MONROE — The city wants your opinion to help it make decisions that could eventually affect the whole town.
It’s conducting a great public survey called Imagine Monroe, the first survey of its kind City Hall has done in at least 10 years.
“What we’re trying to understand is how people feel now” on the character and direction the city is heading, city administrator Deborah Knight said.
The survey launched last week at www.monroewa.gov/995 The city also will have booths at the Monroe Farmers Market on Wednesdays, at the Wiggly Walk on June 26 and the Pride event on June 27 for people to fill out a paper survey if they prefer.
The deadline to add your opinion is July 9.
The questions are geared toward what kind of town current residents want to live in 20 to 30 years in the future. Want more parks? Want to live in a town where you know your neighbors? Does it matter to you if there’s ample parking? Should more modern-looking buildings be encouraged? These are some of the topics the survey touches on.
The most immediate purpose of the survey results will be to update the city’s big-picture Comprehensive Plan, which designates where growth and change should happen.
The importance behind this survey is the results will be used over and over again for decision making.
City leaders will refer to the fresh data showing what the public wants to set its principles in shaping city policies, but these can cast a wide net: A call for quiet neighborhoods could translate toward establishing Monroe as a railroad quiet zone where trains silence their horns while passing through, Knight gave as an example.
The city plans to act consistently with the community’s wishes, Knight said. It will use the survey to create a vision statement to reflect what the public said it wants.
“We’ll be mindful of that vision statement,” Knight said.
Once the survey wraps up, a consultant will tie it together to present to the City Council in September around the time 2022 city budget discussions are kicking off, Knight said.
The surveys are available in English and Spanish.
Need help? Call City Hall at 360-794-7400. Need more? Call 360-863-4526, email imagine@monroewa.gov or write a letter to City Hall, Attn: Deborah Knight, 806 West Main Street, Monroe, WA 98272.
Comprehensive Plan amendment suggestions being taken
City Hall is currently accepting “Citizen-initiated” requests to amend the City of Monroe 2015-2035 Comprehensive Plan until the deadline of Friday, July 30. The city will consider the submissions as part of Monroe’s 2021-2022 Plan amendment cycle. For more information, contact planner Amy Bright at 360-863-4533 or abright@monroewa.gov
