A goal of the Town's 2025 Strategic Plan is to achieve national recognition as a "model Town” for creativity, education, innovation and use of technology. The Town recognizes the value technology provides as it becomes increasingly integrated into all facets of our community's economy, creative endeavors, healthcare, training, education, research and our day to day living. To reach this goal, one of the initiatives is to make the Town a Smart & Connected Community through the implementation of Smart City technologies.

Smart Cities use technology to improve efficiencies and one definition of a Smart City is one that "uses information and communications technology to enhance its livability, workability and sustainability;" and there is benefit in "the use of smart computing technologies to make the critical infrastructure components and services of a city (such as city administration, education, public health and emergency services, public safety, real estate and planning/development, code enforcement, transportation and utilities) more intelligent, interconnected and efficient.

Because of the rapidly changing pace of technological advances requires an adaptive and iterative or evolving approach to planning and there is a need to properly identify opportunities for the Town's future smart city technology implementation; it is proposed that a common transparent framework or roadmap for Town services with a joint understanding, community feedback, prioritization, planning, and resources for connecting technological opportunities be the first step towards becoming a Smart City.

The development of a Smart Cities Strategic Roadmap will include relevant Town departments and committees, community partners and stakeholders including the local technology community, to inform Town policy decision-making, identify Smart City initiatives to tackle local challenges and improve our Town services, and identify potential public and private funding opportunities for these initiatives. The Town's Smart Cities Strategic Roadmap should include:

• A common, Town-centered definition of Smart Cities,

• Statement of the vision of the Town's Smart City future,

• Challenges to focus on and prioritize,

• Potential Smart City opportunities to address each challenge,

• Key goals and outcomes that would result from incorporating Smart City initiatives both operationally, and for achieving equitable quality of life outcomes for all Town residents,

• An inventory of current Town and community initiatives, program plans, and efforts that qualify as Smart City initiatives and that will help tackle local challenges and improve Town services,

• An inventory of current national/international Smart City best practices for consideration,

• Core needs, gaps, and capabilities required to deliver on a Smart Cities Strategic Roadmap,

• Potential resources and means for partnering and financing Smart Cities efforts, include public-private partnerships, and federal, state, and local resources, and

• A prioritized list of Smart City proposed projects for the Town to pursue.