FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
193
OUR
To be a catalyst for positive change in Mecklenburg
County government.
OUR
To support key stakeholders to cultivate an environment
of accountability, transparency, and good governance.
194
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Mecklenburg County Government
Key environmental factors include:
The environment in which the County serves its citizens
is always in a state of flux. Impacts from population
growth, the economy, technology, internal and external
threats, and other factors, could have a sudden and
significant impact on the organization.
•
•
Internal Audit tries to take a forward look at internal and
external factors and trends that could prevent the
County from successfully meeting its goals and
objectives. By providing insight into potential threats and
opportunities, Internal Audit can help management
better manage their risks while reaping the rewards of
opportunities taken.
•
•
•
•
Internal and External Factors
•
A critical aspect of Internal Audit’s success is recognizing
and responding to changes in our environment that may
directly and indirectly impact the provision of audit
services.
195
The demand for strong accountability,
responsiveness, and accessibility of government
to its citizens
The insistence of effective governance, risk
management, and internal controls to protect
and most effectively use County resources
Internal stakeholder expectations for efficient
and effective internal audit services
More effective use and retention of enterprise
knowledge
Increasing challenges with data retention and
security
Increasing
complexity
of
information
technology
Workforce planning to maximize institutional
knowledge and maintenance of organizational
capability
OUR GOALS
Internal Audit provides an array of audit assurance and consulting services across all
departments and all activities throughout the organization. This broad perspective on
the organization’s governance, risk management, and control activities makes us a
valuable resource to the Board and executive management in accomplishing the
organization’s goals and objectives.
To successfully maximize the value of Internal Audit and accomplish the goal of
delivering high-quality assurance and consulting services to effect positive change in
the County’s governance, risk management, and control activities, Internal Audit will:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Develop and execute an optimal annual audit plan
Deliver high quality audit services
Foster and cultivate meaningful relationships with customers and key
stakeholders
Support an organizational foundation of strong ethics, fraud awareness, and
internal controls
Continuously improve audit business and management processes
Develop a sustainable, highly skilled workforce capability
Internal Audit can
help management
better manage
their risks while
they reap the
rewards of
opportunities
taken.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Internal Audit’s primary vision is to partner with management to effect positive change, helping management
better mitigate their risks while reaping the rewards of opportunities taken. To be a valued partner, the Internal
Audit team seeks opportunities to learn about and understand their business partners’ environment and the
challenges they face, as well as taking a forward look at internal and external factors and trends that prevent the
County from successfully meeting its goals and objectives. We seek creative ways to maximize the value and impact
of available audit resources leveraging consulting activities and technology. We have an educated and motivated
team of auditors dedicated to collaborating with management to improve the governance, risk management, and
internal controls in Mecklenburg County.
196
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Deliver high-quality assurance and consulting services to effect positive change in the County’s
governance, risk management, and control activities
Objective 1: Develop and execute an optimal annual audit plan
Objective 2: Deliver high quality audit services
Objective 3: Foster and cultivate meaningful relationships with customers and other key stakeholders
Objective 4: Support organizational foundation for strong ethics, fraud awareness, and internal controls
Objective 5: Continuously improve business and management processes
Objective 6: Develop a sustainable, highly skilled workforce capacity
Goal 2: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly activities
(via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$1,258,668
12
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$389,660
FY2018**
3
FY2019**
Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals
Est. # of
employees
to Achieve
Goals
Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals
Est. # of
employees
to Achieve
Goals
$465,970
4
$534,050
6
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
197
198
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
199
OUR
To be recognized for providing fair, clear, and accurate
assessment services to assist local government in serving
the community.
We accomplish this by being a skilled, knowledgeable, and
informed team, with integrated and reliable technology and
work processes, making this a great place to work.
OUR
To discover, list, and appraise all real and personal
property in Mecklenburg County in accordance with
North Carolina General Statutes. The Assessor's Office
provides accurate and timely information to internal and
external customers while fostering good relations with
those customers and the community.
“….organizational vision is
not about seeing that
which is visible; it is about
navigating the
organization to a place no
one has ever been”.
200
OUR ENVIRONMENT
ORGANIZATION
The County Assessor’s Office (CAO) is responsible for the
appraisal of all taxable property, both real and personal, as
defined by the North Carolina General Statutes (NCGS).
CAO is comprised of 99 staff member across 5 divisions.
Our budget FY 16 is $12,063,649.
plagued, etc. Upon the arrival of the new assessor in
October of 2013, the department was in a reactive mode
in handling media coverage. The slant and delivery of the
stories almost always had a negative tone. The CAO has
worked very hard to improve its public image and
customer satisfaction. More recently, media stories
appear to show the CAO in an improved image. The
Valuation and Notices portion was completed on-time
based on the 18 month plan. The CAO also completed the
appeals by the end of calendar year 2015, another of our
goals. The completion of nearly 24,000 appeals was an
important milestone because the department could not
complete the refunds and discovery bills process until the
appeals were completed. The following list shows the
status of the four phases of the project:
• Valuation and Notices
completed
• Appeals
completed
• Discoveries
approx. 83% completed
• Refunds
approx. 88% completed
Other contributing factors included the late approval of
the amendment to the session law to assist current
owners that have not owned their property for the entire
review period.
The CAO Real Estate Division is responsible for the periodic
reappraisal (at least once every eight years) of all real
property in Mecklenburg County, along with the annual
updating of records to account for new construction,
additions, and remodeling.
The CAO Personal Property Division is responsible for both
Business Personal Property and Individual Personal
Property. The Division also does audits on accounts that
have an aggregate assessed value of less than $50,000.
The CAO Audit Division is responsible for both managing the
audit program, completed by Tax Management Associates
(TMA), and customer outreach.
The CAO Administrative Division is responsible for
department oversight, budgeting, purchasing, accounts
payable, and many other office support programs.
So as CAO transitions away from the Revaluation Review
project, focus turns from 2011 and the economic
downturn to the future. The CAO continues to field
canvass properties across Mecklenburg County to ensure
that our property characteristics database is as accurate
as possible. The department has completed
approximately 100,000 property canvasses to date. It is
also working on neighborhood boundaries. The
department has recently hired a Revaluation Coordinator
and will soon add a Quality Control/Appeals Position.
The CAO still has much to do and a significant amount of
the Review Project workload fell squarely upon staff.
The CAO believes that the lessons learned during the
Revaluation Review will pay huge dividends as it
approaches the next revaluation.
The CAO IS team makes sure all the technology that the
CAO uses to list, assess, notice, bill and handle appeals
for real and personal property works and works
together. Most team duties fall into three areas:
Operations, Support, and Management.
CURRENT STATUS
The CAO is completing the Session Law 2013-362,
Revaluation Review project. Prior to the beginning of the
project, customer confidence in the CAO was at its low
point. This was highlighted in the Customer Service Survey
that the county paid for back in 2013. Any media story
produced at that time included terms like blotched, error201
OUR GOALS
The County Assessor’s Office (CAO) has established three major goals for the FY 2017-19
Strategic Plan. These are to:
1) Successfully conduct a revaluation in accordance with the North Carolina
General Statues
2) Successfully close the 2011 Revaluation in accordance NC General
Statutes
3) Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
In the Current Status section of Our Environment, the CAO has outlined the “where we
are” and moved the organization to the point just short of “where we want to go”. The
message below covers the next steps for the CAO.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Our goals for the FY 2017-19 Strategic Plan represent an opportunity for organizational
transformation. They move the department from a reactive state - with the revaluation
review - to a proactive state, preparing for the next countywide revaluation. The department
will stay proactive throughout the process, continuing the CAO goal of “creating our own
future”. Our organization is most appreciative of the partners assisting in our
redevelopment. The contributions of BPM, PI, ITS, HR, Finance, OTC, LUESA, the Manager’s
Office, and others has been invaluable. This department would not be where it is today
without their able assistance.
Change is being implemented at many levels within the Real Estate Division and throughout
the organization. The focus on the revaluation will be keen. The Assessor’s Office must
continue to provide community outreach to all our customers and expects those
opportunities to increase exponentially as we approach the next revaluation date.
The process behind the next revaluation will look nothing like any revaluation Mecklenburg
County has ever completed. To be successful, the focus must remain on our shared
aspiration, remembering that organizational vision is not about seeing that which is visible;
it is about navigating the organization to a place no one has ever been.
202
“The completion of
nearly 24,000
appeals was an
important
milestone because
the department
could not
complete the
refunds and
discovery bills
process until the
appeals were
completed.”
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Conduct a revaluation in accordance with the North Carolina General Statues
Objective 1: Ensure that exemptions are properly granted or denied on applicable parcels
Objective 2: Implement a quality control process where appraisal, exemption, and appeal procedures are
regularly audited and consistently monitored for adherence to North Carolina General Statures, policies, and laws
Objective 3: Facilitate training programs to increase the quality of assessments
Objective 4: Instill better understanding, positive reinforcement, training, and team work through better
communication between jurisdictions, departments, management, staff and the public; this will allow for a
complete reformation of the revaluation through microeconomics, resulting in a successful revaluation.
Objective 5: Maintain an 84% or higher customer satisfaction for call volume and counter service
Goal 2: Close the 2011 Revaluation in accordance NC General Statutes
Objective 1: Ensure all open appeals, refunds and/or tasks related to the 2011 Revaluation Review are closed
Goal 3: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly activities
(via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$12,063,649
$1,838,400
$1,654,300
$1,349,550
99
18
28
23
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
203
204
FY2017‐2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Execu ve Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
205
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN OUR
We lead data‐driven decision making, effec. ve programming, and interagency collabora on to reduce criminal jus ce involvement and strengthen the well‐being of our community. * Data collected from Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office Deten on Reports, FY 2008 — FY 2016 206
Mecklenburg County FY2017‐2019 Strategic Business Plan 2 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN: CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES
OUR ENVIRONMENT
DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW
TRENDS
Criminal Jus ce Services (CJS) is a County department with 56 employees and an annual budget of $9.5 million. Programs within CJS are becoming na onally recognized centers of excellence in their f elds. In just the past year, Pretrial Services was a pilot site for the Arnold Founda on Public Safety Assessment tool. Drug Treatment Court celebrated its 20th anniversary and received the Cultural Prof ciency Award from the Na onal Associa on of Drug Court Professionals. Criminal
Jus ce Planning is leading the County’s par cipa on in the MacArthur Founda on’s Safety + Jus ce Challenge and has recently launched the Criminal Jus ce Data Warehouse, which will serve as a pla orm for criminal jus ce system analysis. The Forensic Evalua ons Unit began a post‐doctoral internship program that drew na onwide interest. Through grant funding, Reentry Services is integra ng an array of services for individuals transi oning back into the community from prisons. Decrease in Jail Popula on ‐ Since 2008, the average daily popula on in our County jails has gone down by 38 percent. The criminal jus ce system came together to revise its prac ces and programs to achieve this accomplishment. Across the na on, there is growing recogni on that even a short stay in jail may detrimentally impact an individual’s life, livelihood and family. Locally, there is ever growing consensus that pretrial jail stays should be reserved for those individuals who may truly be threats to our community. DEPARTMENT SERVICES CJS provides the following County services to enhance the effec veness of the criminal jus ce system:  Criminal Jus ce Advisory Group convenes criminal jus ce leaders for coordina on and collabora on.  Criminal Jus ce Planning produces performance data and research analysis on the criminal jus ce system.  Drug Treatment Court oversees evidence‐based treatment to chemically‐dependent offenders.  Forensic Evalua ons conducts psychological evalua ons of court‐involved individuals.  Fine Collec on collects outstanding f nes and fees from convicted offenders.  Juvenile Crime Preven on Council uses state funding to assist at‐risk and court‐involved youth.  Pretrial Services provides objec ve risk assessments to judicial officers making bail decisions, and supervises defendants awai ng trial to mi gate risk of failure to appear or new criminal ac vity.  Reentry Services provides case management services for formerly incarcerated individuals. Within its budget, CJS oversees two contracts totaling $3.8 million that fund 66 state posi ons in the 26th Judicial District. CJS also manages a por on of the state mandated funding for court facili es. Although the funding rela onships with the state jus ce agencies are signif cant, this strategic plan focuses on the goals and objec ves for the County‐provided services. 207
Effec ve Use of Data and Best Prac ces ‐ Criminal jus ce system leaders increasingly acknowledge the power of skillful data analysis to inform decision‐making and impact change. CJS Planning offers a team of analysts ready to respond to system needs and to lead data‐driven ini a ves. CJS programs con nually evaluate their services and evolve to incorporate evidence‐based prac ces. Care for the Mentally Ill in the Jus ce System ‐ Sadly, many individuals with mental illness and substance abuse problems f nd themselves in our jails and prisons. Our treatment courts offer therapeu cally appropriate alterna ves to incarcera on. The jail liaison within CJS iden f es individuals with serious mental illness and/or developmental disabili es and works to obtain their release into a treatment se ng. A Criminal Jus ce Advisory Group commi ee is studying op ons to prevent the frequent arrests and jail stays of those with mental illness. Recidivism ‐ To successfully reenter our community and reintegrate, individuals returning from prisons and jails need suppor ve case management services. To avoid recidivism, individuals must quickly meet basic needs for housing and employment. Communica on pre‐ and post‐release and coordina on of services are keys to success. Collabora on Within and Across Systems ‐ Recognizing the need for collabora on to achieve shared goals, Mecklenburg County has convened and supported the Criminal Jus ce Advisory Group (CJAG) for ten years. Since problems and community needs span across systems, CJAG leaders frequently partner with leaders from behavioral health and other human services. Na onal Interest, Spotlights and Funding Opportuni es ‐ Our jus ce system consistently presents us with big and fundamental problems to solve. CJS is poised to take advantage of na onal interest in jus ce issues, realizing posi ve publicity for our programs and grant funding for our work ahead. Mecklenburg County FY2017‐2019 Strategic Business Plan 3 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN: CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES
OUR GOALS
Criminal Jus ce Services (CJS) helps to op mize Mecklenburg County’s investments in criminal jus ce. Through CJS, the County provides select services that enhance the administra on of jus ce and assist individuals involved in the jus ce system. The f rst three goals of the strategic plan align closely to the CJS mission to ensure a jus ce system that is data‐driven, effec ve and collabora ve. The fourth goal of the CJS strategic plan focuses on employee and team development. Goal 1: Promote data‐driven decision making to improve the criminal jus ce system. Pretrial
Services has gained na onal recogni on for its implementa on of a risk‐based assessment tool that is op mizing the way we use our jails to detain pretrial defendants. Through the data warehouse, Criminal Jus ce Planning will provide real‐ me data and analysis to inform and affect change. Forensic Evalua ons will con nue to provide psychological assessments to ensure appropriate court proceedings for children and adults. Goal 2: Advance effec ve, evidence‐based programming to meet individual needs and reduce
criminal jus ce involvement. CJS will seek County funding to build Reentry Services into an integrated portal for individuals returning to our community from prisons and jails, focusing on housing and employment. The Treatment Courts will leverage best prac ces and outcome data to ensure appropriate jus ce and effec ve treatment. Forensic Evalua ons will seek to increase its staff capacity to iden fy those with mental illness in our jails and seek their release into treatment. To provide high‐quality programming with demonstrable results, CJS case managers urgently need an effec ve case management so ware system. Goal 3: Lead interagency and cross‐departmental collabora on to op mize the County's
investments in criminal jus ce. Criminal Jus ce Planning will con nue to support the Mecklenburg County Criminal Jus ce Advisory Group (CJAG). Reentry Services will support the work of Reentry Partners of Mecklenburg, our local reentry council. All CJS services will seek ways to maximize partnerships with other County departments, such as with the Consolidated Human Services Agency and especially with the Sheriff’s Office. Goal 4: Build a cohesive department of criminal jus ce professionals working on collabora ve
teams. CJS provides six dis nct services with dis nct histories and has employees spread across six office loca ons. In the near future, the County will be renova ng a new physical home for the CJS department at 715 E. Fourth Street. CJS will also con nue to strengthen the department as a professional home for all its employees, with shared culture, communica ons, and support for employee development. Criminal Jus ce Services
has a strong track record
of innova on and
excellence, with valuable
programs and talented
employees.
