On Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, the Des Moines City Council convened for a strategic retreat to define the city’s future.
Under the expert guidance of Andrew Ballard from Marketing Solutions, Councilmembers collaborated to develop a shared vision for Des Moines.
The session focused on crafting a compelling Mission, Vision, and Values Statement that will guide the city’s decision-making processes and shape its identity.
Ballard explained that an organization’s Mission is current and ongoing, while its Vision is the desired future, looking one generation ahead. Core Values are perpetual to the organization- unless they are updated at some point.
Council discussed the topics, brainstorming concepts and editing phrases until they reached a majority agreement on the wording for each of the topics. Here is what they came up with:
Mission
Des Moines is a waterfront community; building a safe, sustainable environment by providing a high quality of life for all to live, work, and play.
Vision
To be the premier marine destination in the Pacific Northwest.
Values
Core values of the city of Des Moines are:
- Safety
- Sustainability
- Integrity
- Transparency
- Innovation
When the process was complete, new City Manager Katherine Caffrey was asked if the session was helpful. She replied that the discussion had been super helpful, but that this is just the foundation. She said this is a starting place for her and city staff to work from. Ballard added that the Mission, Vision, and Values statement is meant to be a guidance system to prioritize future decisions.
Town Hall On Airport Expansion
City Manager Caffrey also wanted to share that a date and time have been picked for a Town Hall meeting on the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). It will be on Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024, from 6 – 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting will be recorded and available online as well. Caffrey said the aim of the meeting is to equip residents to know how to make meaningful and relevant comments to the Port during the public comment period.
The period for public comments on the planned airport expansion is open from now until Dec. 13.
