9.  Targets & Bold Goals  

 

Statement of Issue: 

This section presents for the Board’s consideration four (4) recommended Targets and one (1) Bold Goal for each of the County’s current Strategic Priority areas. If approved, the Targets and Bold Goals will be included in the County’s new FY 2022 – FY 2026 Strategic Plan.

Staff Recommendation:

  1. Approve the FY 2022 – FY 2026 Targets and Bold Goals as presented. 

 

Background:

At the 2016 Retreat, staff recommended, and the Board approved the adoption of specific five-year Targets that Leon County expects to realize as an organization over the next five-year plan cycle. These Targets are aligned with each Strategic Priority area and communicate to the public and staff throughout the County the specific results that we expect to achieve through the collective execution of our Strategic Initiatives. Additionally, the Board approved a Bold Goal, for each priority area. Bold Goals differ from targets in that they are truly stretch goals which will be big and difficult to achieve but have the potential to produce significant results even if they are not achieved 100%.

 

A summary of the progress made on past five-year Targets and Bold Goals is included in Section 3 of the Retreat materials. 

 

Analysis

The following analysis presents for the Board’s consideration recommended Targets and Bold Goals for each of the four (4) Strategic Priorities. These Targets are important as they communicate to staff throughout the County the specific results that we expect to achieve through the collective execution of our Strategic Initiatives, and they hold us accountable.  They are also important as they not only communicate but create an invitation to our community about the progress we expect to achieve together on fundamental goals to enhance our livability.

In addition to the Targets, the adoption of Bold Goals is something the best organizations do because they recognize that all goals should not be tied to specific programs or current resources.  Bold Goals, rather, require us to explore new partnerships, identify new opportunities, and inspire the new ideas of our employees.  Bold Goals are also important because they convey to our community that which we believe is possible to achieve and creates a compelling invitation for people to play a part in achieving something big for their community. 

The following recommended Targets and Bold Goals for the County’s FY 2022 – FY 2026 Strategic Plan includes some previous five-year goals. These are either being recommended because they were not accomplished (in many cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic) or because they have been increased to demonstrate growth as well as the County’s efforts to consistently raise the bar. Other new Targets and Bold Goals have been recommended as they better represent the progress the County will make over the next five (5) years and are supported by the results of the community survey, environmental scan, SWOT analysis, and Commissioner feedback. The baseline data used for the development of each of the Targets and Bold Goal is included as Attachment #1.

Economy

Priority Statement:  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.

 

Bold Goal:  Grow the tourism economy to $5 billion.

 

Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism has and will continue to be a major economic driver in Leon County. In 2021 alone, 1.7 million visitors travelled to Leon County creating $800 million in economic impact and supporting 12,385 local jobs. In turn, this economic activity generated tourism development tax (TDT) revenue that allowed the County to continue to invest in grant funding to support over 70 local events, and to market and promote our community. As shown in the community survey results, residents are also interested in growing local tourism as well as the number of local arts, culture, and entertainment options.  

 

While improving, the tourism industry has not yet fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and experts anticipate that the omicron variant and any future variants of the virus may further slow the recovery. For this reason, growing the tourism economy to $5 billion is proposed to remain a Bold Goal for the County over the next five (5) years.  Achieving this goal will require aggressive marketing, strategic partnering and public relations to leverage community assets related to sports tourism, cultural, historical and nature-based amenities and targeted marketing to increase visitors from the region/state.   

 

5-Year Targets:
The following proposed Targets advance the County’s Strategic Priorities in the area of Economy and were developed based upon the results of the community survey, environmental scan, SWOT analysis, and commissioner feedback.

 

Environment

Priority Statement:  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.

 

Bold Goal:  Upgrade or eliminate 500 septic tanks in the Primary Springs Protection.

 

The results of the community survey found that “Water Quality” is a top priority for residents as 85% of respondents said it is “very important” to them and their family. This is more than any other local issue in the survey. For Leon County, improving and maintaining water quality requires the upgrade or elimination of poorly maintained septic tanks, one of the major causes of water pollution in the Primary Springs Protection Zone (PSPZ). The PSPZ covers a significant portion of southern Leon County where soils are more permeable and pollutants on or near the land surface are more likely to find their way into the Florida aquifer as well as nearby Wakulla Springs and the Upper Wakulla River. For these reasons, upgrading and eliminating 500 septic tanks in the PSPZ is proposed to remain a Bold Goal in the next Strategic Plan. 

5-Year Targets:
The following proposed Targets advance the County’s Strategic Priorities in the area of Environment and were developed based upon the results of the community survey, environmental scan, SWOT analysis, and commissioner feedback.

 

Quality of Life

Priority Statement:  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.

 

Bold Goal:  Support community partners to place 100 residents experiencing chronic homelessness in permanent supportive housing.

 

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the social and economic factors that cause homelessness.  However, at the local level, Leon County and the City of Tallahassee responded by making a historic $6.2 million investment to both address and prevent homelessness. A critical use of these funds will be to provide permanent supportive housing to residents who are chronically homeless, meaning they have been homeless repeatedly or for a least a year.  The 2021 Point in Time (PIT count) identified 197 residents who are experiencing chronic homelessness.  It is proposed that the County’s Bold Goal in the area of Quality of Life be to support our partners in placing more than half of these residents in housing where they receive rent and utility assistance as well as wrap-around services.  

 

The focus of this goal is chronic homelessness as this is the most vulnerable population experiencing homelessness in our community.  These individuals are most likely to have disabilities including mental health and substance abuse issues. Additionally, those experiencing chronic homelessness are more likely to be unsheltered living in encampments or residing in emergency shelters such as the Kearney Center for more than one year. Permanent supportive housing will provide this population with long-term housing and wrap around services to improve their quality of life such as case management, physical and mental health programming, and fiscal management. Investment in permanent supportive housing will also reduce the number of homeless individuals that reside in emergency shelters more than one year, and therefore provide greater capacity that will reduce the wait time at the shelters for individuals and families seeking immediate housing assistance.

 

5-Year Targets:

The following proposed Targets advance the County’s Strategic Priorities in the area of Quality of Life and were developed based upon the results of the community survey, environmental scan, SWOT analysis, and commissioner feedback.

 

 

 

 

Governance

Priority Statement:  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.

 

Bold Goal:  Implement 600 citizen ideas, improvements, solutions & opportunities for co-creation.

 

While this goal is a continuation from the previous five-year Strategic Plan, it continues to be the best demonstration of Leon County’s commitment to being a learning organization that is continuously improving by engaging those we serve. By capturing this information in real time and reporting it regularly as part of the strategic planning process, the County is able to show citizens that we are listening and responsive to their ideas, both big and small. As a result, this goal promotes trust in local government and further encourages staff to engage citizens to help solves problems, improve our services, and identify new opportunities. However, to ensure the County continues to raise the bar, this goal has grown from 500 to 600 total implemented citizen ideas.  Achieving this goal will require the County to actively solicit ideas using both “high tech” and “high touch” methods including LEADS Listening sessions, surveys, and citizen committees just to name a few.

 

5-Year Targets:

The following proposed Targets advance the County’s Strategic Priorities in the area of Governance and were developed based upon the results of the community survey, environmental scan, SWOT analysis, and commissioner feedback.

 

Options:

  1. Approve the FY 2022 – FY 2026 Targets and Bold Goals as presented. 
  2. Amend the FY 2022 – FY 2026 Targets and Bold Goals. 
  3. Board direction.

Recommendation:

Option #1

Attachments:

  1. Detailed Baseline Data for FY 2022 – FY 2026 Targets and Bold Goals.