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8.  Strategic Priorities

 

Statement of Issue: 

This section recommends the Board affirm the County’s four (4) Strategic Priorities (Economy, Environment, Quality of Life, and Governance) and seeks consideration of revisions to the proposed directional statements based upon the findings of the community survey analysis, environmental scan, SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), as well as feedback from Commissioners.

Staff Recommendation:

1. Approve the County’s Strategic Priorities and amended directional statements as presented.

 

Background:

Once an organization has adopted a vision and mission statement, the next key step in strategic planning is establishing its Strategic Priorities. Effective Strategic Priorities encompass vital issues or topics that need to be successfully addressed if an organization is to move forward to its stated vision and mission statements. They should also articulate long-term priorities in order to focus effort, resources and performance.

 

Leon County’s strategic planning process establishes a long-term plan to achieve the vision and mission, through the attainment of Strategic Priorities. For Leon County, these priorities are high-level categories of focus in the organization’s major areas of responsibilities: Economy, Environment, Quality of Life, and Governance.  The more detailed descriptions of each priority, presented later in this section, consider the County’s future in each area and are critical to the success of the community.  Just as the vision and mission guide an organization’s Strategic Priorities, the adopted priorities inform Strategic Initiative and thus every decision made by Leon County Government.

 

Analysis

The existing Strategic Priorities (Economy, Environment, Quality of Life, and Governance) are high-level categories of focus, which consider the desired future condition and the major areas of County government’s responsibilities, critical to the success of the community. Strategic Priorities support the organization’s vision and mission and determine the entire direction of Leon County Government by informing every decision and every initiative.  

Each Strategic Priority is identified with: 

• A Title (which is a general area of focus), 
• A General Statement (which is a general strategy statement, and speaks to the overall mission of the organization with respect to this general area of focus), and
• Directional Statements (to provide focus and additional specificity for each area).   

Due to the encompassing nature of the four (4) priority areas, they continue to reflect the community’s values, interests, and concerns. Therefore, the Board may wish to continue with these priorities for the next five-year period.  Maintaining these priorities is supported by the community survey which found that the preferences of Leon County residents are well aligned with the current Strategic Priories, and that residents are largely satisfied with progress made in each of these areas.  Furthermore, even as County services continue to evolve to meet the community’s needs, the Strategic Priorities continue to be representative of the major responsibilities of each department. This is demonstrated by the environmental scan as the identified internal and external trends all fall within the current priority areas.

Alternatively, in developing the new Strategic Plan, the Board may wish to make refinements to the general statements for each of the priority areas; however, none are being recommended at this time.  Given the more specific language used in each priority’s directional statements, it is anticipated that the Board may wish to update the directional statements for the new five-year strategic planning period.  To optimize the Board’s time at the Retreat, a revised set of directional statements have been developed for the Board to consider. The revisions are presented in strike-through and underline in the following sections. These changes were identified based upon the results of the community survey, environmental scan, SWOT analysis, as well as Commissioner input which highlighted several repeated areas of concern or opportunity that were not directly addressed in the directional statements previously.

 

It is anticipated that the Board’s work effort at the Retreat will focus on identifying new Strategic Initiatives.  The Strategic Initiative work will occur after the Strategic Priorities are addressed.  If a Strategic Initiative is identified that does not readily align with a Strategic Priority’s directional statement, then it is recommended that a new appropriate directional statement be established at that time. 

 

Strategic Priority - Economy

To be an effective leader and a reliable partner in our continuous efforts to make Leon County a place which attracts and retains talent, to grow and diversify our local economy, and to realize our full economic vitality. (EC)

• (EC1) Do well-designed public infrastructure which supports business, attracts private investment, and has long term economic benefits.
• (EC2) Support programs, policies and initiatives to attract, create, and promote expansion of business, entrepreneurship, and job creation, workforce development, economic equity and mobility.
• (EC3) Leverage university and community partnerships to increase entrepreneurial, technology transfer and commercialization opportunities.
• (EC4) Grow our tourism economy, its diversity, competitiveness, and economic impact.

 

Strategic Priority - Environment

To be a responsible steward of our precious natural resources in our continuous efforts to make Leon County a place which values our environment and natural beauty as a vital component of our community’s health, economic strength, and social offerings. (EN)

• (EN1) Protect the quality and supply of our water.
• (EN2) Conserve and protect environmentally sensitive lands and our natural ecosystems.
• (EN3) Promote orderly growth and sustainable practices.
• (EN4) Reduce our carbon footprint.

 

Strategic Priority -Quality of Life

To be a provider of essential services which promote the well-being of our citizens and the livability of our community in our continuous efforts to make Leon County a place where people are healthy, safe, and connected to their community. (Q)

• (Q1) Maintain and enhance our parks and recreational offerings and green spaces.
• (Q2) Provide relevant and essential library offerings thorough our libraries and community centers which promote literacy, life-long learning, and social equity.
• (Q3) Provide essential public safety infrastructure and services while supporting early intervention and prevention strategies.
• (Q4) Support and promote access to basic healthcare, mental health, affordable housing, and homeless prevention services and welfare services to our community members most in need.
• (Q5) Support strong neighborhoods.
• (Q5) Promote livability, health and sense of community by supporting strong neighborhoods, enhancing mobility, encouraging human scale development, and creating public spaces for people of all ages.
• (Q6) Assist local veterans and their dependents with securing entitled benefits and advocating their interests.
• (Q7) Build, sustain and improve resilience to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and recover from man-made and natural disasters.

Strategic Priority - Governance

To be a model for local governance with innovative, competent, and responsible public servants, committed to promoting integrity, creating meaningful opportunities for citizen engagement and co-creation, and ensuring fiscal stewardship. (G)

• (G1) Sustain a culture of transparency, accessibility, accountability, civility, and the highest standards of public service.
• (G2) Sustain a culture of performance, and deliver effective, efficient services that exceed expectations and demonstrate value.
• (G3) Inform and engage citizens through multiple outreach platforms to ensure consistent, high-value, transparent communication on our most important issues.

Sustain a culture that respects, engages, and empowers citizens in important decisions facing the community

• (G4) Retain and attract a highly skilled, diverse and innovative County workforce, which exemplifies the County’s Core Practices.
• (G5) Exercise responsible stewardship of County resources, sound financial management, and ensure that the provision of services and community enhancements are done in a fair and equitable manner.

 

Options:

1. Approve the County’s Strategic Priorities and amended directional statements as presented.
2. Approve the County’s Strategic Priorities and directional statements with no revisions.
3. Board direction.

Recommendation:

Option #1