Strategic Plan 2024-2025

The City will ensure stability by maximizing its resource use through financial management policies, land use, and forecasting.  To assist the Mayor and City Council, a five-year forecast of the City’s General and Enterprise Funds is included in the City’s budget document to illustrate the financial impact of their decisions. On February 25, 2025, the Mayor and Council adopted their new Goals & Priorities for 2024 through 2028.  As outlined below, these priorities are categorized under ten “pillar” goals derived from the Mayor and Council’s Mission and Vision Statement, which was also approved by the elected body on February 25, 2025.

Mayor & Council Strategic Plan 2024-2028

Vision Statement:  The City of Hagerstown will inspire an inclusive, business-friendly, and sustainable community with clean, safe and vibrant neighborhoods.

Mission Statement:  We are dedicated to creating a thriving community where diversity is celebrated, economic development flourishes, and the quality of life is enhanced through collaborative and consistent representation.

The City will emphasize the following Focus Areas through the implementation of the Mayor & Council’s Strategic Plan:

  • Affordable Housing & Homeless Solutions
  • Blight And Urban Revitalization
  • Water / Wastewater Sustainability
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion And Accessibility (Deia)
  • Economic Development
  • Public Safety
  • Social Issues
  • Civic Pride
  • The Arts 
  • Green Space
  • Community Engagement

AFFORDABLE HOUSING & HOMELESS SOLUTIONS

  • Evaluations of the pros/cons of rent stabilization.
  • Explore feasibility of zoning for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU).
  • First time homebuyer program to promote home ownership.
  • Support CHOICE Neighborhoods program to improve the quality of life in under-developed areas.
  • Examine strategies to reduce homelessness, including work with the Homeless Coalition and getting all stakeholders to the table.
Neighborhoods Revitalization and Sustainability

BLIGHT AND URBAN REVITALIZATION

  • Examine staffing levels in Planning and Code Administration.
  • Revisit City Code to identify more modern-day activity.
  • Develop a checklist of steps for starting a business, including permit applications.
  • Provide additional help for those starting a business for the first time.
  • Establish contacts sooner in the development process with developers rehabilitating older buildings.
  • Continue to identify and provide opportunities to move properties from blight to productive use.
  • Identify alleys/streets and evaluate lighting improvements for safety.
  • Continue the implementation of the no-bid tax sale property process.
  • Examine and implement stronger initiatives to purchase/acquire vacant properties.

WATER / WASTEWATER SUSTAINABILITY

  • Establish water / wastewater rate model and regularly review and modify if necessary.
  • Support improvements to the Edgemont Reservoir and other systems.
  • Secure a long-term supply source for water, including the adequacy of storage.
  • Increase demand on State agencies related to funding and capacity increases for water and wastewater.
  • Investigate and possibly implement a rain garden initiative to aid in stormwater renewal.
  • Examine our wholesale water customer philosophy.
Public Facilities

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY (DEIA)

  • Establish a DEI program to promote inclusivity, ensure equal access to services, and support diverse populations.
  • Incorporate Spanish language translation into agenda and meeting broadcasts.
  • Promote inclusive vendor selection bid process.
  • Include Accessibility (A) to DEIA initiatives.
  • Include diversity training and awareness in the employee orientation process and continual education for all staff.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

 The City of Hagerstown has a diverse, business-friendly economy that supports the community's needs.

  • Foster growth of woman owned businesses through initiatives.
  • Develop programs long-term on how to attract higher paying jobs, diversify portfolio of job opportunities.
  • Mentorship programs for business development through workshops to increase opportunities for sustainability.
  • Building closer relationships in the permit process and providing better communication as to how to open a business in Hagerstown.
  • Understanding of the grants process for small business and providing more opportunities to be involved in grant offerings.
Community Promotion and Pride

PUBLIC SAFETY

  • Improve the direct relationship between public safety and residents.
  • Expand the Operation Take Back initiative to include more neighborhoods.
  • Examine the Neighborhoods 1st initiative and look to expand its role in the community.
  • Evaluate locations for new fire stations in Hagerstown through site analysis and through thoughts on public safety location consolidations.
  • Look to re-introduce law enforcement in neighborhood substations in various communities to provide better access.
  • Evaluate sending of fire apparatus and staff outside city boundaries and the funding of those calls to the city.

SOCIAL ISSUES

  • Allocate funding to non-profits focusing on addressing social issues, including mental health, homelessness, addiction and family services.
  • Work to advocate for legislation and reinforce effort for treatment centers and sober homes and work towards public-private partnerships to accomplish the same.
  • Invest in a youth violence initiative to create positive alternatives for at-risk youth. Broaden into City school system. (ENVY).
  • Utilize state and federal funding to address social issues happening in our community.
  • Develop a strategy to use the funds provided by the Opioid Restitution Fund.
  • Work with community stakeholders and elected officials on legislation related to gang violence, and juvenile crime.
Parks and Recreation for Active Healthy Living

CIVIC PRIDE 

  • Celebrate the work of city departments and individual staff members to foster pride in public service and excellence in municipal operations.
  • Review and adjust the Citizens Academy in HPD to include more focus on City department operations, boards and commissions to foster citizen participation.
  • Involve the citizens in neighborhood cleanup and conversations related to the well-being and safety of the area in which they live.
  • Increase youth involvement in City decision making.
  • Revive the historical recognition of our citizens at Memorial Park.

THE ARTS

  • Invest in arts and interactive improvement throughout the city, creating vibrant public spaces that promote creativity and community engagement.
  • Collaborate with local artists, students, and other stakeholders to install public art along cultural trail and in blighted areas.
  • Foster partnerships with local artists and organizations to organize community-driven art events and initiatives that promote local talent and bring people together.
  • Enhance the cultural trail with art related to items that had their genesis in Hagerstown and display them either along the trail or in buildings near the trail in a manner similar to Hatter’s Plaza.
Economic Development

GREEN SPACE

  • Increase options for innovative growing spaces throughout our neighborhoods.
  • Research and provide strategies for hydroponic growing initiatives.
  • Establish a city-wide community garden initiative to support urban agriculture, offer gardening education, and encourage sustainable food supply.
  • Identify vacant or underused properties that could be repurposed into community gardens, ensuring better use of those spaces and contributing to the city’s environmental sustainability goals.
  • Evaluate long-term areas of land interest to reclaim as green space within the community.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

  • Rotation of Council meetings to allow more involvement of neighborhoods in the legislative process.
  • Support the concept of a public safety training center to improve working conditions for public safety and better serve the community.
  • Reinstate community resource officers into our communities to improve policing efforts and enhance public safety.
Citizen-based Government