City Council Strategic Vision

Stretch Goal: Realize a lively mixed-use, walkable commercial downtown district.

• Community and Economic Development: Issue Requests for Proposal (RFP) for a comprehensive Downtown Specific Plan update to address all milestones in this goal.  The project estimate is up to $750,000 in consultant fees and a 24-month timeline for deliverables post-contract award.

1. Expand opportunities for downtown living.
2. Preserve downtown's historic character.
   • Public Works: Continue downtown annual maintenance including parking structure maintenance and repair and concrete cleaning and paver repair.
   • Electric Utility: Continue to proactively maintain historic decorative streetlights and other distribution infrastructure.
3. Ensure accessibility for multi-modal transportation and public safety.
4. Protect and promote the use of public facilities including the library, public safety building, and the city administration building.
   • City Manager: Maintain contracts for security services at public facilities and patrol within the downtown core to ensure safe access to public facilities and provide resources to monitor nuisance issues.
5. Expand the perimeter of downtown mixed-use zoning.
6. Adopt policies that incentivize the revitalization of buildings and infrastructure.
   • Electric Utility: Continue to offer 0% energy efficiency financing for commercial and industrial customers.

Stretch Goal: Raise the median income of Lodi residents to the top 25% of the State of California.

1. Develop a long-term economic development strategy.
2. Expand and diversify economic opportunities.
   • Economic Development: Launch the Hometown Microloan Program and provide loans ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to Lodi entrepreneurs and micro business with 10 or fewer employees.
3. Continue to support Hydrogen Hub Project.
   • Public Works: Continue to make land available at White Slough Pollution Control Facility for hydrogen facility by planning for future public works needs on other available land.
   • Electric Utility: Continue partnership with Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) to pursue project funding and strengthen partnerships to develop the project.
4. White Slough Public Safety Training Facility.
   • See milestone 7.B for work plan report.
5. Grow the City through East Side annexation.
   • Economic Development: Develop flexible timing/action plan for East Side annexation. 
6. Repurposing existing assets.
   • Economic Development: Complete reuse plan for specific geographic area utilizing brownfields assessment funds.
7. Attracting tech and non-agriculture jobs.
   • See milestone 2.C for work plan report.

Stretch Goal: Create a fiscal structure to accomplish City Council Strategic Priorities.

1. Promote the city’s fiscal transparency and citizens’ fiscal fluency.
   • Finance: Continue work towards an open budget platform available to the public.
   • Finance: Continue publishing the annual budget in brief and Measure L in brief flyers and web postings.
   • Finance/Electric Utility/Public Works: Continue to provide quarterly financial utility updates to City Council.
2. Position Lodi to maintain a diversified revenue mix that reflects the economic prosperity of the community.
   • Finance: Research and present new revenue opportunities for City Council consideration.
   • Finance: Maintain a $25 million money market investment balance with F&M Bank to enhance local liquidity towards achieving Council Strategic Imperatives 1, 2, and 4.
3. Ensure elected leaders and staff retain focus on fiscal priorities.
   • Finance/Parks: Ensure rental cost recovery information is communicated to Council and increase rental revenue by 10% through enhanced marketing and/or fee adjustments.
4. Anticipate and advocate against unfunded mandates, while ensuring the city has funding amounts equal to annual depreciation levels to maintain assets.
   • Finance: Continue reporting on annual depreciation compared to funding levels within the annual budget for replacement funds.
   • Public Works: Present 5-year Water and Wastewater utility rate studies and recommend approval of annual rate adjustments according to plan to maintain adequate funding reserves for operations and capital. 
   • Public Works: Design and construct improvements at White Slough Pollution Control Facility to meet EPA and state regulations for contaminant levels of both solids and liquids in the waste stream including biological removal of ammonia from the liquid waste stream and stabilizing solids extracted from the wastewater treatment process.
   • Electric Utility: Implement 2% annual rate increases in August 2023 and July 2024 as approved by City Council in May 2023 to ensure adequate funding is available for operations, maintenance, and reserve requirements.
   • Electric Utility: Continue to maintain a 10-year financial forecast with annual capital spending minimums set at annual depreciation of utility system assets. 
5. Improve pension as against average cities by 25%.
   • Finance: Continue implementation of the City’s Pension Stabilization Policy.

• Community Development: Complete Housing Element update to address all milestones in this goal. The project estimate is $500,000 or more in consultant fees.

Stretch Goal: Ensure every socio-economic demographic and family structure can secure quality housing within the community.

