View the Stream of the Retreat

Our Council held its annual retreat February 26-28. The three days of meetings were conducted virtually and streamed on the Town’s website. Throughout the retreat the Town Council focused on strategic deliberations that will inform future policy decisions, shared budget priorities and initiatives for the upcoming fiscal year, and participated in discussions to enhance working relationships and resident engagement.

Important discussions were held on a variety of subjects. Highlights are below.

• Connect Morrisville – Strategic Plan Update: The Connect Morrisville Strategic Plan was adopted in April 2018 and since that time much has been accomplished in the community. It is now time to review the plan and decide what areas can potentially be streamlined, expanded and clarified. The Town Council discussed the upcoming update to the strategic plan. Staff received feedback from Council about their thoughts on the current plan, future needs and the life cycle of the revised plan moving forward. Input from the public is scheduled to commence this week.
• 2021 Bond Referendum: Council discussed debt capacity, preliminary bond categories, and the amount of the bond and related taxing authority to be requested from voters. Preliminary project identification is also underway.
• Affordable Housing: Planning staff led a guided discussion focused on affordable housing, and provided specifics on the next steps in implementing the 2019 Affordable Housing Plan. Key areas covered included the Town’s level of investment, preference for approach and the need for additional research or consultant assistance.
• Land Use Plan Implementation: Council adopted the Draft Land Use Plan at its February 23 Council meeting. It’s now time to discuss implementation. During the retreat Planning staff presented information and received feedback about the McCrimmon Extension and Transit Oriented Development subareas.

Council also received and considered information on tree preservation standards in the Unified Development Ordinance, including prioritization of location, retention standards and tradeoffs in lieu of other requirements.

• Advisory Committee Charter & Work Plan Review: To create more effective collaboration between the Town Council and advisory committees, the Council reviewed charters and work plans for each of the Town’s advisory committees. Council feedback on the work plans will be presented to each committee for review and suggested charter amendments will be drafted for action by the Council in the spring of 2021.