Washoe County> Strategy Development back

Collectively serving a broad constituency through planning

Company: Washoe County

Industry: Government — Nevada

Washoe County is a growing area located along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in western Nevada. The county covers an area of 6,600 square miles in the northwest section of the State bordering California and Oregon and has a population of approximately 410,000.  The county seat is the City of Reno, the third largest city in Nevada. Other communities include Sparks and Incline Village, at Lake Tahoe.

Need:  To engage elected officials, 3,000 employees and the community in setting the strategic direction for the County, as well as committing to a consistent strategic management process.  

Service: Strategy Development

Deliverables:

  • Engagement from the public in the planning process.
  • Achievement of the strategic priorities that the Board of County Commissioners set forth.
  • Continuity in the strategic planning process from the County to the departments.
  • Collaboration agreement between departments to eliminate silos.
  • Buy in from all Board members, elected officials and department heads.
  • Connection of the strategic plan to employee development plans through an effective cascade of strategic priorities to personal goals.
  • Establish implementation management: task force/strategy group meetings with chairmen and materials (instruction documents, calendar, management of collecting the information, status reports).

Solution: The Government of Washoe County, which oversees a $1 billion budget annually, selected M3 to reinstate and manage the organization’s strategic planning process.  M3 facilitated Board retreats and the development of a strategic plan for the Board of County Commissioners.  Focus groups were conducted to collect SWOT type data from numerous departments. Additionally M3 facilitated strategic plans for the following departments within the county based on the Board of County Commissioners overall plan:

  • Washoe County Parks & Open Space. Reno, NV. Government
  • Washoe County Public Defender's Office.  Reno, NV. Government
  • Washoe County Sherriff’s Office. Reno, NV. Government
  • Washoe County Management Services. Reno, NV. Government
  • Washoe County Assessors. Reno, NV. Government
  • Washoe County Finance. Reno, NV. Government
  • Washoe County District Attorney.  Reno, NV. Government
  • Washoe County Social Service. Reno, NV. Government
  • Washoe County Registration of Voters. Reno, NV. Government

Result: Through a collaborative and consistent process, strategies and actions were developed with the input of citizens, the Board of County Commissioners, and county staff. With implementation and collaboration, the county was provided a full-force mechanism to keep their strategic objectives in line with management processes.

More Resources & Examples

Strategy Development

Community input gathered about the Washoe County Library Systems

M3 Planning helped Washoe County gather community input about the county library systems. Click the image to enlarge.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Strategic Plan and Budget

This is public information and is allow to be shared. Note that the Strategy Budget column is blank as numbers are confidential and not included. M3 Planning delivered these items to our clients. The entire strategic plan is available in a small booklet.

"I sincerely appreciate the work you have done to move Washoe County forward. As this State grows we must be prepared to meet every challenge. With professionals like (M3 Planning) the job is made much easier."
Sheriff Michael Haley,
Washoe County Sheriff's Office

"We are doing a wonderful job thanks to your good work and helping us with our strategic plan. You helped us with that foundation and we just wanted to take a moment to thank you very much for all the work that you gave us, because it really really paid off. And even more so paid off for the public."
Tami Cummings,
Washoe County Sheriff's Office Community Relations