2024 Strategic Plan - A Roadmap to Our Future
Published on September 19, 2024
Written by: Nicole Delfino
Strategy & Sustainability Manager
The City of Dunedin is excited to present the 2024 Strategic Plan, a vision-driven blueprint designed to guide our community toward a prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive future. This plan is a product of extensive collaboration between city leadership, residents, employees, and key stakeholders, ensuring it reflects our community.
How the Plan Was Formulated
In 2023, the City of Dunedin initiated a strategic planning process with the support of the USF Florida Institute of Government and St. Petersburg College's Collaborative Labs. The planning process incorporated input from a wide range of voices—residents, business leaders, city employees, and elected officials. Through community forums, focus groups, and surveys, we captured the diverse perspectives of our community, ensuring the plan aligns with Dunedin’s values and long-term goals.
We began by identifying key themes from resident feedback, such as affordable housing, sustainability, traffic management, and maintaining our small-town charm. These were the foundation for the plan’s strategic priorities. Through two community forums and numerous leadership workshops, the plan evolved into a comprehensive framework that balances growth with sustainability, enhances our infrastructure, and ensures a high quality of life for all.
Highlights of the Plan
The Strategic Plan is built around seven key themes, each focused on different aspects of community well-being. These themes include:
1. City Services: Ensuring efficient, effective, and responsive city services like water, sewer, sanitation, and public safety.
2. Communications and Technology: Enhancing communication between residents and the city through better digital platforms and public engagement.
3. Community Amenities: Expanding parks, cultural programs, and recreational facilities to maintain our vibrant community atmosphere.
4. Environmental Resiliency and Sustainability: Implementing strategies for water quality protection, sustainable infrastructure, and adapting to climate change.
5. Good Governance: Promoting responsible leadership, fiscal sustainability, and exceptional customer service.
6. Infrastructure, Planning, and Growth: Focusing on responsible development, critical and basic infrastructure, affordable housing, while maintaining our small-town character.
7. Multi-Modal Transit: Improving transportation options, including better pedestrian walkways, bike paths, and exploring alternative transportation options.
Plan Priorities
As part of the plan’s development, city leadership identified six priority goals for immediate focus:
1. Responsive Customer Service: We're improving city services by establishing consistent customer service standards, streamlining processes, and enhancing communication to ensure efficient and accessible support for all residents.
2. Public Safety with Community Engagement: By enhancing emergency services and fostering community police connections, we’re ensuring Dunedin remains a safe, connected, and well-protected community.
3. Water Quality Protection: We are committed to protecting our water resources through sustainable infrastructure, pollution prevention, and educational programs for both residents and city staff.
4. Accountable Leadership: Our leadership prioritizes transparency, ethical governance, and active civic engagement, ensuring decisions reflect community values and build trust with residents.
5. Preserving Our Small-Town Charm: As Dunedin grows, we remain focused on retaining the unique charm and character that residents love, balancing development with historic preservation.
6. Community-Focused Zoning: We are updating zoning and land use codes to better reflect the needs of our growing community while ensuring residents have a voice in shaping the city’s future.
The Importance of a Strategic Plan
This strategic plan is more than just a document—it’s a shared vision for Dunedin’s future. As the plan moves toward the next phase of implementation, it will align the city’s budget and resources with community goals. Coming soon will be a public facing dashboard for the community to track progress as well as regular updates and quarterly reports. We invite all residents to stay informed and engaged throughout the implementation of this plan. To learn more about the plan and get involved, visit our dedicated page at https://dunedin-fl.civilspace.io/en/projects/strategic-planning.