SWOT ANALYSIS RESULTS

DEPARTMENT HEADS

 

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

·         City Staff - attitude, care about the city.

·         Great things to do.  Good quality of life.

·         Diversity of thought – people think through issues.

·         Opportunity – because of university, culture, schools, very accessible.  Family get participate in many and varied activities.

·         Geographic location – center, transportation, KU, people in the community, state partners with state.

·         People have different opinions and are open minded – sets us apart.

·         Diversity of Lawrence provides knowledge of different concerns.

·         Passionate people, relatively smart population.

·         Diversity – educated.

·         Population – caring.

·         Empathetic – population.

·         Quality of Personnel.

·         Relationships with other agencies.

 

 

·         Inconsistency of policy application – city commissions keep changing the direction of the City.

·         Bedroom town impacts community involvement.

·         Unruly visitors to Lawrence.

·         Lacking Lawrence standard of improving – “just better” is good enough.

·         Special interest groups – decisiveness – opposition to change.

·         No consistent priorities.  Lack of strategic planning.

·         Lack of better paying jobs.

·         Lack of a plan for the City.

·         Risk adverse.

·         Easily sidelined.

·         Get off topic – story versus facts.

·         Turnover/retirements – loss of knowledge base.

·         Organizational staffing levels.

 

 

·         Rock Chalk Park, SLT, individual parks are going to attract greater development opportunity.

·         Coalescing of different interests – opportunity to create greater cohesion.

·         Growth in our tax base which results from marketing our differences and cultural advantages.

·         We have so much to offer – poised to be a great location for numbers of new businesses.  Exploit our ability to collaborate.

·         Keep growth growing with new comp plan.

·         Development of riverfront.

·         City relationship with university.  Partnership between university and city.  More opportunities to explore.

·         River is an opportunity.

·         Expand our job opportunities

·         Technology.

·         New leadership to get us to focus our efforts – not kneejerk reactions.

·         Young training with the university – get them involved and to contribute.

·         Recruitment/retention/diversity.

·         Strategic planning.

·         Defunded maintenance and lack of funding for our infrastructure.

·         Future of the university.

·         Not thinking outside the box – backing away from too much criticism.  Reducing our standards to follow sales tax dollars.

·         Other cities are more welcoming and interested in new development.  Lack of collaboration.

·         Lack of clear vision from City Commission.

·         States impact on home rule

·         State legislation.  Increase demands for non-core services.  Affordable housing, social justice.

·         Failure in economic development which creates significant tax burden.

·         fear of change

·         Economic issues – find a way to pay for needs and some wants.

·         Possible find other sources of revenue.

·         Aging infrastructure.

·         Changing government direction.