Public Invited to Farmington Visioning Kick Off Meeting in Late January

A meeting for residents interested in helping craft a vision for the future of Farmington will be held later this month.

During a Monday city council study session, Charlie Fleetham of Farmington Hills-based Projection Innovations took the process in a slightly different direction than officials expected. Council members anticipated appointing 15-20 members to a task force, from lists of residents they nominated. 

Fleetham suggested inviting everyone whose name had been submitted, as well as putting out an open invitation through the media and the city's website. He said the process he favors begins with collecting as many ideas as possible, then working those into one or two alternatives for final consideration. 

"We could have up to 100," Fleetham said of attendance at the first meeting. "Size shouldn't be a limit." 

While elected officials will eventually approve the vision plan, Fleetham added, "with the creators, let's involve everyone we can." 

The effort will likely draw different types of participants, from those who fully embrace and take ownership of the process, to those who just observe. Fleetham said he'll explain those types, along with the time commitment and other details about the process at the kick-off meeting. 

He also suggested adding two council members and two members of city staff – city manager Vince Pastue and community and economic development director Kevin Christiansen – to the task force. He said having a large group will address concerns over their political influence. 

City manager Vince Pastue said a possible venue for the meeting would be Farmington High School.