2000 Work Group Orientation Agenda

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Questions and Answers about ... Lexington's 2020 Vision Process WHAT'S THIS 2020 VISION PROCESS ALL ABOUT? Lexington 2020 Vision is a town -wide effort to use "20/20 Vision" in a process that empowers residents to help determine what this community will look like in the year 2020. The Lexington 2020 Vision Steering Committee was created by the Board of Selectmen, in consultation with the School Committee and the Planning Board, to undertake this community visioning and strategic planning process. Building on previous efforts—community-based focus groups, discussions, and a core values survey -- the Committee is leading a process of community involvement to plan for the future of Lexington. WHY SHOULD A TOWN DO A STRATEGIC PLAN? Conventional planning normally tries to find successful ways to combine resources to accomplish stated goals. Its limitation is that it often does not adequately reflect the full range of changes, both in the outside world and in the entity that is doing the planning. Strategic planning takes a more dynamic approach, and recognizes that towns do not operate in a vacuum. Strategic planning can help a town to make sound long-term decisions about a wide range of issues that reflect not only where the world is, but where we think it is going. It's simply a very effective tool for managing municipal change in a complex world. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES FOR LEXINGTON? Valuable input was provided by participants at a series of four public workshops held in June and a Fall Forum in October, 1999. Six broad topical areas focus what Lexington citizens have expressed as being of greatest interest or concern for the future. These are: • Fostering a Sense of Community • Managing Growth: Development and Open Space • Achieving Educational Excellence: Lifelong Opportunities and Quality; • Ensuring Productive Connections between Citizens and Town Government; • Managing Transportation: Traffic and Accessibility; and • Fiscal Stability. WHAT HAVE WE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR? We've publicized the process and invited participation throughout the community by means of a town -wide survey, mailings to a wide variety of individuals and groups, and media publicity. We've held four community workshops and a town -wide Fall Forum. We've organized a Core Participants Group to serve as a sounding board for the process of vision and goals development, and six topical Work Groups to draft visions and goals. Several hundred Lexington residents have participated in some way in the process to date. Participants represent many segments of the community, and include many citizens who are not regularly active in the governance of the Town. WHAT'S NEXT? The Steering Committee hopes to engage a wide spectrum of the community in the creation of both a vision of Lexington's future and a plan for its implementation. Our intent is that it will be well- grounded in shared goals, clarity of purpose, and the key issues affecting the future of our Town. We plan to develop a town -wide vision and goals during the summer of 2000. We will circulate it within the community for feedback, and develop a plan for implementation beginning in late 2000. Also included will be a process for involving a wide spectrum of Lexington residents in visioning and goal -setting on a sustained basis. 1/3/2000 Lexington 2020 Vision Steering Committee