The dawning of a new year leads many people to take inventory of their lives and set goals and priorities.

The same is true of the Rapid City Council.

On Wednesday, council members discussed goals and a list of mayor/council roles and responsibilities developed during a council retreat in October.

In general, the goals cover completing the future land-use plan, improving the budgeting process, downtown revitalization, public-private partnerships, economic-development initiatives, quality-of-life enhancement, holding regular work sessions and improving public trust and awareness.

Alderman Malcom Chapman said past council retreats didn't result in much concrete action. To change that, he prepared a written version of October's conversations because he believes it could help the council set priorities and plan ahead.

"In the past, we've had sessions where we've talked about all of this. That's nice; what have we done with it? This is my attempt to make sure this doesn't just sit on a shelf somewhere," he said.

Alderman Bill Okrepkie said although it is important to set goals, it is also important to set a timeline for meeting those goals.

"This is something we've desperately needed through the years, and I'm glad we're moving toward this direction. My only concern and question I have is when does it become appropriate to put timelines on them?" he said.

Chapman expects the council will flesh out timelines before goals are finalized.

"When the council is ready to adopt this, then I think it will be appropriate," he said.

The council also will talk about putting in writing the roles and responsibilities of the mayor and council members, both individually and as a group, something Alderman Lloyd LaCroix believes will be a big benefit to new council members.

"This is a great start because it gives you a guideline when you walk in the doors that this is my responsibility; I should work toward this. Really, that's not explained to you when you walk in. I think this is a great start," LaCroix said.

The council will talk next month about scheduling a work session to revise and refine goals, roles and responsibilities.

Chapman said he hopes the final version is something relevant for future city councils.

"This is about setting vision and goals for Rapid City. If the 10 of us are not here tomorrow, this document should still be a document that can be embraced. It shouldn't be about us individually," he said.

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415 or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com.