Minden Hills council has given the go-ahead to talk to community members in the lead-up to doing a strategic plan.
CAO Cynthia Fletcher asked council Aug. 8 to allow staff to issue a request for proposals (RFP), looking for a facilitator to lead a community engagement project. She said the township could use money already set aside for a strategic plan. She originally sought approval July 25, but council wanted more information, specifically around the apparent staged approach, since usually one firm does community engagement as part of a strategic plan.
Fletcher told council last week, “the intent of the recommendation is not to deviate away from developing a strategic/priority plan, but to initiate the necessary community engagement. Having the information from the community engagement phase may help shape the requirements to develop the township’s long-range guiding plan.”
Council had already set aside $50,000 for a strategic plan. However, Fletcher said with turnover in senior leadership positions, the work had not started and money remains in the budget.
Upon review, she added “staff identified a critical need to engage with our community to ensure any future plan reflects collective priorities and needs. Without this first phase. we will be missing a key component in developing a longer-range priority plan that meets Minden Hills’ priorities.”
These plans usually look five to 10 years out and guide decision-making. Fletcher added they help with community building, where to invest resources, and with annual business plans.
“Minden Hills is a terrific township with many assets, positive attributes, rich history and diverse expertise. We need to establish better connections with, and between, these assets to build up and highlight our community,” Fletcher said.
“The intention is to seek an experienced and dynamic facilitator, who will develop and implement a comprehensive engagement project to capture input from a broad, representative sample of community members, staff and council members.” She said community members include businesses, the development industry, residents, key stakeholder groups, and partner organizations.
The CAO believes the municipality wants to clarify what matters most to people, determine Minden Hills’ assets/attributes, identify ways to build better connections, enhance community spirit, and develop strategies to improve engagement within the community.
“Who we are today, where we want to go? What we want to accomplish? Create a draft vision for the community and identify potential hurdles to achieving that vision and strategies to overcome.”
She said following community engagement, the facilitator will identify attributes of Minden Hills that may be used to establish the community identity or “wow factor.” She added the facilitator will work with staff to develop recommendations for council consideration, which will form the foundation for the next phase in developing a plan.
She suggested spending $20,000 for phase one.
Coun. Ivan Ingram and Tammy McKelvey said they would have preferred staff put out an RFP for a strategic plan, with community engagement being part of it. McKelvey was worried seasonal residents would be gone by the time the talking began. Fletcher said they would want a firm that could reach people who cannot attend in-person.
Coun. Pam Sayne preferred community engagement first, to give the township direction. She added there are ways to reach seasonal people, and after a busy summer season is a good time to get feedback from the business community.
“We have to start today and try to get the community engagement going.”
She said the same firm could follow the plan through, or there could be other options. Mayor Bob Carter said doing it in steps made a lot of sense. Deputy mayor Lisa Schell also felt council should support the CAO in trying the new approach.
Fletcher said, “we need to stop talking about doing a strategic plan, we need to show some action and initiative on this.”
