a.How do citizens participate in the process?
Henderson has always taken the future of the community very seriously and has participated in many strategic and comprehensive planning processes in the past. In 2009, the comprehensive plan was 10 years old and the community hadn’t completed a strategic plan in a number of years, so the city of Henderson and Henderson Chamber of Commerce decided to conduct both planning processes simultaneously. Conducting both studies at the same time made it possible to save money and time because the two organizations worked together so employees and citizens did not have to repeat the process two separate times.
For the strategic plan, lead by the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, residents of Henderson and the surrounding area were involved in the process in four ways including: town hall meetings, personal telephone interviews, focus groups and an online survey. To generate interest in this process the Henderson Chamber of Commerce encouraged citizens to participate by personal invitation, written invitation by way of post cards, newspaper articles and letters to significant organizations within the community.
During the comprehensive plan, facilitated by Keith Marvin of Marvin Planning Consultants, citizens were encouraged to participate in the planning process through meetings open to the public, which were advertised in the local newspapers and by email. Members of the local planning commission, city council, and chamber of commerce were specifically asked to be a part of the process, since they would be immediately affected by the new plan. During this process, citizens were encouraged to give feedback on the comprehensive plan as proposed by Keith Marvin. At each meeting, the group reviewed a different section of the comprehensive plan making changes according to the history of the community of Henderson and the needs of the residents living in the community. This was a great way to tailor the plan to fit our unique community according to the opinion of our citizens.
b.What methods are used to set goals and priorities to build consensus toward a common vision.
The Henderson Chamber of Commerce specifically chose to participate in a strategic plan in order to set goals and priorities for the near future. This process, based on a planning tool known as Appreciative Inquiry, asked participants to think about community successes that they appreciate and then capture lessons from those achievements that might be applied to the future. The Henderson Chamber of Commerce chose this particular process because it focused on the positive aspects of the community and how we can grow and expand them, instead of focusing on the negative aspects that need to be “fixed.” The appreciative inquiry process covers four phases: discover the past, dream about the future, create a vision statement, design short-term goals and deliver results. During the first town hall meeting the Heartland Center for Leadership Development facilitated the start of the process and the evening ended with participants writing vision statements for the community such as: “to not be complacent, but to be progressive by creating opportunity for quality living,” “a friendly, growing community experiencing economic and industrial growth based on our education, religious and heritage values,” “a growing, vibrant community that encourages entrepreneurial ventures while maintaining family, faith based values,” “hold on to what we have.” These were the vision statements that were compiled in A Community Assessment and Strategic Planning Report with Observations and Recommendations by the Heartland Center for Leadership Development.
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| Strategic Planning Meeting |
See Appendix I: A Community Assessment and Strategic Planning Report with Observations and Recommendations.
For the Comprehensive Plan, Keith Marvin attended all of the strategic planning meetings in order to incorporate the goals and ideas of the strategic plan into the comprehensive plan as well. Through the process of finalizing and completing the comprehensive plan, the planning commission, city council, and chamber representatives worked to form goals that were in line with the vision statements created in the strategic planning process.
See Appendix II: City of Henderson Comprehensive Plan
c. What methods are used to evaluate community progress?
Since the strategic planning process was completed by the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, the Henderson Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors have assumed the responsibility of evaluating progress on a regular basis. As the core groups created through the strategic planning process are still forming and solidifying, the chamber is acting as the driving force to implement the goals of the community and get these committees off the ground. Once the new committees are formed, the chamber executive director will continue to work with committees to set monthly meetings and form officers, so the committee can become self-sustaining. At that point the chamber will continue work with each committee and give them encouragement and evaluation to insure that they are inline with the vision statements set forth by the strategic plan.
Since the city of Henderson was responsible for the comprehensive plan, the city clerk and city council will be responsible for following through with the goals set forth by the comprehensive plan. The evaluation of the community’s progress in this area will take place on a yearly basis and as need when community development issues are dealt with such as housing development, zoning changes, and community improvement efforts.
d.Describe the type of plans and strategies that have been developed by the community.
During the design phase of the strategic planning process, participants identified several priorities that they could embrace including:
• Connecting youth and businesses
• Attracting and retaining people
• Downtown revitalization
• Housing
• Industry attraction
• Business development
• Community center
• Business transfer
• Street improvement/Main Street
• Welcome new residents
• Heritage park
• Information/promotion
• Alumni
• Donations to community foundation
Of these priorities which were identified during the first town hall meeting, four categories emerged repeatedly during the second town hall meeting. These became the focus of the task forces that were established. Participants at the second town hall meeting chose one of the following task force committees to continue the discussion and implementation in our community.
• Attract and retain young people
• Housing
• Business development/support local business
• Community center
After everyone split into these groups, they further brainstormed about the idea of implementing this into our community. Participants discussed short-term goals to achieve these priorities, listed other people who should be invited to the next task force meeting and created a database of contact information for those who attended the second town hall meeting.
The comprehensive plan incorporated the priorities identified in the strategic plan and expanded them to include goals and objectives in the following areas. Housing goals 1-3, Economic Development Goals 1-4, Recreational Goals 1-2, Educational Goals 1-3, Fire Protection, Law Enforcement and Public Safety, and Environmental Goals.
e. What style/type of community assessment and planning program does your community utilize?
For our strategic planning process the Henderson Chamber of Commerce chose to utilize the Heartland Center for Leadership Development. Under their direction, the community of Henderson participated in the appreciative inquiry approach to plan for the future. Appreciative Inquiry helps people discover positive perspectives and explore new ways of working together towards the common goals that motivate all stakeholders. This was the first time the Heartland Center was used in Henderson, but similar assessments have been conducted in the past including the START program in 1990. The comprehensive plan was completed by Keith Marvin of Marvin Planning Consultants. The city of Henderson continually updates the city’s comprehensive plan every 10 years to keep an up-to-date list of goals for the community.
