Vision 2030: At the Halfway Point, A Look at How Far We’ve Come All across the membership of the NC League of Municipalities, we see incredible successes. When viewed through the lens of our strategic plan, Vision 2030, those achievements take on added significance. Around 2014, the League kicked off its strategic planning efforts to set goals and organize resources towards a long-term vision for both the organization and the municipalities themselves. The result was Vision 2030, published in 2016. This year marks the halfway point of our efforts towards reaching those goals. The plan, organized through strategic planning pillars, offered six “Operating Principles,” which stand as strategic targets for the organization. Below, the Operating Principles are detailed, as is NCLM’s progress towards each. GOAL 1: MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS EXERCISE GREATER CONTROL OVER THEIR REVENUES, STRUCTURES, AND FUNCTIONS. The work of NCLM’s Government Affairs staff embodies this target, and the many legislative victories that team has achieved mark significant progress towards that goal. These include wins in the areas of land use and zoning, short-term rentals, sales tax redistributions, and billboards, just to name a few. Of course, those victories aren’t achieved through our internal team alone. Equal, if not more important, is the tremendous work of our cities and towns. Through grassroots advocacy, the League’s interests are strongly supported at the General Assembly. GOAL 2: MUNICIPALITIES DEMONSTRATE THE VALUE THEY ADD TO THE COMMUNITY’S QUALITY OF LIFE. NCLM’s Communications staff works tirelessly to share the incredible stories that happen across our state, and publish them in a variety of locations, including this magazine. These stories include case studies, best practices, and articles. More regularly, the team pushes information through its weekly bulletins and newsletters. The American Rescue Plan has provided a clear case of the power of storytelling, both for our cities and for our organization. The League, working closely with city leaders, has published dozens of case studies illustrating the impact that our towns are having through their American Rescue Plan funds, and these case studies have gone on to be published in statewide news outlets. Additionally, cities and towns have grown incredibly adept at telling their own tales. A quick walk around CityVision 2023 would reveal local leaders hosting a variety of panels and sessions, where their own stories of success provide tools and a roadmap to fellow municipalities. GOAL 3: TECHNOLOGY IS WIDELY USED FOR SERVICE DELIVERY, CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Perhaps no goal has a clearer example than this one: the COVID19 pandemic. In the blink of an eye, cities had to leverage technologies to quickly adapt their operations online and remote. SEVEN YEARS INTO NCLM’S STRATEGIC PLAN, A REVIEW OF THE MANY SUCCESSES AND STRIDES TOWARDS ACCOMPLISHING VISION 2030’S SIX MAIN GOALS. SOUTHERN CITY Quarter 2 2023 28
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