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Item 6AAGENDA ITEM # 6A MARCH 8, 2010 RESOLUTION NO. 10-04 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH, FLORIDA ADOPTING THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH STRATEGIC PLAN DATED FEBRUARY 2010 WHEREAS, solving some of the largest problems or realizing some of the greatest opportunities for a community often takes a considerable amount of time and commitment of community resources over many months and sometimes years, and WHEREAS, a city government only has a limited amount of time, money and resources to solve problems or realize opportunities, so a process is needed to determine which goals are the most important, and WHEREAS, the City of Atlantic Beach has used a strategic planning process to determine which goals should receive scarce time and resources and that practice over many years has led to many major improvements in the community, and WHEREAS, the Mayor and Commission has again conducted a strategic planning process in February 2010 resulting in the most recent yearly Strategic Plan entitled "City of Atlantic Beach Strategic Plan February 2010", and WHEREAS, it is appropriate for the Mayor and Commission to formally adopt this Strategic Plan for the upcoming year. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH THAT; 1. The City of Atlantic Beach Strategic Plan February 2010 is hereby adopted, and 2. City staff is directed to focus their best efforts toward the accomplishment of the goals and objectives outlined in the Strategic Plan, and 3. The Mayor and Commission of Atlantic Beach support to the extent possible the legislative and budgetary steps needed for the accomplishment of the goals contained in the Strategic Plan. ADOPTED by the City Commission of the City of Atlantic Beach this _ day of , 2010. MIKE BORNO Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: ALAN C. JENSEN, ESQUIRE City Attorney ATTEST: DONNA L. BARTLE, CMC City Clerk AGENDA ITEM # 6A MARCH 8, 2010 City of Atlantic Beach Strategic Plan February 2010 The Atlantic Beach Commission has utilized a strategic planning process for over ten years to identify strategic goals for the community anal to focus efforts and resources to achieve them. Dramatic improvements in the quality of life for Atlantic Beach citizens have resulted. While the strategic plan is reviewed and amended each year, there are usually several goals that are carried over. This report describes the results of workshops held in February of 2010 to review and revise the strategic plan for Atlantic Beach. Strategic goals of the City almost always require a considerable investment of time by the city's top staff. In many cases, they also require legislative time to adopt or amend ordinances, approve budgets and take other actions. Many of the strategic goals require major budget funding to accomplish. Almost all of the goals take several years to achieve. The business of running a local government is often consumed with a long list of administrative details, minor policy issues, citizen requests and other items that all take their proper time to consider and resolve. The tasks involved in achieving the Commission's strategic goals however are always on the "to do" list that we keep returning to after the other items are properly dealt with. The steps to achieve the strategic goals are often discussed by the Commission throughout the year. Many of these require legislative action and they are often agenda items on regular commission meeting nights. In that way, the City Commission and the public remain aware of the current status. For the other items that are not on the regular agenda, a quarterly report on the steps to achieve all of the strategic goals is published. The strategic planning process changes from year to year and the 20l 0 meetings included the creation of a list of Consensus Issues in addition to the strategic goals themselves. Those issues are listed as follows: Consensus Issues - Prudent Financial Plannine. The nationwide recession has affected virtually every city and county in the country causing most to reduce services and/or increase rates. While Atlantic Beach has fared very well economically because of conservative past practices, it will be critical through the rest of this recession to focus on long term financial stability. - Maintenance of Infrastructure. While major improvements have been made to the City's water, sewer and storm water infrastructure through long term and careful strategic planning for the last ten years, it will. be important to ensure during this economic crisis that the level of maintenance is not allowed to slip and create a major liability for the community in the future. - Retain Quali . Staff. During the strategic planning workshops, the Commissioners expressed an appreciation for the quality of the top staff members and a desire that the caliber of professionals serving the City remain high for years to come. - Protect and Improve Neighborhoods. It was noted that both the physical quality of the City's neighborhoods and a strong sense of neighborhood involvement and belonging by its residents, are AGENDA ITEM # 6A MARCH 8, 2010 essential ingedients for any successful community. Progams to protect and enhance neighborhoods will provide long term benefit to the quality of life in the community. - Vibrant Business Corridors. Trying to improve the appearance as well as business environment in the commercial corridor along Mayport Road has been a top city priority for the last two years. While the commercial environment along Atlantic Boulevard is much better, concerns have been expressed about the loss of some major stores. - Parks and Recreation Facility Expansion. Atlantic Beach has many fine parks and facilities have been added and expanded