WESTFORD — The Select Board unanimously approved the Town of Westford’s Strategic Plan at its most recent meeting, finalizing a framework to guide the town’s long-term priorities.
Following feedback from the board at its Jan. 28 meeting, officials revised the plan for the board’s review on Feb. 11. The updates included adjustments to key performance indicators (KPIs), which were removed from the main document and tabled for further development by staff.
“I really appreciate the feedback of the board at your last meeting,” Town Manager Kristen Las said. “Ultimately, we decided to take [the KPIs] out of the document and not use the metrics for the draft, keep them as the appendix, and continue working with staff on boards and committees to build out those KPIs.”
The town collaborated with consultant Raftelis to develop the strategic plan. The firm supported the board’s decision to refine the framework, agreeing that it would be beneficial to allow more time for staff to assess and modify metrics before seeking further input.
“We support the Board’s decision to adjust the framework to exclude KPIs and include them as part of implementation tracking and progress,” Raftelis wrote in a memo to the board. “This will allow town staff appropriate time to vet and modify metrics as needed before seeking input from the Board regarding metric targets and connection to success as defined within each of the strategic outcome areas.”
The five-year plan aims to align the town’s efforts and resources with its long-term goals. Officials emphasized that the plan will help address current challenges in Westford, utilizing $95,000 in federal funds approved in 2023 to support its implementation.
The town gathered community feedback through a ZenCity survey, which received more than 800 responses. Additionally, officials conducted individual interviews with Select Board members, held a focus group and workshops with the town’s leadership team, and collected input from town staff via an online survey.
Assistant Town Manager Mike Edwards credited the board for refining the plan, noting that the revision process led to a more relevant and effective strategy.
“I’m actually glad we weren’t stuck with a lot of what we had in there,” Edwards said. “As we started putting them together, we started thinking, ‘We could probably come up with something that might be a little bit more relevant.’ So thank you for pushing back on that—that made it better.”
With no further deliberations, the board moved to approve the plan, marking a significant step in shaping the town’s future initiatives.
