5.8. SR 02-24-2003River
M :MO NDUM
TO:
Mayor and City Council
FROM:
DATE:
Pat Klaers, City Admit _rator
February 24, 2003
SUBJECT: City Vision Statements and Goals
Item # 5.8.
A city vision statement (or vision statements) and goals has been an agenda item at the
December and January department head staff meetings. Vision statements and goals has also
been the subject of numerous smaller meetings over the past few months.
At this time, there is no clear consensus from the staff (including me) on how to proceed in
approaching this issue, nor is there a clear understanding regarding the distinction bet~veen
goals and vision statements (and strategies and tasks, etc.). Some of this staff uncertainty is
just semantics and staff will continue to meet and work through this issue.
What is clear is that some department heads feel the need for more direction from the City
Council. This additional direction is needed in order for staff to appropriately respond to
public inquiries and in order for staff to adequately perform the functions and fulfill the
responsibilities of their job. This all relates to a City Council vision for the future of the city,
along with City Council approved goals to achieve the vision. (From a vision and goals, we
move into the next phase which is staff suggested tas~o accomphsh the goals and the need
for Council priorities and policies to follow.)
Attached for your information are some articles from the League of Mianesota Cities magazine
regarding visioning and goals. Also attached is the draft vision statement material from the
Comprehensive Plan.
I will provide a verbal update to the City Council on how things have been going regarding
the topic of city vision statements and goals and will welcome any feedback from the City
Council.
Municipal Strategic Planning
By Carl Neu
ocal government operations
affect our daily existence, experi-
ences and the quality of life we
have within our communities.
No local government deserves,
nor should its citizens tolerate,
a council or governing body that
isn't effective and competent in
leading the conm~unity toward a
better and more productive future.
Thomas Cronin, a recogTUzed author-
ity on public policy, defines leadership
as, "making thin~ happen that might
not other,vise happen, and preventing
things fi-om happening that ordinarily
might happen. It is a process of getting
people together to achieve common
goals and aspirations. Leadership is a
process that helps people transform
intentions into positive action, visions
into reality"--a process that beans with
a powerful vision, sound strate~c think-
ing, a solid corrm2tment to the future,
and the will and skills to achieve the
future in partnership with the entire
community.
A council's primary responsibility
is notjust to make policy or rule on
agenda items at public meetings. It is to
determine and achieve citizens' desires
for the community's future. Municipal
leaders help to shape the future of the
comrnunity by identifying and meeting
the challenges that must be addressed
through decisive leadership and goals.
A strate~c leader always envisions
the future and takes a community
"back to the future" from the present.
This leadership adventure starts with
vision, and evolves to defining the stra-
teac issues that must be mastered to
achieve the vision. The next step is the
development of long-range goals that
address these strate~c issues and which
provide decision-making and budgetary
focus for the successful implementation
of these goals. Living from one annual
budget to another, and from one coun-
cil meeting to the next, condemns your
community and its future to happen-
stance and the type of thinking that
befuddles governance and policy.
Thinking and acting strate~cally relates
to the following four elements:
A powe~d vision. Leaders focus on
the future. The means by which they
engage a community's comnmment to
that future is through creating a picture
or vision of what they are striving to
achieve. This vision captures imagina-
tion and conmzitment by providing a
general direction for change, motivat-
ing people to take action to bring
about those changes, and coordinating
the actions of all sectors of the commu-
nity to ~vork to fulfill that vision. Vision
is a sensible and appealing picture of
the future that rivets the entire com-
munity's attention and enables it to put
the priorities of the future over the
demands of the present as the basis for
decision-making and resource allocation.
Sound strategic thinking. Vision is
not enough. Without a feasible and
well thought out approach to achieving
the vision, it is nothing more than a
pipe dream or a hollow aspiration.
Strategy and related goals provide the
logic and detail that show how a vision
wLtl be accomplished over rime. One
of the most critical strategies that must
be defined is how the vision will be
communicated throughout the entire
cormnunity so it is understood and
embraced.
Commitment to tke future. Com-
mitment arises from communication
and understanding. Major change is
difficult to accomplish and results from
strong community-based coalitions and'
teams comrmtted to achieving the
vision. The comn'~tment to the future
is exemplified by four characteristics:
· Ensunng that key players throughout
the community are on board so they
can propel, rather than block pro~ess.
