On March 5, 2019 the County completed its engagement outreach regarding the development of the 2020 Strategic Plan. It is intended that the findings from this outreach will help inform the Board of Supervisors of potential topics and/or areas to explore for inclusion in the 2020 Strategic Plan.
Background
The Yolo County Strategic Plan is a guiding document used by the Board of Supervisors to set policies and priorities for the organization for a period of three to five years. At the end of the 2019 calendar year the 2016-2019 Yolo County Strategic Plan will come to a close (See Att. A: 2016-2019 Strategic Plan). For that reason the County is currently in the process of developing a new strategic plan. The development process involves three stages:
- Engagement Efforts (October 2018-March 2019): Conduct engagement with staff, advisory bodies/special districts, and the community to gather input on potential priority topics for the Board to consider including in the strategic plan.
- Plan Development (April 2019-November 2019): Draft outcomes and strategies for inclusion in the strategic plan utilizing Board workshops and staff work groups.
- Implementation and Evaluation (Begins December 2019): After Board approval of the 2020 Strategic Plan, begin implementation of the plan with regular evaluation of progress.
Engagement Efforts
The engagement efforts began in October 2018 and formally ended on March 5, 2019. The outreach sought to engage the input of County departments, County advisory bodies and special districts, and the community. A variety of methods were utilized to gather that input.
First, in October 2018 County departments were requested to provide a list of their goals and anticipated challenges for the next three to five years. These responses were then shared with the Board of Supervisors at their October 2018 Strategic Planning Session. This information provided insight into the various activities that departments were undertaking, but it also highlighted some internal organizational goals that were common among many departments (See Att. B. Department Operational Themes).
Secondly, from December 21, 2018 to March 5, 2019 the County gathered input from a survey released to County advisory bodies and special districts as well as a separate survey released to the public. The purpose of the surveys was to provide an opportunity for the advisory bodies/special districts and public to share their priority interests for the Board to consider in the development of the 2020 Strategic Plan. In terms of outreach, every County advisory body and special district was emailed a voluntary survey for them to complete as a body. The public survey was released on the County website, social media posts, and in a press release on January 18, 2019. It was available in five languages (including English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Korean). To encourage participation, the survey was promoted through two interactive public meetings (Davis and Elkhorn), eight pop-up booths (Woodland, Davis, Knights Landing, Winters, and Clarksburg), and the placement of flyers at County service centers and rural post offices.
Findings
Department Goals & Challenges
In reviewing the information received from departments during the October Strategic Planning Session, there were a number of internal operational goals that appeared as a theme among multiple departments. These themes included: technology, workforce, continuous quality improvement, county infrastructure, and available resources. A description of these themes is provided in Attachment B: Department Operational Themes. The Board previously indicated interest in an Operational Excellence goal for the Strategic Plan for which these themes may be incorporated. It is the recommendation of staff that these themes be explored using a staff work group for potential inclusion in the Strategic Plan under that goal.
Survey Results
The results from both the advisory body/special district survey and the public survey were analyzed and compiled into a summary report (Attachment C: Engagement Results and Environmental Scan). This document encompasses both the survey results as well as a review of various data sources, referred to as an environmental scan.
Approximately 75 County advisory bodies and special districts were invited to participate as a body in the voluntary strategic plan survey and 24 submissions were received. Since each of these bodies have a specialized field of expertise, the findings were aggregated into a list of topics in the report, by survey question, and individually by each body in the appendix. It is the intent that, during the development stage of the strategic plan, the staff work groups for each goal area will review the detailed responses of each advisory body/special district that align with that goal. This information will help inform and direct the staff work groups as they draft outcomes and strategies for the strategic plan. Additionally, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation also provided a letter expressing their interests for consideration which is included in Attachment D.
The public survey was completed by 476 individuals based on submissions from online, paper handouts, and community meetings. The public was asked four questions to determine their priorities and to gather their suggestions for the County in developing the strategic plan. The top ten priorities identified by the survey were as follows:
Public Survey: Top Ten Priorities
| 1. Safe and affordable housing |
| 2. Homelessness |
| 3. Access to mental health and substance use services |
| 4. Quality of life for children |
| 5. Quality and quantity of water |
| 6. Rural infrastructure and services |
| 7. Health promotion and disease prevention |
| 8. Agricultural land preservation |
| 9. Disaster emergency preparedness |
| 10. Poverty |
The top results of “safe and affordable housing” as well as “homelessness” were themes seen in the responses to the additional survey questions. Housing and homelessness, followed by population growth, climate change, and agricultural preservation, were the top responses for the public when asked what they viewed as the greatest challenge the County would face over the next three to five years. Similarly, when asked what area the County could improve on, homelessness followed by road repair were the top responses from the public.
When responses are examined by location, the results alter slightly. The topics of housing and homelessness were top concerns across the cities of Davis, West Sacramento, and Woodland. However, for the city of Winters and the unincorporated area, respondents did not include homelessness as a top concern and instead placed a high importance on the topic of rural infrastructure.
Finally, when asked the county’s greatest strength, respondents overwhelming pointed to the topic of agriculture; particularly encouraging preservation of agricultural land and agricultural heritage as well as instilling that culture through training to youth.
Environmental Scan:
In addition to the input from the engagement efforts, County staff conducted a review of data to provide further context regarding community needs and any countywide trends. The data reviewed included the Yolo 2-1-1 call data for 2018 as well as the County’s Community Indicator Dashboard, which provides data on a number of measures from outside data sources (such as the US Census Bureau, county and state reports, and various non-profits). The data seemed to corroborate the concerns and needs of the community found in the top ten priorities of the public survey, particularly regarding safe and affordable housing. In 2018, approximately 50% of callers to Yolo 2-1-1 requested assistance with housing. As shown in the County dashboard, this problem is compacted by increasing rent costs and decrease in housing vacancy. Further detail on these data points and more are available in the report in Attachment C.
Next Steps
The next phase of the 2020 Strategic Plan process is the development of the draft plan. From April through October the County will utilize workshops and workgroups for the purposes of developing the outcomes and strategies for the strategic plan. There will be three public workshops conducted with the Board of Supervisors. These workshops will provide Board direction on the County approach to addressing various topics of interest chosen by either Board request or arising from the engagement input received. These workshops are scheduled to occur as follows (note: one already occurred on February 5, 2019):
Board Strategic Plan Workshop Schedule
| Workshop Date |
Discussion Topics |
| February 5, 2019 |
- Behavioral Health
- Homelessness/Housing
|
| April 16, 2019 |
- Aging
- Children
- Food Security/Poverty
- Health in All Policies
- Health Equity
|
| July 16, 2019 |
- 2016-2019 Strategic Plan Status
- Environment
- Agriculture
- Economy
|
The work groups will be formed of County staff and convened around each goal area: Thriving Residents, Safe Communities, Sustainable Environment, Flourishing Agriculture, and Operational Excellence. These work groups will meet at various times from April through August to develop recommended outcomes and strategies for the new strategic plan based on the engagement input relative to that goal area, direction from the Board of Supervisor workshops, and subject matter expertise.
The recommendations from the staff work groups for the 2020 strategic plan will be brought on October 1, 2019 to the annual Board Strategic Planning Session. At this workshop the Board will provide feedback on the proposed outcomes and strategies as well as set annual priorities. A final draft of the strategic plan will then be brought for Board approval in December 2019. |