The Board of County Commissioners spent day two of the 2011 Strategic Planning Conference talking about Critical Success Factors for the community, County priorities, redistricting, and the County’s Federal Government Strategy.
Critical Success Factors
County staff conducted a series of community forums, employee focus groups, telephone and Internet surveys to determine the most important issues for County residents. The data gathered from a telephone survey of 401 residents resulted in a statistically valid survey showing most interest in the following main themes:
- Schools /Education
- Workforce Development & Jobs
- Financial Management & Affordability
- Road Congestion & Traffic
County Manager Harry Jones used the results to recommend his Critical Success Factors. The following Factors are a short list of items that require acute attention over the next few years to help the county recover from the Great Recession:
- Affordability
- Sustainability
- Jobs/Workforce & Economic Development
- High School Graduation & Literacy
- Service Investments & Delivery Model
- Fiscal Discipline
- Operational Excellence
Priorities
The Board will be asked in the coming weeks to identify items to be included in the three-year strategic Business Plan. The Board also reviewed its 2010 list of program priorities. They shifted some programs between priority levels. The Board will be finalizing priorities before they begin the budget process.
Redistricting
The Board was briefed and made some decisions about the process for redistricting. The Board decided to have an advisory committee study and recommend various maps for their consideration. The plans will be presented in August and the Board is scheduled to adopt new districts in September.
Federal Strategy
Staff presented a report to the Board indicating the need for a shift in the current strategy of working with the Federal Government. Staff indicates the current strategy of pursuing earmarks is not working and the contract with our current lobbying firm is providing a positive return on investment. Staff recommends continuing to pursue federal funding through grants, to cease pursuit of earmark appropriations and to continue advocating on substantive issues related to county government. The Board agreed.
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