§ 9.4. Mechanism to Measure Progress

Comprehensive planning legislation requires that the implementation element provide a mechanism to measure community progress toward achieving all aspects of the comprehensive plan. An acceptable method to measure progress toward achieving all aspects of the comprehensive plan is to evaluate two primary components. The two components, policies and recommendations, are listed within each identified plan element (usually the last section within each element).

To measure the effectiveness of an adopted policy, the city must determine if the policy has met the intended purpose. For example, the City of Greenwood has listed a policy under Section 3, Transportation Element, which states, "Dead-end roads and cul-de-sacs should be avoided to the extent practical." To determine whether the policy is achieving the city's intention a "measure" must be established. In the case of this policy, the measure is simply how many dead-end roads or cul-de-sacs have been constructed since the plan's adoption. Each listed policy within each element should be reviewed periodically to determine the plan's effectiveness.

Likewise, recommendations listed within each element can be measured. For recommendations, the ability to "measure" progress toward achievement is very straight forward in that the recommendations have either been implemented or not.

To ensure the plan is achieving intended results, periodic reviews should be conducted by the city's Plan Commission and results reported to the City Council and the public.