in several locations over the last ten years. The Commission expressed a desire to further enhance the recreational opportunities available. This includes public art and all of its various forms. - Parking Issues. A concern was raised by the Commission that parking in the right-of--way of city streets, and particularly the through streets, has caused for a poor appearance, particularly in those streets that are considered to be major entries into the City. - Citizen Involvement. While citizen involvement in many of the City's neighborhoods has been high for years, some of the neighborhoods have been characterized by a more transient population, less involvement in community affairs and often higher crime rates. A key component in the quality of life in various neighborhoods is a strong level of citizen involvement and responsibility for solving their own problems. Strategic Goals. The Strategic goals set by the City Commission this year have been prioritized into two levels and put into numeric order. The highest priorities are those that are on a "to do" list with considerable work to be done toward their accomplishment in the next year. Those goals on the High Priority list are those for which plans are made to work on them in the future but may not be a top priority for this year. They may move up to the "Highest Priority" list in the coming year as time and resources become available. Hi!?hest Priorities 1. Police Buildin:t Goal: This goal is to design and construct an affordable new police building that meets the present and future needs of the City and the Police Department The current police building has space, design and survivability problems. In many ways, it is inadequate for the city's officers to do their job as well as they should. It is far too small to provide the room to perform essential police functions. In the case of a major storm, the City's most critical emergency facility would not be usable for months or even years. Funding to remodel and expand the police building was first included in the city's 2005-06 budget, but after closer inspection by architects, a recommendation was approved to construct a new building instead of remodeling the old one. Several city owned. parcels of land were considered as possible locations. The Commission made a decision to build the new facility in close proximity AGENDA ITEM # 6A MARCH 8, 2010 to the old building although the exact spot has not yet been determined. Architects have been hired to prepare the plans which should be completed and construction started during calendar year 2010. 2. Mayport Road Corridor Goal; This goal is to build, encourage and support a vibrant commercial corridor and strong residential neighborhoods along Mayport Road and adjoining neighborhoods. Concerns over crime, traffic, pedestrian safety, blighted appearance and other problems have caused the City Commission to focus strategic attention on the Mayport Corridor and the adjoining neighborhoods for many years. In the City's 2008-09 strategic plan, a comprehensive approach to improving the corridor was implemented. It has been the most complex strategic goal that the City has ever embarked upon involving numerous departments and a variety of legislative initiatives. Three full-time positions were added for this project including two Community Oriented Police Officers (COPS) and a Community Redevelopment Coordinator. Additional staff support from Code Enforcement, Recreation and other Police Divisions have also been utilized extensively. Approximately half of the commercial and residential neighborhoods in the Mayport Corridor are in the City of Jacksonville, so a strong working relationship between the Police and Code Enforcement Departments in each City has been established and maintained. While Atlantic Beach has been able to devote considerably more resources to this project than Jacksonville, several dramatic improvements have been seen in both cities. Probably the most visible of these is the completion of the landscaped medians which not only improved traffic safety but has made the corridor look much better and provided a visible symbol of the city's commitment to invest time and money in the area. The results of the past two years efforts have been many. Major crimes have decreased by about 25%. Through aggressive code enforcement, numerous buildings and lots have been cleaned up. Recreational facilities in parks have been rehabilitated and expanded and several community events have been started to provide opportunities for the residents to become involved. Emphasis in the next year will include a continuation of the police, code enforcement and recreation efforts to build a stronger community. Limiting approvals for new auto related businesses along Mayport Rd. has been identified as another important step in improving the corridor. This project must also be integrated into planning for the impacts expected over the next several years resulting from a new nuclear carrier being moved to Naval Station Mayport along with several thousand new employees. 