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The Durham county strategic plan has been approved. Please click here to read the plan passed by the Durham Board of County commissioners, Feb 13, 2012
Where Are We and Where Are We Going?
Once the Board of County Commissioners adopted new mission and vision statements last summer, Durham County's staff worked with consultants to gather feedback from citizens and employees about priorities for Durham County Government. Information gathered, enabled staff to identify critical issues and the following goals to address these issues facing the community:
· Goal 1: Community and family prosperity and enrichment
· Goal 2: Health and well being for all
· Goal 3: Safe and secure community
· Goal 4: Environmental stewardship
· Goal 5: Accountable, efficient and visionary government
The Strategic Planning Process will continue to be shaped and strengthened in the home stretch to its adoption in February 2012 by the Board of County Commissioners. While still a work in progress, the above goals are likely to emerge in the next three to five years.
Steering the Way!
County Manager Mike Ruffin recently provided a brief update about the Durham County Strategic Planning Process. His presentation, able to be downloaded below, gives a good picture of how Durham County’s Strategic Plan will steer the way to a better Durham where all people will desire to live work and play! Ruffin shared his and the Board of County Commissioners commitment to ensuring that the plan does not sit on the shelf in the update.
Click here to view the information-rich video of Ruffin's presentation.
Community Input and Information Gathering
During the summer of 2011, hundreds of residents offered their insights on how Durham County should craft its priorities in upcoming years. Citizens and employees completed surveys, attended focus groups and participated in stakeholder interviews. The information shared in this phase of the Strategic Planning Process has been summarized in an organizational analysis report.
To view the organizational analysis, click HERE.
Here’s a look at community input, by the numbers:
· 1,686 citizen surveys completed
· 964 employee surveys completed
· 28 interviews with community leaders
· 8 focus groups with a total of roughly 70 participants
· 45 responses to Spanish-language citizen survey
Citizens Discuss the Possibilities
Throughout the month of November, Durham’s residents were invited to attend town hall forums for the Strategic Planning Process at various locations in the community.
The town hall forums encouraged citizen feedback on early portions of the County’s Strategic Plan. The forums gave citizens an opportunity to see draft goals of the Strategic Plan, slated to be adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in February 2012, and weigh in with comments. The County's staff and consultants also met with local youth in focus groups to better gauge their feedback on goals and priorities for the community.
The County continues to work on developing the plan, which will include goals, objectives, measures and initiatives to prioritize County activities and provide the best possible services to residents.
Drafting the Plan
Staff teams met in September and October to draft and review various components of the Strategic Plan. They are currently writing and revising overarching Strategic Plan goals, plus specific objectives and measures that will fall under each of those goals. Later this fall, staff will draft specific initiatives that will be part of the plan.
Next Steps:
· December: Staff continue to draft and revise plan
· January 2012: Staff work to prepare plan for BOCC adoption
· February 2012: Board of County Commissioners to adopts plan
Overview of Strategic Planning Process
In late 2010, the Durham Board of County Commissioners began working with local consultant Dr. Tyrone Baines to establish plans for the future of Durham County. While planning, the BOCC molded a new mission and vision for the County and agreed that the adoption of a Strategic Plan for the organization is necessary to optimize Durham County Government services for our residents. Durham County Government has hired Zelos, Inc. of Midlothian, VA to guide the methodology and timeline of the Strategic Planning Process. Michael Palmer, former interim deputy county manager, is now serving as a consultant for the process.
The Strategic Planning Process is allowing elected officials, employees and citizens to give input through surveys, town hall meetings and other forums. The final product will be a specific plan with key goals and objectives, as well as specific initiatives that will be carried out with the end goal of improving how Durham County serves the community.
The process will culminate in February 2012 with a Strategic Plan adoption by the Board of County Commissioners. Between now and then, the Board of County Commissioners, citizens, county employees and countless stakeholders will be working to shape a plan that will help guide Durham County forward in the years to come.
Timeline: Major milestones
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Project Initiation |
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Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges (SWOC) analysis |
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Develop Plan |
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Town Hall Meetings |
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Develop Plan |
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Approval of plan |
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Implementation |
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Mission and Vision
In Winter 2011, the Board of County Commissioners adopted mission and vision statements. These statements will help frame the strategic planning process:
Mission Statement -- Durham County provides fiscally responsible, quality services necessary to promote a healthy, safe, and vibrant community.
Vision Statement -- Durham County: a thriving, vibrant, diverse community with abundant opportunity for all residents to live, work, learn, play, and grow.
Contact
Do you have questions about the survey or the strategic planning process? If so, contact Michael Davis in the County Manager's Office at (919) 560-0000 or mdavis@durhamcountync.gov.
Learn more about the Strategic Planning Process
On the November 2011 airing of “In Touch with Durham County Government,” seen on Durham Cable Access Channel 8, Dr. Tyrone Baines, consultant for the County’s Strategic Planning Process, and Michael Davis, assistant to the County Manager, give hosts Chairman Michael Page and Deborah Craig-Ray, assistant county manager for Communications, a progress report on the initiative.
To watch the interview, visit the County’s Live and Archived Media Library Web page.
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