City selects consultant for new strategic plan

Findlay will contract with a Columbus consulting firm to develop a new strategic plan for city government. The firm, Planning NEXT, was selected unanimously by Findlay City Council's Strategic Planning Committee, which has been working to get the project started for about two years. Committee members include Chairman Jeff Wobser, R-at-large; Mayor Christina Muryn; Auditor Jim Staschiak; and councilmen Dennis Hellmann, R-2, Josh Palmer, R-7, and Grant Russel and Tom Shindledecker, both R-at-large. Planning NEXT will be paid $124,315 to help city officials develop a plan. The consultant is expected to work with Findlay's various business leaders, community members, economic development team, local school districts and other organizations to develop the plan. The process will also include a method for updating, maintaining and evaluating the strategic plan. "The process ahead is going to be extensive and like none our community has ever completed. The results will ultimately be what continue to make Findlay a community that is truly special," said Wobser. "Planning NEXT has extensive experience not just identifying or completing projects, but completing extensive outreach, problem-solving and overall planning for communities. That is what the committee was looking for and what we found in Planning NEXT." Staschiak, who has been encouraging city officials to develop a new strategic plan for nearly 10 years, said he's excited about the process and has worked hard to keep it on track so the final plan serves the community well. He thinks Planning NEXT was a good choice. "Planning NEXT brought the selection committee together, and that is what I wanted the results of this process to be," said Muryn. "A clear vision of what we all want our community to be five, 10, 20 years down the road and how we as the city of Findlay government and staff can make it happen." A total of 10 firms responded to the city's request for qualifications, issued early this year. The field was then narrowed to four: Planning NEXT, Columbus; MS Consultants Inc., Columbus; American Structurepoint, Fort Wayne, Indiana; and the Gossman Group, Cincinnati. All four firms were asked to submit their proposals — including costs — to the committee. The Gossman Group has an extensive background with the city, having served as a consultant during Findlay's last attempt at a strategic plan when Tony Iriti was mayor in 2006. The street and sidewalk improvements in Findlay's downtown area were designed by the Gossman Group, as was the campus of Marathon Petroleum Corp and renovations to Logan's Irish Pub. However, in the ranking of the 10 firms that submitted qualifications to the committee, the Gossman Group was ranked as the third choice, behind American Structurepoint, which ranked second, and Planning NEXT. More information about Planning NEXT, including the company's extensive list of awards, is available at www.planning-next.com Information on how community members can participate in creating the plan is expected in the coming weeks. Grant: 419-427-8412