photo by: Mike Yoder

Lawrence City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., is pictured Thursday, July 7, 2016.

The City of Lawrence has announced several upcoming public meetings to gather input on the creation of the city’s strategic plan.

The 2020 strategic plan will set specific goals for the city for the next few years, and commissioners will use the plan when making budget decisions. The 2020 strategic plan updates the plan created by the last commission in 2017.

The city will host six community meetings in February and March to gather community input, as well as offer an online survey and small-group discussions, according to a news release. The release states that the strategic plan will outline a systematic process for moving toward an agreed-upon communitywide vision.

“Our goal is to build a strategic plan that will reflect the aspirations of the entire Lawrence community and serve as a guide for the City’s next three-to-five years and beyond,” Mayor Jennifer Ananda said in the release.

City Manager Craig Owens said in the release that the plan must have the fingerprints of the entire community, including people who haven’t previously felt included. He said while the city was hosting meetings, city staff could also be sent to gather feedback at existing community gatherings.

The release states that the city created a Lawrence Listens team, which consists of staff members trained to facilitate small-group discussions with community organizations. Groups interested in hosting a discussion led by the team can email strategicplan@lawrenceks.org to request a meeting or additional information.

The city hired the Novak Consulting Group for the 2020 strategic plan process, and the group will facilitate several community engagement activities.

Large community meetings will take place in the Carnegie Building, 200 W. Ninth St., at the following times: Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 27 at 10 a.m.

Smaller satellite meetings, for those unable to attend one of the large community meetings, will take place at the following times and locations: Feb. 15 at 9 a.m. in the Union Pacific Depot, 402 N. Second St.; Feb. 16 at 2:30 p.m. in the Santa Fe Depot, 413 E. Seventh St.; Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. in the Legacy Room at Sports Pavilion Lawrence, 100 Rock Chalk Lane; and March 7 at 4 p.m. at a location to be announced.

An online survey will also be available on the Lawrence Listens website, Lawrenceks.org/lawrence-listens, until 5 p.m. on March 7. More information on the strategic plan is available at Lawrenceks.org/strategic-plan.