In 2023, Janice Snyder was the chairperson of South Windsor’s Strategic Planning Committee. The following is her background information about the work that they did and what they found. There is a link at the end which takes you to the committee’s final report.
Part 1
Strategic Planning – What Is It and How Can It Help Us as a Community?
What is Strategic Planning: An organization’s process of defining its strategy, direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy.
Why Strategic Planning: A well-developed strategic plan is a promise to the community at large. It assures them that their local government is committed to improving their quality of life in tangible, measurable ways. More importantly, the plan should guide city staff in determining how to allocate resources across programs and services that matter most to the community.
Best Outcome: Implementing an approved Strategic Plan allows the allocation of public funding resources to the community in a planned approach.
Part 2
Strategic Planning – Does South Windsor Have a Strategic Plan?
YES we sure do! From June, 2021, until July 2023 the Town of South Windsor, in conjunction with UCONN School of Public Policy, formulated a Strategic Plan setting forth a sharp vision with goals and objectives.
What were our Main Goals?
- To produce a vision for the future of the community.
- To set goals that will help achieve this vision.
- To create specific, measurable steps to reach these goals.
Did we establish a Mission Statement? Absolutely: The South Windsor community is a vibrant, inclusive place to live, work and thrive; a welcoming and engaged community that provides quality opportunities and lifestyles for all stages of life; a destination for quality education; a place that supports healthy lifestyles and a sound commitment to environmental protection and sustainable growth.
Did we identify a Mission? Certainly did: Foster a community where everyone can thrive.
How and where did we get our input? From our Stakeholders. By holding multiple listening sessions, and by holding five listening sessions to include:
- Town administrative leadership team
- Town elected officials (quad meeting)
- New homeowners
- Business owners
- Town civic leaders
Part 3
Strategic Planning – So What Did We Come Up With?
Did the Committee Produce a Good Strategic Plan? Indeed, we did: This Plan is complete with Objectives, Action Plans, Implementation Time Frames, and Measurable Goals.
What were the priorities of the Community at the time of Completion? They were Clear and Concise: Each Priority well defined and comes with a specific list of certain objectives and how to reach them.
Priority 1: Quality of Life of Residents Bring people together through infrastructure enhancements and lifestyle opportunities.
Priority 2: Growth Management Manage growth in a manner that is sustainable and that enhances the quality of life for residents.
Priority 3: Inclusivity Build an informed, connected and engaged community that embraces diversity and provides for economic prosperity and affordability for all residents.
Priority 4: Education Ensure that the education system is funded enough to maintain quality and excellence.
So, Want to Learn More? Check out the complete Report!