To start this process, City Council approved a request for the City Manager to review proposals from consulting services to prepare a Strategic Plan. City Manager Chris Dalton said the process will be a huge undertaking, but is necessary to involve citizens in where the city goes from here.

“There’s going to be a community-wide event,” Dalton said. “We’re going to try and reach out to the citizens and get feedback on what they feel the city’s priorities should be. We’ll get a consensus and present those to the council.”

By the time it is finished, the plan will cover the next three to five years of city goals. Dalton said as time goes on, the plan will be updated with progress on these goals. As goals are met and new goals are replaced, the result will be a living, breathing document tailored to continuously meet the city’s needs.

Councilman Les Schultz asked what the timeline is for choosing a consulting service. Dalton said they are looking at bringing options to the Planning Commission in February and adoption by City Council in March or April. Once a consultant is on board, it will take 9-12 months for the strategic plan to be completed.

City Council also approved funds for the demolition of George’s Ballroom at their meeting Tuesday. The new development scheduled to replace it will also include housing, further changing the situation surrounding New Ulm’s housing problem.

Dalton said the city has used a comprehensive plan to act as the city’s strategic plan. While this worked for the time, he said as the city grows and changes a true strategic plan is necessary for several reasons.

“We need to show where we’re going,” Dalton said. “We get to determine our value statement and mission statement. We’ll put those priorities out there so the community understands what we’re focusing on. They’ll have the opportunity to give their input on what those priorities should be.”

Dalton said he has been set on starting a strategic plan for the past three years, but zoning changes and the previous comprehensive plan had to be carried out beforehand. In that time, Dalton said he’s found several areas of focus typically used for plan initiatives in other cities.

“Public safety, infrastructure, housing, economic development, and government transparency”. he said. “Sometimes there’s a park component. I’m hoping utilities falls under there as well. It’s ultimately the voice of the community, the council, and our commissions the consultants will compile.”

Dalton projects 13 to 15 target areas of development will be presented initially after the consultation process. From these, six to seven categories will be chosen for the completed strategic plan.

Councilman Eric Warmka ended the discussion with an endorsement and acknowledgment of the hard work and excitement surrounding the new endeavor.

“I know you’ve been looking forward to this so you’ll have a direction and inputs for where the future of New Ulm lies,” he said. I know that’s where a lot of your world revolves around. I’m excited to be a part of it, see what happens, and get the community’s input.”