West Chicago wants input on strategic plan

West Chicago residents and business leaders can help city officials create a plan to shape the future of the community.

Community members are invited to take part in a planning process that will result in the creation of a visioning and strategic planning document. The West Chicago Strategic Plan will guide city leaders and have a direct impact on the community.

At its core, the strategic plan will focus on what West Chicago can be in the future, establish the community's long-range goals, and identify strategies by which to achieve them. The plan will address where the city is now, where the community wants it to go, and how it will get there. It will be implemented by city leaders and staff, as well as community partners including residents and local businesses.

The strategic plan will be driven by the community, and its vision and policy recommendations will be grounded in community outreach and public participation. An advisory committee composed of elected and appointed officials as well as residents will help guide the planning process in partnership with the city and a planning consulting team.

Residents and stakeholders will have numerous opportunities to participate, both in person and online. The plan is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

Two forums will be held Tuesday, July 21, in City Hall, 475 Main St. A Business Forum at 8 a.m. is aimed at West Chicago business owners and operators. A Community Forum at 7 p.m. seeks the perspective of residents and community stakeholders.

The forums are the first of several face-to-face community outreach events scheduled throughout the planning process. The purpose of the first forums is to allow attendees to voice what they value most about the community and the issues they would like to see addressed.

All forums are open to the public and will begin with a review of the purpose of the strategic plan and the planning process and conclude with an interactive exercise to listen to views on issues, opportunities and potentials within the community.

The public can stay aware of the project as it progresses by tracking it through a project website accessed from a button labeled "Strategic Plan" on the city's homepage at westchicago.org.

The project website not only will have meeting announcements for upcoming events, but also will serve as the clearinghouse for draft documents ready for review and comment, summaries of completed public meetings and outreach events, and other project information.

In addition, the project website features online outreach tools including questionnaires and sMap, an online mapping tool.