Sauk County Government Strategic Planning Process

Since December of 2004, the Sauk County Board of Supervisors has been meeting for the purpose of developing a strategic plan for county government. To date they have developed a mission statement and strategic issues upon which they hope to focus further efforts. The mission statement was developed by giving consideration to a number of variables, the first of which deals with the services county governments provide.

Counties have always played an important role in Wisconsin government, and although the form has not changed significantly since their inception, the services and programs have greatly expanded. County government has a dual role by providing state services at the local level as well as being a unit of local self-government. Within this construct counties offer programming and services in Conservation, Development, Recreation, Culture and Education; General Government Services, Health and Human Services; Justice and Public Safety; and Public Works. The county services a wide and diverse constituency, providing for services that are integral to and enhance the quality of life for constituents.

Mandates are services that the county is obligated by laws, codes, regulation, and state statute to provide. A comprehensive review of the county's mandates was conducted as part of the information gathering segment of the strategic planning process.

A stakeholder review was also conducted. Stakeholders are defined as any person or organization that "can place a claim on the organization's resources, attention, or output." Knowing who stakeholders are, as well as their concerns is key to understanding the services and resources that are provided.

From this information the mission statement which defines the core purpose of government was developed. The Sauk County mission reads as follows:

The mission of Sauk County government is to provide essential services to the residents of Sauk County in a fiscally responsible manner that promotes safety, economic development, and stewardship of natural resources while encouraging the development of cultural, social, and community values that enhance human dignity.

From this information and an analysis of the threats, opportunities, organizational strengths and weaknesses, the board was able to identify strategic issues. Strategic issues are the "key challenges or questions facing the organization". The strategic issues are included on the attached decision matrix. The matrix identifies the issues down the first column and ranks their importance against set criteria.

The Board will continue the process of addressing the challenges it faces in meeting the service needs of its constituency over the next two years by actively developing strategies to address the issues identified.