Strategic Plan

The Select Board started discussions to start developing a Strategic Planning in 2004. 

  • At the October 6, 2004 meeting, the then Board of Selectmen, which members were Michael Glowacki, Robert F. Murphy, Bruce Watts, Timothy Soverino, and Douglas Bennett, agreed to engage a facilitator to help the Board developed its strategic planning process.
  • In 2007, the Board consented to add "Create a Strategic Growth Policy" as an objective under the goal "Manage Growth". The Board also consented to add measurements to develop a strategic plan approach, prioritize the functional areas, determine plan of action and milestones, and develop policy statements for each functional area. The Board addressed the goal “Address Housing,” agreeing to alter the goals sequence to place this one before “Manage Growth.” Discussion continued on quantifying the housing problem and determining the type of housing needed and the Board’s role in working with private entities that affect the local economy.
SB Strategic Plan


  • During 2008, the Board worked on developing a Vision Statement prior to engaging in a Strategic Planning.
  • It wasn’t until 2016 that the board would formally engage in hiring a facilitator to assist the Board in developing an island-wide Strategic Planning. At the May 18, 2016, the Board tasked Town Manager Ms. Gibson with engaging a facilitator for a Strategic Planning retreat. At the June 7, 2016 meeting, the Select Board identified a facilitator for a retreat, Janice Kinder. 
  • The Select Board had its first Strategic Planning workshop on May 20,2017. These were the items discussed.
  • In 2018 Novak Consulting was contracted to facilitate the Board’s Strategic Planning process.  Novak spent numerous hours advising the Board and Town Administration on best practices, facilitating multiple strategic focus area workgroup sessions, presenting at Select Board meetings, presiding over two full-day Select Board planning retreats, and providing multiple drafts of the planning document.
  • In October 2020 the Select Board and Raftelis Financial Consulting, Inc. (formerly The Novak Consulting Group) conducted a 2-day Zoom Strategic Planning Retreat.  On October 13, 2020 Julia Novak of Raftelis facilitated a public Zoom meetingto review the Town’s Strategic Plan with Select Board and Town Administration. No changes to the existing Strategic Plan were adopted at this meeting. The updated 2020 Strategic Plan Framework can be found here.
  • On October 15, 2020 Julia Novak of Raftelis facilitated a public Zoom meeting of lessons learned and best practices of the Town’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 
  • On October 13, 2021, different Town Department heads gave an update to the Select Board on their particular Strategic Planning projects' status. Read it here. Watch the presentation here.
  • On November 29, 2022, Julia Novak of Raftelis conducted a workshop with members of the Select Board and Town Administration to review the Town’s Strategic Plan.  The Town Manager provided an update on each of the five  strategic planning focus areas: Efficient Government, Environmental Leadership, Housing, Transportation, and Quality of Life. Subsequently, each in-progress activity or operationalized activity related to the strategic plan was displayed for Select Board review. Town staff were in attendance to answer questions. Each Select Board member highlighted their individual priorities, and indicated which activities that they believed Town Staff should prioritize and which activities they should deemphasize. The Select Board reviewed the changes at its meeting on January 18, 2023.  The updated 2023 Strategic Plan can be found here.
  • In August 2023, Julia Novak of Raftelis created a Strategic Plan Update, which details the work done by Town departments over the past five years to implement the goals of the Strategic Plan. This document will be reviewed by the Select Board at their October 24, 2023 Strategic Plan Workshop.