Special strategic plan meeting gathers final Council comments

by Sylene Argent

On the evening of Monday, September 30, staff members and decision-makers for the Town of Essex hosted a special meeting inside the large meeting room at the Essex Municipal Building to discuss the Town’s strategic plan.

This document will set out the long-term plans for this term of Council and will be used to guide the overall direction of the organization. It includes six strategic priorities and associated action items.

  Essex CAO Chris Nepszy said the special Council meeting was a high-level, next step in the development of the strategic plan. 

“I presented the draft document, worked through how we got to this point, and listened to Council to ensure their vision was captured,” Nepszy said of the special meeting.

  Council will now review the draft document’s content, and then administration will incorporate any comments/changes, he noted. The final strategic plan, along with a supporting report, is planned to be presented in a public session of Council, likely in October.

  During the special meeting, Nepszy encouraged Councillors to get those comments back to him by the end of the following week. He also thanked staff and residents for their input into the document he said he was proud of.

  Nepszy added the last meeting on the strategic plan was a public meeting of Council, so any residents who wanted to attend could hear the presentation. The intent on the part of Council and Administration, he added, was not to proceed with a public distribution of what was only a draft plan, until the final document was Council approved.

  Earlier this year, the Town of Essex compiled feedback and input from residents, Town staff, and members of Council for the draft document. To get that input, workshops were held with staff members and a community-wide survey was held, which asked residents to reflect on what they enjoy most about the Town and what the priorities should be over the next four years.

  Nepszy noted nearly 500 residents and stakeholders provided feedback through the survey.

  “This is great. This is good stuff,” Mayor Larry Snively said wrapping up the special meeting. He added the key will be to follow this guide during this term of Council.

  Council received the presentation before adjourning.