Centennial Master Plan

Centennial Master Plan Steering Committee

In preparation for the City’s 2024 Centennial, the City Council has asked for the development of a new master plan to assist the community with decisions and policies that will preserve and enhance the city for the next generation.  
  

Call for Volunteers

In August 2019, City Council appointed former Mayor Pro Tem Bob Begert to serve as chairman of the Centennial Master Plan Steering Committee. Additional resident volunteers are now needed to serve alongside Chairman Begert to help guide the Centennial Master Plan process. Members of the steering committee will assist in selecting an outside consultant and then work closely with the chosen consultant to identify and modernize potential focus areas. We expect this group to meet regularly for the duration of the 18-month commitment.
 
To help facilitate meeting availability and continuity, the steering committee has been limited to no more than 15 members. Going forward, there will be ample opportunities to broaden engagement to every corner and segment of the community. The 1989 Master Plan involved more than 400 residents, as well as City staff, technical consultants, SMU faculty and staff, and other subject matter experts.
 

How to Apply

Apply online now by clicking the button below. Please give as much detail as possible about your previous board and committee experience, other relevant civic and non-profit activities, your areas of expertise and how that knowledge will benefit the committee. Applications will be accepted through Monday, September 30. Notification of selection will be given in October.

Apply Now

Background

The last such effort, that took place more than 30 years ago, resulted from one of the most extensive community planning processes ever undertaken.
 
The 1989 Master Plan helped shape the allocation of resources for operational and capital needs, with nearly 200 objectives to accomplish. Of those, a substantial number are ongoing programs that are still in practice today.  One example is the City’s mile-per-year replacement of water and sewer mains, which has resulted in the complete replacement of nearly a third of the City’s aging water and sewer mains.
 
The 1989 Master Plan was formulated with  considerable input from residents through use of a steering committee, community surveys, and public listening sessions. Staff was supported by an outside consultant, and the entire process took approximately 18 months to complete. To replicate this success, a similar public engagement process will be used for our Centennial Master Plan.
 
The 1989 Master Plan keyed on six overall principles:

• Promote individual initiative in forging the community’s future;
• Continue to operate the City on a sound, fiscally conservative basis;
• Preserve and enhance neighborhood character;
• Maintain and improve safety and security;
• Rejuvenate aging streets and utilities;
• Expand two-way communication.