Earlier this month, Jamestown’s Council drafted a list of “Focus Areas” for its 2026-2027 Strategic Plan. Residents will have an opportunity to provide input this Thursday evening, from 5pm to 7pm at Town Hall, during the first of several Budget Planning Sessions.

Jamestown’s Council started the process on on January 7th & 8th during a training/work session facilitated by Rebecca Jackson (an organizational consultant and adjunct professor at the UNC School of Government) that ended with a strategic-direction-setting exercise.

Due to time constraints, the final hour of the two-day event was rushed and a bit jumbled, but we were able to connect the dots to come up with a list of seven “focus areas.”

Each of us then visually prioritized our top choices with sticky dots. These are shown below with “action items” drawn from our collective handwritten notes and comments:

Here is the old (2021) Strategic Plan, amended January 2025:

During the two-day, Jackson also stressed that strategic planning needs to include “meaningful input from staff, residents and partners.”

Two staff members attended the January 7th & 8th event (the town manager and clerk). Even though it was noticed as a Public Meeting, none of Jamestown’s residents showed up – understandable, given that it took place over two weekdays and a lot of the content was instructional in nature.

Here’s your next opportunity: Read through the (blue) draft of the “Strategic Plan Focus Areas,” compare them to last year’s Strategic Plan and Focus Areas, think about what matters most to you as a resident or business owner, and share your thoughts and concerns during Public Comments at the January 20th Town Council Meeting, at the January 22nd Public Budget Planning Meeting, or by calling/emailing the Council.

Jamestown’s 2026-2027 Strategic Plan will greatly impact financial and planning decisions made for the year ahead, and thus greatly impact you.