NCLM's Strategic Planning Workshop: Town's Gather, Create 5-Year Plan

In 2024, NCLM launched a new offering, Strategic Planning: A Workshop for Small Towns. Over two days, representatives from 14 municipalities gathered to learn about the fundamentals and importance of strategic planning, and then underwent a facilitated process to develop a plan they could take with them and immediately implement.

Less than one year later, there are multiple municipal strategic plans in place – developed, refined, enacted, and now making a difference – due to that workshop. One of those plans is in Spring Lake. After developing the plan template at the workshop, Spring Lake’s elected leadership was quick at work approving the plan at an upcoming council meeting.

“It’s the best educational offering I’ve ever attended,” said Spring Lake Mayor Kia Anthony. “It’s made an impact in our community.”

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Strategic Planning: A Workshop for Small Towns offers a practical, accessible solution for municipalities under 15,000 in population. Rather than just learning about strategic planning, participants will actively develop a 3-to-5-year strategic plan tailored to their town’s unique needs and priorities.

Led by experienced League staff, this hands-on session walks municipal leadership teams through a structured planning process using a proven, user-friendly template. Participant teams identify key focus areas, define clear objectives, and outline actionable steps to move their communities forward.

Unlike traditional trainings, this workshop delivers a tangible outcome: a working draft of the town’s strategic plan, ready to be polished and passed. In addition, participants will gain guidance on governance best practices for monitoring progress and ensuring the plan remains an effective tool for achieving longterm goals.

“As the saying goes, a budget is much more than just a document – it’s an expression of a town’s values. It’s the same for a strategic plan,” said NCLM Executive Director Rose Vaughn Williams. “By setting forth a well-informed vision for their communities, our cities and towns are showcasing their preparedness, fiscal responsibility, and a long-term approach to success.”

At the end of the two-day event, participant towns will have clearly defined strategic focus areas, objectives, and action steps, as well as the knowledge of how to use governance tools and performance tracking to ensure ongoing success. “While we left the training with the outline of a strategic plan developed by those of us who attended, I also left with the needed information and materials so I can build a consensus of the entire board and gain everyone's input as we develop our strategic plan for our town,” said Dan Ryan, Commissioner of Maysville. “I personally learned a great deal from this program and came back to Maysville ready to make good things happen for our small-town.”

Most importantly, participant towns will learn how to make their strategic plan actionable– not just something that sits on the bookshelf at town hall.

“Strategic plans, when implemented effectively, change as community needs change. It’s a living document,” said Williams. “This workshop doesn’t just prepare you a document. It teaches you how to make it work for your town.”

FUTURE OFFERINGS
This workshop is now a staple of NCLM’s training calendar, through the League’s educational program Advancing Municipal Leaders (AML). Member municipalities will have the opportunity to attend this workshop each fall. AML is hosting an additional offering this spring.

• Oct. 8-9, 2025 | Winston-Salem, NC
• Feb. 17-18, 2026 | New Bern, NC

Each participating municipality must bring at least three representatives, two of which must be elected officials. (For example, a mayor and two council members; or two council members and a manager; etc.)

Financial support is available! Please visit the event page to learn more about scholarships your town can take advantage of.

FALL 2025 AML CALENDAR
Workshops take center stage this fall! This season’s schedule features a dynamic mix of new advanced-level workshops and our popular fundamental courses in essential areas of municipal governance. From finance and employee management to the responsibilities of elected office, our core trainings will be offered at multiple locations across North Carolina, making it easy for municipal officials to access the