1. Develop new housing opportunities with market values aligned with current Area Median Income (AMI) and standard housing/income ratios.
2. Create more residential opportunities downtown.
   • Community Development: Begin drafting zoning code modifications to permit additional residential opportunities as recommended through housing element update or Downtown Specific Plan process.
3. Ensure continued progress towards Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) Goals.
   • Community Development: Continue pursuit of funds and planning progress towards the development of additional transitional and supportive housing units in an adaptive reuse process of existing hotels on Main St.
   • Community Development: Continue discussions with the Housing Authority of San Joaquin County for the potential development of Salas Park Seniors, a 100+ affordable senior housing project with veterans’ preference on vacant City-owned property.
   • Community Development: Continue discussions with the Housing Authority of San Joaquin County for the potential development of between 12 and 24 units of deed-restricted affordable housing using a shared equity program allowing residents to acquire equity over time through rental payments. The project would be located on City property on Stockton and Harney Lane.
4. Require a percentage of housing in new developments to be workforce housing.
   • Community Development: Draft zoning code modifications for Council consideration.
5. Adopt standards and policies to promote housing for all economic levels.
   • Community Development: Finalize design and initiate construction on the Access Center project and award service contract to the facility operator.
   • Electric Utility: Continue to offer income-qualified incentives for energy efficiency and electric vehicle purchases as well as monthly bill discounts for low-income households. 
6. Develop policies that will promote affordable housing by design; generational housing by design; and diverse housing by design.
   • Community Development:  Revise development standards for housing to include these and other affordability elements, including development standards for subdivisions.
7. Consider ways to support the existence of an adequate number of rental properties.

Stretch Goal: Develop and maintain a robust infrastructure to support a world-class city.

1. Invest in innovative infrastructure with a high Return on Investment (ROI).
   • Finance: Develop a business plan for outdoor public safety training facility in Lodi (see Milestone 7.B for facility work plan).
   • Parks: Design and initiate full renovation of Legion Park Community room to enhance rental potential.
   • Parks: Install climate control system at Hutchins Street Square (HSS) pool to reduce moisture levels, reducing long term costs from moisture-related damage and enhance usability of the indoor pool.
   • Parks: Perform facility/system-wide needs assessment and develop a three-year plan for full video surveillance, including a budget to ensure the safety of parks facilities and provide protection of valuable infrastructure.
   • Community Development: Examine both public and private underutilized or vacant property Citywide and consider approaches for achieving the highest and best use, including policy or zoning modifications, for Council’s consideration.
   • Electric Utility: Support the completion and operation of California Department of Water Resources in town power plan for California electrical grid constraints and local transmission emergencies. 
   • Electric Utility: Continue to meet and exceed industry standards for system inspections and maintenance work while proactively identifying and addressing system issues prior to outages or disturbances.
   • Electric Utility: Continue investment in modernizing Lodi Electric’s substations to ensure the highest levels of reliability.
2. Adaptive reuse of existing properties.
   • See Milestone 4.C for further work plan update.
   • Fire: Evaluate needs for ensuring firehouse(s) are suitable for co-ed living including developing cost estimates.
3. Address deferred maintenance.
   • Parks: Search and apply for grants to replace Lodi Lake’s non-motorized dock.
   • Parks: Complete demolition of dilapidated, attractive nuisance park structures (Lodi Look Building, Lawrence Park Restroom and Softball Complex Concession Stand).
   • Parks: Complete playground renovation/replacements at English Oaks, Hale Park tot lot, Peterson East, Legion and Katzakian parks.
   • Parks: Finish improvements to Peterson Park tennis courts.
   • Parks: Clean grout and reseal tile in restrooms at Hutchins Street Square (HSS) theater and complete concrete repair work on HSS exterior. 
   • Parks: Complete Zupo Field grandstand seating and press box replacement improvements.
   • Public Works: Maintain and publish a schedule of roof replacements on City facilities/buildings including Hutchins Street Square (HSS). 
   • Public Works:  Continue annual wastewater main replacement program to replace mainlines that have exceeded their anticipated useful life.
   • Public Works: Continue annual water well rehabilitation program to maintain and improve wells with past due maintenance to optimal condition
   • Public Works/Police: Complete HVAC replacements to ensure jail operability and reduce overheating in the summer/fall.
   • Public Works/Police: Complete indoor range renovation to enable efficient regular officer training. 
4. Ensure capacity for future growth.
   • See Milestone 7.H for Animal Shelter work plan. 
   • Public Works: Continue administration of existing Impact Mitigation Fee programs.
   • Public Works: Initiate projects to expand capacity at the Surface Water Treatment Plant, add new water Well #29, and begin design and construction of a new water tank. 
   • Electric Utility: Continue to work with PG&E and the CPUC on the 230kV transmission upgrade project to improve capacity, reliability, and affordability for City of Lodi ratepayers and ensure access to high voltage electricity in sufficient capacity to serve current and future development.
   • Electric Utility:  Complete feeder extension intertie work to allow for additional capacity in system-constrained parts of the City. 
5. Proactive infrastructure development for Sphere of Influence (SOI) and growth areas.
   • Community Development: Encourage the development of infrastructure financing options such as Community Facilities Districts or additional Impact Mitigation Fees for new growth areas.
6. Ensure that funding for the maintenance of future development projects is sustainable and self-supporting.
   • All (Finance Lead): Develop a comprehensive list of infrastructure, current condition, prioritization for maintenance, upgrade or repair, annual funding requirements, and identify funding shortfalls.
   • Parks: Bring on-line an automated work order system to support division and department-wide data-driven decision-making for prioritization of parks maintenance and projects.
   • See Milestone 3.D for water/wastewater and electric forecast and rate increase plans to ensure adequate funding for operations and maintenance.

