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Perry council adopts strategic plan after community leaders present joint update
Summary
The Perry City Council voted to adopt a revised strategic plan after hearing updates from the museum, chamber, Main Street and the school district. The plan emphasizes downtown reinvestment, parks and amenities, communications and partnerships and will be converted into an admin goals document and public pamphlet.
The Perry City Council on Monday adopted a revised strategic plan after a prolonged review of language and a series of community presentations on how local institutions are aligning with the city’s goals. The motion to adopt the plan with the wording changes discussed passed on a roll-call vote.
Council members heard updates from community leaders before the adoption. Maddie, director of the Cherokee Strip Museum, reported the museum welcomed more than 1,000 visitors in the first quarter and previewed a temporary "comeback" exhibit and a World War I Smithsonian display that runs through August. Katie of the Chamber said Q1 work focused on tourism, economic development and community engagement, noting distribution of the 2026 chamber guide, a 46% increase in car-show participation at Springfest and increased chamber membership investment. Curt Andrews, president of Main Street Perry, highlighted facade and beautification grants for downtown businesses and recent openings. Chad Wilson, superintendent of Perry schools, reported graduation and scholarship totals and described new workforce-oriented programs such as a two-year aviation class.
Those reports framed council edits to the draft strategic plan, which the council refined line by line. Key changes adopted include replacing prescriptive examples with broader language to make the plan durable over time (for example, changing specific project names to "amenities that will drive tourism and economic activity"); prioritizing "encouraging reinvestment and occupancy of downtown" through targeted, financially responsible incentives; and adding explicit language about partnering with civic institutions to strengthen alignment among council, staff and community organizations. Council members and staff agreed the plan will be paired with a separate, administrator-level goals document that includes timelines and measurable actions for staff to implement and report back.
Council directed the city manager to convert the plan into pamphlet and web form for wider public distribution and to link a companion "wins" or accomplishments document so residents can track progress. The manager also said he will extract specific SMART goals for administration to implement and report on in subsequent meetings. No specific funding decisions were taken as part of adoption; funding and implementation steps will be handled through the budget process and future agenda items.
Council members framed the action as a starting point for coordinated civic work rather than a list of immediate projects. The adoption closes the item for now, with staff assigned to translate the policy-level plan into departmental objectives and public-facing materials.
