It’s strategic plan time! It’s budget time! And we need your input. Mayor and Council have been working hard for the past two months to put together a bold and innovative strategic plan that will shape the direction we all go together for the next four years. The plan is not a nice wish list. It’s a path forward, with clear, measurable actions and outcomes.

Create Prosperity Through Economic Development. Make Victoria More Affordable. Engage and Empower the Public. Nurture our Arts, Culture and Learning Capital. These are just four of the 13 bold, forward-looking objectives we are aiming to achieve over the next four years to make Victoria into a leading-edge 21st century city.

To make sure we’re heading in the right direction, and spending your money in a way that will get us there, we need your input. Please take the time! If you’ve only got a little bit of time you can fill out the short survey and scratch the surface. If you’ve got more time, take a deep dive.

And, if you like good old-fashioned democracy, like I do, join us for a townhall meeting on the strategic plan and budget, Monday March 23rd 7pm at City Hall. We’re doing things differently this year and we need your help to make it a success. If you can’t make it in person on the 23rd, you can email, tweet or even phone us with your questions and comments and we’ll make sure they become part of the discussion that night.

The goal Council hopes to reach with this budget and this strategic plan is that “Victoria is a leading edge capital city that embraces the future and builds on the past, where human needs and the environment are priorities, where the community feels valued, heard and understood and where City Hall is trusted. Victoria is a city that is livable, affordable, prosperous and vibrant, where we all work in partnership to support opportunities and get things done.”

Together with you, we can make this happen. We look forward to building the city, with you.