City of Findlay, OH
Strategic Plan

The City of Findlay, known as Flag City USA, is a one-of-a-kind community that has been successful over the last 30 years and has been positioned to be a world class community for generations to come. Findlay is the headquarters and home to manufacturing and wholesale companies such as the Cooper Tire & Rubber, Marathon Oil Corporation, and Whirlpool and Lowes distribution center. The city also includes post-educational institutions such as the University of Findlay and Owens Community College. Additionally, Findlay has been recognized for it’s quality schools, parks and active lifestyle, and has won awards and accolades since 2018. To ensure the city’s success for decades to come, Planning NEXT was retained to undertake an effort to develop a strategic plan to guide decision making and investment throughout the community.

A unique moment for the city

The strategic planning process, branded as Findlay Forward, is a strategic plan that will focus solely on responsibilities and initiatives of the City government and informed by the community. This plan will help prioritize City services, programs, projects, and future investments. To gain further insight on the internal organization, the planning team has worked closely with elected officials, the strategic planning committee, and staff to help understand the city roles and functions that serve the public. This information was used in parallel with the public input to develop the priorities for the plan framework.

Extensive community engagement efforts

City Commission emphasized the importance of community involvement. To reach as many voices as possible, several engagement opportunities will be held throughout the process. The first round of public engagement utilized printed collateral and advertisement opportunities with radio stations, digital signage, newspaper sources, and restaurants to promote the opportunities held as workshops located in multiple venues throughout the city. Additionally, an online survey was available and meeting-in-a-box kits were deployed to the project’s Community Outreach Team volunteers who hosted small group meetings. The first round garnered over 900 participants and over 2,400 pieces of input. The second round is scheduled for the end of summer and will involve “popping up” at several community events scheduled within the City to continue to collect input from the public.

Developing the plan

Planning NEXT is currently working with the Strategic Planning Committee, made up of elected officials to develop the plan framework. The plan is anticipated to be finished by fall 2022.

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Tags

Project Type: strategic plan
Community Type: city
Client: City of Findlay
Services: strategic planning, public engagement, social media and online engagement