The Oct. 26 open house is over and no draft or survey is posted yet. Email the town to weigh in on the plan that guides its budget for five years.

The Town of Wake Forest is rewriting its Strategic Plan, the document that sets the town’s priorities for the next five years. It wants residents’ views first.

Updated Oct. 29: the open house was held Monday, Oct. 26. As of Thursday the town’s Strategic Plan page still shows the 2022-2027 plan, with no survey, draft or Board of Commissioners timeline posted. Comments can still go to Organizational Performance Director Lisa Hayes at lhayes@wakeforestnc.gov. The separate Downtown Traffic Study survey stays open until Friday, Nov. 6, at engagewakeforest.org, the town says.

The town will hold a drop-in open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St., according to its announcement. No registration is needed.

There are no speeches to sit through. People can arrive any time in the two hours to:

  • look at displays
  • ask town staff questions
  • leave comments on the town’s long-term direction

The town said the session is open to residents, business owners and anyone else with a stake in Wake Forest.

Why this plan matters

The Strategic Plan guides how the town spends money, delivers services and measures success, the town said. It also is meant to keep day-to-day decisions in line with what residents and elected officials want.

The Board of Commissioners adopted the first plan in 2017 and updated it in 2022. The town rewrites it every five years. The board meets each year to adjust the plan’s strategies, but the town said the time has come for a full update. The new version will guide the board’s decisions over the next five years.

What the current plan covers

The 2022-2027 plan has five goals, according to the town’s Strategic Plan page:

  1. Sustaining excellent town services
  2. Creating accessible housing opportunities
  3. Fostering a safe, diverse and welcoming community
  4. Investing in transportation and infrastructure
  5. Advancing community and economic prosperity

The town built those goals from four community focus groups in September and October 2021, interviews with the mayor and commissioners, employee surveys and two board workshops, the page says. The full 2022-2027 plan is posted as a PDF.

Other chances to weigh in this fall

  • Downtown traffic study. The town held a drop-in open house on Oct. 28. Its online survey is open until Friday, Nov. 6. Our road construction page has the details.
  • The draft Unified Development Ordinance, the rulebook for what can be built where, is open for comment ahead of a Planning Board session on Nov. 10. Read our story on the draft rules.

What it means for you

  • Missed the open house? Email Organizational Performance Director Lisa Hayes at lhayes@wakeforestnc.gov, or follow the update on the town’s Strategic Plan page.
  • Not sure who does what at the town? Our guide to who to call at Town Hall lists the departments.