3. Naw Base PlanninE. Goal: This goal is to work with the Navy, other governmental officials and private groups to anticipate the opportunities related to the addition of a new carrier and other assets to Naval Station Mayport and work together to realize their full potentiab Naval Station Mayport has had various levels of Navy and civilian personnel. working at the base for many years. These have almost always included personnel assigned to an aircraft carrier. However, when the carrier John F. Kennedy was decommissioned a couple of years ago, a number of AGENDA ITEM # 6A MARCH 8, 2010 personnel operating out of NS Mayport decreased by several thousand. The Navy has recently announced that NS Mayport will be upgraded to handle a new nuclear powered carrier and that one will be stationed at the base within the next five to ten years. Other naval assets may be moved to NS Mayport also. The result will be an expected increase of 3,000 to 5,000 personnel working at the base. Substantial impacts on traffic patterns, housing needs, commercial development and in other areas are expected. Major construction projects both on and off the base will be some of first visible impacts in the area. This major investment in facilities, equipment and personnel by the Navy will have a tremendous economic impact on the Mayport Road Corridor and in Atlantic Beach. These will include traffic patterns and substantial private investment in residential, commercial and industrial buildings within easy driving distance to the base. It will be important to Atlantic Beach to work with the Navy, Jacksonville officials, other state and federal agencies and various private groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and business associations to maximize the benefits that the Navy investments will bring to the community. 4. Ronal Palms Goal; This goal is to continue the revitalization of the Royal Palms neighborhood by completing the storm water reconstruction and continuing to improve the rundown appearance of the neighborhood The Royal Palms neighborhood in Atlantic Beach was built in the 1960's and is one of the city's largest neighborhoods. The infrastructure and the appearance of the neighborhood have been showing signs of age and deterioration. Galvanized storm water lines have rusted severely and caused several cave-ins. Recognizing the growing problem, Atlantic Beach put away funds for the storm water reconstruction project over several years and, with low construction prices available due to the economic downturn, work has started to get the job completed earlier than was originally thought possible. Construction will. be completed during 2010. A second problem has been the appearance. Many of the houses have been well maintained, but many more were not. Accumulations of junk, lack of adequate parking, lack of landscaping or trees, rusted chain link fences and poorly maintained houses have all contributed to the problem. After an initial survey of residents indicated strong support for cleaning up the neighborhood, the City has dedicated a considerable amount of code enforcement effort resulting in dramatic and visible improvements. The plan for this second year of the Royal Palms goal is to complete the storm water reconstruction project and continue to upgrade the appearance of the neighborhood through code enforcement efforts. 5. Waste Water Treatment Proiect Goal; The goal is to meet new regulations limiting the amount of nitrogen that can be discharged into the St. Johns River from the wastewater plants and stormwater systems in the most cost effective and beneficial manner. Excessive amounts of nitrogen discharged into the St. Johns River has caused for algae blooms in the summer which is both unsightly and toxic. State regulators have recently set a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the amount of nitrogen that can. be safely discharged into the River. After considerable study of the available options, a determination has been made that the most cost AGENDA ITEM # 6A MARCH 8, 2010 effective solution in Atlantic Beach is to eliminate the Buccaneer Waste Water Treatment Plant and pipe the waste water to the main plant which will be upgraded to meet the new standards. Design work is presently underway both for the pipeline and the plant improvements. Construction is expected to begin for both projects by the end of this year. The deadline for meeting the new nitrogen standard in Atlantic Beach is October 1, 2013. High Priorities 1. Park and Recreational Facility Expansion. Goal; This goal is to plan for the expansion and enhancement of the Ciry park system with specific focus on the possible expansion of Rose Park, extension of the Ciry's Pedpath system and opening up the newly acquired River Branch Preserve to public access. Included in the list of consensus issues was the expansion of parks and recreational facilities to serve Atlantic Beach citizens. Specific discussion during the strategic planning sessions revolved around the possible expansion of Rose Park, the continuation of the City's Pedpath system and opening up the River Branch Preserve to public access. The reason that this goal is not included in the highest priority list is an anticipation of very limited funds being available for new capital projects. 2. Seminole Road Improvements Goal: This goal is to develop and implement a phased, fiscally supportable project that will improve the safety, drainage and looks of the right-of-way of Seminole Rd from Atlantic Boulevard to the Five Points Intersection. Seminole Road. is a major entry to Atlantic Beach but has had a deteriorated appearance largely resulting from cars parking in the right-of--way. This has caused for a cluttered appearance and a lack of grass or other landscaping. This project was on the lowest list of strategic goals last year because of fiscal constraints. Only the resurfacing of this portion of Seminole Road has been completed. 3. Pension Plan Goal: This goal is to continue to review pension plan options to offer plans that are both affordable and provide for recruitment and retention of high quality employees. Changes have been made to the City's pension plans in recent years to provide competitive benefits to employees that are affordable to the City. With the continuing increase to the City's contribution rate and deterioration in financial indicators, the City Commission has asked to be periodically briefed on the status of the City's pension plans to determine if there are any changes that may be needed.