Los Alamos County Council Retreat Underway

Council and County senior management gather at today’s annual Council Retreat at the Municipal Building. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gene Schmidt addresses the group. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Deputy County Manager Brian Bosshardt keeps track of Council discussions. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Staff Report

Members of the Los Alamos County senior leadership team are joining Council members at the Council Retreat underway 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in the Municipal Building.

The group gathers each year to update and refine its Strategic Leadership Plan with the goal of improving the efficiency of County operations and enhance the quality of life for the citizens of the community. 

Council Chair Kristin Henderson is leading the retreat attended by six of the seven Councilors, David Izraelevitz was unable to attend. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gene Schmidt and Utilities Board Chair Andrew Fraser are in attendence.

Schmidt commended the ‘many, many examples of the important work “those around the table” today are doing to maintain and enhance the quality of life in the community and thanked the Council for their continuous support of education.

Councilor Susan O’Leary proposed that supporting LANL’s recruitment and retention efforts is a high level goal to which the group agreed. O’Leary, who worked for several years as vice president of advertising for the Washington Post, presented a communication strategy for County staff to consider.

Councilor James Chrobocinski, a local broker, told the group that his clients coming to town to buy homes often comment on the beautiful scenery surrounding Los Alamos but remark that the appearance of the townsite is unattractive. The group discussed the need to address that issue.

The Council is spending the day reviewing the Los Alamos County Strategic Leadership Plan 2014 Update, Strategic Leadership Plan MAPS, Strategic Leadership Plan Successes and Essential Services as outlined below:

Los Alamos County Strategic Leadership Plan 2014 Update

What will the Los Alamos community look like in 20 years? Will our unique combination of science and setting continue? Will we have preserved our small town atmosphere and natural surroundings? Will there be plenty of affordable neighborhoods and an excellent educational system?

In order to accomplish these priorities and more, Los Alamos will need a strong leadership vision that serves as a basis for policy formulation and goal-setting. A flexible road-map is required, which will provide direction not only to the County enterprise but the community as well. The strategic focus areas or issues that will shape the County’s future must be addressed with dynamic leadership commitment.

For these reasons the Los Alamos County Council developed a 20-year Strategic Leadership Plan to help guide the community into the future. The Plan includes a shared vision for what the community can become. In support of the vision, strategic focus areas were identified along with actionable goals to help measure success.

The Los Alamos community has volunteered countless hours of service to assisting the Council with its visioning and goal setting. The Strategic Leadership Plan incorporates the past work of community volunteers where at all possible. The plan builds upon the foundational work developed by the Los Alamos community and adopted by the County Council.

A Vision for the future…

Attachment A *Items with an asterisk were modified during the 2014 update.

Imagine Los Alamos County in 20 years…

Strategic Focus Areas

Economic Vitality

  • Financial sustainability/Economic Vitality*

Quality of Life

  • Education*
  • Quality cultural and recreational amenities
  • Environmental stewardship
  • Mobility*
  • Housing*
  • Quality Governance
  • Operational excellence
  • Communication
  • Intergovernmental Relations

These strategic focus areas are items of extreme importance that will ultimately determine the nature and quality of the future of Los Alamos – they define where our resources should be spent to attain our vision

How do we get there from here?

In the next five years the County will address these nineteen major goals (focus areas with corresponding goals):

Economic Vitality

Financial Sustainability/Economic Vitality

  • Promote a strong and diverse economic base through support of the current business base, recruiting additional businesses and encouraging new business growth.*
  • Collaborate with Los Alamos National Laboratory as the area’s #1 employer, and support associated spinoff businesses.*
  • Significantly improve the quantity and quality of retail and tourism business.*
  • Revitalize and eliminate blight in the downtown areas of Los Alamos and White Rock.*
  • Manage commercial growth well following an updated, concise, and consistent comprehensive plan.*

Quality of Life

Education

  • Support the objective of Los Alamos Public Schools of ranking in the top 100 public schools in the nation.*
  • Support the development of quality primary, secondary, career and life-long educational institutions.*

Quality Cultural and Recreational Amenities

  • Market and brand Los Alamos as a scenic destination featuring recreation, science and history.
  • Implement a comprehensive recreational and cultural plan that includes a range of amenities that support all segments of the Los Alamos community.

Attachment A *Items with an asterisk were modified during the 2014 update.

Environmental Stewardship

  • Enhance environmental quality and sustainability balancing costs and benefits.*

Mobility

  • Improve transportation and mobility.*

Housing

  • Promote the creation of a variety of housing options for all segments of the Los Alamos community
  • Promote maintenance and enhancement of housing stock quality.*
  • Support development of affordable workforce housing.*

Quality Governance

Operational Excellence

  • Maintain quality essential services and supporting infrastructure.
  • Invest in staff development to create a high performing organization.

Communication

  • Create a communication process that provides measurable improvement in citizen trust in government.
  • Improve transparency in policy setting and implementation.*

Intergovernmental Relations

  • Strengthen coordination and cooperation between County government, LANL, and the regional and national partners.*

Goal statements reflect leadership priorities and direction that will define the basis for policy formulation and revenue and resource generation and allocation.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP PLAN MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN UPDATE TO COUNTY COUNCIL DECEMBER 15, 2014 COUNCIL

COUNCIL PRIORITY – ECONOMIC VITALITY

Strategic Focus Area – Financial Sustainability/Economic Vitality

  • Promote a strong and diverse economic base through support of the current business base, recruiting additional businesses and encouraging new business growth.
  • Collaborate with LANL as the area’s #1 employer, support associated spinoff businesses.
  • Significantly improve the quantity and quality of retail and tourism business.
  • Revitalize and eliminate blight in the downtown areas of Los Alamos and White Rock.
  • Manage commercial growth well following an updated concise, and consistent Plan.

Strategic Focus Area – Education

  • Support the objective of Los Alamos Public Schools of ranking in the top 100 public schools in the nation.
  • Support the development of quality primary, secondary, career and life-long learning education institutions.

Strategic Focus Area – Quality Cultural and Recreational Amenities

  • Market and brand Los Alamos as a scenic destination featuring recreation, science and history.
  • Implement a comprehensive recreational and cultural plan that includes a range of amenities that support all segments of the Los Alamos community.

Strategic Focus Area – Environmental Stewardship

  • Enhance environmental quality and sustainability balancing costs and benefits.

Strategic Focus Area – Mobility

  • Improve transportation and mobility.

COUNCIL PRIORITY – QUALITY OF LIFE

  • Improve transportation and mobility.

Strategic Focus Area – Housing

  • Promote the creation of a variety of housing options for all segments of the Los Alamos community.
  • Promote maintenance and enhancement of housing stock quality.
  • Support development of affordable workforce housing.

Strategic Focus Area – Operational Excellence

  • Maintain quality essential services and supporting infrastructure.
  • Invest in staff development to create a high performing organization.

Strategic Focus Area – Communication

  • Create a communication process that provides measurable improvement in citizen trust in government.
  • Improve transparency in policy setting and implementation.

Strategic Focus Area – Intergovernmental Relations

  • Strengthen coordination and cooperation between County government, LANL, and the regional and national partners.

Strategic Focus Area – Quality Cultural and Recreational Amenities

  • Market and brand Los Alamos as a scenic destination featuring recreation, science and history.
Search
LOS ALAMOS

ladailypost.com website support locally by OviNuppi Systems