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County studies future servicdes' plan

By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
What kind of government services will Portage County offer a decade from now?

To help answer that question, the county has created the Vision 2011 Strategic Planning Team to develop a strategic plan, including the vision and mission of the county, long-term objectives and strategies.

"The county has never really done a long-range strategic plan," said County Finance Director Bo DeDeker. "(County Board Chairman Clarence Hintz) felt since the money is getting tight, he really wanted to do a strategic plan."

The Strategic Planning Team held its first meeting on Friday, May 4. The committee intends to finish its work in late summer/early fall, when the county begins developing its 2002 budget. Participants on the committee include the County Board of Supervisor's Executive Committee, some county department heads, representatives of county employee unions, Stevens Point Mayor Gary Wescott and Plover Village President Ken Shibilski. Mark Hilliker, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point community resource development agent, is the facilitator of the strategic planning process.

"The overriding objectives of the strategic planning process are twofold: 1) developing ideas that are worth implementing; and 2) building a coalition of support that is large enough and strong enough to implement those ideas," according to the proceedings of last week's meeting.

The vision and mission component of the planning process will address what type of organization does Portage County want to portray itself as? A large government that provides extensive services or one that only provides the minimum? A "taxer" or a "saver" for the citizens?

Long-term objectives are specific results that an organization seeks to achieve in pursuing its basic mission.

Strategies are the means by which the long-term objectives will be achieved, such as developing a performance-based budgeting system to match the county's goals.

The Strategic Planning Team has several anticipated goals. It won't determine what projects are to be completed, rather it will develop tools for prioritizing the funding process. It will look at providing the best set of services to citizens while still being fiscally responsible. The ultimate goal is to determine how the county can best manage its resources to maximize their effectiveness.

The Strategic Planning Team has identified the following issues of concern currently facing the county:

Jail overcrowding: Portage County spent $250,000 in 2000 to ship prisoners out of county. Jail population is growing at about 6 percent yearly. The county has developed a justice program, which has reduced population growth. The county justice system will continue to be an issue well into the future.

State revenues: The state of Wisconsin has not increased funding to municipalities in the last 10 years. To continue the county's level of services, new funding sources will have to be developed.

Department requests: Departments are requesting new programs at an unprecedented pace to meet future needs. To continue moving forward, the county must look at a system to prioritize the requests.

Outside requests: As municipalities face restrained revenues, more are looking to the county for funding. The county's level of involvement needs to be analyzed.

Tax cap: The county is quickly approaching its tax cap. The county's 2001 property tax rate was 35 cents under the limit of $5.68 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

Citizen sentiment: Citizens are becoming more critical of government operations. It is becoming more important for governments to take a proactive role in keeping citizens informed of current events.

Landfill competition: The county's solid waste program faces serious competition. The county landfill is also several years away from being filled to capacity.

County highway condition: The condition of county highways has decreased during the last 10 years. Infrastructure items need to be analyzed on a constant basis to determine levels of repairs.

Another issue facing the county is five of the county's largest employers have sold and some them are downsizing the number of people they employee, DeDeker said.

As the Strategic Planning Committee does its work, they can reflect on a series of quotes in the Strategic Planning Process information packet, including one by Joel Ross and Michael Kami, "Without a strategy, an organization is like a ship without a rudder, going around in circles. It's like a tramp: it has no place to go."



	County studies future servicdes' plan By BRIAN LEAHY of The Gazette What kind of government services will Portage County offer a decade from now? To help answer that question, the county has created the Vision 2011 Strategic Planning Team to develop a strategic plan, including the vision and mission of the county, long-term objectives and strategies. "The county has never really done a long-range strategic plan," said County Finance Director Bo DeDeker. "(County Board Chairman Clarence Hintz) felt since the money is getting tight, he really wanted to do a strategic plan." The Strategic Planning Team held its first meeting on Friday, May 4. The committee intends to finish its work in late summer/early fall, when the county begins developing its 2002 budget. Participants on the committee include the County Board of Supervisor's Executive Committee, some county department heads, representatives of county employee unions, Stevens Point Mayor Gary Wescott and Plover Village President Ken Shibilski. Mark Hilliker, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point community resource development agent, is the facilitator of the strategic planning process. "The overriding objectives of the strategic planning process are twofold: 1) developing ideas that are worth implementing; and 2) building a coalition of support that is large enough and strong enough to implement those ideas," according to the proceedings of last week's meeting. The vision and mission component of the planning process will address what type of organization does Portage County want to portray itself as? A large government that provides extensive services or one that only provides the minimum? A "taxer" or a "saver" for the citizens? Long-term objectives are specific results that an organization seeks to achieve in pursuing its basic mission. Strategies are the means by which the long-term objectives will be achieved, such as developing a performance-based budgeting system to match the county's goals. The Strategic Planning Team has several anticipated goals. It won't determine what projects are to be completed, rather it will develop tools for prioritizing the funding process. It will look at providing the best set of services to citizens while still being fiscally responsible. The ultimate goal is to determine how the county can best manage its resources to maximize their effectiveness. The Strategic Planning Team has identified the following issues of concern currently facing the county: Jail overcrowding: Portage County spent $250,000 in 2000 to ship prisoners out of county. Jail population is growing at about 6 percent yearly. The county has developed a justice program, which has reduced population growth. The county justice system will continue to be an issue well into the future. State revenues: The state of Wisconsin has not increased funding to municipalities in the last 10 years. To continue the county's level of services, new funding sources will have to be developed. Department requests: Departments are requesting new programs at an unprecedented pace to meet future needs. To continue moving forward, the county must look at a system to prioritize the requests. Outside requests: As municipalities face restrained revenues, more are looking to the county for funding. The county's level of involvement needs to be analyzed. Tax cap: The county is quickly approaching its tax cap. The county's 2001 property tax rate was 35 cents under the limit of $5.68 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Citizen sentiment: Citizens are becoming more critical of government operations. It is becoming more important for governments to take a proactive role in keeping citizens informed of current events. Landfill competition: The county's solid waste program faces serious competition. The county landfill is also several years away from being filled to capacity. County highway condition: The condition of county highways has decreased during the last 10 years. Infrastructure items need to be analyzed on a constant basis to determine levels of repairs. Another issue facing the county is five of the county's largest employers have sold and some them are downsizing the number of people they employee, DeDeker said. As the Strategic Planning Committee does its work, they can reflect on a series of quotes in the Strategic Planning Process information packet, including one by Joel Ross and Michael Kami, "Without a strategy, an organization is like a ship without a rudder, going around in circles. It's like a tramp: it has no place to go."