Early in 2012, we conducted a survey of our residents as part of our strategic plan update process. Our goal was to understand how people in Boulder City feel about our community, what’s working well, what’s important to them, and where we need to make improvements.

Residents answered questions about quality of life, the performance and responsiveness of city government, and most importantly, what you see as the priorities for our City as we move forward in the coming years.

Overall, it appears that the community feels that Boulder City is headed in the right direction, that our quality of life is high, and that we believe it will stay that way. Of all survey respondents, 94% rated the quality of life in Boulder City as “excellent” or “good.” Though this is great news, it’s also a high standard that we must work hard to maintain.

The reason we did this survey was to help us in updating the City’s Strategic Plan. This update resulted in nine specific areas where we can focus our efforts in the coming years. Those nine areas are, brand image, financial stewardship, infrastructure, communication, economic development, programs/services, sustainability, transportation, and public safety. I will discuss each of these in later articles.

The City Council will utilize the Strategic Plan as we discuss priorities during the budget process. It is a valuable tool which will help us focus our efforts in accomplishing what our residents see as the priorities. Along with our Strategic Plan, the City Council has established and approved a Financial Plan. I have written about this plan in past articles. The main goals of the Financial Plan are debt reduction, rebuilding reserves and capital needs, and stabilizing utility rates and property taxes. The key component of the Financial Plan is the revenue that is generated by the leases in the Energy Zone.

We are working hard to build trust and confidence.  Even during a very difficult economy, the City is moving ahead. The City Council is made up of individuals that simply want to serve this community. We will continue to work hard to protect our small town quality of life.

Visit Roger at http://www.bcnv.org/CityCouncil/Tobler.asp.