You’ve got ideas, and we want to hear them!
An online survey to help citizens weigh in on the City’s Strategic Plan — a plan under development that will help determine the goals and directives of the City of Bartlesville over the next three to five years.
Take the survey here.
The survey follows several meetings held last month by Patrick Ibarra of Mejorando Group, the consultant hired to develop the plan.
“We had a very good response from both City employees and local residents to a series of meetings held March 28-29 to obtain input for this plan,” said City Manager Mike Bailey. “The survey is another way people can tell us what they would like to see the City, as an organization, prioritize in the near-term future.”
Take the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/258DBND or scan the QR Code on the left. The survey is also available in City Beat, the City’s free, weekly e-newsletter, and Facebook page, City of Bartlesville GOV.
The survey will end April 22. The results will be compiled by Mejorando Group and presented to the project steering committee later this month.
Strategic planning: First for City of Bartlesville
The Bartlesville City Council approved a staff request for funding the City’s first organizational strategic plan during the 2022-23 Fiscal Year Budget process.
City Manager Mike Bailey said at the time the purpose of the plan was to identify major goals for the City as an organization that are in-line with the community’s view for Bartlesville in the coming three to five years.
“I believe it’s important to the future of our community to be looking forward rather than just keeping up with operations day to day,” Bailey said. “We have, in the past, and usually in partnership with other organizations, compiled several plans over the years for other planning purposes. But we’ve never examined the City of Bartlesville as an organization. Doing so will help us become an even stronger organization and better serve the public who rely on our programs and services.”
Mejorando Group
In February, the council voted to hire the consultant Mejorando Group after the firm was selected by a selection committee consisting of Bartlesville Mayor Dale Copeland, the city manager and several City department heads.
“After conducting the interviews, the evaluation committee chose to recommend Mejorando Group to the council,” said Bailey. “Mejorando Group has excellent experience in municipal strategic planning for communities of our size, a great community outreach plan, and their pricing was within budget ($65,000).”
Community Conversations
Contract consultant Patrick Ibarra of the Mejorando Group was in town March 28-29 to kick off the planning process. Ibarra facilitated two public meetings held at the Bartlesville Community Center, as well as workshop sessions with members of the City Council and City employees.
In all, approximately 80 local residents turned out to share ideas about the City’s strengths, challenges, trends and potential associated outcomes. Common themes discussed include affordable housing, economic development, street improvements, sidewalk construction, diversity issues, volunteerism and homelessness.
Ibarra pointed out the strategic plan is separate from the City budget, which determines how taxpayer money is spent.
“The strategic plan isn’t about money, it’s about time,” he said. “The City can do anything it chooses, but it can’t do everything. This plan is an opportunity to identify the things are most important for Bartlesville and identify where City leaders and staff should spend their time.”
What to expect
The outcome of the project will include a written strategic plan document that presents the planning process, research, analysis, opportunities and strategies, along with an implementation plan that will guide the City for the next three to five years.
“The desired outcome is a vision for our community from our community members and leaders that will include specific visioning goals that will serve as a framework for the strategic planning process,” Bailey said. “The intention of this is to help identify and access the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the City of Bartlesville organization.”
Check back here for more information as the plan develops.
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