· Developing the levels of expertise
and insight necessary to carry out the
strategies and achieve the goals
through informed decision-making
and focused resource allocation.
· Maintaining credibility in the vision
and the people cornnfitted to its
attainment. Powerful visions are
achieved in part because leaders are
able to maintain people's faith in the
importance of the vision and its
benefits to the community's future.
· Ensuring the communi~'s leaders
work in partnership with each other
and the entire community in pursuit
of the vision.
The will and skills to ad, ieee tie
future. Leadership can be defined as
having two essential elements: wish-
bone and backbone. It's relatively easy
to create a vision, strate~es, and goals,
and communicate all of these through-
out the community. But the backbone
comes from creating the will and hav-
ing the skills to carry out the strate~es
and goals necessary for achieving the
vision.
Will starts with commitment and is
sustained through undaunting courage
and faith in the power of the vision.
The s ~kills required are many, including
visioning and goal-setting, team build-
ing and establishing working partner-
ships with numerous groups through-
out the community. Leaders must also
be skilled in conflict resolution and
willing to take risks. Leaders sometimes
have to help their community over-
come a sense of scarcity by sharing
resources to create abund,'mce.
The process of stratego planning
involves the entire comrnunity because
successful communities are the result of
people thin-king, dreaming, and work-
ing together. ~-
Carl Neu, a former focal t~i'cial, is a
mana£ement consultant specializing in
strengthenir~ municipal leadership.
AUGUST 2000 MINNESOTA C~T~S 13
BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
Creating A Vision
Community visioning, or strategic planning, is about the future. It is a process that determines
goals, anticipates surprises, addresses uncertainties, plays out the "what if.5" and creates action
steps and partnerships for the entire community.
By Carl H. Neu
II communities have a
future. But what will be
the quality of that future?
Who bears responsibility
for whether the future is
one of fate or one of
intent and leadership?
Everyone in a community,
especially its elected leaders, should
be concerned about its future
because the citizens of the commu-
nity will have to live some, if not
the rest, of their lives in the future
they create.
The challenges, opportunities
and uncertainties facing all com-
munities are growing in number
and comple~ty. They can create
conflict, confusion, chaos and
paralysis. Or, they can create the
potential for new horizons, tough
choices and exciting futures. They
can also help recapture a precious
treasure many neighborhoods,
towns, cities and regions have
lost--a sense of community and
caring that binds people together
in common purpose and identity;
a new recog'nition of"we" and
"we'll" as the basis for relating to
each other and the commitment to
get things done.
Community visioning, or
strategic planning, is about the
future. It is a process by which
people envision the community's
desired future and develop the
courage to achieve it. Community
visioning is the means by which a
community of people seek the
future they desire and relate with
each other, personally and corpo-
rately, to make that future happen.
It is not a planning tool such as a
comprehensive or master land-use
plan; it is not a means for allocating
resources such as a budget; it is not
a public relations plan to stimulate
good feelings: It is fundamentally a
process of dreaming, exploring and
creating--a means to give shape
and direction to a community's
thinking and view of itself so that
human imag-ination and creativity
can increase the influence of the
future over the present as the basis
for understanding and action.
Once the dream is set, all the
planning, budgeting and decision-
making tools have purpose and
application.
Why should a community
participate?
The visioning process ~ves a city
and the council a framework for
goal setting and establishing
priorities and setting policy. It
involves citizens and helps the city
understand what they want and
value. It provides an opportunity
to reflect on a community's history
and generate ideas for the future.
And, it offers a long-term perspec-
tive for decision-making and
budgeting. Communities that have
seen community visioning as an
adventure have reaped phenomenal
breakthroughs in how people
come together and in the accom-
plishments they achieve.
Questions to consider
Before embarking on a community
visioning adventure, your city
should consider several questions:
"Everyone in a community,
especially its elected
leaders, should be
concerned about its
future because the
ciUzens of the community
will have to live some,
if not the rest, of their lives
in the future they create."
AUGUST 1998 MINNESOTA CITIES 5
"It is fundamentally a process
of dreaming, exploring and
creating--a means to give
shape and direction to a
community's thinking and
view of itself so that human
imagination and creativity
can increase the i~uence
of the future over the
present as the basis for
understanding and action."
Do we understand what commu-
nity visioning really is? It is a
process of actively exploring and
anticipating the future and the
challenges to be addressed. It also
means developing consensus and
having the disciphne to implement
that consensus without caving in to
political expediency, one's own
biases, or the pressures of specific
groups and individuals whose
agendas conflict with community
consensus.
