Community Guidance in Searcy

(Editor’s Note: Each year, Arkansas Business partners with the Arkansas Municipal League to present the Trendsetter City awards, which recognize exceptional initiatives underway in municipalities across the state. Large, medium and small-sized cities were honored in six categories: Diversity and Inclusion; Education/Workforce Development; Infrastructure and Water; Public Works/Environmental and Green Management; Technology and Security; and Tourism Development/Creative Culture. Below is one winner’s story. For more, click here.) 

Public Works/Environmental and Green Management
Winner • Over 20,000

The Challenge

Searcy has made much progress over the past few years, utilizing community members and local officials to move community-improving projects forward. However, many of those groups and their projects have worked in silos without an overarching vision for the community. The projects have been successful at launch, but in some cases, there has not been a clear plan for how to move forward or even maintain the completed projects.

The Solution

To establish a strategic master plan for the community, Searcy enlisted the expertise of the engineering firm Crafton Tull to help design a community engagement strategy. With priority projects like improving a dog park, enhancing the sidewalks and installing baby changing stations, the city set to work by establishing steering committees for each focus area, hosting public meetings and conducting communitywide surveys. Using a real-time data approach enabled groups to take prompt action on emerging issues.

Good Listeners

To address a significant citizen concern regarding the lack of sidewalks in the community, Searcy implemented new development ordinances with mandatory sidewalk inclusion and redirected a portion of the street paving fund to go toward new sidewalks.

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