West Chicago wants residents' input on strategic plan

In the next few weeks, all residents of West Chicago are being urged to share their input on where they would like the city to go in the next five to 10 years.

It's all part of an initiative approved by the city council last December to draw up a strategic plan that will give officials a better understanding of what residents want.

"This is your opportunity to have an impact on how your government operates and what decision it makes in the short and midterm," City Administrator Michael Guttman said.

A consultant has been gathering input from city leaders, school district officials, the chamber of commerce and other key players since the end of April. Several group sessions and larger forums with residents and businesses also have been held to gather opinions.

The last in-person forum is aimed at Latino families and scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, at city hall, 475 Main St. The forum will be held in Spanish, and an interpreter will be present.

Guttman said he is hoping for a good turnout because despite the city's large Latino population, the city staff and elected officials rarely hear concerns or ideas brought up by Latino residents.

Other residents who didn't have a chance to attend a forum are encouraged to share their feedback online, at www.hlplanning.com/portals/westchicago, through the beginning of September.

"Many times, the aldermen try to make the decisions that are in the best interest of the community, but sometimes you can't go out and ask each of your constituents," Guttman said.

"The goal of this is to get more and more people involved who may have something to say but haven't been given the forum to say it, because maybe they can't attend a council meeting or maybe addressing a council meeting, that's an intimidating environment."

Guttman said the city staff and council will get a list of the ideas gathered by the consultant this fall and determine which ones should be part of an action plan. The tentative action plan will be publicized, and more input will be gathered before the city council approves it, probably before the end of this year.

Once the action plan is approved, the council will start putting time frames on various projects and "dive down deeper into goals and objectives and tasks and tactics," Guttman said.

Some of the ideas might be included in next year's budget.

So far, Guttman said the most interest appears to be regarding economic development, downtown development, public transportation and improved communication by the city.

He said he is pleased with the level of participation so far and hopes the forums and online survey are providing residents with a way to provide more general feedback, instead of "location specific issues," which is what the council often hears.

"Here's a way for you to think about what you want to say, think about where we want to be, what things we're doing right, what things we could do better and also (say), 'You've been doing it this way for so long, have you considered X?''' Guttman said.

"Sometimes when you've been doing something for so long, you get used to doing it, and fresh perspectives are always welcome."