City officials tackle challenge of a five-year strategic plan

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Temecula is known for its wineries. Lake Elsinore is identified by its lake. Murrieta has its Old Town area.

What should Menifee’s identity be?

That question, among others, was addressed Tuesday at a four-hour workshop at City Hall, where City Council members met with representatives of a consulting firm that is helping develop a five-year strategic visioning plan for the city.

Council members looked at input provided previously by residents regarding wants and needs for the city. Topping the list of 199 responses to a survey – admittedly a small sample – were solutions to traffic problems and the need for more entertainment options. No surprise there.

The challenge will be to figure out how to make those things happen in the most timely and efficient manner. Taking input from council members at Tuesday’s meeting, representatives of the Berry Dunn consulting firm will meet with city staff members on Thursday to seek specific projects and plans.

An underlying theme during the meeting was an additional challenge: How does Menifee balance the need for additional business and infrastructure with the desire of many to keep a small-town feel?

Council members Dean Deines and Lesa Sobek suggested that a main focus of the strategic plan be what they termed “social infrastructure”. They maintain that while the city continues to pour millions into upcoming road projects such as the Holland Road Overpass and Scott Road Widening project, equal attention should be paid to the need for “things to do”. One example of the few amenities Menifee offers – and one most other cities don’t have – is the recently opened pump track for bicycles.

What other such entertainment amenities should be considered? That will be the focus of meetings between Berry Dunn and staff members, including the city’s Community Services Department. A more detailed review of the input will take place in February, with a goal to adopt the five-year plan in March.

Plans for continued development of city parks and an amphitheater in Central Park were mentioned as ways to expand recreational opportunities and the arts.

Other key issues and ideas addressed were:

-- A public transportation system owned by the city.

-- “Open government”, meaning better public accessibility to government information.

-- Continued efforts to improve safety, building upon the creation of the city’s own police department.

-- Better communication to the public of city events and programs.

-- Business incentives to achieve the “right kind” of economic development.

-- Addressing the public’s stated desire to unify the parks system (the City vs. Valley-Wide issue).

And there’s still the issue of the city’s identity. City officials want Menifee to be known for something that will build upon the family-friendly city they believe it to be.

“It seems we have two Menifees,” said Mayor Pro Tem Bob Karwin. “We’re struggling to satisfy both – a suburban city and a rural area. Maybe we need some concrete examples of where our vision ends up by looking at other cities that have what we want to be. I think the city’s confused about where we’re going.”

Mayor Bill Zimmerman added that “Menifee doesn’t have that natural resource, that thing to identity with, so we have to create it. I think the Community Services Department is doing a good job of scheduling events to accomplish that.”

Sobek suggested the idea of having an annual “Menifee Days” festival that could include a series of events unique to the city. Council member Ricky Estrada pointed out that the city could promote its historical legacy, which includes mining and agriculture. Deines suggested a theme built around the city’s large population of military veterans.

All these ideas will be discussed in greater detail in upcoming meetings. Meanwhile, Berry Dunn representatives will work with the city to determine better ways of soliciting public input. A series of in-person and virtual public workshops and a survey available online did not produce the volume of responses many Council members had hoped for.