City of Bainbridge leaders will be busy planning the city’s long-term future during the next 18 months as they work on updating the city’s comprehensive plan with the help of local citizens.

At their Tuesday meeting, the Bainbridge City Council unanimously voted to hire Robert and Company of Atlanta to develop a full update to the city’s comprehensive plan. The State of Georgia requires local governments to update their comprehensive plans every 10 years. The city did a partial update to its comprehensive plan in 2007, and a full update of the plan must be completed by October 31, 2010. Robert and Company proposed doing the work for $54,880 or less.

At their recent annual retreat, the Bainbridge City Council developed a draft vision statement of what they would like the city to look like in 15 years’ time. The vision statement defined Bainbridge as:

“A vibrant historic waterfront community embracing its abundance of natural resources, providing for quality growth, security and sustainability.”

The council stated they hope to realize their vision by achieving progress in the following areas: safe and secure community, transportation, downtown, environment, growth and development and recreation.

In a memo to the council, Gordon Maner of the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government—who facilitated the council’s retreat—stated that developing the vision statement is a positive step in ensuring a good future for Bainbridge.

“I encourage you to hold your vision as a test for decisions you make – that every decision be in alignment with your vision and that you share your vision with the community at every opportunity as it is equally important that your citizens understand and support the vision,” Maner wrote.