Hope Mills commissioners heard a final presentation on the town’s 2025 strategic plan during a special meeting Monday night.
Ashley Anderson of Sands Anderson Law Firm presented the plan, telling the board it serves as a policy document and does not carry the force of law.
“It reflects your policy goals from staff and how to implement those goals—it’s simply a vision reflective of the community’s expectations based on the survey,” Anderson said.
One of the survey questions asked respondents to answer what comes to mind when they think of Hope Mills. The top answers were “hometown,” “small town,” and a “nostalgic feel,” Anderson said.
“You should be proud of yourselves,” she added, “because that’s hard to achieve for a community of your size. Eighteen thousand residents is not small.” Anderson also mentioned that Hope Mills said they had 5,000 new homes scheduled over the next several years. “So you’re growing quickly.”
Anderson told CityView the town started the process for the strategic plan in March when they launched the community engagement survey. Physical copies were distributed during a kick-off event in April. The survey was also posted to social media and the town’s website. Anderson said they received about 300 responses from residents.
“This strategic plan will safeguard the things Hope Mills values, such as parks and recreation opportunities, the historic trade street district, the people, your quality of life, baseball, and your hometown, small-town feel. All those are just a few reasons people choose to move to stay in and come back to Hope Mills,” Anderson said.
Until now, Hope Mills did not have a comprehensive strategic plan. Mayor Jessie Bellflowers said having a plan was one of the main goals since the current board started two years ago. Bellflowers told the board the goals in the plan mirror those of the staff, elected officials, and input from the town’s residents.
“It’s gold. It centers the opportunity on what we need to do next,” Bellflowers said.
Anderson outlined five key policy goals from the strategic plan, which address the town’s most critical issues:
- Downtown vibrancy, economic growth, and community character
- Public safety and neighborhood enhancement
- Infrastructure, transportation, and the environment
- Parks, recreation, special events, and culture
- Organizational culture and communication
Scarola asked Anderson to reiterate for the public audience that Anderson’s firm developed the plan both on residents’ input and town local government staff input. “Yes,” Anderson replied. “And the citizens’ input was not very far off from the town’s staff and board.”
Town debuts Viewpoint Discover America Series video
During the last few minutes of the meeting, the town debuted the final version of their segment from the national televised show Viewpoint Discover America Series, hosted by actor Dennis Quaid.
The show is a documentary that will run on public networks. A clip can be seen on the town’s Facebook page.
According to the Facebook post, Hope Mills was approached earlier this year by the Viewpoint production company. The town was selected to participate for its quality of life, sense of community, and resident-provided programs and services, the post states.
“We are truly grateful for this golden opportunity to showcase our town on a national platform helping to strengthen our brand, highlight our potential for growth, and attract new industries, businesses, retail establishments, and families seeking a welcoming, family-friendly environment to call home,” the town posted on social media.
The board voted back in March during their budget retreat to proceed with creating the video, estimated to cost $27,000 to produce. The vote passed 4-1 with Commissioner Elyse Craver in sole opposition, arguing that the money could be better spent on the town’s immediate needs.
The board will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday for a closed session to hear an update on the personnel investigation by Attorney Mac McCarley. McCarley was hired by the town to conduct an investigation regarding a hostile work environment.
The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3 at Town Hall.
