What We Need: A shared vision for Ashland’s future with clear goals to work toward over the next 5-10 years.

Ashland faces several complex challenges – challenges serious enough to threaten our physical well-being and the character of our community in the long term if not effectively addressed in the next several years.

Ashland is unique for a city its size in the range of services we manage. Medford, for example, which is several times our size, does not run its own utilities for electricity, water or wastewater, nor its own fiber optic network. Our Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission manages 20 parks and over 800 acres of parkland and open space. These and other services and facilities are a real strength, but they also require ongoing financial investment, and we need to be thoughtful about how we manage them given our relatively modest financial resources.

In 2022, the City Council developed this vision statement to guide our efforts:

VISION:

Ashland is a resilient, sustainable community that maintains the distinctive quality of place for which it is known.

We will continue to be a unique and caring city that stresses environmental conservation, fosters artistic expression, and is open to new ideas and innovation.

We will plan and direct our efforts to fulfill this Vision for the long-term with a constant view toward being an open, welcoming community for all with a positive economic future.

VALUES:

Community

Community affordability, including in available housing and childcare

Belonging through mutual respect and openness, inclusion, and equity

Quality of life that underpins the city’s economic vibrancy

Environmental resilience, including addressing climate change and ecosystem conservation

Regional cooperation, including in support public safety and homelessness

Organization

Respect for the citizens we serve, for each other, and for the work we do

Excellence in governance and city services

Sustainability through creativity, affordability, and right sized service delivery

Public safety, including emergency preparedness for climate change risk

Quality infrastructure and facilities through timely maintenance and community investment