 The Village of Tinley Park is undertaking several new and exciting projects this year. With the music branding initiative, a complete redesign of the Village website, development of the 280-acre state property along Harlem Avenue and continued efforts to increase government transparency through social media and live-streaming of Village Board meetings, 2017 is already shaping up to be a very busy and productive year.
Another project with far-reaching implications for the future of Tinley Park is the new strategic plan, which the Village Board approved at its Jan. 17 meeting. The plan will guide the Village for years to come and provides several key benefits.
The plan documents the priorities of both the Village Board and residents, and sets a course for action several years in the future. This is in stark contrast to a traditional budget, which is normally only a one-year financial planning document.
The plan will also provide direction and accountability to staff and help to communicate with residents the direction in which the Village Board is headed. It also prioritizes limited resources and funding.
At the beginning of this process, the Board chose to develop a plan that involved substantial input from residents and community leaders. Residents were able to participate in an online survey, and I'm happy to report that we received a total of 1,191 responses. Focus groups also convened with residents, businesses, community leaders, civic groups and students to ensure all facets of our community were represented in the new plan.
The Village Board then convened a two-day planning process where they reviewed the community input and began to develop goals, which were ranked from a priority one to a priority four and included many ambitious aims in the areas of community development, public safety, infrastructure, marketing and finances.
The full plan is available for viewing on the Village website by clicking here. It will be reviewed with the Board regularly and will be used as a guide for making future Village budget decisions. It will also be reviewed for potential changes each year in December when the Village begins its budget planning process.
I encourage you to review the plan online and give me any comments you may have!
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Those interested in participating in the 18th annual Downtown Tinley Irish Parade March 19 can 
Artists interested in the 2017 Benches on the Avenue public art project have until Feb. 3 to submit their applications