Over the 12 months, members of the DuPage County Board met to plot out a strategic plan meant to guide legislation to the end of the decade.
On Tuesday, the board passed a five-year strategic plan, outlining the goals and wishes of board and community members for the legislative future of DuPage.
The Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by board member Sadia Covert, elected to prioritize community services and economic development, with objectives to promote local business and workforce development, and create outreach programs for families, the elderly and people with disabilities.
“This strategic plan marks a pivotal moment for our County, setting the blueprint to keep DuPage County thriving and prosperous for years to come,” County Board Chair Deborah Conroy said in a news release Tuesday.
None of the plan’s goals are set in stone, nor does the plan indicate any incentives or punishments for the board to abide by the priorities set, priorities that include: “community well-being, fiscal responsibility, thriving economy, safe community, environmental stewardship and mobility.”
Despite a lack of legal binding, debate within the county board over the language included in the plan lasted until the last minute as a motion to remove the words “on a national level” from an economic objective failed to garner enough support.
“Every word mattered when we went through the strategic plan and we did compromise. There were certain things that we all kind of gave up to get certain things in,” board member Cindy Cahill said before the plan’s approval, Tuesday.
Smaller objectives like reducing the county’s landfill presence through an increase in composting and recycling, and expanding bike and pedestrian pathways, have already seen an increase in attention after the recent passage of the Solid Waste Management Plan and DuPage County Trails Plan chart a course for more manageable improvements.
Part of the development process saw the County engage the community through forums, interviews and more than 1,000 survey responses from neighbors.
“We are grateful for the input and support of our community members, who helped shape this plan and ensure that it reflects our shared values and vision,” Covert said in a statement Tuesday.
