Presentation by Jessica Sutton, City Clerk of Elkins, West Virginia. Topic is progress (as of October 2019) toward strategic plan goals and use of sales-tax revenues to accomplish them.

1. ELKINS STRATEGIC
PLAN AND SALES TAX
2019 YEAR END REVIEW
The Elkins 2018-2023 Strategic Plan was developed by elected and appointed
officials, facilitated by Tom Heywood, as a guide to direct the resources and
attention of the City. The plan was adopted in late September of 2018. Today I’ll be
presenting a snapshot of that plan and our progress to date.
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2. 2023 VISION STATEMENT:
The first section of the Strategic Plan is a two-page, 669-word Vision Statement.
This slide shows a word cloud representation of that statement which embodies
how the plan contributors envisioned Elkins in 2023. It includes such goals as
population growth over 10,000; a strong, diversified economy; being not only a
gateway, but a destination for tourism; and, finally, earning the title of “most livable
city in WV”.
2

3. REDEVELOPMENT/BEAUTIFICATION OF DOWNTOWN
29% 35% 35%1
STRATEGIC AREA#1
Completed % Past Due % Not Yet Due %
This strategic area focuses on the livability of our city including safety,
beautification, vehicle & pedestrian access and economic development.
4

4. CREATE A FUND FOR
DEMOLITION OF
CONDEMNED
STRUCTURES
ADOPTION OF A NEW
ZONING ORDINANCE
IMPROVEMENT OF CITY
HALL PARKING LOT
Here are three of the goals included in focus area #1. The first was completed, the
second is in progress, and the third is planned for a later year.
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5. EXECUTION OF THE MASTER FACILITIES PLAN
40% 28% 32%1
STRATEGIC AREA #2
Completed % Past Due % Not Yet Due %
Strategic Area #2 focuses on infrastructure and economic growth and diversity.
6

6. GEOGRAPHICAL
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
USE, NEEDS AND
FUNDING
PROJECT COMPLETION –
PHIL GAINER
COMMUNITY CENTER
RENOVATIONS AND
SANITATION GARAGE
COMPLETE A VEHICLE
MANAGEMENT PLAN
Here again are three examples of milestones. The first was completed, the second is
in progress, and the third is planned for a later year.
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7. IMPROVED COMMUNICATIONS
42% 42% 17%1
STRATEGIC AREA #3
Completed % Past Due % Not Yet Due %
Strategic area 3 focuses on improving the flow of information from the City and
increasing public engagement.
8

8. DRAFT AN EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS
PLAN
CREATION OF A CITIZEN
ACADEMY TO LEARN
ABOUT GOVERNMENT
AND OPERATIONS
DEVELOP A PLAN TO
DRAW CORRIDOR H
TRAVELERS INTO
ELKINS
Three milestones for this area. The first was completed, the second is in process,
and the third is planned for a later year.
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9. ENHANCEMENT OF GOVERNANCE
40% 33% 27%1
STRATEGIC AREA #4
Completed % Past Due % Not Yet Due %
Strategic area 4 focuses on the city government’s structure, policies and practices,
with a goal of ensuring we are working as efficiently and effectively as we can for
the citizens.
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10. REVIEW OF THE
STRATEGIC PLAN AND
HOME RULE
AUTHORITY
STUDY THE CITY
MANAGER FORM OF
GOVERNMENT
CREATE
INFORMATIONAL
PACKETS FOR NEW
RESIDENTS
Just submitted our annual report to the Home Rule Board. All are available online.
For these milestones, the first was completed, the second is in process, and the
third is planned for a later year.
11

11. EXPLORATION OF CITY BOUNDARY EXPANSION
68% 26% 5%1
STRATEGIC AREA #5
Completed % Past Due % Not Yet Due %
Strategic area 5 is focused on opportunities for expansion, both by expanding
boundaries and economic opportunities.
12

