PERRY, Ga. — In Perry, mayor and council spent months planning to make the City of Perry better. The result -- a new strategic plan.
Shannon Smith lives and works in the heart of Perry.
"I've lived in Perry since like 2010 and I live over there in the historic downtown Perry is what it’s called,” Smith said.
She recalls when she moved to the city, it wasn't as lively as it is now.
"Not really much, just the fair. I mean, when it would come with livestock or whatever, stuff like that, the cowboys, you know," she said.
Fast-forwarding to the present, the city is known for having all types of events to keep the community engaged.
That's credited in part to what's called a "strategic plan."
"The strategic plan is sort of a guiding plan for the next five years of the city. It was a plan that they mayor and council wanted to get together and really game-plan where they want the city to go," Perry’s community planner Holly Wharton said.
Wharton says the list of strategic planning goals includes things like recruiting new businesses to Perry, expanding community policing efforts, and focusing on the city's boom.
"Perry is growing rapidly, so we're growing to the east and to the south, so a lot of that is new development, but we also want to make sure we're paying attention to our core neighborhoods and those are closer to downtown," she explained.
Each city department has a goal they will work towards in the upcoming fiscal year, but Wharton says they've already started.
"We're really wanting to be proactive with this plan and make sure that we're able meet all the goals in there in the five years," she said.
It's all in an effort to keep Perry booming going forward.
The city also plans to focus on blight, create a competitive sports complex, and expand community policing.
Wharton says the plan goes into effect in July spanning from the 2023 fiscal year until 2027.