City of Laredo
Strategic Planning Workshop
M2002-W-03
Laredo National Bank
600 San Bernardo, 10th Floor
Laredo, Texas 78040
June 27, 2002
June 28, 2002, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
June 29, 2002, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
I. Call
to order
II. Roll Call
Strategic Planning Session moderated
by Tyler St. Clair, Weldon Cooper for
Public Service: Friday, June 27, 2002.
Working Breakfast
Getting Common Ground: Using Type to Enhance Working Relationships
This session uses an inventory to help
Council Members understand how they like to receive information, make
decisions, and orient their lives.
These differences, used effectively,
can help the Mayor, Council, and staff members use their strengths
collectively.
The Power of Vision
This session prepares the group for
visioning and goal setting.
Working Lunch
Developing the City Council
Vision
Using a simple exercise, the Council
will describe the long-range changes it would like to make in the City and the
best aspects of it that they would like to retain. From these, vision themes
can be developed that enjoy the consensus of the group.
Developing Vision Principles
The Council will determine the policy positions that it would like
to take in support of the vision.
Vision Principles state broad policies that provides a framework within
which the Council can make decisions and provide broad policy direction for the
staff.
Saturday, June 28, 2002
Working Breakfast
Refining Vision Targets and Goals
Working Lunch
Developing Operating Guidelines
This session will be devoted to helping the Council define
guidelines for Council/Council, Council/Mayor, and Council/Staff interaction.
Organizing for the Work to Come
The Council will determine
an action plan to follow up on the vision, vision, principles, goals and
operating guidelines. The Council will
also evaluate the session.
A. Tyler St. Clair, Facilitator provided the following
information:
Visioning Activity
Create a compelling image of the future of Laredo in 2020 by
answering:
1. What is it about Laredo that we want to preserve/keep?
2. What is it about Laredo that we want to change?
Red Group
Betty Flores, Gene Belmares, Johnny Amaya, Jessica Hein
Keep:
* Preserve downtown and our historical buildings
* Prominence in international trade
* Bridges
* Youth in Laredo - workforce
* River, greenspace, natural resources, Lake, creeks, water
* Growth rate
* Universities, educational system, community college
* Assets: Infrastructure, transportation available, geography,
land, quality of life
* Keep and increase public-private partnerships and corporate
citizenship
* Council/Manager form of government (charter)
Change:
* Increase amenities that contribute to quality of life (parks,
entertainment)
* Outside perception of the City (i.e. Austin)
* Value-added jobs that provide good salaries, benefits, and
upward mobility
* Clean city
* Educational system from K-16
* More business friendly community
* Staff perception of positions (citizens pay salaries)
* Community participation
* Perception of housing
* Increase availability of housing (public private partnerships,
promote housing for lower
Income sector through
ownership of land)
* Eliminate deterioration of inner city
* Revitalization of neighborhoods
* Increase economic development along the river
* Revitalization of downtown
* MSA/USA
* Relationship with metro government
* Park and recreation design (outside vs. inside; recreational and
educational)
* Code enforcement under one roof with cross training
* Irrigation system installation
* Change Charter to clarify the job description and
responsibilities of elected officials.
Make the municipal court
judge an appointed position as a mandate from Council.
* Funding for Council members (b/c Charter)
- No staffing currently
provided; see if staffing can serve the districts better
- Use government
students to answer phones to gain experience
* Consolidate all taxing agencies so that residents receive one
statement
* Relocation of the Zacate wastewater treatment plant
* Eliminate odor problems coming from storm drain and illegal
sewer line connections
* Riverfront development including parks, commercial attractions,
shops
* Provide more funding to LDF
* SBDC providing education to small business owners helping create
jobs
* Go after business value-added jobs
Blue Group
Hector Garcia, Alfredo Agredano, John Galo, Cindy Collazo
Keep/Change:
* Promote the City and market it for outside investors
(diversification)
* Continue CNG or H2O safer efforts with technological
improvements
* Training center should be at least 1000+ acres for runways, etc.
