Council hosts strategic planning session to set 2027 City priorities

Published on February 06, 2026

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City Council and City staff gathered on Wednesday, Feb. 4 for the Council’s annual strategic planning retreat to discuss City priorities for the upcoming year.

With community feedback and understanding City departments’ needs and efforts, Council reaffirmed the following council priorities for Fiscal Year 2027:

Goal 1 - Safe & Secure Community

  • PROPOSED FY27 Council Priority: Continue implementing a comprehensive approach to community safety.

Goal 2- Economic & Strategic Growth

  • PROPOSED FY27 Council Priority: Enhance economic growth opportunities throughout the City.
  • PROPOSED FY27 Council Priority: Commit to expanding housing and neighborhood revitalization, emphasizing affordable housing needs.

Goal 3 - Desirable Place to Live, Work & Recreate

  • PROPOSED FY27 Council Priority: Improve and expand transportation, transit and other connectivity needs for residents.

Goal 4 - Financially Sound City Providing Exemplary Services

Goal 5 - Collaborative Citizen & Business Engagement

The City Council reached a consensus during the retreat, and they will take an official vote on the priorities that will be in the 2027 Strategic Plan with action plans at a future meeting.

The current Council Priorities focus on:

  • Ongoing commitment to a comprehensive approach to community safety.
  • Enhance economic growth opportunities throughout the City.
  • Continue the City’s commitment to revitalization efforts and housing needs.
  • Evaluate and expand transportation and other connectivity for residents.
  • Increase Parks and Recreation opportunities for youth engagement and interaction.

In January, City staff presented Council with the second quarter report, sharing the progress of this year’s priorities.

2026 City Council Priorities Progress

Priority 1: Ongoing commitment to a comprehensive approach to community safety

The approach of a more comprehensive community safety continues to demonstrate progress across prevention, response and community collaboration. The Fayetteville Cares Day Resource Center recorded more than 300 unique interactions in quarter two (Q2), connecting residents to housing, health and support services through 45 active community partners. The Office of Community Safety (OCS) strengthened engagement through 81 community activities, including seven community-led activations, with the largest youth activation in December drawing 134 participants and continued expansion of Youth Night Out programming. OCS also supported behavioral health access, with 54 individuals successfully connected to mental health services, helping reduce strain on emergency response systems. Emergency response remains within industry standards, with Fire Department response times at 7 minutes and 25 seconds and Police Department Priority 1 response times exceeding targets at 7 minutes and 42 seconds, reflecting a comprehensive, prevention-focused approach aligned with Council priorities.

Priority 2: Enhance economic growth opportunities throughout the City.

Enhancing economic growth opportunities reflects continued economic development activity in Q2, with an emphasis on positioning and readiness. During the quarter, the City invested $1.13 million through Economic and Community Development grants and loans, bringing the year-to-date total to approximately $3.27 million and demonstrating steady capital flow into the local economy. In addition to larger investments, the City continues to support small business stability through targeted assistance. Workforce development efforts also advanced, with ServiceSource providing employment support to 159 veterans and successfully placing 11 individuals into competitive employment, strengthening the local labor force. Development Services continues to process permits efficiently, positioning projects to move forward as conditions improve. Overall, Q2 shows steady investment momentum supported by targeted business and workforce initiatives, with anticipated strengthening in activity as market confidence stabilizes.

Priority 3: Continue the City’s commitment to revitalization efforts and housing needs.

The City’s efforts on revitalization and addressing housing needs continued progress in Q2 focused on neighborhood stabilization, targeted assistance and pipeline readiness rather than unit delivery alone. During the quarter, five homeowners received emergency repairs. The City also assisted nine first-time homebuyers through the Homebuying HERO Program, placing this effort well ahead of pace by mid-year and underscoring strong demand for homeownership support. Development Services and Economic and Community Development continue coordinated revitalization efforts, prioritizing repairs, protecting General Fund resources through ARPA and ECD funding, and achieving strong compliance outcomes, with three-quarters of demolitions and corrections completed by property owners and 100 percent of required inspections completed. Staff has finalized requirements for 16 City-owned single-family lots, advanced the 84-unit Central Park Villas affordable housing project and continued preparations for a HUD Choice Neighborhoods application by engaging seven national development teams along the Murchison Road corridor, positioning housing activity to accelerate in the second half of the year.

Priority 4: Evaluate and expand transportation and other connectivity for residents.

Expanding transportation and connectivity is the City’s newest focus area and is centered on making it easier for residents and visitors to get around Fayetteville. In Q2, FAST completed the early phases of the Title VI Fare and Service Equity Study and put three recommendations into action to help ensure transit remains fair and accessible, even as one performance measure trended slightly below target. The City also added 10 transportation and connectivity plans to the new Master Connectivity GIS Overlay Map, meeting the fiscal year goal and creating a practical tool to support planning, infrastructure decisions and future development. Transit continues working to improve service and communication with riders through better route frequency and new marketing efforts . Public Services reached a key milestone by building more than 21,000 linear feet of sidewalk through City and private projects and remained on track with roadway resurfacing and preservation. The FlyFay team continues to explore ways to expand flight options and improve regional connections.

Priority 5: Increase Parks and Recreation opportunities for youth engagement and interaction.

Opportunities for youth continues to be a core part of the City’s community strategy, with youth participation. In Q2, the Orange Street STEM Initiative reached 1,136 participants, significantly expanding access to hands-on learning and skill development. City youth programs such as PALs, Junior Officials and the Fayetteville-Cumberland Youth Council all exceeded participation expectations, reflecting strong interest and engagement. Parks and Recreation staff, working alongside the Office of Community Safety, also connected with 134 new youth through shared events and activities. In addition, through Economic and Community Development, T. House Technology Training & Consulting led a two-week after-school program focused on visual basic programming and cybersecurity, serving 28 students from Douglas Byrd and 71st High Schools. Together, these efforts support youth development by building skills, leadership, confidence and teamwork, while keeping young people connected to positive and productive community opportunities.

As the City grows, Council goals and priorities help outline a clear vision for a vibrant and sustainable future for Fayetteville residents.

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