Minutes 02-11-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Commissioner Gordon said it would be great to have the pros and cons of each proposal. Chair Jacobs said the Board will see the 800 mhz option in their CIP discussion in March, and then there will be a presentation in two months regarding the various permutations and the possibility of the 700mhz systems. Jim Groves said this is correct. Chair Jacobs asked if there is any possibility of using the phone fee for the 700 mhz or to have the municipalities attributed to the system. Jim Groves said Chapel Hill and Carrboro are interested in partnerships. Chair Jacobs asked if this information regarding partnerships could be included in the future discussions. 4. Draft Emergency Services Strategic Plan Clarence Grier said this is more of an operational strategic plan than a capital strategic plan. Jim Groves said this plan was developed to provide some stability in the organization and to set a professional path for where things need to be. Jim Groves said this was developed with leadership, employees, and subject matter experts from other organizations, the university, and state emergency management. He said two of the big issues that were identified were: lack of communication between and among divisions, and poor work/life balance (too much overtime). Jim Groves said a big focus was to concentrate on the goals included in the Board of County Commissioners’ plan and to lend good customer support and community support to Orange County. He said the vision statement is “A Prepared, Coordinated, and Integrated Emergency Services System.” He said each division developed a mission statement in support of that vision. He noted that the graphics on page 7 include the words heard in the study, and the big words are the big concerns. He said, within the plan there are strategic goals and objectives, as well as the approach. He said this has also been taken down the task level, although that has not been included in the plan. Jim Groves said there is a lot of community support included, as well as employee support and stability to make the organization more resilient. He said within the organization, there are a lot of single points of failure, and those points can be technology, or people who have no backup. He said there is a goal of building institutional knowledge within the organization, so that if someone leaves, things can continue to move forward. Jim Groves said the last part the plan is the ETHOS, which is what drives the strategic plan and the organization. He said this shows the core values and principles. He said the new culture is to build, coach, and mentor employees. Jim Groves said the implementation will be tracked with charts that show milestones and timelines. He said this will allow progress to be clearly seen. He said this will be reviewed annually and modified every 5 years to keep it from being stagnant. He said if the Board of County Commissioners has any feedback on this draft plan, he is happy to incorporate it. Chair Jacobs expressed appreciation for the work that was put into the creation of this plan. Commissioner Price said she was really impressed with this plan. Commissioner McKee said this is the mission critical component of Orange County government. He appreciates the work has been done, and the feedback he has heard has been very positive.