Jefferson County outlines steps to implement strategic plan, seeks funding and dashboard tools
February 14, 2024 | Jefferson County, Wisconsin
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Jefferson County officials on Feb. 13 gave a detailed update on implementing the board’s strategic plan, outlining teams, owners, and the metrics staff will use to track progress.
Michael, presenting remotely from Washington, D.C., told the County Board that staff are converting the board-approved goals into quarterly implementation plans that list action steps, responsible staff and due dates. He said the work is organized into four priority areas — diverse housing opportunities, highly regarded quality of life, intentional economic growth and transformative government — each with identified team leads and owners.
Why it matters: the update moves the plan from vision to execution and ties progress to the county’s budgeting process. Michael said teams will report quarterly and recommended public-facing dashboards so residents can track progress.
Key details: staff will identify resources needed (physical, staff time and funding), attach key performance indicators to action steps (for example, not merely counting meetings but measuring attendance), and begin tying priorities to the county’s priority-based budgeting process. Michael noted that two of the four priority areas — housing and economic growth — fall under a small economic development staff and may require additional capacity.
Michael said staff are evaluating dashboard approaches, including existing tools such as Zen City or vendor solutions, and will provide quarterly updates to the board. He encouraged supervisors to direct department heads to participate on implementation teams and asked the board for ongoing policy guidance and funding direction.
What remains unresolved: Michael said the implementation plan is still being written and needs further crystallization of action steps, firm due dates and resource commitments. He asked the board for feedback on matters such as whether to create a dedicated strategic-plan fund and how much to budget for implementation.
The county administrator and finance staff signaled the need to link these implementation steps to priority-based budgeting and to consider staffing and funding trade-offs; no final appropriation was requested at the Feb. 13 meeting. The board asked staff to return with more detailed cost estimates and a recommended public-dashboard approach at a future meeting.
Michael, presenting remotely from Washington, D.C., told the County Board that staff are converting the board-approved goals into quarterly implementation plans that list action steps, responsible staff and due dates. He said the work is organized into four priority areas — diverse housing opportunities, highly regarded quality of life, intentional economic growth and transformative government — each with identified team leads and owners.
Why it matters: the update moves the plan from vision to execution and ties progress to the county’s budgeting process. Michael said teams will report quarterly and recommended public-facing dashboards so residents can track progress.
Key details: staff will identify resources needed (physical, staff time and funding), attach key performance indicators to action steps (for example, not merely counting meetings but measuring attendance), and begin tying priorities to the county’s priority-based budgeting process. Michael noted that two of the four priority areas — housing and economic growth — fall under a small economic development staff and may require additional capacity.
Michael said staff are evaluating dashboard approaches, including existing tools such as Zen City or vendor solutions, and will provide quarterly updates to the board. He encouraged supervisors to direct department heads to participate on implementation teams and asked the board for ongoing policy guidance and funding direction.
What remains unresolved: Michael said the implementation plan is still being written and needs further crystallization of action steps, firm due dates and resource commitments. He asked the board for feedback on matters such as whether to create a dedicated strategic-plan fund and how much to budget for implementation.
The county administrator and finance staff signaled the need to link these implementation steps to priority-based budgeting and to consider staffing and funding trade-offs; no final appropriation was requested at the Feb. 13 meeting. The board asked staff to return with more detailed cost estimates and a recommended public-dashboard approach at a future meeting.
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