The Stevensville Town Council formally adopted a Strategic Plan at its April 22 meeting. The town has been working on developing a plan for the past couple of years. The document states the goals of the administration and staff and incorporates the council’s input from workshops they have attended.
Previous councils received guidance from the Local Government Center on ways to resolve tension and conflict between the council and the mayor in the past, and at that time it was determined that there was a lack of common vision between the executive and legislative branches. This two-year strategic plan addresses that by including a vision statement for the next two decades.
The vision statement is: “Stevensville is a safe, diverse, resilient, sustainable, and growing town known for its rich heritage, historic significance, natural beauty, economic prosperity, and exceptional quality of life for all.”
The plan identifies a set of goals for each of five categories that include Safe and Healthy, Sustainable Resources, Innovative Infrastructure, Community Experience and Engaging with Our Partners. Under each goal, several actions are listed. For example, under Safe and Healthy, actions include: developing improved integrated response to emergencies, reinforce ongoing community policing efforts, focus efforts on the recruitment and retention of qualified volunteers and paid public safety staff, pursue programs that engage citizens and build relationships between the community and Police and Fire Departments, provide education opportunities that lead to reduced crime, property loss and injury, and beautify Stevensville through community-wide clean and safe actions.
According to Mayor Brandon Dewey, if the make-up of the administration or the council changes and new people come on board, “There’s something for that person to look at and say, ‘I at least have a sense of where this organization is heading.’” Dewey said this is a “fluid document” that could be brought back before the council for further revision.
“There’s been a lot of time put into this,” said council member Jaime Devlin. “I wish you all could have seen the process that this took. It would be a slap in some people’s faces if we didn’t approve this at this time… I one hundred percent support this.”
There was no public comment on the plan, which was approved unanimously.
The full Strategic Plan can be found on the town’s website: www.townofstevensville.com