PEORIA, Ill. – he first of two days of meetings involving several hundred Peorians regarding the development of a new strategic plan for the city is in the books.
The city hosted two planning sessions at the Peoria Civic Center Thursday, though residents had to register in advance. Two more sessions will be held Friday, also with residents who had to pre-register. It’s the kickoff to the city’s planning process over the next five months.
And Peoria Mayor Rita Ali is glad to have the public’s help.
“One thing that we’re seeing, and hearing, is a lot of excitement,” said Ali. “People want to be a part of the process. They want to be engaged. They’re excited about Peoria’s future. In these (break-out) sessions, they’re actually identifying the critical issues, the critical, maybe, problems we need to address, and beginning to throw out some ideas for beginning to address those issues.”
The mayor says once the strategic plan is developed, it’s not just something that will sit on a shelf and gather dust; it will be used and refined, and will be key in the city’s budgeting process.
“We’re creating a living plan. We’re holding ourselves accountable,” said Ali. “We’re going to have our consultant hold us accountable. It’s a plan that’s will be tweaked every two years. This is a plan that the people will put together, in conjunction with the City Council. The people will own it, in conjunction with the City Council. The people will hold us accountable.”
As many as 500 people took part in the first round of sessions Thursday, Ali said.
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