12. DRAFT A LIST OF
“REASONS WHY” FOR
ANNEXATION
PROMOTE ECOMOMIC
GROWTH AND
DIVERSIFICATION OF
THE LOCAL ECONOMY
USING REGULATORY
TOOLS
COOPERATE WITH
COUNTY GOVERNMENT
AND LOCAL
ORGANIZATIONS TO
INCREASE AND
DIVERSIFY HOUSING
OPTIONS
For these milestones, the first was completed, the second is in process, and the
third is planned for a later year.
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13. Elkins is a dynamic and growing community of 10,500 people, serving as a regional hub to 50,000 people for industry, health care and education, as well as a tourism hub
to the mid-Atlantic. We are the gateway to vast outdoor recreation that includes, the Monongahela National Forest, WV State Parks, wilderness areas, ski resorts, hiking
and biking trails, river access, scenic train excursions and much more. The community’s economic base has continued to diversify and strengthen, showing
growth in existing and new manufacturing, high-tech and service businesses. In the past five years the per capita income of Elkins’ residents has increased, as well as the population of people
under the age of 40.
Elkins boasts a bustling and beautiful downtown, with plenty of affordable and mixed housing options; new restaurants and shops opening with frequency; and
abundant pedestrian and bike mobility routes. Elkins has recently been named the most livable community in West Virginia, and the 4th Best Small
Town in the United States. Our “Unexpectedly Cool” city has achieved its enviable rankings by being at the forefront of change; charting its own path; being authentic; and
relentlessly focusing on attracting young people and young families.
Elkins is renowned for its support of skilled trades and craft workers. This has become a competitive advantage for the city. Many skilled plumbers,
electricians, high-tech workers, professionals, and crafts people, as well as artists and tradespeople call Elkins home, and live and work side by side in the downtown. Existing artisan retail
spaces and festivals along with a new outdoor amphitheater and live performance theater have provided venues for both tourists and locals alike to enjoy.
Thanks in large measure to the West Virginia Roads to Prosperity Bond Issue of 2017, construction of Corridor H has advanced much more quickly than expected. Elkins has succeeded
in capturing a huge number of motorists traveling on Corridor H as a result of an effective signage and wayfinding program and has been able to
impress them by creating an avenue through the City that emphasizes its beauty and opportunity. The city’s arts, culture, and history venues, as well as parks, trails, restaurants,bars and hotels
are flourishing as a result of the influx of tourists and the growing residential population.
Elkins is widely recognized as a leader in high quality, innovative health care, constantly evolving and creating new partnerships to serve the needs of the
community and the region. A nearby, long-term treatment facility, made possible by state and federal funding, is directed at confronting addiction, and helps to support the goals of the City in
creating successful pathways to link recovering addicts with jobs and to contribute to the growth and success of the community. These efforts, and those of our dedicated police and fire
departments, have earned Elkins the reputation as a safe community, as well as a clean and livable community.
Elkins’ reputation for new, efficient and affordable infrastructure, along with proactive planning, is a draw for new businesses coming into the area, and
serves as a platform for the success of existing and expanding businesses. Elkins is the first town in West Virginia to have successfully upgraded its water, sewer and fiber-optic infrastructure.
Recent investments and improvements to the Phil Gainer Community Center, City Hall and the Sanitation Department will serve residents and the community well for years to come. Our focus
on river-front clean-up and redevelopment is the talk of the region, particularly the centrally located boutique hotel providing one of the most unique experiences in the State.
Elkins and Randolph County continue to explore opportunities for cooperation including metro government and internal organizational changes, in order to provide
financial savings and effective services across the area. The city has studied and collaborated with other communities around the State and region in recent years, learning from their successes
and failures, borrowing and implementing best practices, and all for the purpose of putting itself on the path that has made it the most livable and most admired
community in West Virginia.
A final look at the 2023 Vision Statement with some significant sections
highlighted. These are the goals of the plan and if the City is successful in achieving
100% completion in every focus area, there is no reason why we can’t realize this
vision.
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14. MUNICIPAL FUNDS
• General Fund
• Water Fund
• Sewer Fund
• Landfill Fund
$0
$1,000,000
$2,000,000
$3,000,000
$4,000,000
$5,000,000
$6,000,000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
City of Elkins General Fund
Revenues Expenditures
This slide shows the funds the City must work with. The General Fund is the
primary/general operating fund and sees the majority of the City’s revenues and
expenditures. However, we also operate separate enterprise funds (water, sewer
and landfill) as required by State Code. These funds cannot be intermingled.
Example – cannot use General Fund revenues to pay for sewer projects.
15