Stretch Goal: Develop a world-class revenue-generating Parks System.

1. Fully staffed to annual benchmarks.
   • Parks: Develop parks service level, cost recovery, maintenance, and resulting staffing standards for Council consideration. 
2. Expand, develop, and maintain Lodi Lake to meet or exceed industry standards.
   • Parks: Finalize Lodi Lake south side improvements; upgrade and install new cable fencing in RV area.
   • See Milestone 5.C for an additional deferred maintenance work plan.
3. Develop and maintain sports/recreational facilities for City and public use including an indoor sports facility.
   • See Milestones 5.A and 5.C for infrastructure and deferred maintenance work plan.
   • Parks: Issue Request for Proposals for the indoor batting cage concession.
   • Parks: Release Request for bids for the next phase of Debenedetti Park construction. 
4. Expand, develop, and maintain Hutchins Street Square (HSS) Facilities to meet or exceed industry standards.
   • See Milestones 5.A and 5.C for infrastructure and deferred maintenance work plan.
5. Create a dedicated fund to improve event-based facilities to meet or exceed industry standards.
   • Finance/Parks: Continue annual budget transfer of a minimum of $400,000 from Measure L to the Parks Capital Projects fund.
   • Finance/Parks: Transfer rental income from the new power plant in excess of the annual requirement to fund the buyout option at Lodi Lake to the Parks Capital Projects fund (additional $560,000).

Stretch Goal: Create the best-trained police and fire departments in the State of California

