Elevate relationships with stakeholders through mutual understanding and collaboration.

• Collaborate with community stakeholders to identify ways to serve each other's needs.
• Cultivate positive relationships with other governments, and deepen awareness of their initiatives and activities.
• Work with community-based organizations to identify joint ventures or partnerships in furtherance of the community's vision.

Use open, clear communication methods for sharing information with all stakeholders to foster understanding and trust.

• Articulate the City of St. Charles' mission and vision.
• Enhance communication initiatives to adapt to changing demographic, societal, and technological trends.
• Invite a cross-section of citizens to assist with the exchange of information with the community.
• Value diversity by offering opportunities across cultures, generations, and economic segments.

Honor engagement of impacted groups and individuals as vital to effective decision-making.

• Identify and implement processes for seeking and listening to innovative contributions.
• Enhance understanding of the multiple and varied roles, responsibilities and processes to encourage an open environment.
• Allow decision-making responsibility and associated accountability at the most effective organizational level.
• Acknowledge the significance of the contributions made at all levels, providing opportunities to recognize those who perform admirably.

Enhance the quality of interactions between the City and the constituents that we serve.

• Recognize that the City is both a constant presence and a perpetual service-delivery network.
• Generate feelings of pride and fulfillment in our interactions and relationships with constituents.
• Affirm the vision of the City and apply ideals in everyday situations.

Protect natural assets and practice environmental sensitivity.

• Foster development to conserve and reclaim open space.
• Guide a cooperative effort to educate the community toward a "green ethic."
• Factor sustainability and consideration of future generations into decision-making processes.

Market and promote St. Charles as a friendly, appealing destination, characterized by activities, events, arts, and culture.

• Capitalize on artistic and cultural resources by supporting local talent and lively venues and activities.
• Encourage collective civic endeavors to broaden the variety of attractions and events.

Preserve the charm and character of St. Charles as a captivating community.

• Honor history by preserving architectural identity and the unique character of our downtown and neighborhoods.
• Utilize purposeful design to enhance aesthetics of buildings, landscapes, and corridors.

Engage in responsible fiscal planning and create budgets consistent with the City’s vision.

• Offer information and education to staff and stakeholders for a better understanding of fiscal policies, financial condition, and the budgeting process.
• Consult the City’s long-range vision and short-term goals to set context, direction and priorities in the budget process.
• Involve departmental representatives to internally collaborate on the identification and prioritization of budget needs.
• Make value-guided decisions that embrace both tangible and intangible benefits.

Create a work environment that supports a high-performance organization.

• Select the best employees, compensate them competitively, and reward evaluation-measured exceptional performance.
• Consult employees and provide access to training that is meaningful and appropriate.
• Provide appropriate work space, equipment, tools, and specialized technology needed to support a high-performance organization.
• Create an environment of trust and empowerment through a partnership of management and staff.
• Celebrate success and honor employee contributions.

Deliver City services that meet the needs of the community.

• Provide City services that are efficient and reliable.
• Foster innovation and ingenuity.
• Invest in modern infrastructure and technology.
• Assure peace of mind by continuing to provide reliable services and a safe, welcoming environment.

Cultivate an environment characterized by a balance of economic opportunities in goods, services, and employment.

• Create a dynamic, collaborative atmosphere that welcomes new and diverse business types, attracts business investment and public/private partnerships.
• Support meaningful development and business activity through proper planning and resource commitment.
• Enact, enforce and evaluate the laws, codes and standards to ensure an appropriate level of safety, security, appearance, and design.
• Promote policies to spur investment and reinvestment by the business and development community in order to maintain our status as a regional center of economic activity.

Promote St. Charles and its diverse activities.

• Increase efforts to revitalize underperforming or underutilized properties through judicious use of governmental tools.
• Utilize prudent regulation and supportive regulatory processes in dealing with unique or atypical sites or properties.
• Evaluate, establish, and enforce property maintenance standards.

Retain a balance of housing types to attend to the full spectrum of needs.

• Encourage a mixture of housing options that serve a variety of lifestyles, incomes and generations.
• Utilize prudent regulation and supportive regulatory processes for continued build-out and redevelopment of residential housing stock while maintaining neighborhood identity.
• Evaluate, establish, and enforce property maintenance standards.

Create a pleasing and welcoming downtown experience.

• Capitalize on both natural and man-made assets and resources as outlined in the River Corridor Master Plan.
• Implement and maintain high architectural standards that preserve our historic identity.
• Require a high level of maintenance for public infrastructure and private property.
• Employ streetscapes, landscaping, and art to contribute to a visually pleasing downtown environment.
• Provide an easily accessible and pedestrian friendly downtown.

Encourage and promote a diversity of arts, cultures, and businesses to contribute an eclectic and lively feel to the downtown.

• Unify the focus and utilize the strengths of public, private, and non-profit organizations.
• Implement the St Charles 2000 Downtown Strategy Plan.
• Create an environment that supports opportunities for diverse types of businesses and activities.

Plan proactively and progressively with community and business partners for a continuing dynamic downtown.

• Revisit and renew the plans and strategies for the downtown on a regular basis.
• Urge consultation and consideration of established plans and strategies by impacted stakeholders.
• Reference and learn from the experience of other thriving communities.

Build and maintain infrastructure that enhances local circulation.

• Implement alternative travel corridors to Main Street, including the Red Gate Road Bridge.
• Continue to analyze local traffic needs in an ongoing effort to update and improve the transportation system.
• Explore local street extensions to facilitate traffic movement.

Provide a more robust infrastructure to facilitate pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

• Enhance and develop interconnected, pedestrian friendly walking and bicycle paths.
• Elevate the importance of local and regional Bikeway Plan implementation.
• Install traffic softening and safety mechanisms.

Support and encourage public transportation improvements to increase efficiency and broaden options for local and regional needs.

• Consider and evaluate a local circulator service for in-town transit.
• Encourage transit service providers to analyze and increase the level of service within St. Charles.

Foster cooperation and communication to address local transportation needs.

• Establish effective communication with federal, state, regional and local transportation agencies.
• Maintain dialogue at the State level for funding of street and bridge improvements.
• Support the efforts of other governments and agencies to improve the transportation network, including the Stearns Road Bridge.
• Provide information to the community on transportation issues and options to heighten understanding and participation in the policy dialogue.