Town officials have announced they will seek community input over the coming months in order to craft a final Strategic Plan adoption in early October. According to First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons, public feedback is essential to the process, including an approaching public forum on June 6.

Lyons explained the importance of a strategic plan and why public input is crucial for the successful implementation of any municipal program of this type.

“A strategic plan is a town roadmap. It helps guide town leaders in their decision-making for the next ten years. It gives us a signpost from the community on what they care most about. So, when we put budgets together, when we put programming together, we know, as a town, we are doing what our citizens want us to do. That is why public feedback is so important in this,” said Lyons. “We want to prioritize our dollars and the town staff’s time on things that the community wants us to prioritize.”

There will be several opportunities for residents to share ideas, thoughts, and feedback concerning Madison’s future, including a hybrid Community Visioning Session on Tuesday, June 6, at the Senior Center (29 Bradley Road) starting at 6 p.m. Pizza and beverages will be served, “and this will be a fun, highly participatory, and engaging session,” according to the town website.

“This meeting will be facilitated by our consultant SBrand Solutions, and it’s an opportunity to weigh in on what you care about and how you feel about Madison,” said Lyons. ‘There’s this view that people are making decisions and not really consulting with the community and that there’s other agendas,” said Lyons. “So, this is not my agenda or any other board’s agenda. This is what the town has said they care most about. These opportunities give us that guidance and help us as public officials to be able to point to this and say that we are doing what our residents want us to do.”

Lyons also encouraged residents to respond to the Strategic Plan survey, which will remain open until June 15 and can be accessed via the town website (www.madisonct.org). Residents can also obtain a printed survey postcard that can be filled out and returned to Town Hall, according to Lyons.

“This is a great program as well. It’s designed to get as much feedback as we can about the community’s thoughts. We want to know what you think and how we can help put those ideas into our overall plans for Madison’s future,” said Lyons. “We encourage everyone to visit the town site and take the survey. It is a direct way for everyone to participate.”

Another outreach program is the Community Sticky Notes Project, which seeks public feedback and input via “sticky notes” boxes placed at town hall and that will soon be available at the Surf Club and the Scranton Library, according to Lyons. This program is a simple and easy method for residents to provide input by answering a few short questions about their likes and dislikes and vision for the Madison community.

“There is a board now at Town Hall so that people can post their thoughts. You just answer a few short questions and drop it off in a box,” said Lyons. “The other locations should be up and running soon, and we encourage everyone to take a few minutes to respond.”

Lyons added, “It’s a great way to brainstorm and get feedback. There’s also an opportunity for cross-fertilization of ideas with other community members too. This is part of a broader package of ways that we are getting community input.”

According to Lyons, there will also be focus groups for entities such as volunteer organizations and town employees to provide specialized feedback.

According to the town website, there are five phases to the plan and its drafting. Phase 1, Logistics, consists of planning, logistics, and process improvements over the course of the project. Phase 2, Research and Review, will ask consultants to review documents, research information, and collaborate with town boards and commissions. The third phase, Engagement and Outreach, includes the Community Visioning Session, a community survey, a staff survey, specific focus group meetings, one on one interviews, presentations, and other ways to gain feedback and ideas from the community. Phase 4, Strategic Plan Framework, is the creation of a framework based on the information from Phase 3. Several specific meetings will be facilitated to craft the draft and final framework, including a strategic plan retreat, work sessions, an implementation meeting, and another community session about the plan. The final and fifth phase, Strategic and Implementation Plan Documents, will provide documents that will tell the story of the Town of Madison from the strategic plan perspective.

Lyons urged residents with questions or comments to contact Town Hall for more details at 203-245-5602. The hybrid public Visioning Forum is being held June 6 at 6 p.m. at the Senior Center, 29 Bradley Road, Madison.