Jilline Dobratz

The Smile West Bend Age-Friendly Action Plan (2024-2029) focuses on improving the community for residents of all ages, particularly older adults. Key areas of focus are communication, transportation, and health & wellness. The plan aims to address challenges such as limited access to digital communication for seniors, inadequate transportation options, and a lack of accessible healthcare resources. Specific objectives include improving communication channels, enhancing pedestrian safety, providing accessible healthcare screenings, and supporting caregiver resources. The plan utilizes community survey data to identify areas for improvement and outlines strategies with target completion dates for each objective.

The City of West Bend's strategic thinking process aimed to create decision-making filters aligned with community values, government operations, and future goals. The process involved developing a concise mission and vision statements through surveys and meetings with government officials, department heads, and residents. Four strategic priorities were identified: ensuring public safety; driving community and economic development; maintaining and improving infrastructure; and cultivating cultural and recreational amenities. The plan outlines how these priorities will be reviewed and implemented, emphasizing financial impact and administrative recommendations. The process also included identifying means to accomplish these priorities, such as balancing long-term investments with reasonable tax rates, attracting and retaining employees, improving customer service, and fostering open communication and transparency.