Are our elected officials, staff
and community leaders comfortable
sharing power with the community
and citizens? Community visioning
is a form of participatory democ-
racy that harkens back to the
ori~nal American democratic
experience. It can, at times, be in
conflict with representative
government and its "representa-
tives.'' The key is not to fear
popular involvement but to use it
to forge new citizen-elected official
partnerships that expand a
community's capacity to perceive
and achieve.
Can the community visioning
proc~s benefit our community,
and do we really understand the
products and outcomes it will
produce? There must be a clear
expectation among all parties about
the process that will be used, the
roles of various players, and what
the effort will produce; i.e., a
vision statement, specific goals, and
strategies and plans for attaining
these goals.
Is the community ready to
dedicate the time and resources to
do th. is community visioning process
well? A community visioning
process can take six to 18 months
and involves an extensive time
commitment from those involved.
The process also requires staff
support, an adequate budget,
ongoing community publicity and
communications, and the services
of a professional facilitator. Vision-
ing is not a casual undertaMng. It is
intense, disciplined, time-consum-
ing, hard work aimed at producing
rich rewards for the future.
Are the council and other key
groups publicly supportive and
willing to participate? Communi-
ties are comprised of many key
goups--city government, school
districts, chambers of commerce,
business and civic organizations,
major employers, neighborhood
associations--all of whom play a
role in creating, supporting and
achieving the vision. All must be
willing to embrace the process, or
their resistance and non-participa-
tion can hamper its success. Also,
are any groups that have been in
conflict with each other will/ng to
explore the potential futures in a
spirit of collaboration? Or w/il they
just seize upon the visioning effort
as another chance for further
polarization and disruption?
Is there a sense of stewardship
that will continue the process and
commitment to implementation?
Co~mnunity visioning and strate~c
planning frequently cover a period
of 20 years and must be refined and
updated regularly. Also, they_
transcend the term of office or
tenure of many of the individuals
involved in their initial creation.
Successful visions require commit-
ment to stewardship and ensuring
successive generations of leaders
who will continue the process,
keep it current, and sustain its
potential for creating a better
future.
The future of our communities
requires a barn-raising, rather than
a vending machine, mentality.
Community visioning identifies
and produces the changes we must
bring about in collaboration with
others. These changes are essential
to achieving the vision and future
we want for our community, and
for those individuals who will live
some or the rest of their lives
within it. ~'
Carl Neu is executive vice president
and general manager of NEW &
Company, providing resources and
sen~ices for govemment. Telephone:
(303) 986-8487. This article
excerpted with permissio, ~vm the
May-June 1998 issue of Colorado
Municipalities, a publication qf the
League qf Colorado Cities.
"Community visioning
identifies and produces
the changes we
must bring about
in collaboration
with others."
6 MINNESOTA CITIES AUGUST 1998
Creating Your City's Future
By Kent E. Eklund and Cathy.]acobson
eeting after meeting, city
councils make decisions on
behalf-of their city or town.
Often, councilmembers will
begin to feel there is no pattern
or common vision driving the
various decisions. This lack
of a sense of a larger picture
often frustrates councils. Strategic plan-
ning is a technique to develop a vision
for a city and create an understanding
of that bigger picture. Strategic plan-
ning offers a city a geater potential to
guide and participate in its future. The
alternative is to be directed by future
visions developed elsewhere.
Importance of strategic planning.
In fast changing environments, it is
often easy to feel a certain loss of
control. The economy is in the midst
of a major restructuring, "old" indus-
tries are changing, and even newer
companies come and go. The increas-
ing rate of technolo~cal innovation
affects all of us. Social institutions, such
as the family and religious organiza-
tions, are undergoing rapid change as
well. In the midst of all these changes,
it is often easy to feel helpless and sub-
jected to forces over which you can
exercise litde control.
Strategic planning helps communi-
ties reco~maize these forces and deter-
mine long-term coping strategies for
dealing with these changes. In many
cases, communities are forced to recog-
nize that their ori~nal purposes for
even being in existence are no longer
viable and the community needs to
re-think its whole position within a
larger, regional context. Such thinking
helps develop proactive strategies for
working with the trends to arrive at a
more pleasing future than if conmauni-
ties merely respond to outside forces.
