Board Approves Strategic Plan for Inyo County • County Administrator's Office • 08/09/2024

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Document will Inform Budget Process, Help Prioritize Resources

July 24, 2024

An eight-month effort to identify goals, projects, and initiatives critical to Inyo County culminated this week in the Board of Supervisors' approval of the 2024-2026 Strategic Plan. The plan was unanimously approved during a special evening meeting held Tuesday, July 23 and is the first of its kind for the County.

While Inyo County has established a Legislative Platform and endeavored to effectively determine priorities based on budgetary allocation, it has never conducted a complete strategic planning exercise, according to CAO Nate Greenberg.

"Strategic planning allows an organization to clearly articulate a vision for its future, and ultimately allocate the resources necessary to execute that plan," he said. "Given the large number of significant projects being undertaken by Inyo County, and a limited set of resources, developing and adopting a multi-year strategic plan will greatly help staff and the Board ensure that the right priorities are being focused on, and the appropriate resources are assigned to make sure that initiatives can be effectively executed."

Priorities included in the plan range from staff recruitment and retention, to improved public safety communication, to ongoing road and other infrastructure improvements.

Development of the Strategic Plan included several public workshops with the Board of Supervisors, significant input from department heads and other County staff, and feedback from the general public through an online survey opened in December. Residents were encouraged to offer ideas and recommendations of potential projects and initiatives - and rate those that were already listed.

From the survey results, the Board was able to identify specific goals and focus areas under the umbrella of key, high-level themes. Staff then synthesized those into the document approved on Tuesday (see sidebar).

The Strategic Plan includes three overriding strategic initiatives - Thriving Communities, Economic Enhancement, and High-Quality Service - and is expected to greatly inform the development of the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget and future budgets.

Supervisors acknowledged on Tuesday that the plan is a living document that can be adjusted as new needs are identified or new funding sources (grants) become available.

Implementation of the plan will be tracked by County Administration's Project Management Office, created in February.

The Strategic Plan can be found on the Inyo County website at: https://www.inyocounty.us/government/board-supervisors. To view the results of the public survey, visit https://bit.ly/InyoStrategicPlanor scan the QR code below.

Inyo County Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 23 includes three overriding strategic initiatives - Thriving Communities, Economic Enhancement, and High-Quality Service - under which there are three initiatives each with various goals and focus areas.

THRIVING COMMUNITIES

• Highest and Best Use of Property: County-owned property analysis, visioning, and plans; LADWP property leases and focused acquisition efforts; and manage and maintain County property effectively.

• Improved Housing Opportunities: effectively regulated short-term rentals; comprehensive workforce housing strategy; and continuum of care for vulnerable residents.

• Enhanced Health, Social, and Senior Services: Behavioral Health service strategy; effective public assistance and aging services; accessible social and placement services; community-focused public health.

• Quality Parks and Recreation Amenities: athletic field improvements to support community use; park and campground infrastructure improvements; improved ADA recreation opportunities.

• Community-Supporting Infrastructure Improvement: water and wastewater treatment systems; broadband expansion efforts; community center facilities; ongoing road and related infrastructure improvements.

• Enhanced Transportation Services: commercial air service infrastructure and governance; effective ground transportation service; and general aviation uses and associated airport infrastructure.

• Community Revitalization through Effective Planning: County General Plan review and updates; community revitalization efforts; and code compliance.

• Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Protection: vegetation and weed management for wildfire prevention; Long-Term Water Agreement oversight; and community wildfire management and home hardening.

ECONOMIC ENHANCEMENT

• Local Business, Organizations, and Workforce: workforce and business development efforts; land-based business venture support; County marketing and community support programs.

• Sustainable Recreation Initiatives: sustainable recreation strategy; regional multiple-use trails planning and stewardship; and visitor education and support.

• Collaborative Regional Economic Development: regional promotion and film permitting efforts; California Jobs First engagement; review and update economic impact studies.

• Arts, Culture, and Placemaking: Music, art, culture, and heritage education; community animation and events; and agri- and ecotourism.

HIGH-QUALITY SERVICES

• Quality County Employees: staff recruitment strategies and efforts; collaborative approaches to staff retention; and appropriately recognized staff and associated needs.

• High-Quality Government Services: thoughtfully focused County government; improved internal systems which support County operations; and additional County programs that address service gaps.

• Improved Access to Government: effective public information and dissemination; improved community-facing services; improved online services and resources.

• Improved County Facilities: County campus improvements; comprehensive facilities maintenance plan; and reimagine and repurpose juvenile detention center.

• Public Safety and Emergency Response: emergency management and planning efforts; public safety communications; and supported emergency response systems (fire, EMS, Law, CERT).