The Strategic Operations Plan was unanimously adopted by the Tompkins County Legislature - Res. 2024-122
Tompkins County’s first ever Strategic Operations Plan is a detailed roadmap for prioritizing local government operations and investments to meet the diverse needs of our community. This plan incorporates input and expertise from community members, Tompkins County staff, and elected Legislators, resulting in five key priority areas of focus: Health and Safety, Economic Opportunity and Quality of Life, Equitable Service Delivery, Climate Change Mitigation and Resiliency, and Organizational Excellence. Embedded in each of these priority areas is a focus on equity to ensure that our work is centered on achieving the best outcomes for the whole community.
Dan Klein
Chair, Tompkins County Legislature
Explore: Mission, Vision, Values | Strategic Priorities | Downloads
The planning process resulted in a new mission and vision, updated values, and a reaffirmation of the diversity statement.
Our mission: Tompkins County safeguards and enhances lives by providing services driven by the needs of its community.
Our Vision: All Tompkins County residents thrive in a supportive, healthy, safe, and inclusive environment.
Our Values:
- Respect: We embrace a safe and inclusive culture and treat each other with dignity, understanding, and compassion.
- Accountability: We embrace our vital role as public servants by pursuing excellence while holding ourselves, each other, and the organization responsible for decisions that impact the community.
- Integrity: We commit to making conscious choices to act ethically in all endeavors, including following through on our commitments, admitting and learning from our mistakes, and being honest with the community and one another.
- Equity: We sustain a workplace community that ensures fairness through diversity and inclusion by embracing learning and best practices, eliminating structurally oppressive systems, and building trust, appreciation, a sense of belonging, and opportunities for all.
- Stewardship: We value our human, financial, and environmental resources and provide services in a manner that responsibly manage and preserve those resources into the future.
Diversity Statement: Tompkins County Government centers diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to the empowerment of employees and residents to dismantle systemic barriers that inhibit inclusive governance and the provision of government services to all.
Tompkins County has committed to several Strategic Priorities and accompanying objectives as part of its Strategic Operations Plan.
- Organizational Excellence - To foster a collaborative, flexible, organized, and effective government operation, Tompkins County will invest in its employees, promote a culture of belonging, and ensure a highly skilled and accountable workforce.
- Equitable Service Delivery - To ensure that all residents have full and convenient access to person-centered County services, Tompkins County will develop and implement strategies to provide effective services in the most equitable and accessible manner for community members.
- Economic Opportunity & Quality of Life - To increase residents’ quality of life and support a thriving, inclusive and sustainable local economy, Tompkins County will use its resources and partnerships to advance access to living wage jobs; appealing, affordable, and attainable housing; and safe and affordable transportation options for people traveling to jobs and services.
- Climate Change Mitigation & Resiliency - To mitigate the negative impacts of climate change and enhance community resiliency, Tompkins County will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its operations and develop and implement programs to help the community transition from fossil fuels, sustainably manage materials and waste, reduce severity of climate impacts such as flooding and drought, and prepare for disasters of all kinds.
- Health & Safety - To promote the health and safety of all community members, Tompkins County will provide person-centered services informed by best practices to address existing and emerging concerns.