2020/08/31 - Mayor's Column: Master Plan 2040
“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
What do you want your community to look like in 20 years? We will soon be staring a new phase of planning that will seek to answer that question.
This week was the start of the many-months-long process of updating the City of O’Fallon’s Master Plan. This plan will be used to guide our city’s future development and redevelopment for the next 20 years and beyond. The 2040 Master Plan will include the community’s goals and vision for the future and will speak to areas of our everyday lives—housing, parks, transportation, and more—to create a long-term strategy for growth. This is an important planning project for our community, and I encourage you to get involved as we move forward.
On Monday (8/31/20) we will be hosting a Committee of the Whole Meeting at the Public Safety Facility, beginning at 6 p.m. This initial meeting will be the first opportunity (of many) for O’Fallon’s elected officials and residents to be heard. Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions on in-person attendance and grouping size, only the City Council and a few staff members will be able to attend the meeting in-person. However, the public can attend the meeting by registering at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tFW9Pu-SSiunMuwa-SuZhA.
While this initial meeting may not work for you, there will be many more chances to provide your input and be heard. Our team is gearing up for community outreach activities planned for this fall – mostly virtual activities – to keep everyone safe. We want to hear from a group of residents that is diverse as the people of live within the City of O’Fallon. Please keep an eye on the City of O’Fallon’s website, our social media, and newsletters for ways to help Build Your Future Here.
In addition to the Master Plan, we will soon be beginning the 2020 National Citizens Survey. With the COVID-19 pandemic weighing heavily in our lives, it can be hard to focus on anything else. Even amidst this crisis, it is important for City leaders to continue to seek feedback to understand the broader needs of our community. Starting next week, a survey will be sent to 1,600 random O’Fallon households.
By conducting this survey, we can gather important feedback about the quality of life in O’Fallon and the quality of services provided, among other topics. Such feedback is essential in uncertain times such as these, so we can keep resident opinions front and center as we chart our way forward together. Conducting a community survey allows us to get this feedback.
We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that demands our full attention and resources. Fortunately, we are working with an independent third party, National Research Center, to conduct the survey. This will allow City leaders’ valuable time and attention to focus on the most imminent needs at this time.
If you receive a survey in the mail, please take a few minutes to fill it out. Your participation is very important – especially since your household is one of only a small number of households being surveyed. Your feedback will help O’Fallon make decisions that affect our City.
As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open (virtually, at least)!