SACO  — Bringing natural gas to the Mill Brook Business Park and the Route 1 North Corridor areas is among the top goals the city council has adopted for the next two years.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt eight top goals for the current city council term. 

The other goals the council adopted were to review, fund and develop a strategic recruitment, retention and succession plan; work toward a recycling rate of 30 percent or better through educational outreach; research the school campus by Saco Middle School and review future school construction; and amend the city’s policy on tax increment financing districts and contract zone. 

Other priorities named are the consideration of a new business park, working collaboratively with Saco Main Street to promote the downtown as a commercial, cultural and residential area, and continuing to increase efforts in energy efficiency and sustainability by exploring renewable energy projects. 

The City Council undergoes a strategic goal brainstorming session after the beginning of each two-year term.

At a Jan. 8 workshop, the city councilors and the mayor each selected their top goals for the next two years. The city has compiled a list of all goals listed that night, and has selected the eight most popular goals as the primary goals of the City Council, according to a memo from City Administrator Kevin Sutherland. 

“As previously mentioned during the goal setting workshops, staff will always be looking for ways to achieve the other items on the list; however, our collective focus will be primarily on the top eight goals identified,” wrote Sutherland. 

The City Council will review the goals in January, 2019 and update as it sees fit. 

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.