1. Reach and maintain full staffing.
   • Police: Improve the hiring process with a target max of 90 days from application to hire on all positions.
   • Police: Add a new Animal Services Program manager to provide professional oversight of facility construction and ongoing program operations.
   • Police: Develop a department-wide succession plan including a formalized mentoring program that is widely communicated to employees.
   • Police: Create structured mental wellness and peer support programs. 
   • Fire: Maintain current and compliant PPE, equipment, and apparatus to ensure a safe work environment for staff.  Replace equipment with items meeting or exceeding NFPA standards.
2. Create an outdoor training facility.
   • Police: Draft operations Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and facility use agreements with Delta College for initial phases of outdoor training facility including Emergency Vehicle Operations Course series (EVOC), classroom, and shooting elements.
   • Police: Continue efforts to secure funding for an outdoor training facility.
   • Public Works: Continue the design of the facility in anticipation of a potential construction bid.
   • Fire: Begin discussions with Police and Delta College about possible inclusion in future phases of the outdoor training facility.
   • Fire: Continue enhancements to Station 2 as a fire training ground.
3. Institute the ALS Program.
   • Fire: Continue work with San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services to gain acceptance of the City’s transition to an Advance Life Support (ALS) service work plan.
   • Fire: Continue paramedic school for 4 staff currently enrolled using grant funds for tuition and overtime backfill.
4. Consider strategic regional partnerships with surrounding agencies to enhance fire and emergency response services.
   • Fire: Participate in the EMS system evaluation plan to create a regional standard of coverage plan.
5. Research, develop, and/or promote advanced training programs for police and fire personnel based on or exceeding best practices for service delivery and affecting public safety.
   • Fire: Continue to onboard new Firefighters through probation.
   • Fire: Emphasize continued and strategic education for existing staff to take advantage of promotional opportunities as part of succession planning.
   • Fire: Enhance EMS training ability to prepare for full ALS transition.
   • Fire: Continue to leverage regional training opportunities with surrounding agencies.
   • Police: Continue to meet Police Officer Standard Training (POST) requirements for all new and existing officers. 
   • Police: Continue to pursue alternate methods of policing and enforcement through policy modification, de-escalation training, and community partnerships to provide the best safety outcomes.
   • Police: Increase ad hoc internal briefing training to more adequately address updated tactics, case law, state statutes, and policy revisions in real time.
6. Meet International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Measurements in response time.
   • Fire: Continue to educate and train fire line personnel in fire operation, fire prevention, and fire administration.
   • Fire: Maintain dispatch contract with the City of Stockton.
   • Police: Maintain staffing levels in patrol and dispatch and prioritize response to the highest level reported incidents.  
7. High levels of community involvement by public safety employees.
   • Fire: Begin evaluation of a community paramedic program with potential medical and non-profit partners to enhance local medical response services.
   • Fire: Increase Fire Prevention Public Education Teams.
   • Police: Continue Coffee with a Cop and Conchas with a Cop program for open access community outreach, holding at least 6 events during the year.
8. Enhance programs to address strategic safety problem areas in the community, such as the unsheltered population, the Fentanyl crisis, and animal services.
   • See milestone 4.E for Access Center work plan.
   • Public Works/Police: Finalize design and begin construction on new Animal Shelter.
   • Police: Recruit and hire a professional civilian Animal Services Program Manager to oversee animal services programs and provide professional expertise on design, programming, and operations for the new Animal Shelter.
   • Police: Develop partnerships with local agencies to gather resources and create strategies to address the fentanyl epidemic.
   • Police: Ensure continuity of naloxone deployments during suspected overdoses.
   • Fire: Continue to monitor opioid use hot spots and continue the ability to rapidly deploy naloxone when needed.
   • Fire: Expand awareness through community and social media outreach about the dangers and prevalence of Fentanyl.

Stretch Goal: Be a recognized leader in generating a happy, healthy, high quality of life for all.

1. Increase opportunities for physical, recreational, and cultural activities.
   • Parks: Develop/execute a comprehensive communications/marketing plan to support all programs, services, and offerings.
   • Parks: Create new Rec and Cultural programs based on public demand: new Adult Pickle Ball and basketball leagues, new music and fitness classes 
   • Parks: Plan and implement one new community special event.
   • Parks: Plan and implement art installation projects at I-5/Flag City and 99/Turner Rd.
   • Parks: Complete storm drain beautification project in partnership with Lodi Arts Commission.
2. Partner with other public/private entities to provide outreach, education, and activities to engage diverse cultures and communities.
   • Library: Launch Human Library – Human “books” to be “checked out” so people can learn lived experiences of others in a safe environment
   • Library: Formation of 2023 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee of staff and stakeholders
   • Library: Form partnerships to enlarge the scope of library services to address critical patron issues that include human services that library staff are not trained to address or are outside the scope of library services.
   • Police: Continue to provide opportunities for Police Partners volunteers and enhance recruiting efforts to reach more diverse populations.
   • Parks: Seek community partners and assist in setting up of a non-profit foundation modeled off the Police and Fire Foundations to assist Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services in soliciting donations for special projects and programs. 
   • Parks: Expand the City’s participation with Resource Center Medicare Part D Health Fair.
   • Parks: Launch the Red Alerts program in partnership with the Senior Commission and public safety.
3. Provide opportunities for access to mental health and substance abuse treatment.
   • Library: Continue offering Mental Health First Aid Training for City staff and community.
   • Library: Maintain open office hours with social workers.
   • Fire/Police/HR: Maintain and strategically enhance Public Safety personnel mental health program (Cordico and First Alarm Wellness) and research enhanced city employee mental health services. 
   • See Milestone 4.E for Access Center work plan.
4. Focus on youth education and mentorship to foster positive life choices.
   • Library: Continue work with Teen Advisory Board and Youth Fellowship program, including a Money Matters - Teen Financial Literacy Program
   • Library: Develop Aspire vocational development program
   • Parks: Plan and implement outdoor educational activities and excursions program funded by Outdoor Equity Grants Program.
   • Police: Expand Cadet program and recruitment efforts.
   • Police: Develop a summer Police Youth Academy for local teens for the summer 2024 launch.