The Town of Huntsville has released the Draft Strategic Plan and is inviting community members to provide feedback through the Draft Strategic Plan Survey, open from November 28 to December 12, 2023. Community members have the opportunity to let the Town of Huntsville know if they feel the plan’s vision, mission, values, and pillars align with their priorities and the future of Huntsville.
The Draft Strategic Plan was developed following an extensive public engagement process which included a month-long community survey, three pop-up events, and three focus groups. Through the community survey, the Town received more than 1,500 responses that answered the question, “what matters most to you?”. The feedback clearly defined what issues and initiatives are important to the residents of Huntsville. Using the public comments collected, Council and Town staff developed priority areas with goals and objectives, which are now available for review in the Draft Strategic Plan.
“The Strategic Plan began as a blank slate and is entirely based on the feedback we heard from the community,” shares Reva Frame, Director of Corporate and Community Strategy at the Town of Huntsville. “At this point in the process, we’re looping back with residents to make sure they see their priorities reflected in the draft plan. Since this strategy will guide Town staff and Council for years to come, it’s important we have it right.”
Strategic Plan Project Timeline
Community Engagement on Priorities
- From July 28 to August 25, the Town of Huntsville gathered priorities for the new Strategic Plan through a community survey and pop-up events. Focus groups held on August 28, August 30, and September 5 provided residents with an opportunity to provide more in-depth feedback on emerging themes from the survey results.
Development of the Draft of the Strategic Plan
- On September 20, Council participated in a workshop session to review the results from the Strategic Plan survey. They collaborated to draft key priorities and goals based on community feedback. Following the workshop, Town staff reviewed and provided input on how these priorities and goals could translate to services and initiatives. On October 30, Council met to review the initiatives proposed by Town staff, along with the overall mission and vision of the Town. The input through these workshops has informed the content of the Draft Strategic Plan.
Community Consultation on Draft Strategic Plan
- From November 28 to December 12, residents can review the Draft Strategic Plan and let the Town of Huntsville know, through participation in a survey, if the plan reflects their priorities and aligns with where they see Huntsville heading in the future.
Strategic Plan Finalized and Released
- Following the final round of public feedback, the Town of Huntsville plans to finalize the new Strategic Plan at the January Council meeting. Following adoption, the final plan will be shared with the community.
Residents can learn more about the development of the Town of Huntsville’s Strategic Plan by visiting . Hard copies of the survey are available at Town Hall, the Canada Summit Centre, and the Huntsville Public Library.
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I noticed that the picturesque draft of the strategic plan had an abundance of trees shown..and the plan intends to “continue best practices in maintaining our natural heritage features”. So far, I have not seen any continuance of “natural features” when it comes to development.. I see a lot of clear cutting. I hope Council will have much more sensitivity to our natural environment from this moment..stay true to the Strategic Plan. Creating a bonafide tree bylaw would be in all our best interests as well since we all enjoy looking at forests even if it’s just a picture.