Council Goal Setting & Development Retreats

The PPG Approach

Every organization has its uniqueness and challenges. Our facilitators work with you to:

• Focus the group’s energy,
• Encourage open discussion,
• Reach goals by utilizing its own experience and strengths.

We partner with you to develop specific, results-oriented strategies and activities to help your Council achieve its objectives. Working together, we will:

• Define session objectives, outcomes, and deliverables
• Define the facilitator’s role (moderator, topic expert, etc.)
• Identify decisions to be made and their acceptable parameters
• Develop a profile of the group
• Research the meeting content to ensure understanding of issues to be addressed
• Assist with meeting agenda, room setup, and logistical issues as needed
• Develop specific activities and meeting format to keep the meeting moving, encourage participation, and achieve your desired goals

Retreat Delivery Options

We provide three basic retreat packages. You can choose the one that best fits your needs or mix and match to create a tailored solution.

Option I: Basic retreat package

Services include the following:

• Provide a pre-session survey for Council members to complete.
• Summarize survey responses for use in designing the retreat agenda and provide as a handout during the retreat.
• Prepare the working agenda for the Council’s retreat with input from the City staff.
• Provide any handout information to be used in the retreat in electronic format for you to duplicate.
• Facilitate the Council retreat on a mutually agreed upon date at the location you determine.
• Provide a post-retreat report that details decisions made during the retreat.

Option II: Expanded retreat package

Services include the following:

• All services provided in the basic retreat package.
• One-on-one or small group meetings with the Mayor, Council, and appropriate City staff to be conducted on-site or via the telephone.
• Expanded report preparation to include action items determined by the staff to meet Council strategic goals.

Option III: Ultimate retreat package

Services include the following:

• All services provided in the basic and expanded retreat packages.
• One-day session with City staff at one of the following times:
• Pre-retreat staff session with senior staff to identify key issues and make initial recommendations to the Council at the retreat. Cities utilizing this type of session prefer to provide the Council with an initial list of priorities from which to begin discussion.
• Post-retreat staff session with senior staff to identify action items that will be taken in the coming year to advance the Council’s strategic goals. Cities utilizing this type of session prefer to use a date after the Council retreat to de-brief and create an action plan.

Additional services provided:

• Behavior styles and values assessment for Council and key City staff.
• Citizen feedback surveys.
• Community analysis against other cities.