Title
Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board:
1) Receive and file a presentation on the County Strategic Plan with updated priorities and action items, based on the Board’s Direction on March 24, 2026 (Legistar file 26-0486), and provide direction, if necessary; and
2) Direct all Department Heads to incorporate the updated County Strategic Plan priorities and action items into their departmental short, middle, and long term goals.
FUNDING: N/A
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On January 30, 2024, the Board of Supervisors adopted the 2024 Strategic Plan (Legistar file 24-0207). This plan was developed over the course of more than a year of interviews and workshops with department heads and the Board, facilitated by an outside consultant as well as feedback from an open-ended public opinion survey. The annual Strategic Plan update serves as the County's process for complying with the County Charter requirement that the Board review adopted goals and make any necessary modifications prior to the end of the first quarter of each calendar year.
During a department head meeting in early March, the department head team held a discussion about the Strategic Plan. Overall, the team did not feel that there were any changes necessary to the Vision, Mission Statement, or Core Values. The team also felt that the five focus areas were still relevant and no changes were recommended. However, a review of the priorities and action items shows that many have been completed or are ongoing. The department heads felt this might be a good time to refresh the priorities and action items.
The Chief Administrative Office presented this information on March 24, 2026, and the Board directed that all department heads participate in an update to the Strategic Plan priorities and action items and return to the Board in the Fall of 2026 with recommendations for new or amended priorities and action items (Legistar file 26-0486).
Staff coordinated a countywide review involving all departments. Departments evaluated existing priorities and action items, provided updates on progress, recommended revisions, identified completed efforts, and proposed new priorities and actions reflecting current operational needs and emerging issues. Following multiple rounds of review and collaboration, staff consolidated departmental feedback and developed the proposed update.
The proposed Strategic Plan maintains the existing five strategic focus areas while adding and refining priorities and action items to better reflect current County objectives. The update incorporates new or refreshed priorities in areas such as public safety, economic development, workforce support, technology, cybersecurity, infrastructure planning, and organizational effectiveness. Completed priorities have been moved to a dedicated section to preserve a record of accomplishments while keeping the active portions of the Plan focused on current and future work.
In addition to content updates, the proposed Plan has been reorganized to improve readability, accountability, and progress tracking by aligning action items directly beneath each priority and expanding the use of status updates to communicate accomplishments, timelines, and implementation progress. The updated Strategic Plan is intended to remain a living document that supports organizational alignment, informs decision-making, and provides a transparent framework for reporting progress to the Board and the public.
Board adoption of the updated Strategic Plan for complying with the County Charter requirement is anticipated as a consent item in the Spring due to the timing of this update.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose not to make the suggested changes to the Strategic Plan.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
Legistar file 24-0207 - January 30, 2024 - Adoption of the 2024 Strategic Plan
Legistar file 26-0486 - March 24, 2026 - The Board directed that all Department Heads participate in an update to the Strategic Plan priorities and action items and return to the Board in the Fall of 2026 with recommendations for new or amended priorities and action items.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
N/A
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact related to the review of the updated Strategic Plan.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
N/A
CONTACT
Grant Webber, Principal Management Analyst