Austin McMullen

Oak Hill has weekend meeting to discuss long-term plans

By Autumn Boaz, The Green Hills News, August 26, 2010

Oak Hill Commissioners, along with City Man[a]ger Kevin Helms, met with MTAS representatives last weekend as part of a planning session to discuss long-term projections for the city.

"We had these meetings so you have an idea in the short-term as to what steps to take to move that direction," Helms said.

Oak Hill Mayor Austin McMullen said a city mission statement was also discussed.

At this stage of the process, McMullen said the ideas discussed are still at the planning stages, and action steps must first be identified in order to reach long-term goals.

The goal of the plan is to find ways to best showcase the city's strengths, like its proximity to a metropolitan area, its residential zoning benefits and its fiscal strength.

No specific plans have been identified. When plans are set before the city, however, they must first come before the board of commissioners in order to take effect.

Once plans are drafted, McMullen said they will be a work in progress for years to come.

"The plan is something that future boards should come back to every year or two."

During the two-day session, city representatives worked to identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for the city in order [to] create a framework for the city's capabilities during the next 10-15 years.

Ron Darden, MTAS, illustrates a plan for

Oak Hill commissioners at last week's meeting.