* Be at 50% in our recycling efforts
* Eliminate plastic and require biodegradable bags
* Add riverboat at Lake and redevelop recreational areas
* Theatres - add Spanish programming for the elderly (perhaps
special showings life for
kids)
* Riverfront development
* River Road - B5 to B1
* Middle age - new programming; summer programming
* Insure family values stay "small city" versus
"large city"
* Find alternate WBCA parade route so that more people can
participate
* Have developers/builders do inspections, with the City doing the
final inspection
* Expansion of medical center complex by Mercy Hospital'
* Keep current form of local government (council/manager) and
expand rep. Districts
* Maintain our current ties with Mexico and continue economic
planning with unrestricted
travel to and from the
two countries
* Add Metro street cars in downtown areas
* Develop lake at the training center similar to Lago
* Larry until 2020
* Relocate Zacate treatment plant
* Change City Charter and revamp
* Add zoo and waterpark
* Remove mobile homes from R3 district
* Get businesses involved in community such as events in districts
* Require both LISD and UISD to coordinate and get approval from
the City on location,
access to schools and
facilities
* Consolidation of duplicated services (schools, City, Webb
County)
* Inter-local agreement with local entities
* Need secondary, surface, and subsurface water
* Add air police patrol
* Relocate railroad tracks and add two new rail bridges with
sufficient grade
* separation
* Develop drive in theatres
* Add new hospital in South Laredo to insure that adequate medical
facilities are available
in crisis
* High speed connectors LDO/SA/Monterrey (high speed rail)
* Add light rail to serve Laredo and NuevoLaredo
* Move airport location b/w Routes 359 and 59
* Improve streets/traffic (wider streets, one way pair, add trees,
reduce noise, more major
collectors, compare
north and south areas of City)
* Municipal golf course
* Major improvements to LAFB area
* Convention Center next to LEC
* Add new convention center in the center of the city
* Add City Hall annex
* Zacate Creek Riverwalk and connect with Colonia Guadalupe
development
* Instill pride and cleanliness
* Take action on SOBs
* Add COPS station on Hwy359
* Add theater arts (Majestic)
* River gondolas/boats moving b/w Laredo and NuevoLaredo
* Add another outer loop to move traffic
* Add direct routes for schools and LCC
* Need another lake; develop with restaurants, etc.
Green Group
Eliseo Valdez. Juan Ramirez, Joe Valdez, Larry Dovalina
Keep:
* Efforts in historic preservation that promote our classical
architecture (Laredo National
Bank and Milmo Bank
buildings)
* Rich history and culture ("Only city under seven
flags")
* Keep buildings refurbished as Laredo must capitalize on the
richness of what we have in
order to attract tourism
* Maintain integrity of the river vega land similar to what they
have on the Rock Creek
Parkway. Use as an amenity and giant green belt in
our community.
