Rapid transit running on raised tracks, an improved downtown, better outdoor spaces and amenities and an enhanced sense of pride in being a City resident are just some of the targets the City of Langley has set for the next five years.
The 2017-2021 Strategic Plan was approved by council at the June 12 meeting.
A report by City Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Francis Cheung said that while the City motto of the “The Place to Be” still applies, the “mission and key result areas have evolved.”
The new mission statement calls for “a vibrant, healthy and safe community.”
Cheung said the City continues to be a thriving community where “development, arts and culture, and recreational opportunities are all flourishing.”
The CAO told the Times the core values of the plan, the beliefs or principles that guide City council and staff over the next five years, aim to “promote community pride” through various measures, including upgrading and overhauling parks, public spaces and City streets.
Getting a long-delayed rapid transit line with a terminal near the downtown core of Langley City is high on the list of goals, and not the ground-level system the neighbouring City of Surrey is talking about.
“We have a preference,” Cheung said.
“We believe an elevated track would better serve the community than at-grade.”
The plan also calls for creation of a “Core Enforcement Team” for public safety by getting municipal bylaw officers, RCMP and other agencies working together on issues like crime and homelessness.
Mayor Ted Schaffer gave the plan high marks.
“It looks like a simple document, but it takes a lot of time and effort,” Schaffer said.
The plan lists seven “key result areas” (KRA) where changes and improvements can be made: improving infrastructure; enhancing quality of life; improving communications between the City and residents; revitalizing the downtown core; protecting, preserving, restoring, sustaining, and enhancing the environment; ensuring safety and security; and investing in organizational development.
Within the KRAs, 44 specific initiatives have been identified which will guide annual budgets and work plans over the next five years.
The Strategic Plan is available to view and download.
Word for word: the seven KRAs in the long-range plan adopted by City council.
1. Infrastructure Renewal: We recognize the need for, and are committed to, establishing, a long-term, financially-responsible infrastructure renewal plan for all municipal assets.
2. Quality of Life: We are a community that is an ideal place to raise a family, offers a welcoming and affordable living environment, boasts great leisure and recreational opportunities, and supports healthy, safe and diverse neighbourhoods.
3. Communication: We communicate effectively with our citizens, customers, partners, and stakeholders, involving them in decisions which impact and interest them, and engaging them in public life.
4. Revitalization: We have a revitalized downtown core that is vibrant, clean and safe, is a desirable location for industry, and our policies and strategies create a vibrant economy that position the City as the Regional Hub in the Fraser Valley
for innovation, education, technology, shopping, health industry, leisure, and entertainment.
5. Environment: We continue to focus on protecting, promoting and enhancing environmental assets in the community
6. Protective Services: We maintain and foster partnerships with law enforcement agencies, community groups, neighbourhoods, and citizens to address public safety and socio-economic issues in the community.
7. Organizational Excellence: We stand out as a results-oriented, engaged and innovative work force with a strong service ethic and high level of customer service, and a City Council that is accessible to its citizens.