Tompkins County adopts first ever strategic operations plan
Tompkins County recently announced the adoption of its first Strategic Operations Plan, which will guide nearly 30 county departments to operate more effectively in the coming years.
Implementing the 2024 - 2029 operations plan follows over a year of community input and discussions amongst county leaders regarding safeguards and services driven by the community’s needs.
“The plan addresses access to county services, the importance of affordable and attainable housing, the need to fund and enhance critical life safety initiatives across the county, and the critical importance of local mental and behavioral health services among many other strategic objectives,” Tompkins County Legislative Chair Dan Klein said in a message at the beginning of the plan. “Over the next five years, Tompkins County will put this plan into action to address organizational and community needs.”
Deeper look
The plan outlines 46 different goals for the county, each aimed to improve one of five aspects of county governance, including organizational excellence, equitable service delivery, economic opportunity and quality of life, climate change mitigation and resiliency and health and safety.
It includes actionable steps to implement changes in each county department, outlines performance measures to ensure that county efforts have an impact and updated statements on the county’s values and commitments, informed by several hundred survey responses and over 100 community interviews.
A grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission supported the county in its planning, and a consulting team from BerryDunn worked with County officials throughout the process.
The county identified its core values as respect, accountability, integrity, equity, and stewardship.
“Over the next five years, Tompkins County will work to implement the objectives outlined in this Plan in service of stronger government operations, more equitable service delivery, and a healthy, sustainable, and strong community,” Tompkins County legislator and steering group member for the planning effort Amanda Champion stated.
Tompkins County Administrator Lisa Holmes stated, “This planning effort was a chance to look critically at the challenges facing the County as an organization and the opportunities for our departments to address organizational and community needs in new ways.”
“I am confident that carrying out the work identified under each objective will have lasting positive impacts for Tompkins County,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Tompkins county strategic operations plan
