Once home to golden fields of wheat, Wheat Ridge remains a community grounded in its past and steadily growing toward its future. This August, at the Carnation Festival with the theme “Grow with Wheat Ridge,” we proudly launch our refreshed mission and vision statements. These statements were crafted thoughtfully by city council, and now guide every department, every project, and every conversation.
The 2025 Carnation Festival provides the perfect stage for our call to action. “Grow with Wheat Ridge” is more than a slogan; it is an invitation. It asks residents, businesses, and visitors to grow their roots here, help the city flourish, and work together to cultivate a community that thrives.
In late January and early February of this year, city council convened for a two-day strategic retreat. The goal was to redefine Wheat Ridge’s identity in a way that reflects the community’s evolving aspirations. Councilors Hoppe and Hultin were tasked with drafting new language. The outcomes, new mission and vision statements, operational ideals, and 2025–2026 priorities, emerged from extensive dialogue between council and staff. At a subsequent meeting, council gave direction to finalize and adopt these statements ahead of broader implementation.
Our New Mission and Vision
Mission: To cultivate community, deliver excellence, and empower growth through transparent governance, engaged partnerships, and responsive service.
Vision: Wheat Ridge is a dynamic and welcoming community where collaboration with all people guides growth by embracing equity, innovation, and tradition.
These statements were unanimously supported at the April 2025 study session and reflect both our agricultural heritage and our forward-looking mindset.
This update is more than just messaging. It is foundational. We have already integrated these statements into our strategic plans. The new City Plan, currently in public review, builds on these values by emphasizing community involvement, managed growth, and infrastructure aligned with our mission. The recently adopted Sustainability Action Plan also echoes these themes.
In the coming months, we will continue embedding our mission and vision across every city function. From centering “cultivating community” in parks planning to “empowering growth” through economic development and small business outreach, these principles will help shape our work.
As City Manager, I am honored to lead a team dedicated to bringing the values of cultivating, delivering, and empowering into our daily work. I am grateful to the Wheat Ridge City Council, city staff, and community members for co-creating these guiding principles. This is a season of growth, in our parks, our neighborhoods, and our shared purpose.
Together, we are growing with intention in Wheat Ridge.
City Staff Highlight
Highlighting the Amazing Members of the City of Wheat Ridge Staff
Name: Amanda Harrison
Explain your job: I’m the city’s cheer leader! It’s my job to make sure our residents stay informed on city council decisions that affect your life. I’ve shared important stories on developments at Lutheran’s Legacy Campus, sales tax initiatives to pay for sidewalk connectivity and bike lanes, and the hotel ordinance that helped reduce crime and invite reinvestment at the I70 and Kipling Corridor.
How long have you worked for the city? Three years.
Favorite pastime: Scuba diving and motorcycles.
Favorite sandwich: Cucumber and hummus!
Favorite heros: Our Wheat Ridge Police Department
If you had your own talk show, who would be your first guest?: Our Mayor Bud Starker
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 albums would you want to have with you?: Gershwin’s Summertime, Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, and Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club
