DRAFT

2011 Garner Town Council Retreat Outline

February 17-18, White Deer Park – Nature Center

Retreat Purpose
1. Decide whether to invest – what are the town’s goals in making capital investments?
2. Decide what to invest in – what are the town’s priorities for investment?
3. Decide how to invest – what principles and considerations should guide investment?

Retreat Process
1. Identify the challenges town government faces in creating and sustaining Garner.
2. Identify how proposed capital investment projects can assist with meeting these
challenges.
3. Identify criteria that should guide capital investment, e.g., reduce volume of empty
storefronts.
4. Apply these criteria to proposed capital investment projects to identify investment
priorities.
5. Identify key principles and considerations that should guide staff in moving forward
with any capital investments, e.g., use of fund balance, borrowing, financing options.

Retreat Materials
1. Creating and Sustaining Garner (to be developed at retreat)
2. Town Council Vision, Purpose and Goals
3. Proposed Capital Investments
4. Sample Criteria for Evaluating Capital Investment Projects
5. Building Financial Capacity
6. Capital Project Force Field Analysis
7. Capital Investment Priority Ranking Worksheet
8. Criteria to Guide Capital Investment Decisions (to be developed at retreat)
 DRAFT

Day 1 – Thursday, February 17 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

7:30 AM Light Breakfast and Networking

Getting Started
1. Welcome and Opening Remarks
2. Overview of retreat purpose and process

Expectations and Concerns

1. What are you hoping for from this retreat?
2. What concerns do you have about this retreat?

Creating and Sustaining Garner

1. What do you value about living in Garner, what makes Garner “Garner?”

2. Looking ahead over the next 5-10 years, what would you add or change to create,
sustain or enhance the Garner you want to live in?

3. What issues and challenges does town government face in creating and sustaining
the Garner you described?

Break

Connecting Capital Projects and the Future of Garner

1. Two groups of 3 council members plus staff each take 6 capital projects

2. Using the template and other resources listed below, identify for each project:
• Why might we invest in this project, what would we hope to accomplish, what
forces are driving us towards this goal?
• Why might we not invest in this project, what concerns do we have, what forces
are holding us back?

3. Resources:
• Results from “Creating and Sustaining Garner”
• Town Council Vision, Goals and Purpose
• Proposed Major Capital Projects
• Capital Project Force Field Analysis Worksheet

12:00 PM Lunch
 DRAFT

Connecting Capital Projects and the Future of Garner (continued)

Break

Developing Criteria to Guide Capital Investment Decisions

1. Each council-staff group develops 3-5 criteria to be used in evaluating and ranking
capital projects – post, combine, adopt

2. Resources:
• Proposed Major Capital Projects
• Sample Criteria for Evaluating Capital Projects
• Results from “Creating and Sustaining Garner”
• Garner Town Council Vision, Goals and Purpose
• Capital Project Force Field Analysis Worksheets

6:15 PM Dinner at Kaze

 DRAFT

Day 2 – Friday, February 18 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM

7:30 AM Light Breakfast and Networking

Getting Started
1. Reflections on Day 1
2. Thoughts regarding Day 2

Review and Refine Criteria to Guide Capital Investment Decisions

1. Review criteria and refine as needed
2. Resources:
• Criteria to Guide Capital Investment Decisions

Identifying Capital Investment Priorities

1. Using the criteria developed for evaluating capital projects, each council member
completes the Capital Project Investment Ranking Worksheet individually

2. Members meet to compare rankings and develop a consensus project ranking

3. Resources:
• Criteria to Guide Capital Investment Decisions
• Capital Project Investment Ranking Worksheet

12:00 PM Lunch

Guiding Principles for Funding and Implementing Capital Projects

1. Focusing on Priority 1 projects, identify key principles and considerations that should
guide the funding and implementation of priority capital projects

2. Resources
• Creating and Sustaining Garner
• Town Council Vision, Purpose and Goals
• Building Financial Capacity
• Criteria to Guide Capital Investment Decisions

Wrapping Up – Decisions, Expectations, Actions, Reflections

1. Summarize decisions, commitments, actions and council expectations of staff and
staff expectations of council

2. Feedback, observations, reflections, conclusions, and closing remarks

3:00 PM Adjourn