Olmsted County releases new multi-year strategic plan
New mission, vision, values, priorities, and goals
At today’s Olmsted County Board of Commissioners meeting, the county released its 2024 – 2028 strategic plan to the community. The plan is the culmination of 18 months of work which involved assessing Olmsted County’s strengths, opportunities, aspirations, results, and challenges. Throughout the process, input was gathered from county representatives, partners, and community members with the overall objective of developing a shared vision for the future of the Olmsted County organization.
“Having this shared vision will help ensure we are all working toward common goals, strengthening operations, and assessing and adjusting our direction to respond to a changing environment,” stated Olmsted County Administrator Heidi Welsch.
The following strategic plan components will guide Olmsted County’s collective efforts in the coming years.
Mission statement
Building a sustainable foundation for a safe, healthy, and welcoming community through public service excellence.
Vision statement
A vibrant community where everyone thrives.
Values
- Thoughtful: We are intentional with our thoughts and actions by considering the needs of others and acting with respect and compassion. We use data and community input to make informed decisions.
- Principled: We are careful stewards of our resources and are honest, ethical, and accountable in our work and interactions.
- Inclusive: We strive to build equitable and supportive environments that cultivate a sense of belonging.
- Service Focused: We strive to add value to the community through quality core services, innovative problem-solving, and continuous improvement.
- Collaborative: We work together and seek diverse perspectives, ideas, and experiences to strengthen our community.
Olmsted County is unveiling a new video – The Values of Olmsted County – that showcases county employees as they define each county value and share examples of how they live out these values in their daily work. If you watch the video, please let us know what you think by taking this short survey.
Strategic priorities and goals
- Community trust and engagement
- Olmsted County earns community trust through engagement, collaboration, and reliable public service.
- Community safety and well-being
- Olmsted County strives to keep our community safe and ensures equitable access to programs and services that improve quality of life.
- Environmental sustainability
- Olmsted County leads in sustainable practices.
- Responsible growth and development
- Olmsted County anticipates and adapts to the needs of a growing community.
- Effective and engaged workforce
- Olmsted County has an engaged and high-performing workforce that reflects the diversity of our community.
“Developing our county’s new strategic plan has been an incredible journey and it’s involved a tremendous amount of work,” noted Olmsted County Board Chair Sheila Kiscaden. “Having a solid plan in place for Olmsted County’s future is a commitment to our residents and a commitment to excellence.”
“It has been over a decade since Olmsted County completed a comprehensive strategic planning process. With so many changes and challenges affecting our residents and county services, the time was right for us to better articulate who we are as an organization, what we aim to achieve, and how we do our work,” explained Olmsted County Management Analyst Julie Hatch. “We gathered and applied feedback from those we partner with most in our communities, and believe our strategic plan reflects the needs of our Olmsted County residents, visitors, businesses, and staff.”
Success metrics
Olmsted county will measure and monitor progress using key performance indicators (KPIs) identified for each priority goal. KPIs, intended outcomes, and initiatives will be included in an annual progress report which will be shared with county residents.
Engage with Olmsted County
As always, Olmsted County encourages residents to share their ideas and feedback! Tell us what you think about our new strategic plan. Visit our new “Engage with Olmsted County” webpage to learn more about how you can connect, engage, and share thoughts with Olmsted County.