For Immediate Release: 10/2/2024 11:16 am
WORCESTER, Mass. – City Manager Eric D. Batista shared Wednesday the municipality's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 to 2029 Strategic Plan, which outlines an updated mission, vision, and priority goals, along with a comprehensive list of objectives and strategies to fulfill them.
“I am honored to share the City of Worcester’s FY ’25-’29 Strategic Plan,” said Batista. “This plan will serve as a roadmap for all municipal operations and act as a compass guiding our work with empathy and compassion. This plan outlines clear and direct goals for all departments to follow to ensure we deliver the best services possible to achieve our ambitious goal of being the best managed city in the country.”
The plan, which is informed by and tailored to the people who live, work, study, worship, and play in Worcester, is not just for the municipality itself, but for residents as well. To make sure it would be a plan for all people, the municipality undertook an extensive community engagement process. Concurrently, the Administration completed a self-study period to evaluate its workflows, budgets, and operations. The months-long planning process resulted in an updated mission, vision, and values, and six priority goals:
Mission
To deliver exceptional public services and municipal operations that are rooted in equity, innovation, and integrity, and centered on people.
Vision
To be the best-managed city in the country and create a thriving community where opportunity is available to everyone, regardless of their background or situation in life.
Values
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Innovation; Professionalism; Resident Focus; Evidence-Based Decision-Making; Excellence; and Collaboration.
Priority Goals
Public Health and Safety, Affordable Neighborhoods & Reduced Homelessness, Clean City Initiatives, Economic Growth, High Performing Government & Strong Financial Health, Investment in Quality Education.
The strategies outlined in the plan will inform the work of the Administration and the entire municipal staff, serving as the basis for departmental work plans and individual evaluations. The document also describes the municipality’s community engagement process, breaks down Worcester’s demographics and operations, provides the full context of each priority goal, and spotlights special areas of focus.
Key objectives include establishing a day resource center, creating 10,000 new jobs by 2030, reducing youth violence and opioid overdoses, and expanding affordable housing options.
To read the full plan, please visit the Strategic Plan webpage.
