Whitewater city officials will soon begin working on an operational strategic plan.
According to a statement released Monday, the city will work with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension to develop a strategic planning process, which will be used to guide the operations of the city and its budget over the next two years.
Residents interested in providing input during the process are encouraged to attend a “community listening session,” which will be facilitated by the Division of Extension, Whitewater City Manager John Weidl noted in the release.
“This session will offer people with diverse backgrounds the opportunity to express their views about key issues of concern through an organized process. The results of this effort will help city leaders and elected officials to further understand the community’s current needs and strengths as they complete the strategic planning process,” Weidl was quoted as saying in the release.
The listening session will be held Monday, March 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., in the council chamber at the Whitewater Municipal Building, 312 W. Whitewater St.
City stakeholders, including taxpayers, residents, commercial property owners and representatives of organizations operating in the city of Whitewater who would like to participate in the discussion are encouraged to register, the release noted.
Space is limited to the first 50 people, the release stated. A registration form is available here: https://forms.gle/xApooi8sYsuyjMW7A.
About the strategic planning process
According to the release, “the Extension Institute of Community Development works with communities to build the vitality that enriches the lives of the residents and enhances the quality of life in the community.”
Within the release, Weidl said: “Strategic planning is about our positioning the city of Whitewater relative to our competitors and to our opportunities.”
Weidl said the city is competing for potential residents and taxpayers, qualified and dedicated staff, grant money, and for other resources from non-government organizations.
Additionally, he said, the city is competing for resources from the state and federal government, calling those resources “mission critical.”
Weidl stated that grant monies could be used to make road repairs, fund new ideas, and supply services to neighboring communities and non-city residents.
Further, he noted, departments compete for supplies, financing, and resources to purchase equipment, such as new vehicles, computers, updated software and to fund marketing efforts.
“The city is also positioning itself to attract other key stakeholders, such as future employers, investors or suppliers,” Weidl noted in the statement.
Describing the strategic planning process, Weidl said city staff and officials will “evaluate where we are, identify resources, develop a vision for the future, and plan for challenges along the way. The goal is to create a roadmap to implement lean government principles, prioritize key strategic issues, identify our dependencies and interconnections, and identify what stakeholders want from the city and what the city wants from them.”
Whitewater Municipal Building, file photo/Kim McDarison.
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