05-11-1994 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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3. Vision, Once planners are clearly grounded in understanding the past and present action and scope of services, a vision of the future is created. This vision describes the future in a way that is inspiring and grounded in the strengths and opportunities of the service area /community, and yet still challenges those involved to achieve an ideal future together - on behalf of all stakeholders. The statements of vision developed by the planning committees will form the recommendations for policy action for the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners. The setting "forth the County board's policy regarding the coordination of service delivery with other units of government, including specific recommendations regarding service and policy areas listed in Chapter 6 of the Charter." 10 is the legal mandate the Ramsey County Board must have completed by the end of 1994. 4. Critical Issues. This step describes the critical points of action and /or barriers that need to be addressed in order to move from the present to the ideal future described in the vision. There are generally no more than 5 -6 critical issues, since they are intended to represent a prioritized list of items that, when addressed, will make the most impact on the ability to achieve the vision. Critical issues are often stated as questions and include the question of financial resources /source. The planning committees will generate the critical issues based on the visions they have agreed to as a group representing the full range of County stakeholders. This step will set the framework for both developing and selecting particular approaches to a problem as well as for operational plans by those responsible for delivering the services. This will be the final step in Phase I of the Strategic Planning Process. 5. ,Strategies. There are often many ways to address or resolve any given critical issue. These alternative ways of approaching the issues are called strategies. Most often the planning process will identify both a preferred and a secondary strategy. In each case the Planning Committees will explicitly state the assumptions that are used in choosing one strategy over another. The secondary strategy is identified as the alternate approach to be taken should some of the assumptions supporting the first strategy either not materialize or change substantially during the life of the planning document. It is the strategies that guide administrators in the direction they must take as managers of physical, human, and financial resources. It is intended to use significant citizen participation in selection of the 9 Page 28