What is strategic planning? Strategic
planning is different than comprehen-
sive planning, land use planning, or
facilities and capital planning. All of
these planning processes are part of
developing and implementing the
vision that the strategic plan sets in
place. A strate~c plan starts with a
longer-term view of the city and
answers key questions about the five
to ten year vision of what the city
wants to become.
This long-tema thinkin,~ is hard
work. The time horizon is beyond
the normal, day-to-day th/nking and
acting. Yet elected and appointed city
officials have a unique opportunity and
responsibility to think in the long term
about the future of the whole commu-
nity.
A strategic plan is organized into
yearly, incremental steps or goals that
start a community down the path of
making the vision a reality. Most plans
identify only three to five goals for
any one year. This is as much visionary
work that any council normally has
time to address. The remainder of the
annual agenda is devoted to oversight
of the daily functions of the city and
responding to the issues that emerge
during the year.
Some of the hurdles. A very difficult
part of strate~c planning is finding time
in the busy operations of the city to
focus on implementing the plan. This
is why councils should focus on a lim-
ited number of goals each year, and
build those goals into the work plans
of city staff. Keeping those goals in
front of staff is a critical responsibihty
of the council.
A second problem with strategic
planning is elections. With each elec-
tion cycle, new councilmembers arrive
with potentially little ownership of a
plan authored by the previous council.
This necessitates, usually in December
after each election, the re-opening of
the plan and a discussion among all the
councilmembers--newly elected and
veterans--about the vision and compo-
nents of the plan. Even if dramatic
changes occur as a result of elections,
each council can at least select the
key, three to five goals fhat will be
the hallmark of their council.
Questions to consider. Councils
should start these types of discussions
with the following questions: In the
history of this city, what do we want
this council to be known for? How
does this answer fit into the vision
of the previous council? Even in
elections where there seems to be
little mandate from the voters, this
question gives the council freedom
to think about its Vision for the city.
A final question councils often ask
is whether an outside consultant is
worth the expense. The answer to this
question depends on the availability
of seasoned facilitators in the commu-
nity. The individual who facilitates the
strategic planning discussion cannot
also participate in the conversation.
So, whoever is selected to facilitate
the discussion must be comfortable
being a non-participant and have skills
in forg-ing consensus and resolving dif-
ferences, which will inevitably occur.
An advantage of relying on someone
from outside the community to guide
the conversation is that they will be
able to ask questions from an entirely
objective perspective, with no agendas
that obviously come with being a
resident of the city.
Final thought. Of course, there
are no guarantees for any community.
What strategic planning enables is a
rea~stic assessment of a community's
prospects and the development of
longer-term strate~es for working
towards a more desirable future. ~r
Kent Eklund and Cathy Jacobson
are with Cincinnatus, a member of
the LMC Business Associate program.
JULY 1999 MINNESOT^ CITIES
PLANNING FOR MINNESOTA'S FUTURE
Checking Your City's Vision
Having a clear vision helps us work more effectively, reduces fatigue, prevents us from
missing new opportunities, and keeps us out of harm's way. But vision can also refer to a
dream or ideal that shapes our actions and decisions.
By W. Arthur Mehrhoff, Ph.D.
ow more than ever, cities
have to think, plan, and act
on their futures or they will
be left behind in the new
era of global competition.
Despite the enormous
demogaphic, economic,
and cultural waves' of
change wast~ing over cities--re-
placing manufacturing with know-
ledge and service industries as the
economic base of cities--there still
remains a place for good places in
modern society. In fact, such
places may become even more
precious in the midst of such rapid
change, as the global village be-
comes a globe of villages and qual-
it'/of life becomes more thanjust a
slogan.
Since quality of life is important
to individuals, businesses, and cit-
ies, cities must learn to understand
and value their own unique char-
actefistics and to chart their own
courses on the rolling seas of post-
industrialization. Russell Ackoff of
the Wharton School of Business
suggests the only kind of stability
in such a complex, unpredictable,
and interconnected environment is
similar to that of an airplane flying
in a storm. Like Chares Lindbergh
carefully navigating the Spirit of
Saint Louis across the Adantic, cit-
les need to achieve this precarious
balance through discipline and a
thorough understanding of their
systems, tools, and the forces acting
upon them, along with a clear
sense of direction. A vision state-
ment becomes a city's flight plan
for its chosen future and its image
of how to integate themany roles
and functions of citizens into a
purposeful system--making the
flight as rewarding as possible for
everyone on board.