2. Describe the community’s efforts to develop local leadership and volunteerism.
Include efforts to involve and recruit a broad base of volunteers in the planning and implementation of community wide projects. Also, include efforts to develop volunteers through training opportunities and volunteer recognition.
The community of Henderson has many volunteer based groups that serve the community in many ways. Some of these groups include the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, Henderson Heritage Committee, Henderson Recreation Department, Henderson Fire and Rescue Department, Henderson Community Foundation, Henderson Health Care Foundation, Henderson Health Care Auxiliary, Henderson Health Care Junior Auxiliary, and various church and youth groups. While these groups of individuals work towards their own goals, they are also community minded and help us reach our community goals. When large projects are taking place and a large number of volunteers are needed to be involved, many of these groups are contacted for support. For example, when the new play structure was built near the swimming pool, the City Council, Henderson Recreation Department, Henderson Chamber of Commerce and Heartland High School FFA Chapter were all contacted to volunteer in building the structure. In the same way, many of Henderson’s community events, such as the Henderson Home Show, Henderson Community Days and community Noodle Soup Supper, involve several volunteer organizations. Whenever additional volunteers are needed, these groups are contacted by phone and general volunteer request articles are submitted to the local newspaper.
Having a strong group of volunteers is vital to our community, but even more important is involving our younger generation, so they can develop the desire to volunteer in the future. The Henderson Chamber of Commerce invites youth in our community to help with various volunteer projects, so they can see people they look up to working toward the common goal of making the community of Henderson a better place. Each year the Henderson Chamber of Commerce completes a community service project by cleaning up litter along three miles of the spur where people enter the community. Each year the Chamber invites a youth organization to help with this project, so they can learn the importance of volunteering by example. In 2009 the Heartland FFA Chapter was asked to volunteer and in 2010 students from Grace Children’s Home were involved in the project. Heartland Community Schools has also taught their students the importance of volunteering through different volunteer projects each year. In 2010, the 7th and 8th grade classes volunteered at the Henderson Sports Complex, helping the Henderson Recreation Department prepare for the upcoming softball/baseball season.
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| Heartland FFA Chapter and Henderson Chamber members after cleaning up litter on the spur. |
3. How does your community identify community organizations and their roles?
a. Describe how this information is shared and used in the community.
Community organizations are identified when there is a need in the community. Usually these needs are addressed during our regular strategic planning and comprehensive planning sessions. These groups are formed with people who have a like interest in the same activity or organization. All of these community organizations have a board of directors or group of officers who outline the roles of this organization and help them work towards the goals set forth by the group. Community organization often use the local newspaper to advertise meetings, invite new members, and report on projects that have been completed by the group. Other ways to share information with the community are through the local television channel, Mainstay Communications website and city of Henderson website. The information provided by community organizations is used to recruit new members and create an awareness for the general community of all the projects taking place.
b. Describe how various organizations work together to plan and implement projects and maximize resources.
Many community organizations work together for larger community events or large projects. The Henderson Chamber of Commerce and city of Henderson work closely together because both entities enhance the other, making the community a better place to live, work and raise a family. Recently these two entities were able to maximize their resources by working together on the strategic plan and comprehensive plan. Since the Chamber applied for a JOBS Grant through the Federal Home Loan Bank, both entities were able to have smaller-out-of-pocket costs to complete these very important projects. They were able to further maximize their resources by having both consulting groups work together on the plans so community members would have less overlap and facilitation costs would be less with the sharing of common information between the two plans. From a community service standpoint, many community organization work together to plan and follow through with the annual community days celebrations. Organizations included in this project each year include, the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, Henderson Heritage Committee, Henderson Recreation Department, Henderson Health Care Auxiliary and Junior Auxiliary, and Henderson Fire & Rescue Department. With such a large number of community organizations, it is difficult to avoid overlap and have each organizations work toward common goals. As a result, the Henderson Chamber of Commerce has become the common link between all volunteer organization. By receiving minutes from the meetings of different community organizations, the Henderson Chamber can align and involve volunteer in an efficient and expedient manner and connect organizations when they are working on similar projects. This makes it possible for the community to maximize the resources we have and complete large projects that would not be possible otherwise.
4. Has your community conducted a needs assessment survey in the last three years?
Yes - The community conducted a needs assessment survey in 2009 as part of the communities strategic and comprehensive planning process. The Heartland Center’s Community Capacity Questionnaire was available online between October 21, 2009 and January 8, 2010. The Community Capacity Questionnaire consisted of a five-point scale for respondents to rank the 44 different indicator questions regarding community participation and leadership, the local economy and investment in the community. Additionally, another 15 questions were added to this survey instrument. These questions contained basic demographic, future of the community and satisfaction with certain community sectors and services. The results of the survey were used by the Heartland Center for Leadership Development for the strategic plan and by Marvin Planning Consultants for the comprehensive plan. As we head into the future, this survey will continue to shape our goals to fit the communities needs.
See Appendix III: Henderson Nebraska Community Assessment Survey Results.
5. Has your community conducted an inventory of resources or started to enter data into the Location One Information System (LOIS) or the Nebraska Economic Development Info (NEDI online)? Yes X No___
The city of Henderson currently maintains a community conducted inventory resource through the Nebraska Economic Development Info (NEDI) website.
Appendix IV: City of Henderson NEDI Profile
6. Does your community have a website? Yes__X___ No ________
Website: www.cityofhenderson.org
7. Did your community submit a website nomination for the Governor’s Community Spirit Award? Yes___X___ No _______
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