CITY OF RHINELANDER STRATEGIC PLANNING | 2024
Challenge: After several years of leadership changes, the City of Rhinelander, Wisconsin sought to create a strategic plan to foster cohesion and collaboration across city departments and the city council. In January 2024, the City of Rhinelander engaged Northspan to facilitate a 10-year strategic plan with a five-year focus. City leadership engaged the City Council and city staff members in a process to lay the groundwork for future success.
Role: Led a strategic planning process that began with a community engagement survey, individual interviews with staff and board members, and a series of workshops with a strategy committee comprised of elected officials and city staff members. The stakeholders developed a practical vision for the planning process, identified underlying contradictions that were preventing the community from reaching its vision, and developed six strategic directions to guide future work.
Results: The City of Rhinelander approved the strategic plan in May 2024. Its strategic directions include:
- Identifying and Prioritizing Revenue Sources and Uses
- Utilizing Technology for External Communication
- Investing in Training for City Staff and Officials
- Expanding Recreation Opportunities
- Matching Staffing to Support Community Growth
- Growing and Maintaining Workforce Housing.
The strategy committee established timelines for completing actions associated with each strategic direction and is working with staff and board members to accomplish the identified action steps.
Reference: Patrick Reagan, City Administrator, preagan@rhinelanderwi.us
View the strategic plan: Rhinelander Strategic Plan