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11 <br /> 1 <br /> 2 <br /> 3 6. Regular Agenda <br /> 4 a. Authorization to Release a Request for Proposals for Strategic Planning Services and <br /> 5 Defining the Board's Role in the Selection Process <br /> 6 The Board considered reviewing and authorizing the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) <br /> 7 for a consultant to facilitate a comprehensive, Countywide Strategic Plan, and to define the role <br /> 8 the Board will serve in the consultant selection process. <br /> 9 <br /> 10 BACKGROUND: At the Board's retreat in June 2022, the Board asked staff to draft an RFP for <br /> 11 a consultant to facilitate the development of a comprehensive, Countywide Strategic Plan. The <br /> 12 retreat was facilitated by Lydian Altman who serves as an Assistant Professor at the University <br /> 13 of North Carolina — Chapel Hill's School of Government. Professor Altman specializes in <br /> 14 consulting with elected and appointed leaders to create strategic plans, teaching leadership <br /> 15 topics, and facilitating retreats for governmental and nonprofit organizations and cross-sector <br /> 16 community groups to help them plan and work together to solve public problems. Professor <br /> 17 Altman provided guidance to the Board on the critical elements of a Strategic Plan and <br /> 18 facilitated a discussion about the Board's goals for the planning process. <br /> 19 <br /> 20 Scope of Services <br /> 21 The scope of services for the plan (attached as Section 5 of the RFP) was designed to be <br /> 22 responsive to the goals articulated by the Board during the retreat and to include the critical <br /> 23 elements described in Professor Altman's presentation. Some of those goals included: <br /> 24 <br /> 25 • Collecting broad based community input <br /> 26 • Using a big picture approach that ties all County initiatives together and aligns them <br /> 27 • Developing central set of goals to guide the Board at the policy level <br /> 28 • Creating a living document that can be responsive to changing conditions <br /> 29 • Defining how the Board will strategize and prioritize to achieve each goal <br /> 30 • Applying racial equity principles to all elements of the plan <br /> 31 . Serving as a communication tool that helps educate and engage the community <br /> 32 • Defining a clear vision for the future of the County <br /> 33 • Using data and trend analysis to inform the plan, especially demographic changes and <br /> 34 trends both locally and regionally <br /> 35 • Defining performance measures that can be tracked over time to ensure priorities are <br /> 36 met <br /> 37 <br /> 38 The scope was also derived from a review of plans from other jurisdictions in North Carolina <br /> 39 such as Cabarrus County, Catawba County, Iredell County, Gaston County, Buncombe County, <br /> 40 Brunswick County, Wake County, and Durham County, as well as Fairfax County, Virginia. Of <br /> 41 those plans, four best reflected the goals of the Board: <br /> 42 <br /> 43 Buncombe County: <br /> 44 https://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/commissioners/strategic-plan/default.aspx <br /> 45 Durham County: <br />