The CJS program managers
are experts in criminal
jus ce planning, forensic
evalua ons, pretrial
services, reentry services,
and treatment courts. The
strength of this strategic
plan is a result of their
vision, commitment to best
prac ces, and mo va on
to serve our community.
CJS employees are
dedicated to their work
and ready to take CJS to
the next level.
The goals of the strategic
plan closely align to the
CJS mission to ensure a
jus ce system that is data‐
driven, effec ve and
collabora ve.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
It is my privilege to serve as interim director of Criminal Jus ce Services during our search for the next permanent director. Criminal Jus ce Services has a strong track record of innova on and excellence, and the next director will be building on many successes. We are grateful for the leadership and insight that Tom Eberly provided. CJS has valuable programs and talented employees, and I am proud to share the news of the great work going on now and to come. The CJS program managers are experts in criminal jus ce planning, forensic evalua ons, pretrial services, reentry services, and treatment courts. The strength of this strategic plan is a result of their vision, commitment to best prac ces, and mo va on to serve our community. I would like to thank these managers, Janeanne Gonzales, Jessica Ireland, Hope Marshall, Dr. Melissa Neal and Dr. Stephen Strzelecki. I also would like to thank CJS management analysts Katy Fitzgerald and Michael Griswold for their assistance in developing this plan. Finally, I thank all CJS employees for their dedicated service. These employees are ready to take CJS to the next level, and I look forward to con nuing to support them in their work. ‐ Carol Hickey, Interim Director, Criminal Jus ce Services
208
Mecklenburg County FY2017‐2019 Strategic Business Plan 4 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN: CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Promote data‐driven decision making to improve the criminal jus ce system
Objec ve 1: Increase availability of meaningful data to inform management decisions and enhance under‐
standing of the criminal jus ce system Objec ve 2: Increase the efficiency and meliness of the Public Safety Assessment (PSA) risk‐assessment process Objec ve 3: Transi on the Pretrial risk‐assessment tool, Public Safety Assessment (PSA), to the magistrate level to make risk‐based informa on available to magistrates when making their ini al bond decisions Objec ve 4: Increase the efficiency and effec veness of forensic evalua ons available to Mecklenburg County courts Goal 2: Advance effec ve, evidence‐based programming to meet individual needs and reduce criminal
jus ce involvement Objec ve 1: Obtain appropriate tools to provide comprehensive case management services for CJS clients Objec ve 2: Increase the capacity of Reentry Services to provide service to CJS clients Objec ve 3: Improve access to affordable housing for those with criminal histories Objec ve 4: Facilitate the crea on of employment opportuni es for persons with criminal histories Objec ve 5: Reduce number of individuals with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) detained in Mecklenburg County Jail Central and Jail North Objec ve 6: Maximize the Treatment Courts’ effec veness Objec ve 7: Provide objec ve data and recommenda ons regarding program quality for county and com‐
munity‐based agencies that provide programming to jus ce‐involved individuals Goal 3: Lead interagency and cross‐departmental collabora on to op mize the County's investments in
criminal jus ce Objec ve 1: Develop coordinated effort to deliver services to, and promote the reintegra on of, individu‐
als with criminal records Objec ve 2: Support the Criminal Jus ce Advisory Group (CJAG) and other community‐based collabora ve efforts Objec ve 3: Monitor racial dispropor onality in the adult criminal jus ce system and partner with local jus ce system stakeholders to reduce any iden f ed dispropor onali es 209
Mecklenburg County FY2017‐2019 Strategic Business Plan 5 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN: CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY (cont’d)
Goal 4: Build a cohesive department of criminal jus ce professionals working on collabora ve teams Objec ve 1: Ensure that CJS employees are regularly informed of department and unit‐specif c ac vi es and news Objec ve 2: Promote opportuni es for employee professional development Objec ve 3: Establish and cul vate effec ve and collabora ve teams Goal 5: Maintain environmental sustainability of opera ons Objec ve 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines Objec ve 2: Provide employees with opportuni es to learn about and prac ce environmentally‐friendly ac vi es (via the County’s Work Green program) FY2016* Department
Adopted
Budget FY2017** FY2019** Total # of
Dept. Posi‐
ons Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals Est. # of
employees
to Achieve
Goals Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals Est. # of em‐
ployees to
Achieve Goals Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals Est. # of em‐
ployees to
Achieve Goals 56 $2,113,041 11 $1,169,738 15 $574,826 17 (Net County) $9,189,867 FY2018** *All or a por on of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full‐ me/part‐ me employees may be used to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019 **All es mated costs (including one‐ me and/or ongoing amounts) and full‐ me/part‐ me employees were iden f ed to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019. 210
Mecklenburg County FY2017‐2019 Strategic Business Plan 6 FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
211
“The Mecklenburg County Child Support
Enforcement Department (CSE) exceeded the
targets for each of its five performance measures
in FY15 for the first time in the history of
becoming a County Department. This marks a
major accomplishment for CSE, the County and
the customers served. Congratulations to staff for
a job well done.”
-Dena Diorio, Mecklenburg County Manager
OUR
To lead the State in the provision of
child support services.
OUR
“Sending a big CONGRATULATIONS, on passing all
your incentive categories! Awesome work! Your
work to enhance the well-being of children and
the self-sufficiency of families by providing
services to locate parents, establish paternity, and
establish and enforce orders for financial and
medical support. When you get down to it, child
support is charged with one of the most important
priority - looking after the best interests of the
children. I congratulate each and every one of you
for your deep commitment to putting children
first!”
To enhance the quality of life of children
and families through the efficient and
timely provision of child support services.
-Judy McArn, Chief NC Child Support Services
212
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT
OUR ENVIRONMENT
PROMOTING WELL-BEING AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY
ECONOMIC AND FISCAL TRENDS
1. Child support’s core mission is to locate parents,
establish paternity, establish orders and collect
support.
Unemployment: As of August 2015 North Carolina’s
Unemployment rate was 6.1%, and Mecklenburg
Metropolitan Statistical Area’s unemployment rate was
5.8% (Source: NCCommerce.com).
2. Child support programs are engaged in outreach,
referral, case management and other strategies in
partnership with key stakeholders and partners,
including fatherhood initiatives and workforce
development programs.
Income: In 2013 the estimated median worker earnings
were $31,952 and an estimated 143,581 residents were
below poverty level, in the previous 12 months.
DEMOGRAPHIC & SOCIAL CHANGES
3. Child support programs provide innovative services to
families across six interrelated areas. These services
ensure that parents have the tools and resources they
need to support their children and be positively
involved in raising them.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Population: Mecklenburg County’s 2014 population
estimate is 1,012,539. This is a 10.1% increase from the
2010 population of 919,628 (Source:
Quickfacts.census.gov).
Education for the Mecklenburg County population age 25
and over, in 2013, an estimated 88.8% attained at least
high school graduation, and 40.7% at least a bachelor’s
degree.
Child Support Prevention
Family Violence Prevention
Health Care Coverage
Healthy Family Relationships
Economic Stability
Engagement of Fathers from Birth of the Child
CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT CASELOAD
Mecklenburg County Child Support Enforcement (CSE)
number of open cases at the end of the State Fiscal Year
(June 30) decreased by 5.85% between 2011 and 2015, and
was 35,789 on 6/30/2015. Of the open cases, 10.5% were
currently receiving public assistance (TANF), 44.55%
formerly received public assistance, and the remaining 45%
had never received public assistance. There has not been a
statistically significant change in this percentage
breakdown, over the previous 5 fiscal years.
213
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT
OUR GOALS
Goal 1 – Strengthen Families to Improve Child Support Outcomes: Align local goals with Federal and State child
support goals that focus on promoting child and family well-being, and responsible fatherhood
Goal 2 – Noncustodial Parent Employment Program: Increase capability for unemployed and underemployed
noncustodial parents to provide regular financial support for their children
Goal 3 – Increase Case Management Efficiency and Effectiveness: Caseload stratification will allow case managers to
focus on cases that have the best potential outcomes for child support customers
Goal 4 – Utilize Technology Solutions to Improve Customer Service: Automated solutions can increase efficiency,
improve communications with peers, stakeholders, and partners, and help offset the existing staffing short falls until
funding is available
OUR FUNDING
The level of funding allocated by the State and localities determines the amount of resources available to CSE agencies. The
Federal government reimburses each state 66% of all allowable expenditures on CSE activities (Source: Congressional
Research Service Report RL33422). In addition, the Federal government provides each state with an incentive payment,
based on performance, to encourage them to operate effective programs. When the Federal government calculates each
state’s incentive payment, collections made on behalf of TANF families, foster care families and Medicaid families are given
more weight in the formula used to determine the “collections base” for an individual state. Ultimately, the collection base
determines the percent of the total incentive funds earned by each state. The NC Child Support Services Office uses a
formula to determine how they distribute incentive funds to each of the 100 counties.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
“In the beginning we said our goal was to be a high performing agency in five years – as represented by meeting all of
our incentive goals. You have kept your eyes on the prize, and though challenging and even “overwhelming” at
times, we have made this five years together – as a team and a child support family. Thank you for your dedication and
commitment, and thank you for allowing me to represent you as professionals.”
-Joan Kennedy, Mecklenburg County Child Support Enforcement Director
214
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Improve Child Support Outcomes to Strengthen Families
Objective 1: Ensure that children have a legal relationship established with their father
Objective 2: Ensure children have support orders established
Objective 3: Ensure noncustodial parents (NCPs) pay their child support obligations as ordered
Objective 4: Increase family-centered programming for families
Goal 2: Increase Child Well-Being and Family Self-Sufficiency through Noncustodial Parent Workforce Programs
Objective 1: Increase capability for noncustodial parents to provide regular and reliable support for their children
Goal 3: Increase Case Management Efficiency and Effectiveness
Objective 1: Increase collection of regular and consistent child support payments
Objective 2: Formalize the development of staff competencies
Goal 4: Utilize Technology Solutions to Improve Customer Service
Objective 1: Through automated solutions, increase efficiency; improve internal and external communication; and
reduce manual processes
Goal 5: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly activities
(via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$2,546,768
111
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$1,525,428
$1,285,747
$1,295,631
10
10
10
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
215
216
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
217
Our Values
OUR
Accountability – We strive for excellence and take responsibility
for our work and outcomes. We commit to clear, accurate and
consistent communication that informs how we correct missteps
and how we celebrate successes.
Collaboration – We seek partnerships that provide opportunities
to combine innovation, resources, knowledge and strengths to
benefit and meet customer, employee and community needs.
Customers – We use care, compassion, concern and cultural
awareness in our customer interactions. We support the
customer’s empowerment and partnership in seeking solutions to
meet their specific needs. Our accessible and timely services move
individuals toward greater independence and stability.
Dignity – We recognize each person’s worth, and treat customers
and co-workers with courtesy and respect.
Employees – We value our employees. We welcome diverse
backgrounds to serve customers and community better, to enhance
our knowledge, and the effectiveness of services and programs. We
invest in employee growth and learning. We support employee
wellness and safety. We appreciate each person’s contribution to
the team’s success.
Integrity – We adopt the highest ethical standards as our guide.
We expect open and transparent business operations. We conduct
ourselves with confidence, and believe doing the right thing
produces the best outcome for customers, employees and
Mecklenburg County Government.
To be the innovative leader in providing veteran services,
and in preventing and intervening to end homelessness,
substance use, community and domestic violence.
OUR
Community Support Services transforms lives and
community by supporting veterans, ending
homelessness, treating substance use, and preventing
and intervening in community and domestic violence.
218
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Community Support Services is a human services
department created to maximize partnership and
collaborative opportunities to better provide service to
customers. The department has three divisions and a total
of 145 positions, with staff in 14 locations throughout the
County. The fiscal year 2016 budget of $17.32 million
includes seven grant awards.
TRENDS and CHANGES
CSS customers represent populations with unique
characteristics and needs. Our approach to service must
reflect the local environment and consider national trends
and practices, too. Our customers have needs that extend
to more than one service area or program provided by the
department. The following information reflects some of
the influences for our strategic planning.
The Homeless Services Division provides assessment,
outreach and case management to individuals and families
who are homeless, or working toward housing stability. The
Veterans Services Division assists military veterans and
their families to access benefits from the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and state
and local agencies.
The community’s veteran population – 57,194 in 2014 -- is
growing. Federal projections from the Department of
Veterans Affairs forecast Mecklenburg County will add
another 3,000 veterans through 2016. Returning veterans
have a myriad of needs, including assistance on improving
their financial situation.
Our third division addresses domestic violence, substance
use, and violence prevention. Adult and teen victims of
domestic violence, offenders, and child witnesses receive
individual and group counseling, safety planning and case
management services. Treatment programs offered in the
jail and shelter address the issue of addiction within the
homeless, domestic violence and incarcerated populations.
Lastly, the Prevention and Intervention Services Division
works to reduce violence through youth and community
violence prevention services.
There are gaps across systems, services and policies that
relate to community and domestic violence and substance
use. Local police count more than 35,000 domestic
violence-related calls annually. Community partnerships
and effective collaborations will drive system change. In
the past 12 months, 13.6 percent of middle and high school
students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools report being
physically hurt purposefully by a boyfriend or girlfriend,
according to a Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
CSS supports three Mecklenburg Board of County
Commissioners appointed advisory boards: Domestic
Violence Advisory Board, the Women’s Advisory Board and
the Housing Advisory Board of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
The one-day January 2015 Point in Time Count reported
2,001 individuals in Charlotte-Mecklenburg as homeless. In
2014, approximately, 4770 school children self-reported as
homeless, living in motels or doubled up with another
family. More than 30,000 people applied for subsidized
housing vouchers when the Charlotte Housing Authority
opened its waiting list in 2014. Use of the Housing First
approach with support services can help end homelessness
and sustain housing.
In addition, the department coordinates the review of
domestic violence homicide cases through the Domestic
Violence Fatality Prevention and Protection Review Team.
219
OUR GOALS
Four goals make up the three-year strategic business plan for Community Support Services.
The first three have an external focus. The fourth, about environmental stewardship with
a focus on working green, is internal. Each supports our mission and tells the story of how
CSS wants to use the years to transform community with the help of collaborative
partnerships.
Goal one is about intervention: Strengthen intervention to meet the needs of veterans
and to decrease domestic violence, community violence and substance use by 2019. For
us, intervention means interceding with the intent of modifying an outcome. We help
guide the person. Whether that is to find a safe place away from the person who has just
physically harmed them, or whether it is to help a World War II veteran navigate the
federal veterans affairs process to submit a claim successfully for benefits. Our rationale
includes the growing veteran population, and the need to close gaps across systems,
services and policies that relate to domestic violence, community violence and substance
use.
Goal two is about our efforts to end homelessness. Decrease the number of homeless
households by the end of 2019. Homelessness is avoidable through appropriate models
of care and approaches that result in better individual and systemic outcomes. CSS is the
County’s lead department for community initiatives to end veteran homelessness and to
end chronic homelessness.
