Strategic Plan

The City of Corvallis Strategic Plan is our long-range planning tool, which has been developed to help elected officials and City staff prioritize work and make informed long-range decisions.

The plan is designed to serve as companion to the community vision, Imagine Corvallis 2040. While the vision document laid out the community’s goals and aspirations, the Strategic Plan focuses on the City Council's framework for how municipal services can align with that vision. 

A New Focus on Strategy

Our strategic planning process started in 2017 with the first-ever Corvallis Strategic Operational Plan. This document served to highlight the policy work of the City Council and the operational programs and services required to implement those policies.

In 2024, the Council refocused and reimagined its Strategic Plan to more clearly define and prioritize the strategic outcomes the City is trying to achieve. This was important for staff and Council in supporting and sustaining the work for long-term success. The new plan was restructured to make a more concise and achievable strategic document to assist Council, staff, and the community.

The new Strategic Plan outlines five overarching outcomes with defined outcome statements and strategies that align with City priorities and resources. This greater clarity of the outcomes and priorities to achieve empowers the City’s ability to be dynamic, focused, and effective as we manage our resources and make decisions.

Taking Action

In 2026, the City rolled out an Action Plan to accompany the Strategic Plan. Intended to track operational steps that the City is taking to achieve its objectives, the Action Plan also serves as a tool to help the public understand how current City projects and initiatives support long-term policy goals. 

When decisions are made after spirited debates at the City Council dais, it's easy to forget that these are important stepping stones to achieve long-term policy objectives. The Action Plan shows these decisions in their proper context.

The Action Plan does not cover all of the work that the City does in a given year. In fact, the vast majority of City resources are directed at day-to-day operation of municipal services, responding to changes in regulations or legal requirements, managing internal, operational, and capital projects, or responding to emergencies and unexpected work. Simply keeping these efforts moving along, with uninterrupted service for the general public, is the biggest accomplishment.