Tracie Sullivan

tracie@thespectrum.com

CEDAR CITY For nearly a year Cedar City officials have been working to develop a strategic plan that outlines the city’s future goals and priorities.

Now they want to hear from the public.

“During this last year, the council has categorized the top areas where they felt our focus needed to be now we want to know what the community feels is most important to our community,” said Mayor Maile Wilson.

Officials have invited the public to share thoughts on the draft strategic plan today at 6 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 10 N. Main St.

“This is a chance for us to listen and to get feedback from the community,” Wilson said. “We want as much input as possible, and then we’ll review and revise where necessary.”

The meeting with the public is part of the strategic planning process and is an organizational management tool used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations and ensure employees and other stakeholders are working toward common goals.

“This puts us all on the same page and will be a guiding document, a road map, that tells us where we as a city want to be in the future,” Wilson said.

The draft plan being discussed includes a mission statement and the city’s vision for the future.

“This plan is educational as well as directional,” said City Manager Rick Holman.

Once completed, it is meant to provide direction for the city council as well as staff in various areas such as economic growth, quality of life, public infrastructure and financial security.

The final plan will be used by city officials to better meet the needs of the community while working within budgetary restraints.

“This document will help us identify our goals, and after we do that then we’ll sit down with the departments and work through how each department can carry out the goals we’ve listed in the plan,” Wilson said.

The plan will undergo a major review every four to five years to make sure it is still in line with where the city wants to go, Holman said.

“While many strategic plans are designed around 10 to 15 years, the council felt five years was a more realistic time frame with so many changes happening,” Holman said.

There is a copy of the current draft of the Cedar City Strategic Plan on the Cedar City website, cedarcity.org.

Residents can also email comments, questions or concerns to strategicplan@cedarcity.org.

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IF YOU GO

•What: Cedar City strategic plan discussion.

•Where: City Council Chambers, 10 N. Main St.

•When: Today at 6 p.m.