Goal three is about prevention. Increase prevention efforts to educate the community
about homelessness, domestic violence, community violence, substance use, and the
needs of veterans. Prevention activities can help stop an issue before it occurs, alleviate
stressors or risks that contribute to the likelihood of an issue occurring; and reduce
negative consequences and recurrence of an issue.
“Our goals for the next
three years will provide CSS
what is needed to
transform the lives of
veterans who need to
transition from military life
into the local community; a
family who needs safe,
affordable housing to
move out of a shelter; an
individual serving time in
jail who needs treatment
for substance use; and a
child who needs counseling
because she or he
witnessed domestic
violence in their home.”
CSS Director
Stacy M. Lowry
MSW, LCSW
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
As department director, I am encouraged by the content of our three-year strategic business plan. I know without the support
of a hard-working staff, willing to take on challenges, our goals will not be met. I want to thank the employees of Community
Support Services. The CSS staff is up to the challenge. The success of this plan depends on front-line employees, managers,
supervisors and directors who share the belief and enthusiasm for doing what it takes to transform lives and community. Our
workforce has individuals with diverse backgrounds, extensive skills, and expansive knowledge of customer and community
needs, service trends, and resources. We plan to add others who will enhance an already strong team of highly trained,
nationally certified and licensed employees.
Another factor in the success of our plan is our strong collaborative partnerships. I want to thank our partners for their continued
support and willingness to help CSS be an innovator and leader in meeting the needs of our community.
220
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Strengthen intervention to meet the needs of veterans and to decrease domestic violence, community
violence and substance use by 2019
Objective 1: Maintain and improve service delivery for families affected by domestic violence
Objective 2: Maintain and improve service delivery for veterans and their families
Objective 3: Maintain and improve service delivery, through jail and shelter treatment programs, to adults
affected by substance use
Objective 4: Maintain and increase neighborhood engagement around community violence prevention (FY17-19)
Objective 5: Use data and research to influence and drive decision-making and develop community awareness in
an effort to decrease domestic violence, community violence, substance use and meet the needs of veterans
Objective 6: Create and use continuous quality improvements (FY17-19)
Goal 2: Decrease the number of homeless households by the end of 2019
Objective 1: End veteran homelessness by June 30, 2016 and maintain functional zero
Objective 2: End chronic homelessness by June 30, 2017 and maintain functional zero
Objective 3: Decrease family homelessness
Objective 4: Use data and research to influence and drive decision-making in the effort to decrease the number
of homeless households
Goal 3: Increase prevention efforts to educate the community about homelessness, domestic violence,
community violence, substance use, and the needs of veterans
Objective 1: Expand primary prevention efforts to educate the community about Community Support Services
Department services
Objective 2: Expand secondary prevention activities offered to identified populations with a high-risk focus
Objective 3: Expand communications planning, public awareness campaigns, and marketing to support
Community Support Services primary and secondary prevention efforts (PI and ITS alignment)
Goal 4: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly
activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
221
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, and COSTS SUMMARY (cont’d)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$13,803,668
$2,559,089
$1,672,358
96
15
12
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$479,608
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
222
4
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
223
“…recently there was a situation that involved my daughter
and me which was resolved by your staff members with the
utmost professionalism… the work ethic that was displayed by
all was phenomenal, and you all focused on our needs and
created an avenue to assist us in securing the need.”
OUR
To define and cultivate an organizational culture that is
more compassionate and understanding toward each
other and our clients.
DSS Customer
“My heart is full and my daughter and me have been blessed
by this wonderful team!!!!!!!! Your hard work and diligence has
made an active community member of Mecklenburg County a
happy member. I have been a case manager for families for
years, and it seemed difficult for me to be my own, and when I
thought all was lost, a special team I will never, EVER forget,
came along and provided a felt sense of support in more ways
than I can imagine…I am forever indebted to you all.”
OUR
DSS Customer
We strengthen families and communities through a
safety-net of services, collaborations and hope.
“On any given day, the 1300 staff of
DSS are faced with helping our
neediest neighbors in ways we can’t
always imagine.”
Peggy A. Eagan, ACSW
DSS Director
224
OUR ENVIRONMENT
The Human Services environment is an ever changing one.
Winds of change continue to exist within the economic,
political, and social environments, as significant changes are
expected to occur at the local, state, and federal levels.
experts such as Eckerd, Inc. to improve our delivery of service
to vulnerable children and families, to the implementation of
a possible national model in Workforce Development via our
collaboration with community partners, DSS leadership and
staff continue to look for ways to improve the quality of life
for its customers.
Over the next three years, we anticipate the following
transitions to occur which will affect both the framework and
delivery of services in the Health and Human Services (HHS)
arena:
With a focus on strengthening and stabilizing families through
mandated service delivery, as well as an integrated and
generative approach regarding Workforce Development,
creation of a senior-friendly environment, and multigeneration impact on poverty, we believe our efforts will
significantly change the lives and outcomes of those we touch.
(a) With the election of a new President, as well as the
insertion of a new Speaker of the House, political changes
in the federal landscape are expected in the next year
which will undoubtedly affect decisions concerning the
delivery of health and human services across the nation;
(b) The Governor’s race, as well as the continued grappling
with Medicaid by North Carolina legislators, will
undoubtedly create funding changes for HHS programs
and services;
(c) The continued implementation of NC FAST, as well as
ECONOMIC AND FISCAL TRENDS
Between 2006-2014, the number of active Food and Nutrition
Services (FNS) recipients increased 148 percent to 163,380.
Similarly, the proportion of Mecklenburg County residents
receiving FNS benefits increased from 7.9 to 16.1 percent.
During the same period, the number of Medicaid recipients
increased 81 percent to 163,739. In 2014, 16.2 percent of
Mecklenburg County residents received Medicaid. Growing by
nearly 74 percent, Family & Children Medicaid outpaced Adult
Medicaid growth by nearly double. Family & Children
represented 79 percent of all Medicaid recipients. A
Congressional Budget Office report expects Medicaid
enrollment nationwide to grow 2% annually through 2024,
which suggests we can expect continued growth.
the expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina, will no
doubt trigger an increased service demand over the next
three years as more individuals and families will apply for
and be determined eligible for services;
(d) Population shifts are anticipated, as seniors in
Mecklenburg continue to increase, requiring a much
enhanced focus on the delivery of senior services
throughout our community;
(e) Changes in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act, coupled with changes in the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program Employment and Training programs
should improve economic opportunities for County
residents;
(f) The transition to a more integrated, human servicesdelivery model should greatly improve outcomes for
families and individuals, as well as improve efficiencies
throughout HHS.
DEMOGRAPHIC & SOCIAL CHANGES
In 2014, seniors (65 or older) represented 10 percent of the
Mecklenburg population, up 2 percent from 2005. The senior
population is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 2
percent through 2030. At present, approximately 107,000
seniors reside in Mecklenburg. If projections are accurate, by
2020, seniors will make up 12 percent of the county’s
population (136,000); in 2030, they are estimated to comprise
15 percent of the population (204,000). At present the
proportion of seniors making up the county population is
below the national rate.
The Department of Social Services continues to strive for
excellence in its delivery of services to the residents of
Mecklenburg County. From the consultation of national
225
OUR GOALS
The vast majority of the programs administered by the Department of Social Services are
mandated by federal and state statutes in the protection of children and adults as well as the
administration of public assistance programs. (Currently our customers wait to receive services
beyond mandated timeframes due to high workload volume.)
Because the Department is mandated to provide such services based upon federal and state
timelines and quality expectations, it is imperative that such services be considered priority
when determining appropriate funding and application of resources.
While the mandated services serve as a “safety-net” to prevent County residents from falling
into further decline, they do not provide the resources necessary to assist individuals and
families in reaching their greatest level of independence. In order to achieve self-sufficiency
and reduce the cycle of multi-generational poverty, a community-wide, integrated service
delivery model must be recognized. As such, DSS is committed to enhancing our collaboration
with other departments and agencies to integrate service delivery through a targeted,
deliberate and intentional approach, thereby enabling customers to receive additional support
to further improve their quality of life.
Our Values:
Respect and Trust
Do the Right Thing
Strive for Excellence
Service with Compassion
Finally, in order to effectively assist adults in reaching their greatest level of potential, as well
as to create better lives for the next generation, we believe that solutions and efforts must
transcend traditional funding streams, issue areas, and organizational missions. Through our
commitment to generative leadership and best practice, we will focus on informing policy,
prevention and practice in Human Services, to ensure that Mecklenburg County is properly
positioned to address ongoing changes in human services.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Small miracles happen here!
•
•
•
•
A worker delivering meals to the home of an elderly resident is able to call 911 when he realizes that the customer is
lying in the middle of the floor, unable to answer the door.
A social worker in her car, on her way between meetings, sees a distraught young woman contemplating a jump from
a bridge into traffic below, and is able to talk the young woman into abandoning suicide and accepting help.
A transportation driver stopped for a train, sees an elderly gentleman walking in the middle of the tracks, and acts
quickly to coax him to safety, while ensuring she herself remained safe.
DSS workers from different divisions team up to convince an overwhelmed young mother that there are other options
to abandoning her three young children.
On any given day, the 1,300 staff of DSS are faced with helping our neediest neighbors in ways we can’t always imagine.
Guided by our values - respect and trust, doing the right thing, striving for excellence and providing service with
compassion, the staff of DSS stand ready to accomplish the goals we have identified to stabilize and strengthen this
community.
226
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Stabilization: To strengthen and stabilize families through efficient delivery of mandated programs and
services
Objective 1: Public Assistance: To increase the percentage of households receiving their benefits timely and
accurately, and to enhance overall customer service
Objective 2: Workforce Development: Improve the employment prospects and quality of life for DSS customers
through the provision of Social Work and/or Work Force Development Services. Decrease the number of Public
Assistance customers that re-apply for Work First Family Assistance and Food and Nutrition services
Objective 3: Community Social Work; General Assistance - Maintaining Independence: Increase outreach and
offerings to clients that will prevent at risk/poverty stricken families, caretakers, disabled and elderly clients
need for protective services
Objective 4: Adult Social Work Services ASWS: Increase Mecklenburg’s capacity to serve those referred to Statemandated Adult protective and guardianship services
Objective 5: Senior Citizen’s Nutrition Program: Increase participation in congregate and home-delivered meal
programs to meet the needs of the increased aging population in Mecklenburg County
Objective 6: Implement the recommendation from the organizational review conducted by Eckerd Youth
Alternatives
Objective 7: Children’s Services: YFS will improve system efficiency, effectiveness and improve the quality of
services and outcomes for the children and families of Mecklenburg County to meet and or exceed the outcomes
measures of the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR)
Goal 2: Integration: To strengthen families through an integrated delivery of programs and services
Objective 1: Community Social Work, General Assistance: Maintaining Independence - Reduce the need for at
risk/poverty stricken families, caretakers, disabled and elderly clients to return to DSS for the same service
Objective 2: Mecklenburg Transportation Systems (MTS) - Increase trip capacity and revenue for Mecklenburg
Transportation System
Objective 3: Compliance, Support & Information Services Embedding Continuous Quality Improvement
philosophy in DSS Culture
Objective 4: Mail Services - Increase Mail Services efficiency or cost savings [Mail Services]
227
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY (cont’d)
Goal 3: Generation: To be an innovative organization focused on prevention and socio-economic mobility,
helping families and communities reach their greatest potential
Objective 1: Adult Services - Implement an Aging Services Plan to address the needs of a growing aging
population in Mecklenburg county
Goal 4: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly
activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$65,658,840
$3,746,888
1,315
34
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs
employees
to Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$4,647,107
$5,513,850
42
49
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
228
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
229
OUR
The Economic Development Department will enable a
bright future for all Mecklenburg County residents by
creating a globally competitive region that stimulates
business vitality and enhances the quality of life in our
communities and neighborhoods.
OUR
First Ward Park
Charlotte
The Economic Development Office will create vitality
and quality of life through five critical areas:
•
•
•
•
•
New & Existing Business Growth
Small Business & Entrepreneurial Growth
Strong Communities & Neighborhoods
Workforce Development
Tourism, Arts and Culture
MSC-Sid Tools
Davidson
230
OUR ENVIRONMENT
WHAT WE DO
GROWING LOCALLY
The Economic Development Office is a small operation
with big responsibilities and a big vision for growing the
opportunities available to Mecklenburg County residents.
The main focus of the EDO for many years has simply been
on job attraction. Given the competitive environment for
these jobs, Mecklenburg County must seek ways to grow
businesses that already exist and to help new businesses
grow and get off the ground. Additionally, Mecklenburg
County must ensure that its residents have the skills and
background to capitalize on opportunities for economic
mobility. It must also strive to maintain a good balance of
jobs that provide a wide range of entry points and options
for the current workforce and the generations that will
follow it.
By partnering with several internal and external agencies,
the EDO helps the County and the Board of Commissioners
take proactive steps to help attract and retain jobs and –
in the future – help small and high growth companies
thrive, help provide pathways for economic mobility and
strengthen the resiliency of the local economy
JOB ATTRACTION AND COMPETITION
This means an “all of the above” strategy. Whether it’s the
crew foreman looking for resources and assistance in
starting their own landscaping service or an engineer with
a ground breaking idea that needs nurturing to become a
high growth enterprise, locally grown jobs will strengthen
Mecklenburg County’s ability to provide opportunity and
the resilience to whether future national economic
downturns.
While the great Recession of 2008 is behind us, the growth
of jobs and income has been uneven across the country. As
the companies that are growing and expanding seek to
establish new operations, the competition to attract those
jobs has never been stronger between cities, regions and
states.
While Mecklenburg County has several competitive
advantages, the financial incentives offered by other
communities are helping them overcome some deficits.
Mecklenburg County faces a unique challenge in that a
portion of its surrounding metropolitan region lies in
another state, creating intense hyper-local competition for
jobs and investment. Moreover, most large scale job
creation projects are most influenced by state incentive
packages which have faced strong headwinds recently in
North Carolina. The EDO must remain strong partners with
its sister agencies to provide comprehensive packages to
attract growth.
HOW DO WE GET THERE?
To get to this “All of the above” strategy, the EDO is
working with the Board of County Commissioners
Economic Development Committee to complete an
Economic Development Policy with five focus areas:
•
•
•
•
•
New & Existing Business Growth
Small Business and Entrepreneurial Growth
Work Force Development
Strong Communities and Development
Tourism, Arts and Culture
The plan will align to the five focus areas. This plan is
pending the Board of County Commissioner’s adoption of
the Economic Development Policy and Plan.
231
OUR GOALS
GOAL 1: Promote job growth, diversified employment opportunities and new capital
investments throughout Mecklenburg County
GOAL 2: Promote job growth through the creation of small business and
entrepreneur programs
GOAL 3: Implement a program that bridges gaps in workforce development training
initiatives
GOAL 4: Implement a centralized contract management system for grants
GOAL 5: Promote the growth of Minority, Small and Women owned Businesses
Enterprises through County contracting and purchasing processes
Midtown Metropolitan
Charlotte
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Mecklenburg County has embarked on a new journey to be a more direct actor in steering
its own growth, expanding economic diversity, and providing new opportunity for
economic mobility for its 1,000,000+ residents. While undertaking these new directions,
the County reaffirms its commitment to providing opportunities to small, women and
minority owned business through its corporate purchasing and contracting.
The EDO staff and I are excited to be charged with leading this new direction for
Mecklenburg residents and look forward to developing new policy and program options
to create positive impacts for all households and businesses. It’s time to roll up our sleeves
and dive in to the work of economic development!
The EDO programs will
affect not just job counts
and total tax base, but help
broadly diversify the
economy and provide
economic mobility
opportunities.
