Tompkins County will begin implementation of a Strategic Operations Plan encompassing priority areas for County operations. Implementation follows over a year of planning and community engagement efforts. The Plan will guide the work of Tompkins County and its nearly 30 departments to operate more effectively and best serve the Community. The Tompkins County Legislature officially adopted the plan during its June 18 meeting.
The Plan states Tompkins County’s mission as “Tompkins County safeguards and enhances lives by providing services driven by the needs of its community.” The vision statement is that “All Tompkins County residents thrive in a supportive, healthy, safe, and inclusive environment.”
The Plan sets 46 objectives spread across the strategic goal areas of:
Organizational Excellence
Equitable Service Delivery
Economic Opportunity and Quality of Life
Climate Change Mitigation and Resiliency
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Each strategic goal area includes performance measures as well as action steps currently being identified in implementation-phase work in each County department. The plan also updates the County’s values and reaffirms its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Elements of the Plan were informed by several hundred survey responses and new ideas from employees and community members, as well as over 100 community member interviews.
The plan document can be accessed on the Tompkins County Administration website at: https://tompkinscountyny.gov/ctyadmin
This planning process is supported by a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). Funds were granted to support the ARC Investment Goal of “Building Community Leaders and Capacity,” and the New York State Implementation Strategy Goal of “Support visioning, strategic planning and implementation, and resident engagement approaches to foster increased community resilience and generate positive economic impacts.” A consulting team from BerryDunn worked with Tompkins County staff throughout the process.
Tompkins County Legislator Amanda Champion, who chairs the Government Operations Committee and served as a steering group member for the planning effort stated, “This is an organization-wide effort to align our priorities with the needs of our community and opportunities identified by both employees and the community. 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 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.” Holmes continued, “I am confident that carrying out the work identified under each objective will have lasting positive impacts for Tompkins County.”