Visioning has several advantages
not found in the typical city plan-
ning process. Visioning addresses a
wider range of civic concerns and
groups. It identifies strategic trends
'and forces, seeks a clear under- '
standing of community values, and
offers a big picture to guide imme-
diate decisions. The process also
creates the appropriate tools and
techniques for implementing the
vision. Visioning assumes that citi-
zens have both the ability and the
responsibility for shaping their own
futures.
Cities as diverse as Litde Falls,
Minn., Chattanooga, Tenn., and
Pordand, Ore., have discovered
that the visioning process releases
enormous civic energ3' and cre-
ative forces. In fact, one of the ba-
sic ideas of visioning is that due to
the rapid flow of data, ideas, and
capital characterizing post-indus-
trial society, city government no
longer has a monopoly on those re-
sources. The more complex the
system, the more insights and in-
volvement fi'om different levels are
needed to make the system work.
One practical consideration, there-
fore, is making sure citizens are in-
volved in the visioning process.
Since each city has different char-
actenstics, it is important to use
existing institutions like churches
"V~sioning addresses a wider
range of civic concerns and
groups, it iden~es strategic
trends and forces, seeks a
dear understanding of
community values, and
offers a big picture to guide
immediate decisions."
OCTOS~P. 1997 MINNESOTA C~T~S 11
"Since each city has different
characteristics, it is important
to use existing institutions like
churches or schools to engage
people in ways that are
comfortable to them, or to
create new organizations to
involve citizens who typically
don't participate in the
decision-making process."
or schools to engage people in
ways that are comfortable to them,
or to create new organizations to
involve citizens who typically
don't participate in the decision-
making process.
The National Civic League's
Millennium Project is an excellent
source for cities considering the
visioning process. The project's
Web site (www.cdinet/Mill/Ke-
source/vision.htrnl) features local
examples of and references na-
tional organizations available to
help your city.
Several notable city exanaples
stand out. Portland, Org. has
achieved a much-deserved reputa-
tion for its high quality of life
through its comprehensive, re-
gional visioning process. This pro-
cess began in the early 1980s and
has provided clear directions for
local decision-makers with its fo-
cus on downtown and waterfront
revitalization, support for mass
transit, and political and legal
mandates to maintain an urban
growth boundary to prevent de-
velopment in the surrounding
farmlands.
Chattanooga, Tenn. has won
praise for its community-based
Vision 2000 focusing on
sustainability. During the past 10
years, this once maligned ciW vir-
tually eliminated its longstanding
air pollution problem, began
cleaning up waste sites located in
minority neighborhoods, and built
an enormously popular and eco-
nomically successful fi'esh water
aquarium on its previously aban-
doned riverfront.
And back home in Minnesota,
dozens of small cities have partici-
pated in the award-winning Min-
nesota Design Team visioning pro-
cess. Originally conceived by a
small group of architecture and
landscape architecture students in
the early-1980s, the Design Team
is a well-established and respected
group of volunteer professionals as-
sisting communities in planning
and designing a viable, appropriate
future. The Design Team works
not only on design issues like main
street improvements, but also with
the fundamental planning process
that allows communities to take
initiative and plan a future that re-
flects the cormaaunity's dreams and
interests. According to the Design
Team, successful community vi-
sioning includes: shared ownership
of the visioning process; a compre-
hensive community inventm3~; in-
terdisciplinary teams; democratic
brainstorming and discussion of
community issues; and finding an
individual or agency to spearhead
implementation of the vision.
In the final analysis, visioning is
neither a marc wand nor a silver
bullet for solving the problems of
cities. It is, at its best, a rebirth of
citizenship that will create our
flight plan and guide us safely into
ire new millennium. ~'
Dr. W. Arthur Mehrhoff is professor
qf local and urban affairs at Saint
Cloud State University in St. Cloud,
Minnesota.
"in the final analysis, visioning
is neither a magic wand nor a
silver bullet for solving the
problems of cities. It is, at its
best, a rebirth of citizenship
that will create our flight plan
and guide us safely into
the new millennium."