Siemens Energy
Charlotte
232
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Employees
(Net County)
$10,274,680
3
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
TBD
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
TBD
TBD
TBD
FY2019**
Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals
Est. # of
employees to
Achieve Goals
TBD
TBD
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be
used to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**Costs and full-time/part-time employee counts will be determined at a later date post Economic
Development Policy and Plan approval.
233
234
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
235
OUR
To provide the best possible election services for the
voters and candidates of Mecklenburg County.
OUR
To provide United States citizens, residing in
Mecklenburg County, the opportunity to exercise their
right to vote in appropriate jurisdictions by establishing
convenient and efficient voter registration, voting sites
and services, and by operating the election process in
an open, fair and efficient manner as set forth in the
Constitutions and General Statutes of North Carolina
and the United States of America.
Board of Elections team members assist candidates in
the filing process (2015)
Board of Elections public educational event, in
partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
236
Please use this space to insert a picture/graphic or
quotes from customers or leadership
OUR ENVIRONMENT
◦ The population of Mecklenburg County continues to
grow rapidly. In the past ten years, the number of
registered voters in Mecklenburg County has
increased from 511,472 to 646,417, a change of more
than 26 percent.
◦ The Board of Elections (BOE) takes customer service
seriously and is preparing for increased volumes
(voter registrations/changes, requests for public
information, voting both in person and absentee,
candidate filings, etc.) in the coming years through the
use of technology and streamlining of services.
◦ Meanwhile, the N.C. General Assembly has recently
passed new legislation related to voting, which is
currently being debated in the courts. We will be
required to respond accordingly within the guidance
of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
◦ Our efforts to improve customer service will be
affected by the outcomes of current and future legal
changes and court rulings.
237
OUR GOALS
The Board of Election’s goals are all related to our primary purpose, which is to provide
excellent service to the voters of Mecklenburg County. We take customer service seriously, and
results of a recent voter experience survey indicate success in this endeavor. Ninety-eight
percent of respondents rated the service they received from poll workers as “excellent” or
“good.” Overall customer service was rated at 92% positive (excellent or good). Customer
service is the basis of all the goals we have included in this plan.
Training is integral to providing great service, and this is reflected in our strategic plan.
Full-time team members will benefit from an increased focus on professional development,
supported by the Board of Elections. The temporary staff who work with the Board of Elections
during early voting and on election day will also benefit from enhanced training as well. Our
strategic focus on training will allow BOE employees to transfer their skills to continually
improving the service we provide to the public through the application of best practices and
creative problem-solving.
Finally, the Board of Elections will be required by the State of North Carolina to replace
the current voting equipment by 2019. This is a mandated change, and the BOE will be focused
on providing great service to the voters throughout the process of selection and
implementation.
“We continue to seek
enhanced methods to
better serve the citizens of
Mecklenburg County.”
“Customer service is the
basis of all the goals we
have included in this plan.”
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections administers all scheduled elections. The BOE currently operates 195
precincts on Election Day and operates Early Voting locations for voters prior to Election Day. The office serves the voters of
Mecklenburg County throughout each year, providing customer service, responding to questions, and maintaining accurate
data related to voters’ addresses, party affiliation, and related changes. We provide support to candidates when filing for office,
as well as processing campaign finance materials. We train poll workers to staff each of the precincts and the early voting sites,
extending our focus on customer service into every neighborhood of the County. The Board of Elections website provides public
access to voter and candidate information, precinct locations, sample ballots, and election night results and other data, 24
hours a day, seven days a week.
The office is currently in the midst of implementing changes consistent with legislation passed by the North Carolina
General Assembly, S.L. 2013-381, the Voter Information Verification Act (VIVA). Some of those changes are already in place.
Additionally, voters will be required to show photo ID prior to voting on Election Day or at one-stop voting locations, starting
with the first election in 2016. Educational programs for the general public as well as training poll workers about the new
requirements are important components of ensuring an educated public.
We continue to seek enhanced methods to better serve the citizens of Mecklenburg County, including public
information requests, voter registration applications and changes, poll worker training and support, and candidate support.
This strategic plan illustrates the Board of Election’s goals, and the steps it plans to take in order to reach those goals.
238
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Continue Providing Excellent Customer Service to the Voters of Mecklenburg County
Objective 1: Expand Early Voting sites
Objective 2: Use survey data to identify current state and opportunities for improvement
Goal 2: Maintain Accurate Data
Objective 1: Respond effectively to voter contact/changes
Goal 3: Elevate Training Provided to Poll Workers to Accommodate Increased Volume (early voting
and election day)
Objective 1: Recruit and train poll workers adequately to provide excellent customer service to voters
Goal 4: Develop Staff
Objective 1: Increase the percentage of employees with IDP (individual development plan)
Goal 5: Adopt New Voting Equipment
Objective 1: Compliance with State Law
Goal 6: Maintain Environmental Sustainability of Operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentallyfriendly activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
239
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY (cont’d)
FY2016*
Department
Adopted
Total # of
Budget
Dept.
(Net
Positions
County)
$2,331,137
24
FY2017**
FY2018**
FY2019**
Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals
Est. # of
employees
to Achieve
Goals
Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals
Est. # of
employees
to Achieve
Goals
Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals
Est. # of
employees
to Achieve
Goals
$813,000
3
$365,000
3
$415,000
3
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
240
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
241
OUR
Mecklenburg County Financial Services Department
comprised of Procurement, Departmental Financial
Services, and Central Finance, provides fiscal support to
county departments, which enables them to service
taxpayers, residents, and visitors through processing
financial transactions, maintaining reporting systems, and
ensuring compliance with statutes, regulations, and
policies.
“Finance is always responsive and helpful. If they don’t
have an answer, they will get to someone who does
and get back with you timely” – quote from an internal
customer
OUR
Mecklenburg County Financial Services Department
provides fiscal stewardship and accountability of all
public funds.
“Great customer support, great response time” – quote
from an internal customer
242
OUR ENVIRONMENT
A scan of our environment shows the internal forces within
the Financial Services Department and the external forces
outside of the department that have affected the
department’s work from FY 2012 to FY 2016. To conduct
this scan, we used both internal and external information
sources, including workload data, department performance
indicators, results from the County’s Employee Climate
survey, existing department key initiatives, media reports,
customer and vendor surveys, and the County’s Pulse
Report. The results of our scan are summarized below and
grouped into categories.
CUSTOMER & EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION TRENDS
DEPARTMENT, WORKLOAD & PERFORMANCE TRENDS
ECONOMIC & FISCAL TRENDS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Our department has added two new divisions,
Departmental Financial Services and Procurement
Services, resulting in a $10 million increase in our
budget.
Our department has implemented two new standalone software systems for contracts and
procurements while integrating the use of other
existing systems into new and revised work processes.
The number of full-time positions in the department
has grown from 33 to 148.
The number of users with individual access to our
financial management system, Advantage, has
increased from 135 to 205.
Various financial transactions processed, such as cash
receipts, invoices, purchases, and approvals, have
increased between 112 and 153 percent while
exemplary performance targets for processing
timeliness have been achieved.
Mecklenburg County has maintained a bond rating of
AAA.
The County has been awarded the GFOA Certificate of
Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting
every year.
•
•
Our department’s most recent customer satisfaction
rating was 94 percent, an improvement of 16 percent.
The most recent Employee Climate Survey showed
that our department achieved exemplary performance
on the Employee Motivation and Satisfaction Index
and the Employee Development Index.
Employee satisfaction on several communication
questions decreased between 5 and 13 percent on the
Employee Climate Survey.
The unemployment rate in Mecklenburg County is 5.9
percent, down from 10.7 percent during the recession.
Single-family housing starts increased 79 percent.
Health Care overtook the Finance, Insurance, and Real
Estate category as the fastest growing industry for
jobs.
DEMOGRAPHIC & SOCIAL CHANGES
•
•
•
243
Mecklenburg County’s population is projected to grow
24 percent from the last census until 2020, more than
double the projected growth of the state.
The segment of the population aged 65 and over is the
fasting growing segment in the County.
Nearly half of the County’s population was born after
1980.
OUR GOALS
IMPROVE FISCAL COMPETENCY
While our department has grown in terms of size and fiscal responsibilities, the overall
number of County employees with direct and indirect fiscal responsibilities has grown as
well. This growth requires an increased emphasis on training and education to ensure
continued compliance with financial and procurement processes, policies, and procedures
and to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of our employees with direct fiscal
responsibilities. We seek to improve the fiscal competency of all County employees
through comprehensive and continuous education and training programs designed to
ensure compliance and meet the individual employee and department needs based on
various learning styles and fiscal responsibilities.
IMPROVE COMMUNICATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Much of our growth can be attributed to a shift in centralizing the oversight of the entire
County’s financial and procurement activities within our department. As a result of this
centralization, we have experienced a declining trend in employee satisfaction with
communication across our separate divisions. In addition, centralization has also increased
the accountability of program managers in other departments for initiating financial and
procurement activities and thus, the need for consistent communication regarding these
activities. We seek to improve the communication of essential and critical financial and
policy information to management, employees, and customers.
IMPROVE COORDINATION OF FINANCIAL PROCESSES, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES
The shift towards centralization noted above has also increased the complexity of internal
processes and organizational culture and structures, reliance on technology, and workload
demands. We seek to improve the coordination and integration of internal processes,
policies, and procedures through re-alignment of organizational structures and
maximization of existing technology that will enable the seamless delivery of all financial
and procurement services to internal and external customers.
INCREASE VALUE OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES
One of the major factors influencing the shift towards centralization and the growth of our
department was the incorporation of Procurement as a new division, which offers a
greater level of strategic and logistical support for purchasing activities to County
departments than was previously available. We seek to increase the value of
procurement services for the benefit of County departments through the identification
of innovative sourcing strategies and collaborative business relationships.
244
”This growth requires an
increased emphasis on
training and education to
ensure continued
compliance with financial
and procurement
processes, policies, and
procedures and to enhance
the knowledge skills, and
abilities of our employees
with direct fiscal
responsibilities.”
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Improve fiscal competency of all County employees
Objective 1: Increase knowledge of financial operations, policies, and procedures for all County employees
Objective 2: Enhance general and technical knowledge, skills, and abilities in the field of local government finance
for all fiscal employees
Goal 2: Improve communication of financial information
Objective 1: Increase internal employee satisfaction with internal communication
Objective 2: Increase awareness and knowledge of fiscal and calendar year-end deadlines among internal
employees and departments
Goal 3: Improve the coordination of financial processes, policies, and procedures
Objective 1: Improve the accuracy and consistency of, and the ability to electronically search for and locate all
financial policies and procedures
Objective 2: Increase efficiency of financial processes, staff, and technology resources
Goal 4: Increase the value of procurement services
Objective 1: Improve the capability of an enterprise-wide strategic spend methodology to achieve maximum
flexibility and cost-effectiveness for County departments
Objective 2: Improve the coordination of and collaboration on purchasing activities in conjunction with other
support departments
Objective 3: Improve the effectiveness of County’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Program
Goal 5: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly activities
(via the County’s Work Green program)
245
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY (cont’d)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$13,111,420
148
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$218,441
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
3
$207,600
3
FY2019**
Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals
Est. # of
employees to
Achieve Goals
$207,590
4
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
246
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
247
Public health refers to all organized measures
(whether public or private) to prevent disease,
promote health, and prolong life among the
population as a whole.
OUR
To promote and protect the public’s health.
Its activities aim to provide conditions in which
people can be healthy and focus on entire
populations, not on individual patients or
diseases.
Thus, public health is concerned with the total
system and not only the eradication of a
particular disease.
The World Health Association
OUR
Mecklenburg County Health Department assures the
health and safety of our diverse and changing
community today and for future generations.
The 10 Essential Services of Public Health
248
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Overview
The work we do – and our strategic planning – remains
informed through community participation in establishing
our priority focus areas: Chronic Disease and Disability;
Mental Health; Access to Care and the health impact of
Violence. In response, MCHD has developed action plans
that include increasing opportunities for physical activity,
improving access to healthy foods, promotion of mental
health services and addressing barriers to care. This is
accomplished through innovative partnerships with County
agencies such as Parks and Recreation and the Sheriff’s
Office, collaboration with the Opportunity Task Force and
community organizations, and alignment with the goals of
the Mecklenburg Livable Communities Plan.
The Mecklenburg County Health Department (MCHD)
offers a full array of programs and services to meet the
community health needs of more than 1,012,539 residents.
Over 813 employees work to ensure its mission of providing
a safe and healthy environment for Charlotte and the six
towns within the County.
These services encompass the everyday work of inspecting
restaurants and other facilities, following up on suspected
communicable disease cases to prevent further infections,
providing clinical preventive services, performing health
case management, conducting health education in the
community and monitoring the population’s health through
epidemiologic surveillance.
The successful implementation of policies establishing
tobacco-free government grounds and parks evidences the
added value of this collaborative approach to creating a
healthy community.
Internal Changes
A Context of Change
MCHD has expanded dramatically in the past three years as
the County ended the management contract with Carolinas
HealthCare System, restructured Environmental Health and
moved programs from the Provided Services Organization.
A new Health Director and a reorganized management
structure position MCHD to enhance the quality, efficiency
and effectiveness of our services.
This work will take place in the context of a growing,
increasingly diverse population, challenging us to provide
culturally competent services. Technological changes will
provide opportunities for greater efficiency to meet the
needs of a growing population, accompanied by increasing
numbers of restaurants and facilities needing inspection to
ensure safety.
External Focus
Clinical services will be influenced by the ongoing impact of
the Affordable Care Act. There are new opportunities to
prevent the spread of HIV through prophylaxis, and for
early interventions to mitigate the impact of diseases.
As diseases, events and community health needs evolve,
MCHD is challenged to address new and emerging
demands. Improving health will take us beyond our
traditional spheres, recognizing that the physical
environment and social factors such as poverty and
education are significant determinants of health.
Underlying all of this is an ongoing commitment to health
equity, addressing racial and ethnic disparities in infant
mortality, adolescent pregnancy, diabetes morbidity and
mortality, HIV disease and homicide.
249
OUR GOALS
A primary responsibility of Public Health is to prevent and control infectious diseases. To
accomplish this we are proposing to increase use of evidence-based strategies to address
HIV disease by assuring the availability of new prevention approaches, expanding
opportunities for those at risk to know their status, and supporting them remaining in the
care that will keep them healthy and prevent spreading infection. With prevention as a
priority, MCHD seeks to increase our preparedness capacity and our ability to meet
mandated inspections of the increasing number of food service and other facilities opening
to meet the growing population.
In response to the findings of our Community Health Assessment, we look to “make the
healthy choice the easy choice” for County residents. Collaborating with organizations to
support “health in all policies” and increasing access to healthy food choices will help
address chronic diseases. Increased access to Long Acting Reversible Contraception will
prevent unintended pregnancies and increase the inter-pregnancy interval. This will
support women’s health and prevent the health and social consequences of unintended
pregnancy, positioning these women to complete their education or secure employment.
“I am deeply grateful for the
energy, passion and
commitment of our staff and
leadership team, a
supportive County Executive
Team and Board of County
Commissioners and the
partnership of health serving
community agencies.
Collectively our focus and
dedication will help create a
vibrant, healthy community.”
