Vision & Values

Draft vision statement

"The Town of Carlton is a rural community on the shores of Lake Ontario, shaped by its natural beauty, agricultural landscape, small-town character, and fishing traditions. As Carlton looks to the future, the Town is committed to preserving the qualities residents value most while guiding growth through thoughtful planning and smart investment. By protecting Carlton's rural identity, natural resources, and waterfront heritage, Carlton will continue to be a welcoming and resilient community for generations to come."

Source: Town of Carlton Comprehensive Plan Workshop handouts, September 2026.

Where this came from

The community survey (100+ responses) identified rural character as the strongest reason residents choose to live in Carlton — followed by recreation and natural resources, lifelong community connections, and family. Residents described Carlton as quiet, peaceful, rural, and community-oriented, with repeated references to good neighbors and small-town atmosphere. Point Breeze, Lake Alice, Lake Ontario, and the Oak Orchard River were repeatedly identified as important places.

What we need from you

The vision statement above is a draft. Read it, react to it, and use the structured input on the right to tell the Steering Committee whether it lands, whether a word should change, and what's missing.

If the vision doesn't quite match how you'd describe Carlton, tell us how you would — in your own words.

What we heard at Workshop #1 (Sept 23, 2026)

Participants were overall supportive of the draft vision statement and suggested refinements:

• "Carlton is the prettiest corner of Orleans County — build on that."
• "Carlton is peaceful and quiet."
• "Make sure it is easy to start a business here."

Rural character and quality of life came up as a top priority theme, with a request to define what "rural character" means in the plan.

Source: G/FLRPC notes from the September 23, 2026 public workshop (~40 participants). See the full workshop recap.