It's time to refocus. Christiansburg leaders and citizens need a vision check (instead of being pulled off into the weeds).
Christiansburg's guiding document -- the Comprehensive Plan -- was born in 1975, delivered by the New River Valley Planning District Commission (NRV PDC). This plan was updated in 1984, 1988, and 1993 according to the introduction.
According to the Code of Virginia, it is to be updated every five years. The 2003 plan states it will address everything through 2023. Also according to Code, and as restated in the town's own plan:
Citizen participation is not only a legal requirement, but is needed input to provide Town Council, the Planning Commission, and staff with information regarding the goals and visions of the community as a whole. Before the Town can take action to meet the wishes of its citizens, the Town staff and officials must know what the citizens truly desire.
The Christiansburg Comprehensive Plan has 13 goals, 48 objectives and 194 strategies.
- Did you ever have an opportunity to contribute to these?
- If so, how long ago and how?
- Have you ever seen a progress report?
Now citizens can also look to Town Council's Vision 2020 which has 9 new initiatives, yet may have some overlap or connection to the aforementioned plan. There are another 20 goals identified by officials, some more staff initiated goals and then key tasks and activities that are to occur sometime between 2010 and 2112 (three year timeline).
- Did you ever have an opportunity to contribute to these?
- If so, how long ago and how?
- Have you ever seen a progress report?
If "citizen participation" is a legal requirement for a Comprehensive Plan, where is it? If Council stated it "needed input" in order to determine the vision of the entire community and before taking any action -- why is it absent?
While town elections may be scheduled for May, you needn't wait to ask. This is clearly a task where citizen's vision has been called for, but not collected outside the polling booths.