Marcus Plescia, MD, MPH
Health Director
Addressing the challenges of health disparities supports increased capacity for data
analysis, the use of data-driven, evidence based interventions and strengthening the
School Health program. Expanding the Child Development-Community Policing program
to the six towns in the County, training more law enforcement personnel in Crisis
Intervention Teams and enhancing Human Service Agency personnel with the capacity to
successfully manage professional exposure to trauma will help lessen the impact of mental
health challenges.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
This plan will help us build on a legacy of service, guiding us through emerging challenges to continued success. Reflecting
identified needs and linking our efforts to partners within County government and in the communities, this plan supports
the building of a healthier Mecklenburg for all residents. I am deeply grateful for the energy, passion and commitment
of our staff and leadership team, a supportive County Executive Team and Board of County Commissioners and the
partnership of health serving community agencies. Collectively our focus and dedication will help create a vibrant,
healthy community.
250
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Improve services to prevent and control infectious diseases across the entire community
Objective 1: Reduce the number of new HIV Cases
Objective 2: Increase safety of food, facilities, and water
Objective 3: Enhance public health preparedness
Objective 4: Enhance department capability to manage required immunizations for health department staff
Goal 2: Promote community health by “making the healthy choice the easy choice”
Objective 1: Improve the quality of the built environment to increase active living
Objective 2: Increase the number of outlets with access to healthy food choices
Objective 3: Improve the overall health of children ages birth-5
Goal 3: Improve monitoring and increase access to resources and care that address health disparities
Objective 1: Equip MCHD, faith-based organizations, community groups, small minority businesses and individuals
to become effective partners in efforts to reduce risk factors for chronic disease and to improve hypertension
control in high risk populations
Objective 2: Increase school nurse retention
Objective 3: Increase immunization compliance rates for CMS students
Objective 4: Increase Health Department access to and utilization of local health data on more focused level (census
tract; neighborhood)
Objective 5: Improve law enforcement-mental health collaborative responses to individuals experiencing a mental
health crisis
Objective 6: Complete the expansion of Child Development-Community Policing (CD-CP) services to children and
families exposed to violence (CEV) and other trauma to reach all of Mecklenburg County including the six towns
Objective 7: Create a trauma-informed health and human services workforce equipped to provide trauma-informed
care (TIC) to Mecklenburg County citizens
Goal 4: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly activities
(via the County’s Work Green program)
251
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY (cont’d)
FY2016*
Department
Adopted
Total #
Budget
of Dept.
(Net
Positions
County)
$44,237,735
807
FY2017**
FY2018**
FY2019**
Est. Costs to
Achieve Goals
Est. # of
employees to
Achieve Goals
Est. Costs to
Achieve Goals
Est. # of
employees to
Achieve Goals
Est. Costs to
Achieve Goals
Est. # of
employees to
Achieve Goals
$2,024,457
19.5
$2,763,249
28.5
$2,820,844
28.5
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used to
support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
252
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
253
OUR
We aspire to be a welcoming place where reading,
learning and imagination thrive; a recognized leader and
respected voice in our community; and a model library in
our industry.
OUR
”At the beginning of the summer he was able to identify just
the easy words, the ‘I’ the ‘me’ … now he is able to do the
‘with,’ the ‘without,’ and just doing bigger and bigger words.
Instead of the two-letter words we do the four- and fiveletter words now.”
- Miya & Savion
Mission: We create a community of readers and
empower individuals with free access to information
and the universe of ideas.
Brand Promise: Accessible and welcoming to all, our
public library celebrates and supports the joy of
reading and learning, fosters exploration and personal
growth, and connects individuals to each other, the
community and the world. In short, we help people
think, “I can.”
”I use the audiobooks a lot. I like the fact that you can
get a lot of brand new books.”
- Joe
254
OUR ENVIRONMENT
and app continues to build as well.
Grounded in more than a century of service to this
community, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library serves the
million+ residents of Mecklenburg County and the next
million to come.
ECONOMIC AND FISCAL TRENDS
The poverty rate in Mecklenburg County is 15.2%, up from
10.5% in 2008. Financially challenged households turn to
the Library for free access to things they cannot afford on
their own.
To meet the growing needs of our community, the Library
aspires to excel in four key areas:
1. Library as Community Services Provider
2. Library as Place
3. Library as Leader
4. Library as Community Strategy
One in five households in Mecklenburg County do not
have access to the Internet at home. The entry level cost
for home internet in the current market is $35/month, not
including the cost of a device. This is a barrier for
households living at or near the poverty line who need
internet access for education, employment and other
needs.
The Library serves customers and the community through
three primary channels: (1) 20 physical locations across
Mecklenburg County, (2) an outreach team that delivers
library programs and services to citizens who cannot access
a library, and (3) a growing digital channel that delivers the
library and its resources electronically. The Library has
approximately 450 employees, 1,600+ volunteers and a
$36M budget; approximately $31.4M of that comes from
Mecklenburg County.
DEMOGRAPHIC & SOCIAL CHANGES
Mecklenburg County’s population is expected to continue
growing and become increasingly diverse for the
foreseeable future. Population growth will generate
increased demand for library services, and greater diversity
will increase demand for resources, services and
programming in non-English languages.
The Library touches the lives of many Mecklenburg County
residents, and both users and usage are growing steadily.
We serve roughly 364,000 active cardholders, up 40% over
the same time last year. In FY 2015 the Library recorded
803,000 public computer sessions, and 393,000 wireless
sessions. Programming activity attracted 355,000
participants. The Library’s primary website (cmlibrary.org)
attracted 1,874,000 users, half of which were new visitors.
According to Mecklenburg County’s 2015 Community
Survey, 69% of residents report they have visited a library
in the last year, up from 58% in 2014 and 49% in 2013.
Average age of Library customers has aged slightly; 78
percent of residents are 18 or over, up from 75 percent in
2003, and 14 percent are 65 or older, up from 13 percent.
The number of customers who speak English as a second
language has increased four percentage points since 2008.
The use of smart phones has contributed to the expanding
use of mobile devices, as well as the demand for
information on services available through them. The
Library continues to identify ways of using these and other
new technologies effectively.
Digital downloads currently account for 12% of total
circulation, and this percentage of borrowing activity will
continue to grow. Digital activity via the Library’s website
255
OUR GOALS
The Library is evolving along a long range strategic path that reset after the difficulties of 2009
– 2011 and the Future of the Library Task Force’s report and recommendations. Beginning in
2012 the first order of business was to rebuild organizational momentum. FY 2014 – FY 2016
has been a period of growing access to library resources and materials within the community.
FY 2017 – FY 2019 will be marked by the building of capacity to support the needs of a growing
community. Once the capacity is built and organic growth continues, the Library will be able
to begin focusing more intently on creating sustainability.
The organizational goals that follow align with this longer-range strategic path.
Charlotte
Mecklenburg
Library’s
Three Goals:
Increase community
engagement,
awareness and
impact
Innovate to support
21st century access
Increase operational
excellence, capacity
and sustainability
“The Library has such potential; it keeps being dynamic and
changing all the time.” - Emilio
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s 2017-2019 Strategic Business Plan coincides with two additional planning efforts
that inform our goals, objectives and strategies. These are our FY 2013 – 2017 Strategic Plan that will be completed in
June 2017 and the Blueprint planning effort that will define and illustrate how the Library can serve the community in
2025. Mecklenburg County staff and leadership have been active participants and stakeholders in both processes. In
addition, the Library is a participant in and contributor to the Mecklenburg Livable Communities Plan.
256
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Increase community engagement, awareness and impact
Objective 1: Increase cardholder penetration rate by 7%, so that 1 in 3 County residents are active cardholders
Objective 2: Contribute meaningfully and measurably to important community initiatives and partnerships
Objective 3: Reinvent Main Library and its block into a magnet for the community and North Tryon’s “town
center” for lifelong learning, community engagement, digital literacy, connecting and sharing.
Goal 2: Innovate to support 21st century access
Objective 1: Provide accessible, convenient library services within 15 minutes of every County resident
Objective 2: Provide access to the Library’s resources, programs and services to all County residents with barriers
Objective 3: Deliver the whole Library — resources, information, programs, services — via the Library’s website
and other digital channels
Goal 3: Increase operational excellence, capacity and sustainability
Objective 1: Provide technology services that meet the changing needs of our community
Objective 2: Ensure that library collections evolve and grow to reflect the diversity and changing needs of the
community
Objective 3: Recruit, develop and retain highly effective, service-oriented staff, board and volunteers who reflect
an increasingly diverse community
Goal 4: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly
activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$30,320,942
$4,480,000
$2,247,500
$2,319,000
467
1
10
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
257
11
258
LUESA FY2017‐2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN Execu ve Summary Mecklenburg County, North Carolina 259
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN Land Use and Environmental Services Agency (LUESA) Please use this space to insert a picture/graphic or quotes from customers or leadership. OUR VISION Land Use & Environmental Services works in partnership with the community to enhance the quality of life through environmental stewardship and economic vitality. OUR MISSION LUESA’s mission is to work in partnership with other County Agencies and the community through responsible environmental stewardship. LUESA is comprised of dedicated and professional employees who are commi. ed to environmental sustainability. We strive to build an organiza onal culture that recognizes achievement, innova on, and collabora on. 
Diversity and engagement in crea ng communi es that ref ect a myriad of ideas 
Innova on for approaches that fulf ll our vision 
Excep onal service to our ci zens, our customers and our fellow employees 
Resilient business designs that balance the poli cal and economic cycles 
Collabora on through internal and external partnerships 
A balanced approach of applying regula ons in a consistent manner 260
Mecklenburg County FY2017-2019 Strategic Business Plan 2 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN: LUESA OUR ENVIRONMENT Land Use & Environmental Services Agency (LUESA) is comprised of six business units – Air Quality, Code Enforcement, Geospa al Informa on Services, Solid Waste Enterprise Fund, Support Services, and Water & Land Resources – providing a myriad of services suppor ng and enhancing the quality of life for the residents of Mecklenburg County. LUESA’s mission is to work in partnership with other County Agencies and the community through responsible environmental stewardship. DEPARTMENTAL HIGHLIGHTS: (a) Served over 1 million customers in FY2015. (b) Has over 450 full- me and 41 temporary posi ons. (c) Na onally recognized Air Quality Program. (d) 94, 913 permits issued (~380 per day) (e) 261,121 inspec ons performed (~1040 per day). (f) The County has achieved compliance for all Federal Air Quality Standards, including Ozone in August 2015. (g) Air Quality received a $500,000 air quality grant for the GRADE program. (h) 36,064,679 sq. . of billed impervious data captured by GIS. (i) 40,659 Property Ownership Transfers processed by GIS. (j) 10 tons of trash removed from streams by Storm Water Services. (k) $3.5M in buyouts, 9.6 acres of open space protected by the Stormwater—Flood Mi ga on Program. (l) Served over 536,000 customers at the Solid Waste dropoff sites (~ 6% growth over FY2014). (m) Coordinated disposal of 374,000 tons of garbage at the Speedway landf ll. (n) Handled 80,000 tons of Construc on & Demoli on debris at the Foxhole landf ll. (o) Processed over 100,000 tons of recyclables at the MRF (including out-of-County). 261
Mecklenburg County FY2017-2019 Strategic Business Plan 3 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN: LUESA OUR GOALS As LUESA partners with other County agencies and the community, we do so with a customer focused service and approach. Our goals for FY 2017-2019 will ensure employees keep our customers in focus as we look to the future. We will leverage technology and staffing to achieve our goals in collabora on with the City of Charlo e, the other municipal jurisdic ons and the unincorporated areas of Mecklenburg County. “Partnering
with
our
Customers...
for a safe
and
thriving Community” 
Enhance the customer experience for building development services. 
Ensure cost effec ve and alterna ve long-term solu ons for Solid Waste Management. 
Enhance quality of life through environmental stewardship. 
Ensure best in class geographical data mapping systems. While these goals help us achieve our mission, we are a con nuous improvement organiza on dedicated to efficient, effec ve and collabora ve mindset in accomplishing our mission. These goals are part of our overall long-term business objec ve to help our customers make Mecklenburg County a place they are proud to call home. Enhance quality of life through environmental stewardship. DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE “It is my privilege to serve as the Director for a department with such dedicated, commi ed and customer – focused group of professionals. LUESA serves a wide array of customers in delivering much needed services to our community. It is due to the dedica on and professionalism of our staff we are able to go above and beyond the call of duty, consistently to ensure that Mecklenburg County is a safe and thriving community.” 262
Mecklenburg County FY2017-2019 Strategic Business Plan 4 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN: LUESA GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY Goal 1: Enhance the Customer Experience for Building Development Services Objec ve 1: Implement efficient, customer-friendly and seamless processes consistent with Gartner study recommenda ons Goal 2: Ensure cost effec ve and alterna ve long‐term solu ons for Solid Waste Management Objec ve 1: Review current contracts and opportuni es for renewal for long-term Waste Disposal & Recycling needs for all of Mecklenburg County Objec ve 2: Seek cost effec ve environmental solu ons towards waste reduc on, reuse and recycling Objec ve 3: Evaluate and update Solid Waste infrastructure necessary for waste acceptance and processing Goal 3: Enhance quality of life through environmental stewardship Objec ve 1: Improve and maintain healthy air quality Objec ve 2: Ensure all waters are suitable for prolonged human contact—Creek Use Policy, approved by the Board October 15, 1996 Objec ve 3: Prevent loss of life and property from f ooding Goal 4: Ensure best in class geographical informa on data mapping systems Objec ve 1: Maintain accurate and mely property ownership and addressing data Goal 5: Maintain environmental sustainability of opera ons Objec ve 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines Objec ve 2: Provide employees with opportuni es to learn about and prac ce environmentally-friendly ac vi es (via the County’s Work Green program) 263
Mecklenburg County FY2017-2019 Strategic Business Plan 5 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN: LUESA GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY (cont’d) FY2016* FY2017** FY2018** FY2019** Department Adopted Budget (Net County) Total # of Dept. Employees Est. Costs to Achieve Goals Est. # of employees to Achieve Goals Est. Costs to Achieve Goals Est. # of em‐
ployees to Achieve Goals Est. Costs to Achieve Goals Est. # of employees to Achieve Goals $3,779,144 468 $6,799,935 28 $5,642,825 30 $5,471,000 ‐ *All or a por on of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full- me/part- me employees may be used to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019 **All es mated costs (including one- me and/or ongoing amounts) and full- me/part- me employees were iden f ed to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019. 264
Mecklenburg County FY2017-2019 Strategic Business Plan 6 FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
265
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
OUR
To save a life, hold a hand, and be prepared to
respond in our community when and where our
patients need us.
OUR
Medic will be an adaptable patient-centered system of
care by:
• Continuously improving the patient experience
of care
• Involving patients in decision making regarding
their healthcare
• Better aligning resources with patient needs
• Becoming more integrated into community and
healthcare resources
PATIENT QUOTES
Medic will be an excellent place for people to work by:
• Demonstrating appreciation and value
• Seeking to understand and meet employee
needs
• Providing opportunities to develop and use
skills and talents
• Involving employees in improvement and
decision making
“I would like to thank John M. Gibson and Donnell Wilson for
the outstanding treatment my mother received while in their
care. Their professional attitude, courtesy, compassion, and
kindness was greatly appreciated.” - Geralyn S.
Medic will be fiscally sustainable by:
• Reducing per capita costs
“They were superb. They were sympathetic, knowledgeable,
capable and quick in their response. I felt confident in their
care & expertise. Please commend them for their medical
excellence & compassionate care. They epitomize your
motto.” - Jude L.
• Exploring or pursuing alternative funding
sources or models
• Adapting to future healthcare policies
266
“Your Paramedics showed great patience and resolve in
administering care to my daughter. My family and I are deeply
grateful for her professionalism and compassion, and
commend your employees for exceeding our expectations.
Thank you!” - Michael B.
