On February 2, 2021, the City Council conducted a study session to discuss the City of Vacaville Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2021 – 2026. This meeting provided the opportunity for Council to discuss the previously identified goals, prioritize the related initiatives, discuss new implementation strategies for each initiative and explore the addition of a new goal to include Community Engagement and Increased Equity and Inclusion.

The City’s Strategic Plan covers five years and will be used extensively by City Council and City staff to guide and manage future budgets. The Council’s prioritization of these initiatives serves to help focus work programs for all City Departments and ensure a commitment to the completion of the Plan initiatives.

Our mission is to understand and balance our citizens’ needs, desires and resources to achieve the highest possible quality of life for the overall community through the provision of excellent services and pursuit of our vision.

The City of Vacaville organization is entrusted with broad responsibilities that have a profound impact on our citizens’ health, safety and convenience and enjoyment. We carry out the organization’s mission in a manner that promotes pride—among its residents in the high quality of life they enjoy and in their City organization for the contributions we make on their behalf. 

We create this sense of pride by a commitment to:

• Excellence and innovation in customer service.
• Open and inclusive decision-making processes both internally and externally.
• Sustaining an organizational culture that values diversity, individual contributions, accountability, teamwork and a “can do” attitude.
• Promoting a community culture of diversity and inclusion along with the benefits of both a big and small town feel in a safe environment.

Through the SWOT analysis, City Council chose eight Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to address due to their impact to the City.  These have become the Strategic Initiatives and are each linked to their corresponding Strategic Goal. 

Goal 5 was added by City Council during the prioritization session and its Initiatives will evolve over time with City Council direction.

Goal 1: Ensure Public Safety
Initiative 1A:  Manage Changing Paradigm for Police
Initiative 1B:  Manage the increasing call volume for Fire and EMS

Goal 2: Strengthen the Local Economy
Initiative 2A:  Articulate a current Economic Development Program
Initiative 2B:  Manage Impacts from Growth

Goal 3: Protect Vacaville’s Quality of Life
Initiative 3A:  Promote Housing for All

Goal 4: Maintain Effective and Efficient services
Initiative 4A: Ensure Fiscal Sustainability
Initiative 4B: Rebuild City Support Services – Information Technology, Finance, Human Resources, and Risk Management
Initiative 4C:  Build a Positive Organizational Culture and Workforce

Goal 5: Promote Community Engagement and Increased Equity and Inclusion

To carry out these priorities in a timely and efficient manner, a series of Implementation Strategies has been prepared for each initiative.

These Implementation Strategies have been created to serve as the Action Plan to achieve the eight Strategic Initiatives that implement the City Council’s four overarching Strategic Goals.

The Action Plan that will be developed for each Strategy will include:

staff assignments; resources needed; funding parameters; and, a schedule to ensure proper implementation.

On the following pages you’ll find the Strategic Initiatives in order of City Council priority along with the associated Implementation Strategies, which have also been prioritized.  As Goal 5 was added by City Council during the prioritization session, its Implementation Strategies have not been prioritized and will evolve over time with City Council direction.

Implementation Strategies

1.  Implement COVID-19 Economic Recovery Strategy.
2. Invest in proactive Economic Development strategies that capitalize on the City’s strengths.
   • Implement Biotech & Advanced Manufacturing Strategies.
3. Expand relationships with existing partnerships to help promote local workforce readiness and meet local business needs.
   • Travis AFB, Solano College, & County Workforce Development Board
4. Develop a citywide business incentive plan that fosters economic diversification (i.e. infrastructure investments, incubator programs and grow local entrepreneurs).
5. Create an efficient development approval process.

Initiative 4A
Ensure Fiscal Sustainability

Goal # 4
Maintain Effective and Efficient Services

Within established fiscal constraints of the City, we provide effective and efficient services using outcomes and data as measures of the goal and the attainment of it.

Implementation Strategies

1. Continue to address long-term unfunded liabilities.
2. Continue to enhance the City’s financial position and operations by identifying and implementing additional financial tools as well as adopting policies and procedures that promote efficiencies and effectiveness.
   • Develop strategies to address existing Landscape and Lighting District structural deficiencies.  
   • Conduct a Water and Sewer Rate Study to ensure these Enterprise funds have sufficient revenue to cover future capital and operating costs.
3. Continue to expand upon best practices used for budget transparency.
   • Develop a long-range financial plan for Measure M
4. Pursue new and alternative revenue sources.
5. In the spirit of good stewardship, educate residents and other stakeholders on the financial and tax related concepts that affect the City.

Implementation Strategies

1. Develop a comprehensive Housing Strategy that promotes multiple forms of rental and homeownership opportunities and removes barriers in order to provide all types of housing for our community.
2. Create new ways to generate additional affordable housing and preserve existing affordable housing.
3. In partnership with public agencies, non-profit, faith- based and other key stakeholders, develop and implement a comprehensive homelessness action plan that addresses sleeping in outdoor spaces, pro vides supportive services, and identifies strategies for permanent housing.

