Inyo County California

CONTINUED PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENCOURAGED AHEAD OF SECOND DISCUSSION

As clear, high-level themes begin to emerge in Inyo County’s Strategic Planning effort, members of the public are encouraged to continue providing input on proposed projects and work areas. The feedback will be most valuable if received by mid-February. 

An online survey was opened in December for members of the public to offer ideas, recommendations, and feedback on potential projects and which efforts should be prioritized, as the County and Board of Supervisors work to determine where resources should be focused over the next several years. The survey tool can be accessed at https://bit.ly/InyoStrategicPlan (or by scanning the QR code below). 

Respondents will need to complete a basic registration (supplying Name, Email, and Place of Residence) before they can submit or comment on existing ideas submitted by department heads.

Data already collected through the tool was reviewed on Tuesday, January 10 during the first of two public workshops/special meetings with the Board of Supervisors. The data included a list of 62 goals, efforts, and initiatives as proposed by Department Heads and other staff as well as the general public. Commonly cited topics included downtown revitalization, supporting and developing the county workforce, emergency response, housing, airport development, water system infrastructure, use of county property, sustainable tourism, broadband, and social services.

The Board and staff then began the work of creating high-level strategic priorities based on those common themes and ideas. Lengthy discussion saw “Community Enhancement,” “Workforce Development (internal and external),” “Economic Development,” and “Public Safety” emerge as the major themes under which the County should be setting goals and creating initiatives.  

Administration staff will take the Board’s feedback and attempt to refine and organize the list of suggested initiatives further. 

While Inyo County has made an effort to establish a Legislative Platform and effectively determine priorities based on budgetary allocation, it has never conducted a complete strategic planning exercise. Strategic Planning allows an organization to clearly articulate a vision for its future, and ultimately allocate the resources necessary to execute that plan. 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.

A second strategic planning workshop is tentatively scheduled for February 22 in the Board Room in Independence. The public is encouraged to participate. The meeting will be available via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/868254781 or at the following numbers: (669) 900-6833; (346) 248-7799; (253) 215-8782; (929) 205-6099; (301) 715-8592; (312) 626-6799. The webinar ID is 868 254 781. More information and updates are available at the County website at: https://www.inyocounty.us/government/publications-reports-plans-proclamations/strategic-planning-initiatives