BLYTHEWOOD – Town council held its annual strategic planning/priority-setting meeting on Monday at Doko Manor. During the seven-hour session, Interim Town Manager Ed Driggers served as the facilitator, incorporating SWOT- an acronym used to identify the town’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Council has used the SWOT method in past years to guide their strategic planning discussions which are followed by an 18-month prioritization exercise aligned with budgeting and staff.
Strengths
Council members identified the town’s strengths as: small-town feel, location with interstate access, proximity to metro areas (Columbia, Charlotte, and Charleston), strong home values, moderate weather, financial strength, supportive local media, and community recreation/extracurricular success.
Weaknesses
Key weaknesses were identified as infrastructure limitations and concerns, previous citizen confidence/perception challenges, and limitations on revenue generation (no property tax).
Opportunities
Council members named the following as the town’s opportunities:
- Improved public messaging/communications
- Clarifying town government role and service expectations
- Comprehensive plan update and the proposed Land Development Ordinance
- Growth tools (fees, impact fees, annexation)
- Public safety feasibility study (police/fire/EMS)
- Targeted land acquisition
- FOIA process improvements and internal capacity building
- Software upgrades with integration focus
- Governance improvements (boards/commissions terms, recruitment, seat structure)
- Procurement/RFP discipline (auditor rotation, contract renewal tracking)
- Capital projects framework (“keep projects on the plate until built or removed”)
- Town events alignment and consistent messaging tied to safety/appropriations
Threats / Obstacles
Council members identified some of the town’s threats as: encroachment of Richland County and City of Columbia development perimeter, utility capacity constraints, revenue volatility and limits, uncertainty around long-term revenues from major development, redistricting, and risks from community division/optics around major change drivers such as Scout.
Prioritizing (18-Month Window)
At the end of the seven hours, all identified strengths, weaknesses, and threats were listed on large chart papers that were attached to a wall. Council members were each given nine dot stickers that they attached to items listed on the chart as a way of identifying what would be council’s top prioirities for January 2026–June 2027. They were allowed to attach anywhere from zero to multiple dots per item.
Top priorities (3+ dots) were ranked as follows:
- Town Beautification (and rehabilitation) (8 dots)
- Comprehensive Plan / Strategic Plan / Land Development Ordinance (6 dots)
- Town Manager Hire (5 dots)
- Annexation (5 dots)
- Town Events and Safety Concerns (5 dots)
- Software / Integration (5 dots)
- Communications (3 dots)
- Town Manager Search (Key Criteria)
Council discussed desired attributes: stability, understanding of council-manager form of government, openness to assistant-manager candidates, advantage with manufacturing-community experience, strong references and background screening, and potential residency incentives rather than requirements.
Immediate Action
At the end of the workshop, council members determined the following would need to be acted upon immediately for the strategic plans to move forward in a timely manner:
- Staff to prepare write-up of dot results and incorporate consensus notes (broad vs. concentrated support).
- Align budget planning and staff assignments with top priorities.
- Continue work on FOIA policy/process improvement options.
- Prepare boards/commissions appointment materials for the Jan. 26 meeting packet (applications, incumbency notation, seat/term structure).
- Continue development of town manager recruitment profile and evaluation approach.
- Clarify town events policy as it relates to safety and funding.
- Continue exploration of software systems and integration requirements for budget consideration.