City officials hosted the first Comprehensive Plan Town Hall Monday, March 23, inviting residents and local stakeholders to share input into the city’s long-term vision.
The meeting was held at the municipal annex building and featured an interactive format designed to gather feedback through a series of short activities led by Public Management, the firm contracted to help facilitate the plan. Participants rotated through stations aimed at collecting input on city priorities, housing and infrastructure.
“We’ve done a base level of research and made a lot of information here on these boards,” said Levi Hancock, assistant planner with Public Management. “We are really trying to get a lot of residents’ feedback, because we don’t live here and we want to see what people think about all the things that we can find online.”
One station asked attendees to identify top priorities for the comprehensive plan by placing up to three blue chips into jars representing nine categories. Another activity focused on housing, encouraging participants to rank what they believe should be prioritized in future housing opportunities.
Additional stations featured maps where residents could identify concerns related to roads and land infrastructure, engaging in conversation with Dalton Aiken, the director of planning with Public Management.
Participants were also invited to share written feedback on boards, responding to prompts about what they value most about Springtown, traditions that should be preserved and any issues they feel are not currently being addressed.
The final station concluded with a QR code that allows residents — including those unable to attend — to submit demographic information and additional feedback. City officials said the survey link will also be made available online after the town hall.
Hancock said the format was designed to encourage participation and avoid a traditional town hall structure.
“We came up with this process because we don’t want it to be a ‘snooze fest,’” he said. “We want people to come out here to actually interact and feel like they are a part of it because they are. All this feedback goes into the plan and helps us actually have a direction for a lot of our research and where the plan is actually going to go.”
“Growth has made it a challenge to keep up infrastructure, utilities and roadways,” said Erin Hampe, a 10-year Springtown resident who attended the town hall.
When asked what she hopes to see happen throughout this process she emphasized community participation.
The city plans to host additional town halls and invites all residents to play an active voice in developing the plan that is expected to be adopted in late 2027.
Jose ‘jj’ balderas | springtown epigraph
Participants place three blue chips in jars to vote on their top priorities for the city.
Participants respond to prompts on the board by providing written comments.
A QR code for an online survey will be released to the public this week.
