BENTLEY STRATEGIC PLAN 2024
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Collaboration and Community Engagement are vital for shaping our Strategic Plan towards building a vibrant and thriving community. Your input in the survey is crucial for creating a prosperous and inclusive future. Join us in building a stronger community together.
We wish to you have your valuable insights in the form of responses to the following questions. The aim is to explore and prioritize major issues and concerns facing our community to inform strategic planning and community development efforts.

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* 1. Population Growth and Decline:
The population of Bentley has been fairly stable but has not grown in many years.

What factors do you believe impact the population growth of our community?

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* 2. Community Priorities:
The Town wants to know what issues are of concern to you.
What do you consider to be the most pressing issue(s) facing our community? Please select all that apply.

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* 3. Challenges in Finding Affordable Housing

Have you personally experienced challenges in finding affordable housing in our community?

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* 4. Rental Housing:
According to Census data, about 19% of the households in Bentley rent their homes.

Are there sufficient rental housing options available in our community?

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* 5. Short Term Rental Housing
Bentley is encouraging tourism but has very little accommodation for visitors apart from the municipal campground. Short term rentals (i.e. renting out homes or accessory units for at least one night but less than one month at a time) have been suggested to address this.

Would you be in favor of exploring short term rentals for Bentley?

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* 6. Attracting New Businesses:
The Town has rebranded itself, set up a new website, worked with Lacombe County to create the Southeast Bentley Area Structure Plan, and is seeking to attract new businesses.

What strategies do you think would be effective in attracting new businesses to our Town?

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* 7. Recreational and Cultural Facilities:
There is growing interest in improving the Town's recreational and cultural opportunities.

Do you support the expansion of the Town's recreation amenities?

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* 8. Recreational and Cultural
What do you see as and immediate need?

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* 9. Financial Stability:
Fiscal stability is always a priority. Bentley's tax base is limited, with about 80% of tax dollars coming in from residential and 20% from commercial/industrial assessments.

How would you prioritize funding allocation to address financial challenges in our community?

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* 10. Recreational and Cultural
Would you support a tax increase for improved recreational opportunities?

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* 11. Community Engagement and Communication:
The Town of Bentley has sought to engage with the community more effectively.

How do you typically stay informed about community events, initiatives and updates?

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* 12. Improving Communication and Connection with the Community:

What strategies or tools do you think could improve communication and connection with a wider range of people in the community?

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* 13. Barriers to Community Engagement

What factors do you believe hinder residents from actively participating in community engagement activities?

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* 14. Future Development Priorities:

In your opinion, what should be the FOUR top actions priorities/projects for future development of our community? Please put in order of importance.

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* 15. Other Concerns and Priorities

Is there anything else that you would like to share with Town Council as they work to prepare and adopt a new Strategic Plan for Bentley?

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* 16. What is your age group?

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* 17. How long have you lived in our community?

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* 18. How often do you access services/programs in Bentley?

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