On Tuesday, April 4, 2017, the Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners adopted the sixth version of the Gunnison County Strategic Plan, originally adopted in 2008, to provide focused direction to the organization and a clear message to residents and visitors.
“The Gunnison County Commissioners and staff focused this iteration of our Strategic Plan on delivering results identified in the One Valley Prosperity Project (OVPP) Strategy to clearly demonstrate our commitment to following through on the actions identified as priorities by so many of our residents. The plan is ambitious and addresses many fundamental issues facing our Gunnison County Community,” County Manager Matthew Birnie.
The majority of the strategic results included in the plan have goal measurement dates between 2017 and 2019, yet some extend out further due to their nature. Those extended goals include beginning the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport Terminal Renovation Project by 12/31/2021, increasing the availability of housing in the valley by facilitating the construction of 200 new affordable units by 12/31/2021, and reducing energy use impacts and lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 20% from 2005 levels by 12/31/2030. Many other results included in the 2015 plan were removed from the latest version because they were successfully met.
This strategic approach to management has proven successful to the County. In the nine years since the first plan adoption, the County has created strategic business plans for every department, transformed its budgeting practices to focus on results for customers, and implemented personnel performance management procedures that directly align to departmental performance. This change in culture and focus resulted in the construction of the new Public Safety Center, County Courthouse, and Public Works facility, all without raising taxes. The County has also been the recipient of many awards and accolades, such as the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) Distinguished Budget award in each of the last six years.
The plan is available for download from the County’s website at http://www.GunnisonCounty.org/Performance. The County plans to continue its tradition of reviewing the plan every two years, thus it will next be updated in 2019.
For more details about the plan, please contact County Manager Birnie at mbirnie@gunnisoncounty.org or (970) 641-0248. To learn more about the One Valley Prosperity Project (OVPP), visit http://onevalleyprosperity.com/ or contact Community and Economic Development Director Cathie Pagano at cpagano@gunnisoncounty.org or (970) 641-7985.