Colwood city council and staff have released a report identifying their strategic priorities for the rest of 2012 and beyond.
Over four months, city councillors and senior staff, with the assistance of a facilitator, brainstormed their top goals for the city.
A list of 150 priorities was whittled down to a top 11.
Within that, they made a top five list of primary focuses for the city.
The report calls them B次元官网网址淣owB次元官网网址� priorities: protecting Lagoon Road bridge and foreshore, developing an economic strategy, improving city communications, reviewing the cityB次元官网网址檚 staff levels and organization and addressing sewage treatment options.
The next six priorities are seen as developing a transportation plan, updating the land-use bylaw, coming up with an urban forest strategy, writing a new subdivision and development bylaw, establishing a social plan and deciding on a capital asset replacement plan.
Councillor and strategic and financial planning committee chair Rob Martin said developing the report has been a way for council and staff to bring together everyoneB次元官网网址檚 various opinions and intentions, and turn them into some concrete guidelines for council.
B次元官网网址淭he idea was that we were to create some common focus for the entire council and hopefully create some stability for staff,B次元官网网址� Martin said, B次元官网网址渟o they understood that council is all on the same page.B次元官网网址�
The idea is to bring the strategies in front of council to review quarterly, to make sure they are living up to the priorities and to give the public a chance to weigh in on councilB次元官网网址檚 direction.
B次元官网网址淚t creates accountability from a council standpoint to the general public,B次元官网网址� Martin said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e hoping that the public will hold us accountable to making sure we actually follow through in getting this work done.B次元官网网址�
Martin admits the list is a compromise but thatB次元官网网址檚 not a bad thing.
The chosen priorities are not his top five, nor are they the exact ones chosen by any other councilor. But, as each councilor ran on different platforms, and as each has their own vision and opinions, the report will help focus council while incorporating everyoneB次元官网网址檚 two cents.
B次元官网网址淲e have to be thinking about the entire city, and not just about what our personal interests are,B次元官网网址� Martin said. B次元官网网址淭his is us being open with each other and being really receptive to other peopleB次元官网网址檚 points of view.B次元官网网址�
Mayor Carol Hamilton sees the report as a positive step and said she is looking forward to seeing the city move ahead on those goals, however long they take to accomplish.
B次元官网网址淚f we can keep the train on the tracks, as they say, than weB次元官网网址檝e got lots of time to keep it moving forward,B次元官网网址� Hamilton said.
A sign with the top five priorities on it will be made and hung on the council chamberB次元官网网址檚 wall as a reminder to both the public and council on what direction they should be heading.
kwells@goldstreamgazette.com
