Each January the CityCommission holds a facilitated special work session — a retreat — to set its priorities for the year. The facilitator in the recent record is Mark Willmarth of HumanResourcesDepartment.
Formally the retreat sits outside the budget process, but the Finance Director described it at the FY2027 budget hearing as "a critical element of budget development": departments build their requests against what comes out of it. See CityBudget.
SpecialWorkSession2025-01-03, a facilitated session on Commission priorities for 2025. The questions put to members, as the minutes record them: what do you want or hope for Great Falls in the next five years; what topics would you like to spend more time discussing today; what is one accomplishment from last year you are most proud of, and why, and what impact did it have; what was not accomplished that you wished had been.
SpecialWorkSession2026-01-28, a facilitated session on Commission priorities for 2026. The question set was broader: why did you choose to be part of the Commission; what do you want your legacy to be, collectively or individually, five to ten years out; what accomplishment from last year are you most proud of and why; summarise what the past twelve to eighteen months have been like for the Commission and the community; what questions need answering or matters need addressing over the next twelve to eighteen months; what themes does the Commission see; and why are they important.
Round-table discussion at the 2026 retreat established a set of themes, which the minutes record.
Agenda Center: https://greatfallsmt.gov/AgendaCenter Vision and goals: https://greatfallsmt.gov/256/Vision-Goals