O’Fallon residents can track how city’s Master Plan is meeting its goals

Want to know what progress has been made on the MidAmerica Commerce Center industrial park project or how many building permits the Community Development Department has issued this year to date?

Anyone can find out now by accessing updates at O’Fallon’s website. Under city administration, there is a new link to OnStrategy Tracking: www.ofallon.org/administration.

That will take people to a dashboard featuring six goals outlined in the city’s 2040 Master Plan, which was approved Feb. 22. That was a key component in the city’s ongoing commitment to make O’Fallon a safe, culturally diverse, and family-friendly community.

Since then, staff has developed structures and programs to make sure the goals are on track. This is part of the city’s effort to become a high-performance organization and provide “excellent” services, City Administrator Walter Denton said..

“We want to know how are we doing? This is a pilot program. We’re just getting started,” he said.

On Monday, Aug. 29, administrators provided updates and timelines on the projects so far, focusing on the strategies that have been put into place.

Denton, Assistant City Administrator Grant Litteken and management analyst Greg Anderson presented data to the city council’s Committee of the Whole.

The software program will help identify improvements through data. Departments can update on the 15th of the month, and some will be quarterly.

“We’ll be updating codes and regulations and giving a quarterly report,” Litteken said. “The time frame right now is May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023.

“It will take one year to get to 100%,” Denton said.

The six topics on the dashboard are:

• Support Housing and Neighborhoods for All Stages of Life
• Invigorate the Sense of Place and Community in O’Fallon
• Support a High Quality of Life for Residents and Visitors
• Encourage Economic Development in Targeted Locations and Sectors
• Invest in City Services to Make Them Efficient and Effective
• Department Performance Measures

People can click on the boxes to find out what percentage is on target, Anderson explained.

Feedback is very important, Litteken added.

“We want to show people how we are making things better,” Denton said.

Because of the survey’s public participation, officials noted residents desired greater physical and social opportunities, such as walkable neighborhoods, more trails and bike paths. A model for a “15-Minute City” was put into motion.

Another item the city has put into place is more engagement with employees to be more productive, Denton said.

Through Human Resources, a leadership incentive is targeted, stressing vision and values. The focus will be on people learning about problem solving, supporting each other for a positive workplace and creating a strong organization culture.

“We want this to be a great place to work,” he said. “Build community for the betterment of O’Fallon residents.”

Denton said the strategic plan is an ongoing process, and ideas are welcome.

Alderman Jessica Lotz said she appreciated the work that went into this and complimented the department heads on their valuable input.