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
MEDIC
OUR ENVIRONMENT
measures are taken to align people with the supportive care
they actually need, taking undue pressure off of the 911
system and enabling Medic to focus on delivering
emergency medical services to those who actually require
such attention. Medic has already taken the first steps
necessary to address this issue by partnering with other
service providers in the community to identify and better
serve frequent users of the 911 system. These partners
include Community Support Service of Mecklenburg
County, the Charlotte Housing Authority and the
Department of Social Services. Together, we aim to better
serve the needs of this population while reducing
unnecessary reliance on more costly, emergency oriented
services.
Mecklenburg EMS Agency (Medic) is responsible for all
Emergency Medical Service activity in the county. Medic is
the largest and busiest 911 EMS Agency in the Carolinas.
With over 500 employees and a fleet of 70 ambulances, the
Agency will respond to more than 128,000 calls for service
and transport upwards of 108,000 patients in FY ‘16.
High Deductible Health Plans
The rising cost of healthcare coupled with the impact of the
Affordable Care Act (ACA) has had a tangible impact on the
patient’s Medic serves. The number of insured in our
population has increased by more than 36,000 in 2015, and
a large number of these people have chosen high deductible
health plans. According to data recently released by The
Kaiser Family Foundation, 65% of all newly insured people
who purchased a plan through the Healthcare Marketplace
chose a silver plan, which has an average deductible of
$2,900. The same report also stated that 46% of all insured
people in the US currently have a deductible greater than
$1,000, and that figure is rising rapidly as more and more
employers migrate to high deductible plans.
Impact to Reimbursement
Medicaid reform in North Carolina remains an unknown
variable that will likely impact future reimbursement;
whether it is positive or negative depends on what path
state legislation takes.
Medic continues to benefit from the short term agreement
reached between the county and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of
NC. Any changes to this agreement or legislation that would
impact the way BC/BS reimburses EMS Agencies for care
provided could significantly impact Medic’s future revenue
stream.
The impact of this shift to a Medic patient is an increased
likelihood that they will need to pay their bill for service out
of their own pocket. The impact to Medic is longer
collection cycles and a lower reimbursement rate per
transport. To this point, since FY ‘10 Medic has seen a 6%
decrease in reimbursement on a per call basis, due in large
part to changes in insurance coverage, increasing
deductibles and Medicare/Medicaid rates.
Sustaining System Performance
Medic con nues to focus on con nuous process
improvement to be er meet the needs of Mecklenburg
County and the people we serve. Agency performance
rela ve to response me compliance, trauma scene me,
me to interven on for heart a ack vic ms and the
resuscita on of sudden cardiac arrest vic ms all con nue to
perform at levels that are among the very best in the
country. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that
Medic’s county funding per transport for FY ’16 is forecasted
to be an all- me low of $116 per, and the Agency’s overall
cost per transport is on track to finish at $498 per, the
lowest it has been since FY ’07.
Burgeoning Demand
Demand for Medic’s services continues to grow at a rate that
significantly outpaces population growth. Between 2010
and 2014, Mecklenburg County’s population increased by
10%. Medic’s call volume grew over this same timeframe by
19%. This level of growth is difficult and costly to sustain,
especially since the majority of these patients weren’t
experiencing an emergent health condition. 67% of Medic’s
patients in FY ‘15 did not have a life threatening situation,
and a large number of these patients did not require
Paramedic care or transport via an ambulance.
Impact of Frequent Users
It is imperative to Medic’s future sustainability that
267
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
MEDIC
OUR GOALS
Whether facing the impact of healthcare reform, dwindling reimbursement or increased
demand for services, Medic must continue to adapt or risk backing into an unsustainable
service model.
Medic’s goals for the next three years squarely address the changing landscape facing this
Agency and will help ensure its ability to continue serving this community in a cost effective,
high performing manner.
1. Be an adaptable, patient centered system of care
a. This ties back to the significant increases in demand for service that are
not emergent in nature.
i. Medic intends to continue working with community partners to
identify frequent users of the 911 system and align them with
supports that best meet their needs.
ii. Medic also intends to launch an educational campaign to inform
prospective patients of the cost of treatment and transport by
EMS along with alternative options for non-emergent care.
2.
Further improve fiscal sustainability
a. This relates to the high cost of healthcare delivery and the need to
leverage efficiencies without negatively impacting service.
b. Next to labor, capital expenditures represent the largest portion of
Medic’s annual budget.
i. Medic is exploring new vehicle chassis to better meet the needs
of patients and employees while reducing total cost of
ownership, improving safety and overall employee satisfaction
with their work environment.
ii. With cost justification, Medic intends to replace its existing fleet
of ambulances over the course of the next three fiscal years
3. Optimize service and operations at Medic’s new facility
a. This relates to Medic’s ability to maintain long term sustainability while
improving processes and efficiencies.
i. Medic is working to redesign workflow and processes to better
meet Agency needs; these revised plans will be incorporated
into the new building design.
ii. Employee inclusion in planning and their overall satisfaction
with the work environment are key drivers of the Agency’s
success, making their participation in all aspects of this work
critical.
268
The provision of healthcare
continues to evolve in
dramatic ways. The diverse
needs of our patients, the
impact of healthcare reform,
the prevalence of high
deductible healthcare plans
and the need to do more with
less are all impacting how
Medic plans for the future.
Medic’s goals for the next
three years squarely address
the changing landscape
facing this Agency and will
help ensure its ability to
continue
serving
this
community in a cost
effective, high performing
manner.
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
MEDIC
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Be an adaptable, patient centered system of care
Objective 1: Reduce service requests by frequent users by 38% by the end of FY ‘19
Objective 2: Reduce unnecessary ambulance transports by 10% by the end of FY ‘19
Goal 2: Further improve fiscal sustainability
Objective 1: Decrease total cost of ownership for Medic’s ambulance fleet
Goal 3: Optimize Service and Operations at Medic’s new Headquarters
Objective 1: Improve efficiency of key core processes within Medic Operations
Objective 2: Improve employee satisfaction related to the work environment
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$12,430,000
-
FY2017**
Est. (add.)
Est. # of
Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$0
FY2018**
Est. (add.)
Est. # of
Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
-
$0
-
FY2019**
Est. (add.)
Est. # of
Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$0
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees will be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All additional estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time
employees were identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
269
-
270
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
271
OUR
To provide national best practice Medical Examiner
services for the citizens of Mecklenburg County and
regional counties. The Mecklenburg County Medical
Examiner’s Office will function as a premier urban
Forensic Pathology center.
OUR
The Office of the Medical Examiner’s mission is to
provide morgue and Medical Examiner/Forensic
Pathology services to the citizens of Mecklenburg
County, and consultation and Forensic Pathology
services to five regional counties.
On Collaboration…
"We could learn a lot from crayons: some are
sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while
others are bright, some have weird names, but
we have to learn to live in the same box."
– Anonymous
272
OUR ENVIRONMENT
INTRODUCTION TO THE OFFICE
general based on the average number of cases in the previous
years, the exact number and types of deaths cannot be
predicted with certainty. The office is positioned to adjust to
the fluctuations in the workload. The one area in which the
entire State ME system including Mecklenburg County has an
opportunity for improvement is in the areas of scene visitation
and independent investigation of the deaths under ME
jurisdiction.
The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) is
charged with the responsibility to investigate all suspicious,
unnatural, and unexpected deaths that fall under the
jurisdiction of the North Carolina Medical Examiner System
(NCMES) based on the NC General Statutes. The office
performs investigations into the deaths along with the
examinations and Forensic Autopsy services for Mecklenburg
County as well as five regional counties under contract with
the State. This office also serves as the Mecklenburg County
Morgue for unclaimed bodies, as well as persons who die
outside of a hospital and the bodies require storage until a
funeral home is designated by the proper next of kin.
DEMOGRAPHIC & SOCIAL CHANGES
The Mecklenburg MEO serves an increasing population for the
County and the regional area that now totals approximately
1.8 million. Along with that, there are several large referral
hospitals and level 1 trauma centers that receive patients from
an even more expansive area including the state of South
Carolina. As the population continues to increase, so will the
growth of cases falling under the ME jurisdiction. Current
trends include increases in the homicide rate and excessive
numbers of deaths related to drug overdoses. In keeping with
national best practices, the State of NC also has plans to have
all ME cases completed at a regional center by Forensic
Pathologists. This could involve the needed expansion of the
regional coverage area for the Mecklenburg MEO in the near
future.
Currently, there are 17 full time employees including 3
Forensic Pathologists/Medical Examiners (one of whom
serves as the Department Director), a Business Manager, a
Lead Investigator, 6 Death Investigators, 3 Autopsy
Assistants, an Administrative Coordinator, an Administrative
Assistant/Transcriptionist, and a Morgue
Assistant/Maintenance Assistant. The Lead Investigator, one
of the 6 Investigators, and one of the Autopsy Assistants were
all added in FY 16. Also on staff are the following limited part
time staff: 1 Forensic Pathologist, 2 Autopsy Assistants, and 4
Investigators. The FY 16 operating budget is $2,087,915.
IMPACT OF NEW LEGISLATION
Along with increased reimbursement for ME services, the
legislature also added requirements for training of medical
examiners and ongoing continuing education. While still not
specified in the new statutes as an absolute requirement at
this time, the expectation is that Medical Examiners will be
going to the scenes of death. Visiting the scene of death and
conducting an independent investigation into the death is in
keeping with national best practices and is a specified
requirement by the National Association of Medical Examiners
(NAME), which is the national organization that oversees and
provides accreditation to ME offices.
ECONOMIC AND FISCAL TRENDS
For FY16, the State legislature passed an increase in the feefor-service reimbursement for Medical Examiner services
effective October 1, 2015. This resulted in an anticipated
annual revenue increase of approximately $530,000 per year
for the Mecklenburg County MEO.
DEMAND FOR SERVICES
The demand for Medical Examiner services fluctuate with the
death rate, number of homicides and other unnatural events,
changes in population size and make-up, and the number of
unclaimed bodies. While some projections can be made in
273
OUR GOALS
The goals of the Medical Examiner’s Office are 1) to build a national best in class operation
and 2) to build collaborative partnerships with other agencies involved in the death
investigation and medicolegal system.
Goal one involves providing the highest level of Forensic Pathology service, supplying
trained death scene investigators to visit the scene of death to perform an independent
investigation and provide valuable assistance and information gathering to aid in
determining an accurate cause and manner of death, providing full time 24/7 coverage of
the office and availability for scene visits, and expansion of the morgue cooler area to
accommodate the storage requirement of the Mecklenburg County Morgue. Successful
achievement of these goals will establish community trust in the office by demonstrating
efficient and accurate completion of each case to facilitate examination and timely release
of the decedents to a funeral home while providing accurate and essential feedback to law
enforcement, families, the court system, and the community.
Goal two seeks to achieve the highest level of service to the community through training
and support between the MEO, law enforcement, the court system, and other emergency
operations. This also includes ensuring proper training and support of the Medical
Examiners within the catchment area in the office’s role as a State regional forensic center.
By successfully achieving this goal, the community will recognize a well-trained ME staff
that works hand-in-hand with equally well-trained collaborative partners resulting in an
efficient and effective Medical Examiner system.
With the increase in
fee-for-service
reimbursement
effective October 1,
2015, the ME Office
will increase annual
revenue by
approximately
$530,000. This
revenue will allow
the office to fund all
positions and costs of
facility expansion to
achieve the goals
outlined in this plan.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
For the first time in many years, the revenue for the ME Office is no longer static. With the increase in fee-for-service
reimbursement for the cases effective October 1, 2015, the ME Office will increase annual revenue by approximately
$530,000. This revenue will allow the office to fund all the positions and costs of facility expansion to achieve the goals
outlined in this plan. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the County Manager, the Executive Team, and the
Board of County Commissioners for the recent past support of the ME Office in our quest to become a true professional
urban Forensic Pathology facility and provide the best service to the citizens of Mecklenburg County and the regional
community that we serve. Significant successful changes have already taken place over the past few years with the
dedication of our business manager Peggy McCoy and the entire staff in the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s
Office who eagerly embrace their roles to advance the office to be a recognized model for operations in the State as well
as the nation.
274
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
GOAL 1: Build a National Best in Class Operation
Objective 1: Provide the highest level of forensic pathology service
Objective 2: Provide competent, trained death scene investigators to assist the Forensic Pathologists in
determining an accurate cause and manner of death
Objective 3: Staff office with full time ME Investigators in-house 24/7
Objective 4: Expand the County facility to compensate for staff growth and cooler expansion to
accommodate body storage capacity
GOAL 2: Build Collaborative Partnerships
Objective 1: MED, law enforcement, and other emergency operations work in tandem with one another
to achieve the highest level of service for the community
Objective 2: Acting as a State Regional Office, ensure Medical Examiners located in the counties of the
catchment area are adequately trained to make decisions confidently and independent of Mecklenburg
County
Goal 3: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly
activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$1,484,258
25
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees to
Achieve
Achieve
Goals
Goals
$0
-
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees to
Achieve
Achieve
Goals
Goals
$0
-
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees to
Achieve
Achieve
Goals
Goals
$0
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees will be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All additional estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time
employees were identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
275
-
276
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
277
OUR
“People who recreate in Mecklenburg County will
have a system of parks, greenways, and open space
located throughout the County that will provide
more parkland per capita than the national average,
will connect neighborhoods, satisfies public
recreation needs, and will protect environmentally
sensitive areas.”
OUR
“To enrich the lives of our citizens through the
stewardship of the County's natural resources and
the efficient and responsive provision of quality
leisure
opportunities,
experiences,
and
partnerships.”
The Department also operates under a set a Values
and Key Ingredients for Success:
Values:
Ethics: We work with integrity.
Customers: We serve customers with courtesy &
Respect.
Accountability: We focus on results.
Employees: We recognize our employees as our most
important resource.
Teams: We work as a team, respecting each other.
Excellence: We invest in learning and improving.
Key Ingredients for Success:
Facility Maintenance & Improvement
Department Image
Leisure Programs
Professional Growth
Community Involvement
Resource Stewardship
Management & Administration
278
OUR ENVIRONMENT
The Department manages and maintains 210+ parks and
facilities on nearly 21,000 acres spread across a 520 sq.
mile area. Directly serving all 1M+ residents as well as
millions of tourists annually, a snapshot of some of the
department’s facilities and types of experiences it provides
includes:
243 miles of trails (paved/natural surface/mtn. biking)
242 athletic fields (baseball, football, soccer)
184 playgrounds
154 picnic shelters
149 tennis courts
109 basketball courts
44 volleyball courts
18 recreation centers
17 community gardens
14 disc golf courses
14 fishing piers & 5 boat launch areas
7 spraygrounds, 5 pools, & 5 golf courses
7 fitness centers & 6 dog parks
3 nature centers & 3 senior centers
In addition to these amenities and the recreational
opportunities they provide, the Department offers
10,000+ health & wellness, recreation, nature-based,
aquatic, and special event programs for 1M participants
yearly.
The Department truly is the “face of the county” as it
arguably directly serves more residents and tourists than
any other department. The 2014 Community Survey
showed 75% of residents reported frequent park use,
resulting in 11.7M park visits.
•
•
•
•
property values from nearby parks.
Average increased home sales price for a home within
500 feet of a park = $8,032.
Children living within ½ mile of a park or playground
are five times more likely to be a health weight.
Studies show cities with strong park and recreation
amenities attract small business and retirees.
Studies show among the age groups of 55-64 and 65+,
the top community amenities desired are trails and
parks, higher even than convenience stores, drug
stores, and public transportation.
