guestview: Vice Mayor Ron Pinchok
New Strategic Plan will guide the Town in coming years
Working on the Town’s new Strategic Plan confirms something we all know is true but don’t always like to acknowledge — change is inevitable. I remember Farragut as it was 30 years ago — a quiet, semi-rural community with limited commercial development and few housing options. It was a small, close-knit community and I’m glad I was here to experience that era.
Today, it’s a thriving municipality with a population of around 23,000. We’re still close-knit, but our dining and retail options, as well as our population, are more diverse. Our excellent schools and lack of property tax make us an attractive place to put down roots, so our real estate market is bustling. Growth is inevitable and necessary if we want to maintain the outstanding services we’ve come to expect. Going backwards isn’t an option.
That’s why the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Town of Farragut management team have been working with Julia Novak of The Novak Consulting Group to craft new Vision, and Mission and Values statements and fine-tune seven Critical Success Factors, or visionary goals, for the Town. In August, we asked residents to chime in by completing an online survey and/or attending two community meetings at Town Hall. We wanted you to let us know what you think of our vision for what Farragut will become over the next 10 years.
Strategic planning helps organizations shape and guide what they are, what they do and why they do it. Plans are typically revised every five to 10 years, and the Town’s last update was in 2011. The Novak Consulting Group was chosen through a Request for Qualifications process to lead us through the process.
The Strategic Planning Framework includes Critical Success Factors that define our objectives in regard to parks and recreation, infrastructure, fiscal leadership, regional collaboration, our built environment, Town staffing and promoting Farragut as a retail destination. The goals we set in these
areas will influence our
decisions about how we grow — where we invest, how we
develop and how we relate to neighboring communities.
Hundreds of you joined the community conversation about our Strategic Plan, and we truly appreciate your involvement. Now Town staff and leadership will come together again to refine the plan’s language based on your input.
The final version of the new Strategic Plan will be released this fall. When it is, I hope it will accurately reflect the goals and ambitions of the community and inspire us to move forward — together.
The Town of Farragut: Live Closer. Go Further.
