Auburn's Strategic Plan

Auburn, Maine is an outstanding small city whose geographic location and scale, natural resources, population diversity, long-standing economic initiative, and commitment to a high quality of life make it an appealing place to live and work, play and visit.

It is also a city determined to continue improving. That is why for almost 8 months, nearly 100 people actively participated in conversations spanning 1,000 hours, all as a part of a community-wide strategic planning process designed to strengthen the city’s quality and enhance its opportunities. As this work unfolded, a number of core values emerged which became the guiding “north star” for the process. Together, these values speak not only to the mission that come to defining the planning process but also, more importantly, to the character of Auburn itself:

"Auburn will be a community that balances urban & rural living, with safe, sustainable, livable neighborhoods that are well-connected; a community to be proud of, with a vibrant workforce and resources that are preserved and protected; a unique small city that offers quality education and bold economic, recreation, and housing opportunities."

In September of 2018, Auburn’s City Council appointed community leaders, elected officials, and school and city staff to make up the team of engaged individuals to chart the plan to develop and GROW our city, enhance the QUALITY OF LIFE of our residents, and INVEST in our future. Members were assigned to the Strategic Planning Committee and three Sub-Committees.

Through visioning, brainstorming, and prioritization exercises, participants captured what they felt were the most pressing issues, developed transformative strategies to address them, and made recommendations to help the City of Auburn move forward. Auburn’s Strategic Planning process blended citizen involvement with staff experience and in an impressive effort that lasted just short of a year, this Strategic Plan was built with care, with enthusiasm and with devotion to a great city. Auburn's Strategic Plan is a blueprint to help guide the City’s day-to-day operations and its capital improvement and revitalization programs.

FINAL STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS:

The final recommendations below are the distillation of months of work by the Sub-Committees and Strategic Planning Committee. The SP Committee carefully crafted their recommendations by analyzing the 24 strategies presented by the Sub-Committees and merging them with associated/complimentary strategies. These recommendations are not listed in any particular order. Behind each recommendation are measured, supporting action steps that will assist with implementation.