OTTUMWA — Do you want a say in the city’s future plans? Then attend the city strategic planning meetings.

City Administrator Joe Helfenberger said “the public is encouraged to attend” these meetings so city leaders can solicit input for the planning of public services to the community.

The meetings will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 15; 3-9 p.m. Oct. 2; and 6:30-9:30 p.m. Nov. 20. All meetings will be at Bridge View Center.

Helfenberger said the sessions, combined with the recent citizen survey, will give the City Council guidance from a large cross-section of the community regarding the needs and desires for the future of Ottumwa.

Also, the city is assembling a focus group to be involved in developing the strategic plan.

The group will consist of representatives from community groups, such as seniors, youth, civic organizations, labor unions, business and industry, education, churches and health care.

Helfenberger hopes the city will have a group of more than 80 individuals actively participating in the planning process.

“Strategic planning is a key component to mapping goals and priorities for a community,” he said. “By reaching out to a core group with a wide variety of interests, city officials and staff will get a very clear and accurate vision as to what the community wants and expects to see in the future.”

In the first session, city leaders will ask those attending to identify the community’s issues, strengths and weaknesses. Helfenberger said it’s an introduction and city staff will have planning documents available that describe what the city would like to accomplish in this series.

Helfenberger said the second meeting will be one “of substance, with a lot of participation from attendees.” The six-hour session will include “a working dinner” and a discussion of the community’s “core values.”

The third session will include a report on the findings of the first two. Also, those attending will discuss how to implement those results and find “a direction for serving residents.”

Helfenberger said the citizen survey has been completed and the information will be part of the meetings. In one of the survey results, many people said they “feel [the city] is a family-oriented community.”

“On the other hand, the answers to the question of whether people feel totally safe aren’t quite as high but it’s up there,” Helfenberger said. “There was a wide variety of responses.”

The city administrator is hopeful that “a broad cross-section of people” will attend the sessions because the city will improve “if we all develop an ownership of the community.”

Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com.