By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent

One of the most important documents a city can invest in is the General Plan.
Basic to a General Plan is the concept that a city can be planned.
"This is the most important planning a city does," said Randy McKnight, city administrator.
A General Plan is the document the city uses in developing future land use concepts and consists of a process of gathering ideas and input from many sources and creating an overall, general system of development that will bring about orderly growth.
Development, when planned, avoids placing incompatible land uses next to each other and takes into consideration financial burdens on the city or a particular neighborhood while still assuring that adequate public services and amenities are in place to create a livable community.
As growth occurs there will be pressures to expand the systems necessary to support growth: roads, water, sewer, parks, trails and recreation, to name but a few.
"A General Plan helps determine where facilities and services should be located, for example," said McKnight. "Planning ahead helps avoid land use conflicts."
A General Plan is sometimes referred to as a "Master Plan" or "Comprehensive Plan."
It is a community's general guide for making land use decisions. The General Plan is a reflection of the community's values.
At the large-scale level, the General Plan describes how the community wants to grow, where the community wishes various land uses to take place and what the community wants to look like.
The General Plan covers the area within the City limits as well as land anticipated to be annexed to the City in the future.
At a more detailed scale, the General Plan provides direction for the many detailed decisions made every week concerning specific street improvements, sidewalks, electric substations and building locations. The cumulative effect of such decisions has a significant impact on the shape of the community and the residents' quality of life.
The General Plan is the document that coordinates other City plans, such as the Transportation Master Plan, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and Water and Sewer Plans and others.
"The General Plan is a basic tool to guide zoning, budgeting, capital improvement decisions and policy-making," said McKnight.
The basic purposes of the General Plan might be summarized as a document to bring consistency and reconcile conflicts in plans, policies, priorities and directions that guide both public and private sector decisions regarding land use.
It also helps the city council and city staff identify alternatives and priorities for key decisions confronting the city.
These decisions include locations of key public facilities, and actions regarding annexations, affordable housing , developing or improve through a long-range plan that balances and harmonizes all elements.
In other words, a general plan is a long-term outline of a city Including a set series of steps to be carried out along with goals to be accomplished.
"The General Plan is the overall planning made about the city with areas are generally established for different purposes, zones and activities," said McKnight.
The General Plan is a means of improving the urban environment and achieving certain social and economic objectives, including orderly street systems and conduits for water and sewage.
"The draft of the General Plan is available at city hall for review by all interested residents," said McKnight.