MEDICAL LAKE – City Administrator Sonny Weathers unveiled the city’s new strategic planning initiative at the Feb. 20 council meeting.
The initiative aims to streamline the city’s efforts and objectives into clear and actionable strategies, as outlined by Weathers during his presentation.
“This serves to consolidate the city’s measures in clearly defined terms,” Weathers said, highlighting the strategic plan as a roadmap towards enhancing the community while fostering increased public trust and confidence in city governance.
Weathers portrayed the city as a tranquil oasis, perfectly situated to embrace outdoor enthusiasts seeking recreational opportunities. He emphasized the vision for Medical Lake to embody a family-friendly environment, retaining its cherished small-town charm, where residents actively participate in community affairs and forge meaningful connections.
He emphasized key values such as service, stewardship, hospitality, teamwork and excellence. He stressed the commitment of city staff to continuous improvement, encapsulating their ethos with the motto, “If you don’t know, learn, if you do know, apply.”
The strategic plan targets several areas for improvement, including fostering a thriving community, promoting a healthy and sustainable environment, engaging stakeholders, enhancing multimodal connections, prioritizing healthy living and recreation and ensuring community safety and security.
Communication and accountability are paramount, Weathers said, outlining a four-step process: identifying and defining ultimate goals, objectively measuring impact, assessing current progress, and articulating improvement strategies.
Moving forward, the city aims to create a comprehensive 10-year strategic plan, encompassing initiatives such as the Self-Assessment Report Administration, which focuses on training, development, resource management, and governance effectiveness, he said.
Under the Healing Waters Strategic Plan, initiatives encompass economic development and government effectiveness, with a focus on recovery efforts following the Gray Fire. Organizational management includes regular staff meetings, annual self-assessment reports, and newly implemented employee evaluations.
A visual representation showcased the hierarchical relationship between the council, departments and community.
Clare is an Eastern Washington University graduate and a reporter at Free Press Publishing.
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