* Our image as the most successful inland port in the nation
(technologically advanced and
efficient)
* Improving workforce opportunities and the strides we have made
in diversifying
employment
* Unemployment rate that is below double digits
* Our edge in salaries and benefits for city employees (as
compared to other government
agencies in the area)
* Improving the original Fort McKintosh campus with its old
original outposts or designate
it as a national
historic landmark
* Family values in the community, including:
- Providing support for
own family members
- Pride in the family
name, core family values
- Keeping negative
influences out
* Competitive edge
Change:
* Develop the downtown and riverfront to include:
- Massive improvement of
Zacate Creek, a riverwalk and and a barge that goes up and
down the river
carrying tourists
- Tourist shops, coffee
shops
- Removing cars from
street and closing of streets to increase pedestrian access
- Planting trees
- Improving buildings
- Activities that get
people walking and socializing downtown
-
Riverfront
Mall demolished and a condominium development built to bring people back
downtown (have amenities and park already there)
- Activities that bring
college kids and elderly people downtown
- A transportation
system that takes people crossing the border to the mall to shop
- Light rail system that
gets people back and forth across the
- Development of massive
downtown parking
* Initiate a massive program to cleanup, develop, and protect the
creeks
* Develop a long term plan so that all the creeks are like spokes
coming into a giant central
park system at the river
* Require the donation of creek land as part of development
* Eliminate the prohibition of the water line extensions outside
the City limits so we can
bring more land into the
City for growth
* Make home ownership possible for more people in the community
* Extend water lines to open up more land for development
* Change City Charter to allow us to determine where roadways need
to go and construct
them versus waiting for
developers go build them so we have more control over
development
* Revisit the state law as it relates to colonias
- Give residents vouchers
to buy the land they occupy
- Take to the developers
options to City owned land that they would acquire through a
lottery under the
condition that they would hold the ceiling price at an affordable level
* Team up with the County (if necessary) to dredge Lake Casa
Blanca and to do a structural
analysis of the dam to
determine its ability to retain water and to increase water
impoundment. Take the
Unitech effluent and run it down through the tributaries on
Chacon Creek to provide
a natural filtering system and to produce a constant stream in the
creek.
* Make sure the City's land use ordinance requires developers to
donate their vega land to the City so that we will have a greenbelt
* Have better police coverage, increased visibility, and response
time by increasing
manpower
* Move to precinct policing versus our current
"pitstops"
* Dedicate a larger portion of the property tax to pay for public
safety improvements in the
community
* Work on change at the State level to improve the City's ability
to get a larger portion of
collected municipal
fines so that these funds stay in the City
* Work at the State level to change the sales tax exemption given
to Mexican citizens so
that the City can
receive more taxes
* Change the City Charter
to make the municipal court judge appointed and make the
parking fine process
administrative
* Anticipate the growth of the City by planning for overpasses and
adding a rail bridge to
eliminate congestion
* Develop outer loop to highway standards goring from the proposed
area to the proposed
5th bridge
* More access to the Mines Road areas to I35
* Redevelop warehouse areas currently along the Union Pacific and
Tex-Mex railroads
* Create a system where developers that don't have enough land to
donate for park space
can contribute to a park
development fund
* No park less than 25 acres
* Protect existing creek areas by insuring that creeks are
buffered from warehouses and
future development
* Keep warehouses from being built on the west side of the Mines
Road area
* Finish developing our parks, including the Father Magnable Park
* Alexander Park - leverage and capitalize on funds to move the
City to the next level and
to create economic
development opportunities
* Construct an administrative office building downtown for the
consolidation of all city
offices, with an
allowance for future expansion
* Realign major streets on Mines Road off Flecha and Las Cruces
and Bristol and San
Lorenzo
* Extend River Bank Road from Deerfield subdivision to Indian
Sunset
* Remove the Zacate Creek sewer plant so we can make improvements
to the area
* Expand the Civic Center to add meeting rooms and additional
parking
* Create a stronger partnership with the Laredo Development
Foundation that defines
expectations and
includes regular reporting; consider increased funding to LDF
* Work more closely with the school districts to leverage our
resources and open up
recreational facilities
that will benefit both schools and the City
* Work toward having one central airport for the two Laredos using
the Laredo Airport as
the principal airport for the two communities. Create two separate
airports that include one for cargo that can run 24 hours a day, leaving the
other for passengers. Buffer both.
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Laredo City Council Planning Retreat June 27-29, 2002 MBTI June 28, 2002 |
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Alfredo Agredano |
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SJ |
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Johnny Amaya |
SJ |
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Gene Belmares |
SJ |
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Elizabeth Flores |
SP |
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John Galo |
SP |
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Hector Garcia |
NT |
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Juan Ramirez |
SJ |
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Eliseo Valdez |
SJ |
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Jose Valdez |
SP |
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Larry Dovalina |
SP |
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Cynthia Collazo |
SP |
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Jessica Hein |
SJ |
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Developing Strategic Targets
for the
Laredo City Council's Vision
Focus Question:
What themes should dominate our focus as a City Council for the
next 20 years in order for Laredo to achieve its full potential in the year
2020?