· Assess and inventor3, the community--including
Census, business, and visual data
· Identify the important trends and issues
· Establish civic goals and objectives
· Outline Barriers to identified goals and objectives
· Locate available resources
· Create a time frame and assign responsibilities
· Determine appropriate pro~ess indicators
Reprinted from Taking Charge and Managing Change: Basic Outline for Developing Communit3, Vision-for the Future,
published bY the American Planning Association, 177~ Massachusetts Avenue, NW. Washington, DC 2003~.
12 MINNESOTA CITIES OCTOBE~k 1997
Klaers, Pat
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Mcpherson, Michele
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 9:13 AM
Bergh, Michele; Czech, Rich; Hals, Phil; Johnson, Lori; Klaers, Pat; Mehelich, Catherine;
Peine, Sandy; Potvin, Dave; Rohlf, Steve; Thomas, Kristin; West, Bruce; Zerwas, Tom
Vision Statement
Here is the draft vision statement for the current redo of the Comp Plan. It may help with your goal drafting.
vision Statement 9 26
02.doc
Michele
Draft- September 2002
Vision for Elk River
Importance of a Vision?
According to an old story, two stonecutters were asked what they were doing.
The first said, "I'm cutting this stone into blocks." The second replied, "I'm on
a team that is building a cathedral."
This story describes the role of a vision on managing the growth and
development of a City. Without a vision, development management works
much like the fzrst stonecutter. New pieces are added without a clear picture of
what is being built. The vision provides the picture of the "cathedral" that Elk
River seeks to become. Each development and redevelopment project must
help to build the future, not just fit cleanly with the next "stone block".
The Comprehensive Planning process has been described as building the future
Elk River. The cornerstone of that building is the vision. The Vision Statement
provides a broad and enduring view of Elk River. The Vision serves several
purposes:
The Vision serves as a tool for evaluating proposals, projects, ideas and
new directions. How does this action fit with the Vision?
· Creating a Vision Statement allows a shared understanding of
community desires for the future.
· The Vision encourages the community to consider the future, even to a
future that is twenty years distant.
· The Vision provides an anchor in times of conflict and change - a way
of fmcling common ground and shared values.
· The Vision encourages imagination, recognizing that the direction it
sets will be the reality of the future.
· The Vision creates energy and enthusiasm for maintaining the
commitment to the Comprehensive Plan.
Vision Statement
The vision for the future of Elk River consists of several themes.
Maintain a distinct identity for Elk River.
· Elk River will keep an identity and character all its own.
· Natural, cultural and historical resources of the community are essential
ingredients of Elk River's identity
': ~ Building the Future
~?~.The Comprehensive
Plan for Elk River
Draft - Sqotember 2002
Wision for Elk River
· Elk River seeks to grow in a manner that preserves the qualities of its
"small town" heritage.
Create and maintain strong neighborhoods.
· Neighborhoods are the basic building blocks of Elk River and shape
our mews and attitudes about the community.
· Residential development is judged on both aesthetics and function.
Keep Elk River a "safe" place.
· Elk River is a place where people feel comfortable and secure.
· Traffic safety is an important factor in all aspects of community
development.
· A system of streets, sidewalks and trails allow safe and convenient
movement throughout the city.
· Municipal services (police, fire, water treatment) create both the
perception and reality of safety.
Preserve and maintain the environment.
· Elk River seeks to promote clean air and water in the management of
development and the delivery of municipal services.
· Development must be served by well maintained and reliable
infrastructure.
· Development seeks to incorporate and blend the built environment
w/th the natural environment.
· Rural, undeveloped areas are part of the Elk River environment.
· As Energy City, Elk River seeks to promote sustainable and energy
efficient forms of development.
Plake Elk River a complete place.
· Community and economic development policies will seek to attract
employment opportunities and goods and services needed by the
community.
· The expansion of local employment creates more opportunities for
people to live and work in Elk River.
· Planning and decision making must recognize that the population of
Elk River is not a single commodity. Differences in age, economic
status and ethnicity must be considered in planning for future
development, facilities and services.
'/~. '"'~ Building the Future
Ix~lll,_~) _T'he Comprehensive Plan for Elk River
Draft- Sqtember 2002 l/ision for Elk ~'ver
·
Work to achieve the vision.
· Everyone shares responsibility for achieving the.vision.
sole responsibility of city government.
Recreational and cultural opportunities are important elements of a
complete place.
A quahty education system attracts and keeps people in Elk River.
It is not the
The City will seek collaborative efforts with other parmers with who
have shared interests to achieve this vision.
Building the Future