agenda that was contained therein," Piper said, listing possible retreat components including a facilitated session on long-range vision, nonprofit engagement, and five-year crime trends from the police chief.

Several councilors suggested the retreat be council-driven rather than staff-heavy. A councilor recommended inviting housing policy experts and regional partners and asked that the school superintendent and school-board chair be included to discuss referendum outcomes and school funding trends. Piper said staff will solicit council input on topics and bring finalized retreat proposals to a work session.