WARSAW — During a strategic planning session held last night, Jan. 29, members of the Warsaw Common Council and city officials came together to identify the main goals for the new year.

The goals were separated into different categories including growth management, business retention and expansion, business attraction, neighborhood revitalization, and communication and processes. City Planner Jeremy Skinner separated each category into the current goals and the planned and accomplished projects towards the goals.

US 30 was the main discussion point when it came to growth and development of the city. Immediate traffic and safety concerns exist with US 30 within Warsaw and surrounding communities. A coalition made up of seven counties is being organized to address long-term solutions, which may lead to US 30 becoming a limited access highway.

Warsaw Mayor Joseph Thallemer explained that US 30 has 11 intersections in Warsaw, with nine of them having signals. Each day, Warsaw sees close to 30,000 cars drive through on US 30.

“It’s just something we can’t kick the can on. The time to act is now with our community,” said Thallemer. “It’s a project that will take time, but I’m very concerned about US 30.”

A meeting will be held with consultants and county officials in early February to address Warsaw’s concerns with the potential project. Warsaw officials hope to present multiple solutions that would best benefit the community to the Indiana Department of Transportation. INDOT would be the agency eventually making choices with the project.

Housing was another issue that fit into many of the categories presented and was discussed at length. Great strides have been made to add housing to the area including the Little Crow Apartments and the future Buffalo Street Project. These projects are only the beginning toward addressing the large housing shortage in the area.

City officials are joining with members of the chamber of commerce to set up meetings with developers, builders and others involved in the housing market. Together, they will work to create incentives and opportunities for local builders to develop higher density housing.

After discussing the housing shortage, Skinner decided to add the issue to the growth and management category of the council’s strategic plan.

There was also talk about the possibility of live streaming future city meetings for the public’s convenience and for archiving purposes. Councilmember Jack Wilhite and Assistant to the Mayor Staci Young have been working on the project. Currently, they are exploring the benefits of several different live streaming companies to find out which one best fits the cities needs.

“This is something I think is real important to look at, especially from the perspective to be as transparent as possible to the community,” said Wilhite. “I think it’s a good thing and we are looking forward to it.”

After the session, council members discussed making the sessions a more regular occurance than just annually. The council discussed calling special sessions when they are presented with large projects or an abundance of information to sort through.