Imagine Monroe Visioning Project

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Imagine Monroe

On December 14, 2021, the Monroe City Council adopted a new vision statement to better reflect the needs, priorities, and values of our community:

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Imagine Monroe. A lively center surrounded by nature. A place of beauty and goodwill.

Our parks, waterways, and environment are healthy and accessible for everyone to enjoy. Our historic downtown and business districts are thriving and full of locally owned businesses and locally sourced products. We can find everything we need with regional connections and with a variety of choices for work, housing, dining, shopping, arts, and activities.

Friendly and responsive, we strengthen connections through gathering spaces, events, services, and community-centered infrastructure – creating a safe place for all.

In Monroe, everyone feels at home, and everyone feels they belong.

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How did we create Imagine Monroe?

In 2021, the City worked with community members to develop Imagine Monroe. Here’s how we got there …  

Community Sounding Board

Our Sounding Board, made up of 20 community members with a variety of lived experiences and backgrounds, guided the visioning process from start to finish. You can see our full Sounding Board member list below. 

Listening to Monroe 

To understand what is important to Monroe community members, our team conducted focus groups, interviews, and a community-wide survey. All materials and sessions were offered in English and Spanish. Thank you to all who participated! You can see the survey results here. 

Community-Led Writing 

Guided by the ideas, aspirations, and values shared by 1300+ people in Monroe, Sounding Board members and City staff wrote Imagine Monroe. It was adopted by City Council on December 14, 2021. 

How will Imagine Monroe be used?

Imagine Monroe defines who we aspire to be today and who we aspire to be tomorrow. It will guide the City for the next 30+ years in the following ways:

• Budgets and Policies: City Council and the mayor use Imagine Monroe to guide funding and policy decisions.
• Partnerships and Advocacy: Imagine Monroe informs how we work with people and organizations in our community.
• Strategic Planning: Each part of Imagine Monroe has associated goals and projects to be completed over the following years.
• Programs and Operations: City staff use Imagine Monroe to shape programs and guide daily work.

What about you? Where do you see yourself bringing Imagine Monroe to life? 

Sounding Board members

The Imagine Monroe Sounding Board was formed to help ensure the vision statement equitably reflected all voices in Monroe. They shaped the visioning process in the following ways:

• Provided input on the City’s communications plan, community-wide survey, and outreach materials
• Shared the survey with their networks and other community members
• Reviewed results from the community-wide survey, focus groups, and interviews
• Wrote and edited Imagine Monroe based on community input and in partnership with City staff

Sounding Board members included: 

Document archive

Community-Wide Survey
 This report includes input from more than 1,300 Monroe community members collected in June and July of 2021.

Imagine Monroe Newsletter #1
This newsletter was mailed to all Monroe households and distributed at events to promote the community-wide survey. It was complimented by social media posts, digital and print advertising, flyers in local businesses and gathering spaces, partner organization communications, Sounding Board member outreach, and the City website and emails. 

Imagine Monroe Newsletter #2
This newsletter was mailed to all Monroe households to share the new vision statement and the results of the community-wide survey. It was complimented by a social media campaign and distribution at in-person events. 

Sounding Board Charter
The Charter establishes the roles, ground rules, and goals for the Sounding Board.

Assessment Phase Summary
This summary shares findings from the first Sounding Board meeting, English- and Spanish-speaking focus groups and one-on-one interviews with community partners working in City government, key community programs, and healthcare.

Communications and Outreach Plan
This plan outlines the outreach and communications strategies the City, along with their outreach and engagement consultant, EnviroIssues, and the Imagine Monroe Sounding Board will use to reach and engage with the Monroe community.