Washoe County Strategic Plan

What is a Strategic Plan?

Washoe County’s Strategic Plan establishes a clear direction to address current and future challenges facing our community, serving as a roadmap for translating long-term vision into organizational efforts. The Strategic Planning process assists policymakers in guiding the County into a prosperous future that reflects our commitment to forward-thinking solutions to achieve the mission, vision and values of a resilient and thriving community.

Washoe County’s Strategic Plan reflects the most important work for the County in the year to come and sets a roadmap for the future.

Mission

Working together regionally to provide and sustain a safe, secure and healthy community.

Vision

Washoe County will be the social, economic and policy leadership force in Nevada and the western United States.

Values

Integrity, Effective Communication, and Quality Public Service.

INTEGRITY

We are dedicated to uncompromising honesty in our dealings with the public and each other in conformance with our code of conduct.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

We believe in simple, accurate, and clear communication. We encourage the open exchange of ideas and information.

QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICE

The County exists to serve the public. We put the needs and expectations of citizens at the center of everything we do and take pride in delivering services of the highest quality.

Why do we need a Strategic Plan?

The secret is out. Washoe County is an incredible place to live, work, play and do business.

We are a fast-growing community, and maintaining our quality of life and economic stability requires thoughtful preparation. By focusing our efforts on the most critical issues facing our County and placing this into a clear plan with expected outcomes, we are able to align efforts to achieve our vision of fiscal sustainability, economic prosperity, helping our most vulnerable and maintaining a culture of service and innovation.

How does Washoe County create its Strategic Plan?

Washoe County’s Strategic Plan is a collaborative effort led by the Board of County Commissioners and influenced by community stakeholders, County team members across the organization. Each year, the Board of County Commissioners hosts a Strategic Planning workshop where previous action toward objectives is evaluated, and new or continuing goals are established.

The guiding principles of Washoe County are reflected upon throughout the Strategic Planning process. Those guiding principles are:

Support and represent the people we serve.
Be forward-thinking.
Protect our natural resources.
Collaborate within and across the County.
Commit to digital delivery.
Reduce redundancies and non-value adds.
Show up as “One County” externally and internally.

With an eye on fiscal responsibility, the Strategic Plan is integrated with the County’s annual budget development, including the capital project planning process and other County initiatives.

About Washoe County’s Strategic Plan

This Strategic Plan outlines Washoe County’s approach to fostering fiscal sustainability, economic impacts, vulnerable populations, and innovative services.

We invite you to explore the plan’s four focus areas:

Fiscal Sustainability

Long-term sustainability
Efficient delivery of regional services

Economic Impacts

Meet the needs of our growing community
Support a thriving community

Vulnerable Populations

Support vulnerable populations with a regional approach
Expand appropriate & affordable housing options across community
Enhance facilities for vulnerable populations
Establish regional data collection systems

Innovative Services

Leverage technology to streamline and automate
Strengthen our culture of service
Promote experimentation and innovation
Ensure equitable access to services

A Strategic Planning Goal Team exists for each of these objectives. Each Team consists of representatives from across the County guiding the processes, executing key components of the processes and managing communications throughout the phased development of the strategic plan.

Within each of these focus areas, community members will find the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan, including the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that guide leadership and staff in evaluating their effectiveness.

The Strategic Plan is a living document, and Washoe County regularly updates its dashboard to evaluate progress toward the goals outlined during the annual Strategic Planning workshop.

Notably, Washoe County has linked its Strategic Plan to its annual budget to ensure priorities are closely aligned to available resources.

Strategic Plan Summary

What We Are Doing & How We Will Do It

Performance Reports

Additional Information

If you are interested in additional information on the Washoe County Strategic Plan, please contact Abbe Yacoben, Office of the County Manager (775) 325-8243 or ayacoben@washoecounty.gov