The Department operates on a $37.9M budget ($5.5M
revenue) with 307 FT and 360 PT employees. According to
the “2015 City Park Facts by the Trust for Public Lands,” the
County spends $40 per resident on P&R services, well
below the average of $89/resident. In fact, of the 100 most
populous cities, only 13 are known to spend less on P&R
services. Additionally, the Department operates with less
staff per capita than all but 28 other cities.
Trends
Currently, the Department operates with 130 less FT staff
than just six years ago (30%) while over the same time has
opened 22 new parks, including signature venues such as
Romare Bearden and the Sportsplex. While incredible
efficiencies have been realized, impacts are noticeable and
growing. Satisfaction with park conditions has declined for
the third year in a row, and staff have had to adapt to a
“reactive,” as opposed to proactive, maintenance routine.
In addition, 30% of existing park infrastructure has
exceeded industry standards for Expected Useful Life,
resulting in a $12.6M deferred maintenance backlog. While
significant FY16 funding made a dent, sustained funding
will be needed as the backlog grows $3.5M/year.
The Department also works closely with numerous unique
partners, such as: The Carolina Raptor Center, First Tee of
Charlotte, Historic Latta Plantation, Rural Hill, NC Sailing &
Rowing Center and the US National Whitewater Center
A summary of some of the economic, health, and social
impacts related to P&R services include:
• Over $53M in tourism spending by visitors per year
who come specifically for events in our parks.
• Over $4.3M in sales taxes collected by those tourists.
• Over $81M in decreased health care costs per year to
our residents that utilize the parks and facilities.
• Over 1.5M tons of air pollution per year removed by
trees protected by our parks.
• Over $18M in annual savings due to runoff/storm
water cost savings due to parklands.
• Over $3.9M in annual increased taxes due to increased
Awareness of facilities has decreased five years in a row,
with facilities such as Ray’s Splash Planet decreasing 50%.
This has greatly impacted admissions and revenues (Ray’s
Splash Planet is down $120k). There is a great need for
effective marketing.
Finally, overall population growth and the associated
increase in park visitation is expected to put great strain on
the existing system. The explosive growth in the 65+ senior
age group will also create significant challenges.
279
OUR GOALS
Park & Recreation strives to meet the recreational needs of the public. In doing so, Park
& Recreation improves fitness levels and decreases health care costs, beautifies our
community and increases property values, maintain world class amenities that are
critical to our tourism industry, protect our natural resources, and make the county a
desirable place to live and work.
Our goals are to maintain and improve our daily maintenance levels of the parks, which
have been slightly declining for the past three years. Deferred maintenance and repairs
and renovations are also greatly needed. Our goals also include an objective to better
market our services and programs, and to increase our household program participation
levels from an existing 22% to an eventual 30%. This should also increase our revenues
and lead to even higher park usage.
Accessibility to public recreation is critical. The Department strives to have a recreational
amenity within approximately ½-mile of all residents, or a 10 minute walk. Currently only
15.47% of the population has such “walk to” access. New parks, greenway and nature
preserves are needed in “gap” areas to make this access goal a reality. We will continue
to plan, build and maintain new facilities in underserved areas of the county.
“Our success in
large part is due to
the hard work of
our employees,
volunteers, Park
and Recreation
Commissioners,
advisory board
members and
community
partners.”
Finally, the Department plans to continue an aggressive land acquisition program to
ensure there are adequate parklands for future generations. The Department will
routinely survey the public on their recreational needs, as the population continues to
grow and change as do trends in recreation, and maintain our department Accreditation
to ensure we are operating with best practices and high efficiency.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Our philosophy around planning is to “act in the short term and plan for the long run”. We have made steady progress
in improvements to the department and meeting the park and recreational needs of our residents since our first
comprehensive master plan was completed in 2008 and the beginning of our department strategic planning process in
2007. Our success in large part is due to the hard work of our employees, volunteers, Park and Recreation
Commissioners, advisory board members and community partners.
Our updated Master Plan is citizen driven and provides both a vision and road map that will improve the health and
quality of life for residents while at the same time increasing economic growth. I believe the county is in a unique
position to aggressively meet the park and recreational needs of the citizens now and in the near future. However, we
must keep a sense of urgency around our planning efforts and recognize the demand for more services is increasing
rapidly.
280
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
GOAL 1: Increase the availability of fitness and wellness programs and awareness of facilities and services
Objective 1: Expand and provide targeted fitness and wellness programs to help residents improve and maintain
their health
Objective 2: Develop initiatives to promote programs and increase public awareness of department services and
facilities
Objective 3: Increase participation in Health & Wellness programs by utilizing the Program Lifecycle model
Objective 4: Increase the number of fitness and wellness programs available to seniors in collaboration with
Department of Social Services and the Health Department
GOAL 2: Expand Facilities Maintenance and Improvement Plans to keep parks, greenways, recreation and
nature preserve facilities in optimal condition and provide estimated costs and operating resources required
for new facilities
Objective 1: Increase Facility and Operations Maintenance initiatives of repairing and replacing structures and
amenities for the safe use and enjoyment of residents
Objective 2: Continue Updating Deferred Maintenance Projects list using best practices, active inspection of sites
and facilities and soliciting input from facilities managers. Current estimate is $12.645 million with a 10-year
projected cost of $48 million
Objective 3: Develop annual operating, maintenance and one-time cost estimates for new Parks/Facilities Operational Needs Assessment (ONA) - for Board approved projects
Objective 4: Establish a plan for continuing replacement of obsolete heavy equipment used for structural repairs
to facilities and parks
GOAL 3: Stewardship of Mecklenburg County’s natural and cultural resources through protection,
management, interpretation, property assessment and restoration of natural communities and resources
Objective 1: Expand the County’s nature preserve system by 800 acres to attain a target of 8,000 acres under
stewardship management by 2025
Objective 2: Protect and manage habitat for declining/rare species
Objective 3: Continue to be the premier environmental education provider in the County by planning for two
new nature centers to meet demands of a growing population and per the approved Master Plan
Goal 4: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly
activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
Mecklenburg County
FY2017-2019
281Strategic Business Plan
5
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY (cont’d)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$32,391,215
$12,605,823
$8,714,539
667
49
85
FY2019**
Est. Costs to
Achieve
Goals
Est. # of
employees to
Achieve Goals
$7,779,839
118
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used to
support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
Mecklenburg County
FY2017-2019
282Strategic Business Plan
6
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
283
OUR
To be considerate professionals dedicated to
providing superior customer service while
maintaining the accuracy and integrity of
Mecklenburg County's valuable land and vital
records.
“Our purpose is to provide
exceptional customer service
to the citizens of Mecklenburg
County.”
284
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
REGISTER OF DEEDS
OUR ENVIRONMENT
The Register of Deeds Office is led by Department
Director and Register of Deeds, J. David Granberry. The
Register of Deeds is an elected position, which yields a
four-year term, per election cycle. The Office serves as
the custodian and manager of a large number of public
records that date back to the mid-1700s to the present
and range from real estate related documents to
Marriage, Birth, Death, Notary and other miscellaneous
records.
The Register of Deeds is required to follow legislation set
forth by the NC General Assembly, which dictates how
we do business and process documents day to day. In
addition, there are Standards put in place by the NC
Secretary of State’s Office, which we are required to
abide by as well as certain County Policies and
Procedures. There are thirty-eight (38) full time positions
in our office and we typically maintain three-four (3-4)
additional temporary employees.
We are a revenue-generating department and we collect
revenue based on a fee schedule that is set for us by the
NC General Assembly. Once documents are recorded
and/or services are provided, our system is designed to
allocate the fees based on County and State mandates
on a monthly basis.
•
Filing Financing Statements related to real
property located in Mecklenburg County under
the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
•
Serving as the Custodian of Births, Deaths, and
Marriages occurring in Mecklenburg County
•
Serving as the Custodian of other miscellaneous
legal records, such as Assumed Business Names,
and other legal documents.
ECONMIC AND FISCAL TRENDS
Trends in the housing market have a direct impact on the
collection of revenue regarding real estate documents,
which make up the majority of fees collected. For
example, the possible move by the Federal Reserve to
increase interest rates before the end of 2015 could
have a major impact on borrowers. Additionally, new
consumer federal disclosure rules that went into effect
early October could lengthen the time for real estate
closings, pushing some closings scheduled from the
fourth quarter 2015 to the first quarter 2016.
The Office of the Register of Deeds provides a number of
different services to the professional and legal
communities as well as the general public. Services
provided include but are not limited to:
•
Recording Instruments pertaining to Real Estate
Transactions, including Subdivision Maps and
Condominium Documents
•
Certifying documents, such as Marriage
Licenses, Birth, Death and other recorded
documents
•
Administering Notary Oaths
Mecklenburg County
FY2017-2019 Strategic
285 Business Plan
3
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
REGISTER OF DEEDS
OUR GOALS
Our purpose is to provide exceptional customer service to the citizens of Mecklenburg
County. In order to do this we must be knowledgeable of current and new legislation that
affects our customers, train staff as well as customers how to use effectively our online
tools for information that they may need. To accomplish this we want to:
•
•
•
•
Broaden the scope of duties of the Chief Assistant/Management Team to
incorporate researching current and proposed Legislation that could impact the
way we do business.
Reallocate certain higher-level duties to Management and the Finance Team to
assist the Director with Revenue Projections, the current Housing Market
Climate and trends, and Performance Metrics.
Improve Register of Deeds Websites to offer a more user-friendly environment,
add direct control of variable content, and provide higher quality document
images that can be accessed online.
Re-evaluate the departments’ technology needs, including software and
hardware.
“The [Register of Deeds]
Office serves as the
custodian and manager
of a large number of
public records that date
back to the mid-1700s to
the present…”
Once our systems are in place, our staff and customers can be empowered with the tools
and information that they need to make sound business decisions.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
It is my pleasure and honor to serve as the Register of Deeds here in Mecklenburg County. I am the official custodian
of the public records recorded in this office and am committed to safeguarding these valuable records as well as
ensuring that the integrity and accuracy of these records are maintained at all times.
In planning our three (3) year Strategic Business Plan we are focused on three (3) primary driving forces: where are
we now, where are we going, and how do we get there. The three-year business plan for this office encompasses
three-four (3-4) general areas of concentration that in combination, will help drive us toward our vision to provide
exceptional customer service to all of the citizens of Mecklenburg County, as well as all users who have a need to
access our public records. The essential core of our business is to protect, file, maintain, index and preserve the
official records, which are in my care, and to provide excellent customer service to our customers, whether internal
or external.
Mecklenburg County
FY2017-2019 Strategic
286 Business Plan
4
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
REGISTER OF DEEDS
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE CONTINUED…
Staying abreast of any current or proposed legislation that could impact this office is imperative to our planning
efforts. Knowing what changes may be forthcoming helps us communicate these changes in advance to our end
users as well as County Finance and Office of Management and Budget. Advance knowledge of any pending fee
changes or legislation that could impact the way we collect revenue is important information for the Budget and
Finance Departments as fees we collect are distributed to other departments for budgetary expenses. Continuously
tracking the trends in the housing market and lending institutions is another valuable resource that helps us stay in
front of possible changes in the law or lending requirements; which can directly impact the transactional volume
and revenue that we process in our office.
Of great concern and one of my main efforts is to keep up with the industry standards and the cutting edge of
technology. We are constantly looking for the most efficient ways to ensure we are providing a format that is user
friendly and accurate so that our consumers can have the best experience when researching our records. With the
ever evolving technological options, it is imperative that we change with the demands and consumer trends and
design steps that move us in the forward position while keeping up with the needs of the public and legal
community. Looking for a vendor that offers a product that evolves with these changes and can provide a product
that is accurate, with the necessary security and financial features that can be easily maintained and seamlessly
updated is the nucleus of the other goals. If we have a strong technological foundation then the other components
will fall into place.
Mecklenburg County
FY2017-2019 Strategic
287 Business Plan
5
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
REGISTER OF DEEDS
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Enhance Register of Deeds’ knowledge of current and proposed legislation
Objective 1: Stay abreast of general legislation by using the information posted to various websites and review
current publications related to session law
Goal 2: Increase Register of Deeds' access to and use of data in the areas of revenue projections, housing
market trends, and performance
Objective 1: Enhance knowledge of mortgage bankers' data for projected home sales, refinancing applications
and future marketing forecasts including mortgage rate data, and Federal Reserve forecasts
Goal 3: Improve public access to information
Objective 1: Enhance functionality for website
Objective 2: Enhance image quality of recorded documents that are accessed via our website
Goal 4: Ensure system reliability and integrity of information
Objective 1: Have the most efficient and accurate technology, including software and hardware
Objective 2: Ensure system compatibility
Goal 5: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly
activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$2,776,492
38
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$1,939,359
1
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$1,566
1
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$1,566
1
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
Mecklenburg County
FY2017-2019 Strategic
288 Business Plan
6
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
289
OUR
Being recognized as a leading and professional
organization committed to customer service and
improving the quality of life in our community.
OUR
To protect the citizens of Mecklenburg County by
operating secure and professional rehabilitative
detention facilities, enforcing civil and criminal laws,
providing outstanding public service and integrity and
upholding the constitutionality of the Sheriff’s Office.
290
OUR ENVIRONMENT
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) delivers
public safety services to support a high quality of life for all
residents and visitors of Mecklenburg County.
•
•
Responsibilities of the MCSO include providing security for
the courts, the service of civil process, enforcing local, state,
and federal laws, issuing gun permits, providing noncriminal fingerprinting, sex offender registration, and
operates the largest jail system in the Carolina's.
When reviewing the decline in the inmate population you
must consider the demographics of the inmates that are
currently housed within MCSO compared to past years.
DEMOGRAPHIC & SOCIAL CHANGES
MCSO currently employs approximately 1,200 employees;
of those, approximately 720 are officers assigned to
detention and are tasked with safely and securely managing
an average daily jail population of 1,500 inmates.
Approximately 280 deputy sheriffs are responsible for court
security and the service of civil processes within
Mecklenburg County. The remaining staff are comprised of
civilians
assigned
throughout
the
agency.
Although the average daily inmate population has
decreased in recent years, the higher classification,
incident generating population remain housed in MCSO
facilities. In 2011, 34% of inmates were charged with
felonies while today that number has grown to 41%.
Between FY 2008 and FY 2011 the number of
validated/suspected gang members in custody increased
from approximately 178 to 448; this demonstrates an
increase by 152%. By FY 2015, this number had grown to
approximately 663, representing an increase by 272%,
when compared to 2008. This is significant considering the
average daily population has decreased by 42% in the same
period.
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office enforces the law
in a fair and impartial manner, recognizing both the
statutory and judicial limitations of the Sheriff’s Office
authority and the constitutional rights of all persons. It is
not its role to legislate, render legal judgments, or punish.
ECONOMIC & FISCAL TRENDS
MCSO has made significant efforts to adjust the agency
budget since FY 2010, partly out of necessity because of
the recession, and because of the declining inmate
population. The following highlights several of the
reductions made:
•
•
Closed Jail Annex in FY 2012 for a savings of $4.1
million
Work Release and Restitution Center was closed in FY
2016 for a savings of 1.6 million,
As these populations have increased the number of
required inmate disciplinary actions due to inmate
behavior has also been on the rise. Since 2011, the number
of inmate disciplines has increased by 16%, while the
average daily population has decreased by 30% over the
same period. This shows that even as the jail population
has decreased, the population of inmates that generate
behavior incidents are still in custody at the same or higher
rates.