Strategic Targets:
Downtown/Riverfront Revitalization
Diversification of the Economy
Clean City
Social Infrastructure
Inland Port: Whatever It Takes
Well-Planned Infrastructure
Government Services
Public Safety
Council Subgroup Action Planning:
1. Strategic Target
2. Goals (with Objectives and/or Ideas)
3. Timeframe (less than 5 years, 5-10 years, 10-20 years)
Downtown/Riverfront Revitalization
Betty Flores, Juan Rivera, Alfredo
Agredano
1. Develop a structure and staffing to insure that
downtown/riverfront revitalization
achieves its full
potential.
* Acquire staffing (this budget period)
* Develop comprehensive downtown plan (end
of 2003)
* Develop relationships that connect the
public and private sector
* Gain access to grants and other funding
2. Develop the downtown/riverfront so that we enhance our economic
base, enhance
tourism, and improve
our quality of life.
* Acquire land to develop massive parking
capacity (0-5)
* Relocate Zacate wastewater plant (10-20)
* Remove odors (0-5)
* Continue to work with Mexico to beautify and improve traffic
issues (0-5)
* Develop light rail system (10-20)
* Remove railroad lines (20+)
* Eliminate abandoned warehouses (5-10)
* Develop a strategy to put multifamily, high rise housing
downtown (end of 2003)
* Develop strategy to significantly enhance tourism (0-5)
Diversification of the
Economy
Betty Flores, Juan
Rivera, Alfredo Agredano
1. Initiate partnerships with educational institutions, agencies,
and organizations to insure
that children are being
prepared for current and future needs in Laredo.
* Increase funding to LDF to achieve
identified goals (this budget period)
* Expand training capacity using all resources (0-5)
* Identify a stable fund for workforce training, including
scholarships (0-5)
2. Expand our position as a regional medical center.
* Establish a Veterans Hospital in Laredo (0-5)
* Create workforce development strategy for success as a medical
center (0-5)
* Continue to develop amenities that attract qualified medical
professionals (0-5)
3. Diversity economy in all areas of Laredo to decrease traffic,
stimulate the economy, and
to enable people to
work close to home. (Need specific objectives below)
* Create incentives for business
* Improve infrastructure (roads, parks, sidewalks)
* Develop entertainment and recreation
Clean City
Joe Valdez, Hector Garcia, Jessica Hein
1. Promote clean air in
Laredo
* Pursue emissions control strategies
* Continue CNG or H20 safer efforts with technological
improvements
* Object to inspection stations
2. Create a trash-free city
* Have the Environmental Services Department create and lead a
comprehensive
strategy for a
trash-free city (0-5)
* Enhance recycling efforts to insure that we are recycling 50% of
all trash (5-10)
* Create ordinance to eliminate plastic bags and require
recyclable bags and non-
returnable containers
(0-5)
* Create ordinance that requires all commercial development to
have adequate
receptacles and cleanup
programs or face continuing fines (0-5)
* Implement I35 and downtown trash reduction strategy (0-5)
* Instill civic pride (10+)
3. Eliminate/address the City's current environmental challenges.
* Laredo Airforce Base (0-5)
* Implement massive program to cleanup, protect, and develop
creeks (10+)
* Revisit requirements for developers related to environmental
issues (0-5)
* Develop plan to monitor private areas under court order/TNRCC
regulations (0-5)
* Develop a strategy to eliminate selling on right-of-ways (0-5)
4. Develop an innovative beautification program that enables
citizens to take pride in our
community.
