Hercules, CA
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Background
The City of Hercules held a Council goal-setting workshop on Saturday, April 13, 2024,
at the City Hall Senior Center. The workshop was facilitated by representatives from Tripepi Smith Talent Solutions and provided an opportunity for Council members to review and discuss priorities, celebrate recent successes, discuss best practices, and strengthen teamwork. The attached report contains a summary of the results of the goal-setting session.
Strategic planning is a common best practice for all organizations. Identifying broad goals, defining success for the organization and helping to set a direction for the team that works daily to deliver is a logical management practice. In city governments, this takes on a particularly important role where the function of the elected leaders is to set targets and priorities for the agency staff, and then to unleash the city staff to work on accomplishing the goals and delivering for the community. An effective strategic planning process both informs city staff about the priorities of the city council they serve and helps council members resolve their competing priorities and visions for the city they serve.
City managers find the strategic planning process to be particularly helpful as it gives them a chance to hear from all the council members in a public forum where they can engage each other in a healthy dialogue of shared missions and visions. This process also aids the city staff leadership team, allowing them to share their expertise to help inform the elected leaders about areas of concern, potential focus areas, and strategic solutions. The robust exchange can align the city staff to the aspirations of the city council and provide a three-to-five-year vision for their work and budget priorities.
The City of Hercules engaged Tripepi Smith Talent Solutions (TSTS) to lead a strategic planning process for the City Council in January 2024. The process included an interview with the City Manager, individual interviews with council members, a facilitated City Council workshop, a debrief of the workshop with city staff, and the assembly of this report.
The purpose of the process is not only to identify goals but also to establish a work plan with reportable objectives to accomplish those goals and provide ongoing progress reports to the City Council.
Vision
The vision of the City of Hercules is as follows:
| The City of Hercules is a richly diverse community, serving as a major transportation hub and a prime destination for the Bay Area. It is built on a sound economic and physical infrastructure, and its residents enjoy public safety, security, well-maintained parks, streets and public facilities. We conduct our work in an atmosphere of trust and respect. We constantly look for better ways to deliver services and always strive for excellence. |
Mission
The current mission of the City of Hercules is as follows:
| Our mission is to lead our diverse community and enhance the quality of life in the City of Hercules, now and in the future. We do this by providing effective, efficient, responsive, and innovative services with integrity and a culture of transparency. |
Organizational Values
The organizational values for the City of Hercules are as follows:
| VALUE | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| Integrity | Honesty, transparency, fair dealing |
| Professionalism | Exemplary conduct, competence, continuous improvement, respect |
| Service | Customer orientation, courtesy, hard work, striving for excellence |
| Collaboration | Teamwork, communication, community interaction and outreach |
| Creativity | Thinking, innovating, encouraging critical analysis |
| Tenacity | Setting priorities, staying focused, not getting discouraged |
| Responsibility | Taking ownership of one's work, accountability, going the extra mile |
| Document(s) |
|
2024 Strategic Goals (adopted) |