BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Los Alamos County Councilors are seeking community engagement to identify key areas of priorities to be addressed first within the County’s 2019 Strategic Leadership Plan, Council Chair Sara Scott said Saturday.
The Council is also seeking creative ideas for making progress on the priorities as well as suggestions for additional priorities to be added to the list as the Council moves forward, Scott said.
The priorities were identified during a Jan. 22 Council strategic planning work session and adopted Tuesday during the Council meeting in White Rock. At the upcoming Council meeting Tuesday evening at the Municipal Building, the Council is slated to review an option for collecting, tracking, and monitoring progress on action items related to each priority (as well as actions related to work on ongoing initiatives) in a “living” document. Options for engaging broader public engagement and initial brainstorming of proposed actions for addressing the seven priorities are also the list.
The seven priorities adopted by the Council are as follows:
Increasing the amount and types of housing options: This includes a variety of housing options for all segments of the community, from affordable, entry level, and live-work housing to new options for those interested in downsizing or moving closer to central areas of the community.
Enhancing support and opportunities for the local business environment: This includes appropriate support for existing businesses, growing new businesses, and supporting technology start-ups and spin-offs.
Addressing long-term building vacancies in key areas of our community: Land availability in Los Alamos County, and in particular in the downtown areas, is limited and there is a desire to work towards better utilization, opportunities for new businesses, and improved aesthetics.
Protecting and maintaining our open spaces, recreational, and cultural amenities: Los Alamos County open spaces and cultural attractions are greatly valued by the community and provide opportunities for recreational and economic growth; appropriately allocating resources to ensure their health and sustainability is important to our citizens.
Supporting social services improvement: Behavioral, mental and physical health and social services are important quality of life components; there are key areas where appropriate types and levels of county support could help address current needs.
Investing in infrastructure: Appropriately balancing maintenance of existing infrastructure with new investments in county utilities, roads, facilities and amenities will help improve environmental stewardship, sustainability, and quality of life.
Planning for appropriate levels of county services: Making sure we understand the level of services our citizens want will allow us to make appropriate investments in processes and staff to achieve them.
The 2019 Strategic Leadership Plan may be viewed in its entirety at the following link: http://losalamos.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3857610&GUID=FEA7FA3F-BE88-4451-80D0-7CFCD2CCDAB6&Options=&Search=&FullText=1