As we say goodbye to 2021 and pin our hopes to 2022, most of us will promise ourselves that the coming year will be better because of a resolution we make. Nothing is as exciting as the commitment to a new resolution and few things can be as discouraging as failing to live up to a resolution. People who are able to stick with their New Year’s resolution have something in common. It isn’t money, time or resources. Planning is the key. After all, a goal without a plan is just a wish. This is just as true for organizations as it is for individuals.
The Town of Mocksville will plan for success in 2022 and beyond by working through a strategic planning process. We will develop our Mission Statement, Vision Statement and Core Values first. The Mission Statement communicates why the organization exists, the Vision Statement communicates where the organization wants to go and the Core Values are what guides how the organization gets there. This process will involve the Mayor, Board of Commissioners, Leadership Team and staff. We will then examine our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats so we can build on positives and address negatives. Finally, we will develop goals and action plans that will take us from where we are today to where we want to be in the future. Once completed, we will update the plan annually and link our goals to funding priorities. Much of the public input groundwork for this has already been completed through the Mocksville Comprehensive Plan that was adopted in late 2019, but we will seek additional public input as we move through the process.
The reason we will be investing so much time and effort into this planning process is that having a long-range vision will be essential for controlled and thoughtful growth in the Town of Mocksville. The weakness of the existing budget process is that it focuses on one year and tends to make leaders “one year thinkers” instead of visionary thinkers. Tying our budget to vision, goals and actions that transcend the annual budget is the plan that will turn dreams of a better future into reality for our community.
I wish you and your families a happy, prosperous and fulfilling 2022.
Kenneth W. Gamble
Town Manager