* Develop strategy to address aesthetic issues (plant trees and
tif grass, add
sidewalks, underground
electrical wires, etc.) (0-5)
* Amend ordinance to regulate all major public buildings and park
areas to place
utilities underground
(10-20)
* Seek innovative beautification approaches (include issue of
transient population;
have residents buy trees
for Arbor Day, awards for yard beautification) (0-5)
Social Infrastructure
Joe Valdez, Hector Garcia, Jessica Hein
1. Improve housing opportunities in Laredo
* Initiate more programs for qualifying applicants
* Develop more municipal housing (i.e. Thomas Flore Apartments)
* Take pride in our housing program
* Stricter guidelines for tenants
* Develop program to modernize housing utilities (electric
appliances to gas
appliances; develop
policy to assure that both gas and electric are provided)
2. Improve public health
* Create satellite stations (WIC) to provide basic services that
are currently provided
only at headquarters
(Link all clinics via fiber optics for processing)
* Build community of medical service facilities
3. Improve parks (Update/align Parks Plan to reflect City
Council's strategic goals)
* Finish existing parks in plan (maintain existing parks, complete
usage studies)
* Revamp existing program for donated land for parks/rec use
(turnkey projects)
* Implement irrigation systems at every existing and proposed park
* Construct municipal golf course
* Zoo
* Waterpark
* Alexander Park
* Father McNaboe
* Create a park improvement fund for donations
* No park less than 25 acres
* Create ordinance requiring developers to donate vega land to
City for greenbelts
4. Improve recreation centers
* Insure that new recreation centers have technology/branch
library
* New convention center at center of City
* Expand current civic center
* Provide plan to identify recreation centers and parks in all
areas
* Add theatre arts (Majestic)
* Take over Lake Casa Blanca
* School districts partnership to utilize their facilities
5. Improve quality of life for our elderly and youth.
* Implement summer programs to include computer classes, sewing,
cooking,
movies
Inland Port: Whatever It Takes
Well-Planned Infrastructure
Eliseo Valdez, Johnny Amaya, Larry Dovalina
Note: Items in this action
plan have been bulleted and may be developed as goals and objectives.
Additionally, goals and objectives for these strategic targets have been
combined, but should might be separated for the final strategic plan.
0-5
* Traffic synchronization as a capital plan with action components
* AVI - Non-commercial (north-south)
* Use of system by NuevoLaredo and Laredo (federal and U.S. and
Mexico)
* River Drive Mall (?) buy in
* Strategies for continued involvement with trade groups
(government agencies, etc.)
* 5th Bridge (permit, design plans)
* EL Portal - Light Rail - Riverfront Development
* Inspection stations at 26 mile or reverse inspection in Mexico
* Crosstown Bus - HUB - south and north
5-10
* Cemeteries
* Outer loop expansion - tie at Rio Bravo
* Bob Bullock - grade separations (Del Mar, 59, 359, Magana Hein)
* Industrial Development - La Baranca
* Water (secondary, surface, other than river, River Casa Blanca
(permanent source,
long term)
* Landfill - 100 years
* Roads - major collectors - better planning - more funding
10+
* Develop air cargo transport component
* Move railroad out of town
* Construct two rail bridges; use old rail bridge for light rail
(Use TDOT money
allocated for rail
separation for construction of rail improvements)
* Double rail inside City limits
* Redevelop former rail properties for housing opportunities
* Light rail
Institutionalize our plan
Government Services
Gene Belmares, John Galo, Cindy Collazo
1. Revise the City Charter (0-5)
* Municipal Court Judge (qualifications)
* Utility extensions
* Clearly define the role and responsibilities of the Mayor and
Council
* Prohibit City employees from seeking financial gain from city
projects, events,
and contracts
* Vendor responsibility to the City (taxes, fees, fines, etc. in
relation to future or
existing contracts)
2. Improve and enhance customer services at all levels of
government (0-5)
* One stop and online shop
* City Hall annex (multiple)
* Possible use of community centers
* Public/private partnership (i.e. pay station, H.E.B., etc.)
