Thunder Bay strategic plan looking for input

The document that helps guide the decisions Thunder Bay city council will be making over the next four years is now open for public input.

City council adopted the first draft of its latest strategic plan on May 25. The plan's basic framework, which will guide council until 2018, was adopted. However, the public has until June 4 to comment on the draft plan.

City manager Tim Commisso said one example of how the strategic plan guides council's thinking is the focus on infrastructure over the past four years.

"We doubled our tax-supported infrastructure renewal spending in four years. Does council want to continue on at that same pace or look at other options. That really is a strategic discussion and a strategic consideration that will be brought forward as we roll out the strategic plan," he said.

Commisso said council still needs to sharpen its focus for the next four years.

"One of the things we didn't do in this strategic plan, which we did in the previous one, was give a snapshot on what has happened over the last ten years in the community and what we expect to happen," he said.

Commisso said many things have happened in the community over the past decade, and he believes the strategic plan reflects that. 

"And it also talks about where we want to go, and that's certainly the emphasis on the working title we have," Commisso said.

The draft title, 'Becoming Our Best' has already had significant public input from two open houses held in April.

A link to the city's strategic plan can be found here.