15. MUNICIPAL SALES AND USE TAX
TOTAL COLLECTED TO DATE = $1,371,380.72
$748,565.25,
88%
$101,434.75,
12%
FY 2019
Predicted $850,000
$622,815.47,
62%
$377,184.53,
38%
FY 2020
Budgeted $1,000,000
Now let’s take a look at the Sales and Use tax revenue and how the implementation
of this tax is facilitating the City’s ability to accomplish the goals set in the Strategic
Plan. FY19 is complete. We are only 5 months in to FY20, but more than halfway to
our predicted revenues.
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16. STRATEGIC AREA #1 – REDEVELOPMENT AND BEAUTIFICATION
$555,200
Demolition Fund
$100,000
Streetscape Plan
$50,000
Police Department Staffing
$125,000
City Hall Parking Lot
$200,000
City Arborist
$1,200
Matching Grant Fund
$50,000
Hanging Basket Expansion
$45,000
Zoning Ordinance
$1,000
Tablet Square
$33,000
Again, we will go through each Strategic Area and see how monies have either been
budgeted or expended in relation to the goals.
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17. STRATEGIC AREA #2 – MASTER FACILITIES PLAN
$365,000
Phil Gainer Community
Center
$90,000
City Hall
$200,000
GIS
$75,000
18

18. STRATEGIC AREA #3 – COMMUNICATION
$47,000
External Affairs Specialist
$40,000
Direct Marketing Funds
$7,000
19

19. STRATEGIC AREA #4 – GOVERNANCE
$35,100
Charter Changes/City
Manager
$6,400
Employee and Officials
Training
$6,700
Codification
$20,000
City Hall Kiosk
$2,000
20

20. STRATEGIC AREA #5 – CITY EXPANSION (NONE)
ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURES
4 Police
Cruisers
$36,000
15 Snowflakes
$7,000
City Hall
Improvements
$43,000
Outside
Contributions
$18,000
Items that were not specifically identified in the plan, but contribute to the goals
therein, and would not have otherwise been possible without the additional
revenues. Not pictured is the new Compensation and Classification Plan permitting
annual merit-based raises for all city workers, as well as raising the base pay for
many jobs throughout the organization. This translates to improved morale, work
quality and quantity, and retention.
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21. 42%
32%
26%
2018-2023 STRATEGIC PLAN
Completed %
Past Due %
Not Yet Due %
$1,100,000,
80%
$270,000,
20%
SALES TAX AND THE STRATEGIC
PLAN
Sales Tax Obligated to the
Strategic Plan
Sales Tax Not Obligated to
the Strategic Plan
14 MONTHS IN – 49 MONTHS TO GO
(OCT. 2018) (DEC. 2023)
The chart on the left shows progress on the strategic plan. The chart on the right
shows the relative portions of sales tax revenues to date that are budgeted for
strategic-plan and non-strategic-plan purposes.
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22. JESSICA SUTTON
ELKINS CITY CLERK
304.636.1414
JSUTTON@CITYOFELKINSWV.COM
HTTP://CITYOFELKINSWV.COM/GOVERNMENT/MAYOR-CITY-COUNCIL/MEET-CITY-COUNCIL/
QUESTIONS?
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