* Consolidation of taxing entities
3. Create a stronger Code Enforcement Division (0-5)
* Cross training
* Under "one roof"
* Increase funding
* Increase public education
* Increase citizen participation (i.e. TIPS program)
* Develop air patrol schedule to assist with code enforcement on
quarterly basis
4. Increase City funding through multiple sources (0-5)
* Create a fire district fund
* Municipal fines retention (from all law enforcement, i.e. DPS @
bridge)
* Percentage of duties
* Manifesto fee
* Create additional enterprises
- Electric billboards on bridge
- Law enforcement/fire training center
* Aggressive pursuit of grants (public and private)
* Reimbursement of City provided services by federal and state
agencies
* Sponsor legislation to have class C's brought to Municipal Court
5. Grow LDF into a well-funding economic development corporation.
(0-5)
* Increase funding
* Increase City participation
* Widen the scope (clarify expectations, goals, and reporting)
6. Add individual staff to address council members needs (i.e.
speeches, presentations,
coordination,
constituent response, scheduling)
Note: Address mail system
at City Hall
7. Improve relationship with Metro Government (0-5)
* Coordinate and streamline services between political
subdivisions (schools,
County, and Texas)
* Implement better communication and planning processes between
same
* Create check-off list for interlocal developments (i.e. new
schools)
Public Safety
Gene Belmares, John Galo, Cindy Collazo
1. Create a world class fire and public safety training facility
(0-5)
* Acquire additional acreage (700 acres) to offer greater number
of training services
for all levels of law
and fire agencies
* Create aggressive marketing program to develop revenues for self
sustenance
* Create a long range grant/funding program to continue expansion
and
development
2. Review and create a well-defined and funded COPS station
program. (0-5)
* Tie in a community participation program
* Reactivate neighborhood watch program
* Create a speed watch program
* Develop interlocal agreement with schools for traffic assistance
3. Create an air patrol program (0-5)
* Interlocal with state and federal agencies
* Identify funding sources outside of G.F.
4. Create a long range fire station location plan to assess future
needs (0-5)
* Develop funding/budget plan
* Market or promote public/private "buy-in"
* Identify possible grants (public/private)
5. Develop long range security plan for bridges, airports, and
water system (0-5, 10+)
* Develop funding/budget plan
* Identify funding sources, grants, reimbursements from agencies
* Coordinate plan with all law enforcement agencies (MSA/USA)
* Identify and address strengths and weaknesses
* Review Emergency Response Plan to add potential threats
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Laredo City Council Follow Up Plan Timetable Identified on June 29, 2002 |
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Follow Up Item |
Due Date |
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1.
Facilitator
will send initial draft of plan to the City Administration
and it will be distributed to the City Council 2.
Mayor and City
Council will review the initial plan draft and provide feedback to City
Administration. 3.
Staff group
(City Manager’s Office and key staff) will develop a more refined draft
strategic plan. ·
Be as creative
as possible ·
Incorporate
current plans. ·
Refine goals,
objectives, responsibilities, timeframes. ·
Recommend any
appropriate funding strategies. ·
Recommend work
sessions where appropriate to enable Council to have more in-depth discussion
about specific issues. 4.
Mayor and City
Council discuss and endorse strategic plan and develop plan for
sharing/promotion. 5.
City Manager
brings Department Heads together for a planning retreat and to align the
strategic plan. 6.
Incorporate
strategic plan elements into budget. Strategies for
Following Up on Vision/Plan: 1.
Schedule
regular meetings to discuss strategic direction of the City, ideas, and
progress on the strategic plan. 2.
Schedule
Council retreat every two years to update and refine the plan and to
incorporate new Council members. |
Week of July 1, 2002 July 2002 August 1, 2002 Early September 2002 Mid September 2002 October 1, 2002 |
IV. ADOURNMENT
I, Jessica Hein, Assistant to City Manager, do hereby certify that
the above minutes contained in pages 01 to 14 are true, complete and correct
proceedings of the City Council meeting held on June 27, 28 and 29, 2002.
_________________________________________
Jessica
Hein
Assistant
to City Manager