Strategic Plans

Planning Ahead

"Someday,"" tomorrow," and "eventually" are the worst times to start planning, and that’s why we make sure planning is a part of what we do everyday. Everyday planning requires discipline - disciplined thought to plan the work and disciplined action to work the plan. Achieving this level of discipline takes practice; it’s not a special session at an annual retreat, it’s a year-round job.

Planning is not about predicting the future; it’s about preparing for the future. Being prepared is having a strategy for all seasons. It’s contingencies, options, and back-up plans for when the real world doesn’t follow the script. It’s believing that the best way to survive a crisis is to avoid it altogether. It’s imagining a better future and making it happen.

It’s difficult to be effective if you’re always stopping to put out fires.

Planning Ahead Is Our Promise

We promise to:

• Be ready for the future
• Learn from our past
• Continue to focus on our core services to meet whatever needs lie ahead
• Remain flexible and adjust to changing conditions
• Do all we can to improve productivity and position ourselves for sustained excellence

That’s our promise. That’s our way.

The only thing more important than where you come from is where you’re going. But effective strategic planning is far from easy. It means reconciling future and present needs, balancing fiscal pressures, preserving heritage, and protecting the public welfare, all the while maintaining the public trust. Forward-looking cities, like Kent, understand these challenges and rise to meet them everyday.