Agenda - Council Work Session - 02/12/2015 - Strategy Session

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City of Ramsey Mission Statement Work together to responsibly grow our community and to provide quality, cost-effective and efficient government services. Q 1; Does this statement reflect our purpose (the reason why the city exists)? Why or why not? I. Yes, it represents the most important purpose of our government to provide basic services - and outlines the guiding principles of doing so efficiently and through collaboration. 2. Yes it does a good job, with very appropriate wording. 3. No not exactly, it's close. It sounds really generic. People in Ramsey don't care or want it to grow, only business really does. What people want is to feel safe (which our police force has done) a good quality of living and cost effective way of life. Government services sounds too much like a hand out. And in the past our City Council has been kind of self-serving to some people not cost-effective. 4. Yes. One question: per capita, does our budget match up with other like communities? 5. Yes. 6. Yes, our mission is to grow our city providing the quality of life that people live in Ramsey for and focus on staying within the budget creating an efficient and stable city. 7. Yes it does. 8. I don't believe the City's mission should be to grow the community at all, but to support the community. And stating the obvious, the, "quality, cost-effective and efficient government services", sounds like a Tea Party statement. What city government doesn't try to be cost-effective and efficient? To prove the opposite is true? 9. As long as the development of the infrastructure matches the plan developed over time, so that we are not just another bedroom community. 10. This statement does not reflect the mission of the CITY, it reflects the mission of our local government. If this statement is meant to be inclusive of the local government AND the citizens of Ramsey, then this mission statement needs some work. Perhaps the mission statement should be qualified to be: The mission statement for the local government of the city of Ramsey. Then, the mission statement makes sense to rne. However, the mission statement seems to focus ONLY on the local government organization - so, if it is meant to include citizens, then the statement as it appears is not inclusive of the city's citizens. Also - any time the word 'quality' is used, it begs definition. 1 1. 1 don't necessary agree that a city's purpose should be to "grow" all the time. To "improve" yes. To "grow" no. This is not to suggest that growth should be thwarted. But growth alone should not be the focus. The second half of the Mission Statement is great. But what measures are being taken to see if this part of the Mission Statement is being met? I would say then that the statement in part provides a reason why the city exists. A city should not exist merely to grow however. Growth does not always equal an ideal environment. 12. Yes. These should be the purpose of any city government. Strategic 'Planning • Organization Development • Board and Team Development 6385 Old Shady Oak Road, Suite 260, Minneapolis, MN 55344 Tel 952.942.2922 Toll 800.747.7469 fax 952.942.2927 Prouty ptolect • •