Make your voice heard

Given the season, one looking at the above headline would think that this will be another editorial about elections. But no – there’s still another two months for that. Instead, this is about a matter that’s closer to home.

The city has recently completed its strategic plan that will point the city in the direction it wants to go in until the end of the decade.

The plan will look at every facet of the city, including economic direction, improvements in the community, environmental direction and more. It goes without saying that anything the city does between now and 2019 will come in one way or another – whether directly or influenced by – this document.

Some people are unhappy with the direction the city is going – that’s just a fact of life. Look at any municipality in the country, or anywhere else for that matter, and you’ll see people voicing their complaints and concerns about what is happening to their home community. Some complaints may be valid, while others not – that’s neither here nor there right now.

What is here is an online survey and upcoming public meeting about this strategic plan. Residents have an opportunity to voice their concerns directly to the powers that be about where the city is going in the next few years. The public meeting, currently scheduled for Sept. 15, will be another great opportunity to voice those concerns in person.

Complaining to your friends or on social media will only get you so far when it comes to helping to improve where the city is headed. Just like the upcoming federal election, it doesn’t serve well to complain about what’s going on and then not vote to reflect that.

So if you have a concern, please send it the city’s way in the online survey, or clear your schedule so you can go out to the September meeting. After all, it’s only when we all work together that we get work done.