WHAT THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
Bradley County, Cleveland, and Charleston, Tennessee together are a growing community of about 90,000 people located along I-75 just northeast of Chattanooga. Despite a national economic downturn, a strong positive change in the area economy is anticipated. Growth in new and existing industries, services, and other economic sectors will contribute to an above-average local economic future.
In order to compete effectively for more and better jobs in our community and to protect and promote those things that contribute to a high quality of life for our citizens, good information is needed to support good decisions. There are decisions to be made about roads, schools, and other public facilities and services that are needed by residents, visitors, and employers. There are decisions to be made about protecting the environment and the things that are important to us. These are decisions about how to use limited resources to make the most of opportunities to build a better tomorrow together.
Local government has partnered with the Chamber of Commerce, local utility providers, and others to develop a strategic plan to guide decisions that need to be made in the next 5 to 10 years especially, and to look into the future out to the year 2035. This planning effort is being led by the Strategic Plan Task force, a group of local leaders who guide the consultants (McBride, Dale, and Clarion) and local agency staff in the development of the strategic plan. A Plan Forum has been established for the public to provide input and ask questions that will help to shape the strategic plan. The strategic plan document that results from this process will be presented to the local governing bodies for adoption.