Initiative 4C
Build a Positive Organizational Culture and Workforce

Goal # 4
Maintain Effective and Efficient Services

Within established fiscal constraints of the City, we provide effective and efficient services using outcomes and data as measures of the goal and the attainment of it.

Implementation Strategies

1. Develop an innovation and efficiency plan that uses best practices.
2. Cultivate a progressive work culture that is responsive to customer service demands.
3. Explore best practices for integrated performance management and benchmarking into the City’s work culture.
4. Promote a highly engaged workforce.
5. Potentially revisit City’s current Core Values:
   • Accountable
   • Inclusive
   • Innovative
   • Responsive

Initiative 2B
Manage Impacts from Growth

Goal # 2
Strengthen the Local Economy

Our businesses will grow locally through public/private partnerships, create local job growth to support livable wages and a greater tax base to fund services for Vacaville stakeholders.

Implementation Strategies

1. Provide achievable funding mechanisms for planned development projects including:
   • Update City’s Development Impact Fee
   • Conduct Community Facilities District and Landscape and Lighting District evaluations 
2. Complete and implement  City’s Park and Recreation Master Plan.
   • Explore development of additional parks.
   • Examine neighborhood equity of parks and services.
3. Reinvest in aging infrastructure in downtown to help ensure the success of the Downtown Specific Plan.
4. Ensure the City has up to date infrastructure Master Plans (i.e. Water, Sewer, Roads, Drainage) for new growth areas.
   • Develop a new fiber-optic Master Plan.
5. Promote climate, sustainability and green energy.
6. Leverage the use or sale of City owned surplus property.

Implementation Strategies

1. Develop and implement a Public Safety Strategic Plan
   • Evaluate current industry Best Practices and new legislation to ensure we’re meeting community expectations.
   • Utilize public safety and quality of life key performance indicators to identify, analyze and report on new trends.
   • Explore new programs and methods to address the increased demand for mental health, homeless, and substance abuse services.
2. Prioritize community–based policing practices and identify areas for extended outreach and program development
3. Pursue accreditation from the CALEA national program which promotes increased community advocacy and greater accountability within the agency.

Initiative 1B
Manage  the increasing call volumes for Fire and EMS

Goal # 1
Ensure Public Safety

Meet the needs and expectations of all residents and businesses and integrate health and public safety into the fabric of the Vacaville Community

Implementation Strategies 

1. Evaluate staffing models and facility demands to meet future public safety service delivery needs.
   • Increased calls for service.
   • Expand or move fire stations.
   • Potential impacts from future Biotech and master-planned development projects.
2. Consider opportunities to improve the City’s emergency management, including targeted efforts in wildfire preparedness and response.

Initiative 4B
Rebuild City Support Services:

• IT & Finance
• Human Resources
• Risk
• Management 

Goal # 4
Maintain Effective and Efficient Services

Within established fiscal constraints of the City, we provide effective and efficient services using outcomes and data as measures of the goal and the attainment of it.

1. Implement the Technology Strategic Plan and Geographic Information Services Master Plan
   • Develop policies for increased cyber security.
2. Explore “Smart Cities” technology initiatives to address key community needs and interests.
3. Implement an Enterprise Risk Management program.
4. Continued implementation of the City’s new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
   • Expand ERP for contract management
5. Build upon best practices for successful on-going employee retention and recruitment efforts that retain and attract high performance employees.
6. Develop and implement a Records Retention system.

Promote Community Engagement  and  Increased Equity and Inclusion 

Implementation Strategies

• Create and implement a comprehensive Community Engagement Plan to enhance public dialogue and trust between the Organization and the Community.
• Develop a comprehensive Communications Plan that includes a multi-lingual component. 
• Explore the use of a Neighborhood Capacity-Building Strategy. 
• Continue to develop and expand upon the efforts with the City’s new Social Justice and Equity Focus Group.

This Strategic Plan is designed to guide the work and future of the City of Vacaville.  It is intended to be a living document that articulates the organizational vision and mission of the City and establishes goals and initiatives as a guide for decision making.

The Strategic Plan will be used  to prioritize future City budgets and the work programs of all City Departments to ensure a commitment to the completion of these goals and initiatives.

To keep Council and the community updated on the progress being made with the implementation of the Plan, City staff will report on the progress of the strategies at least three times per year in conjunction with planned budget updates during the year in February/March;  June/July; and, October/November.

Ron Rowlett, Mayor

Nolan Sullivan, Vice Mayor

Roy Stockton, District 1

Michael Silva, District 3

Jason Roberts, District 5

Jeanette Wylie, District 6