What’s the plan with the town’s three-year plan?

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About a year has passed since town leaders started a three-year planning process. And while some boards have started putting their plans into action, no unifying document has been produced that explains what all those plans are.

To help get to that point, the Nashville Town Council has agreed to consider getting Ball State University involved.

Town Manager/Economic Development Director Scott Rudd proposed to the town council and the Nashville Redevelopment Commission in April and March that the town participate in BSU’s Community Readiness Initiative.

It’s a survey of key leaders throughout a community of what they believe the community’s strengths and opportunities are and what they think the community’s focus should be. The researchers would determine if that community is ready, on the same page and “on the right page” before leaders decide on a direction for economic development, Rudd said.

The survey results are data-driven, he said. For instance, if Brown County and Nashville were all set to attract manufacturing here, the survey data could show otherwise, and the community could correct course before spending more time or money on that strategy.

“It’s a great step just before we do a draft of all our priorities and what our boards have determined, to say, ‘Are we all on same page?’ Now is time to know that,” Rudd said.

Town council audience member Tricia Bock — a county commissioner candidate — asked Rudd if she could see a copy of the proposed three-year plan.

He told her that individual town boards and commissions had their own priority lists and plans to accomplish them, and the overarching report was in draft form, but she could see if if she wished.

He said he wants the next step to be getting all board chairs together to see where their goals overlap and how they might work together.

Hundreds of pieces of public input went into the boards’ lists, he said. Rudd believes that part of the process has been exhausted, because additional suggestions have dwindled to nearly nothing, he said.

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