Overtime budget was reduced in FY 2010 by $4.2
million to $1,361,060. Since that time, the budget was
increased in FY 2015 to $2.6 million. The net decrease
in the overtime budget since FY 2010 is $3 million
Modified food service and medical contracts for total
decrease of 515k
291
OUR GOALS
The goals identified in this document will help ensure MCSO continues to excel and meet
the demands of managing an ever changing inmate population. The first two goals focus
on the management of the inmate population and are mostly addressed by additional
training for detention staff. Proposed mandatory training will focus on managing
inmates with mental illness, incident de-escalation techniques, and gang
awareness/identification training. Focusing on these topics will provide detention staff
with enhanced knowledge and skills to de-escalate incidents and manage inmates with
mental illnesses and gang affiliations.
Ensuring our staff have the
necessary training,
knowledge and skills to
successfully and safely
perform their duties is a key
focus of this strategic plan.
Goal three focuses on improving and where possible reducing the number of internal
paper processes. The goal is to gain efficiencies within the operations and reduce the
amount of paper generated. To obtain this goal the agency recommends purchasing
tablet technology and evaluating existing paper processes.
The final goal revolves around increasing citizens’ safety awareness throughout
Mecklenburg County. This goal aligns with the Mecklenburg County Livable Communities
Plan and will be accomplished by offering additional neighborhood public safety
programs, child safety prevention initiatives, and prescription medication events/drops.
MCSO will also encourage staff to increase volunteer efforts throughout the county.
MCSO Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Reduction of significant incidents related to inmate behavior that negatively
impacts inmate and/or officer safety
Goal 2: Improve management of the inmate gang population
Goal 3: Improve and reduce the number of internal paper processes through
automation and utilization of new technology
Goal 4: Increase safety awareness within the community and staff volunteerism
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office Executive Staff met in January of 2015 to begin the process of identifying key
priorities and goals for the agency’s future. Many of those goals are represented in this plan. A key focus of the agency
is to ensure all staff continue to have the necessary training, knowledge and skills to successfully and safely perform their
duties in the ever changing field of detention. Our officers are well trained and perform at a high level every day.
However, several areas have been identified were we feel increased training will improve the safety of our officers and
inmates. This plan also focuses on additional technology that will help make our agency more efficient and reduce the
amount of paper we generate. As an agency we are excited to move forward with these initiatives and are confident
they will help us continue to succeed and meet future demands.
292
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Reduction of significant incidents related to inmate behavior
Objective 1: Increase staff knowledge and skills
Goal 2: Improve management of the inmate gang population
Objective 1: Increase staff knowledge and skills
Objective 2: Increase number of dedicated staff to gang management initiatives
Goal 3: Improve and reduce the number of internal paper processes through automation and utilization of
new technology
Objective 1: Reduce the number of internal paper processes
Goal 4: Increase safety awareness within the community and staff volunteerism
Objective 1: Provide additional public safety programs/events
Objective 2: Increase staff volunteerism within the community
Goal 5: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly activities
(via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$92,400,814
1,244
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$387,867
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
2
$788,737
2
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$107,102
,
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
293
2
294
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
295
OUR
The Office of the Tax Collector's vision is to serve the
community and contribute to high quality of life by
providing revenue to the Mecklenburg County and
municipal
governments,
assisting
taxpayers
by
administering laws and ordinances accurately and
professionally, and by being good stewards of public
resources.
OUR
The Office of the Tax Collector's mission is to serve
Mecklenburg County residents with integrity by
administering tax laws equitably and exceeding
collections goals while achieving exemplary customer
satisfaction results.
Mecklenburg County
296
FY2017-2019 Strategic
Business Plan
This team works tirelessly to provide
funds that are needed for county and
municipal operations and priorities.
–Neal Dixon, Department Director
[The representative] certainly knew
how to keep the "Customer," in
customer service that seems to be
hard to find anymore.
–OTC Customer
[The representative] went out of their
way to be courteous to me in every
way until we solved my problems…if
all your employees are as good as she
is you would sure have a top rated
office.
–OTC Customer
2
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
OFFICE OF THE TAX COLLECTOR
OUR ENVIRONMENT
The Office of the Tax Collector (OTC) is organized into two
divisions under the Tax Collector, the Collections Division
and the Operations Division. The Collections Division is
comprised of two business units which are responsible for
collecting ad valorem taxes (tax based on value) and gross
receipts taxes (tax based on gross income) in accordance
with North Carolina Statutes and local ordinances for the
County and the municipalities within the County. The
Operations Division is comprised of two business units
which provide technology services and specialized tax
services (e.g., project management): Tax Technology
Services and Specialized Tax Services.
The OTC implemented a reduction in force and an
organizational restructure on July 1, 2015. The restructure
aligned services to achieve greater efficiencies by
consolidating two business units into one, creating a new
service delivery office, and reducing the position count. The
department will now focus on high revenue and more
complex taxes with less administrative workload.
Opportunities to revise business processes, improve
efficiency, make technological advancements, and explore
additional lines of business will be the departmental focus
during the next three years.
The OTC is comprised of 40 full-time positions. Contract
employees are utilized as needed.
ECONOMIC AND FISCAL TRENDS
Between 2012 and 2014, the County’s tax base continued
to grow as evidenced by several economic indicators. Over
that time, building permits were up 18.9%, construction
permit values were up 19.9%, gross retail sales were up
14.1%, and unemployment had dropped from 9.3% to 5.1%.
Today, the housing market is showing significant gains as
home sales are up 25.2% and the closing value is up 12.3%.
Source: Charlotte Chamber
DEMOGRAPHIC & SOCIAL CHANGES
The Department’s number of ad valorem tax payments
accepted in-person has decreased by 46% between 2013
and 2015, and currently stands at 81,588.
The Community Pulse Report indicates that Millennials
now make up the largest segment (30%) of the County’s
population, and is now the largest demographic in the work
force, resulting in the need for more innovative
technological options to meet service delivery preferences.
The use of smart phones has contributed to the expanding
use of mobile devices, as well as the demand for
information on services available through them. Research
from Paymentus Corp. shows that one-third of customers
are now mobile only and that multiple channels of mobile
payments are the best options for customers and allows
organizations to go paperless. These mobile payment
options include text-to-pay, mobile web presentment, and
mobile apps. Additionally, Paymentus research shows that
iPad kiosk use for payments is another fast growing
payment option. Over the coming years, our department
will continue to explore ways of using these and other new
technologies effectively.
LEGISLATIVE CHANGES
Tag and Tax Together (implemented September 1, 2013)
and the repeal of the Privilege License Tax (implemented
July 1, 2015) has resulted in two reductions in force and one
organizational restructure. Session Law 2013-362 (SL362)
and Senate Bill 159 will impact collections as taxpayers will
have the option to enter into payment plans that allows
payment of taxes over several fiscal years.
OTHER CHANGES
The OTC is currently replacing the gross receipts tax
collection software system. The new system is a vendorsupported solution that will be fully implemented in Fiscal
Year 2017. The solution will enable the OTC to shift the
support of the system to the vendor, and have the ability
to configure the system to meet changing demands.
Economic trends within the City of Charlotte and
Mecklenburg County show a rebounding economy and a
growing tax base. Not all taxpayers are experiencing
positive economic trends. There is a segment of the
population that have stagnant revenue sources that affect
their ability to pay taxes.
297
Mecklenburg County
FY2017-2019 Strategic
Business Plan
3
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
OFFICE OF THE TAX COLLECTOR
OUR GOAL
The OTC is charged with collecting taxes for Mecklenburg County and the municipalities
within the County. Taxes collected by the OTC has provided approximately 60%, on
average, of the County’s revenue since fiscal year 2013. The revenue is used to provide
services such as public education, community and health services, social and economic
services, parks and recreation, public libraries, and pay down debt.
Because taxes collected by the OTC account for such a substantial portion of the County’s
revenue, we have one goal: maximize tax collections. The OTC’s strategic business plan
focuses on creating an environment that maximizes tax collection through realizing
efficiencies in multiple areas of our service delivery. This includes expanded legal
services, engaging current and future vendors to utilize existing and emerging
technology, and implementing a comprehensive foreclosure strategy. The OTC aligned its
goal with current and forecasted economic growth, an increasingly diversified customer
base, and to comply with recent legislative changes.
Taxes collected by the
OTC has provided
approximately 60%, on
average, of the County’s
revenue since fiscal year
2013.
The OTC has seen
exemplary customer
service performance from
its employees,
maintaining over a 97%
customer satisfaction
rate over the last three
fiscal years.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
The Office of the Tax Collector is responsible for collecting various property, business, and special assessment taxes in
accordance with North Carolina General Statute §105, Subchapter II (the “Machinery Act”) and the Revenue Laws of
North Carolina. The Machinery Act provides the mechanism for “the listing, appraisal, and assessment of property and
the levy and collection of taxes on property by counties and municipalities.” The OTC collects taxes for the County and
all seven municipalities within Mecklenburg County.
The OTC is committed to providing our customers with exemplary customer service, and customers have rated our service
as such. The OTC has seen exemplary customer service performance from its employees, maintaining over a 97%
customer satisfaction rate over the last three fiscal years. Knowing that our customers expect exemplary customer
service, the OTC’s strategic plan reflects our commitment to excellent service delivery while also maximizing tax
collections. Each objective and action of the OTC’s goal is focused on providing data, information, and access to our
customer base in new and innovative ways to maximize tax collections.
Mecklenburg County
298
FY2017-2019 Strategic
Business Plan
4
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN:
OFFICE OF THE TAX COLLECTOR
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Maximize Tax Collections
Objective 1: Expand legal services
Objective 2: Implement a comprehensive foreclosure strategy
Objective 3: Maximize use of and acquire existing technology
Goal 2: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly activities
(via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$2,882,184
40
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees to
Achieve
Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees to
Achieve
Achieve
Goals
Goals
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees to
Achieve
Achieve
Goals
Goals
$5,136,409
$11,621,373
$11,630,615
1
3
3
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used to
support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019. These costs are exclusive of incremental
property tax collections and / or real estate dispositions.
299
Mecklenburg County
FY2017-2019 Strategic Business Plan
5
300
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
301
Asset and Facility Management
OUR
VISION
Asset and Facility Management champions the
County’s organizational vision: To be the best
local government service provider.
OUR
MISSION
To enable the success of our customers
through quality asset, facility and project
management services.
302
OUR ENVIRONMENT
OVERVIEW
MASTER PLANNING
Asset & Facility Management currently has 33 staff
members. The services provided include:
 Real Estate Management
 Design and Construction Project
Management
 Facility Maintenance and Operations
 Security Services
 Fleet and Courier Services
A planning best practice is to prepare a
comprehensive master plan every 5-10 years. The
Government Facilities Master Plan 2015-2030 will
result in a fundamental transformation of the way
the County delivers Health and Human Services.
AFM is managing the design and construction
projects needed to implement the “Bringing
Mecklenburg County To You” concept. In addition
to some major departmental relocations such as
LUESA and MEDIC, this master plan will result in
the construction of 6 new Community Resource
Centers geographically distributed throughout the
County.
The FY16 departmental operating budget is
$26.1 million. AFM also manages an average
annual Capital budget of $50 million, a Capital
Reserve budget of $11 million, and a Fleet
Reserve budget of $2 million.
ECONOMIC TRENDS
OUTSOURCING
Economic and fiscal trends affecting AFM
customers typically result in the need for changes
in space utilization, often resulting in the need for
more space or reconfiguration of space. Declining
fiscal trends typically result in fewer capital
projects.
As an internal support department, demand for
AFM services typically follows whatever trend is
affecting customer departments. For example, if a
department has an increasing client base, they may
need more space, which then results in the need
for more maintenance, utilities, vehicles, fuel, etc.
AFM has been on a track of outsourcing services
for many years, seeking more efficient and
effective methods of delivering services to support
customer departments. 99.5% of building design
work is performed by private sector architects and
engineers.
100% of construction work is
performed by private sector contractors. 100% of
security officers are provided by outside
contractors. Building maintenance and Fleet
maintenance are also 100% outsourced.
AFM has been challenged over the past several
years to find the appropriate balance between the
service levels specified for outsourced vendors,
the actual service levels provided, and the cost of
providing those services. Specifically, facility
maintenance vendors have typically bid too low,
and have been unable to fulfill the specified level
of services, resulting in a lack of appropriate
investment in existing County facilities.
BEST PRACTICES
AFM endeavors to follow best practices in the
areas of employee office environments, space
utilization, energy management, building control
systems, construction management, fleet, and
other areas included in AFM’s scope of operations.
AFM continuously researches industry trends and
best practices, often hiring consultants to prepare
studies of best practices.
303
OUR GOALS
AFM Goals are all enterprise wide and address significant transformational
initiatives, best practices for providing services, addressing employee
concerns, and stabilizing outsourced services.
GOAL 1: Implement the “Bringing Mecklenburg County to you” master plan
projects
The first phase of the “Bringing Mecklenburg County to You” program
includes several key projects which support the County Manager and the
Board’s strategic agenda. These projects include the LUESA & MEDIC
Relocations, the renovations to the Woodard Center and Government District
facilities.
GOAL 2: Establish and implement a long term plan for fleet maintenance
Expiration of the Fleet Maintenance Agreement with the City of Charlotte
provides a good opportunity to test the market and determine if the current
strategy utilizing City services provides the best value for the future.
GOAL 3: Enhance security of County/Library facilities
With renewed attention on the protection of County/Library employees and
visitors, AFM wishes to enhance surveillance, monitoring, officer response,
and employee training.
GOAL 4: Stabilize facility maintenance program
Two vendors in the last 4 years have bid too low on maintenance contracts
and failed. AFM must find the appropriate balance between service levels
specified, service levels provided, and the cost of providing the services.
AFM Goals
are all
enterprise
wide and
are focused
on
enabling
the success
of our
customers
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
As an internal support department, Asset and Facility Management (AFM) has enterprise wide goals
that are focused on enabling the success of our customers. From a long term perspective AFM staff is
excited about implementing the BMC2U initiative and providing new contemporary facilities with
healthy, comfortable, and productive work environments for County employees. From a shorter term
perspective we are striving to stabilize our facility maintenance program by finding quality outsourced
vendors who have the appropriate level of qualified staff and adequate financial resources bid to
properly maintain our facilities. We care deeply about protecting the County’s most important
resource – its employees, and are striving to enhance security services and better communicate with
our customers to understand their concerns.
I’m very proud of AFM’s 33 staff that includes architects, landscape architects, engineers, planners,
certified facility maintenance professionals, licensed electricians, security experts, and administrative
professionals. They continually strive to provide exceptional support to our customers, and I want to
personally thank them for their continuous hard work and effort.
304
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Implement the “Bringing Mecklenburg County To You” master plan projects
Objective 1:Deliver projects to meet or exceed established schedules, budgets and project milestones, while
providing high quality work environments for County employees
Goal 2: Establish and implement a long term plan for fleet maintenance
Objective 1: Determine the most cost effective and efficient method of providing fleet maintenance services to
customers
Goal 3: Enhance security of County/Library facilities
Objective 1: Provide a safe and secure work environment for employees
Goal 4: Stabilize facility maintenance program
Objective 1: Provide outsourced services where the contract price and vendor performance are sufficient to meet
the service level expectations
Goal 5: Reduce Mecklenburg County energy usage
Objective 1: Reduce Mecklenburg County energy usage (kBTU/sq. ft.) by 13% from a 2012 baseline
Goal 6: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly activities
(via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Employees
(Net County)
$26,031,439
33
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$525,000
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
1
$900,000
1
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$827,000
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
***Capital funding (not included in estimated costs) may also be used to achieve the goal 1 and goal 2
305
1
306
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
307
Human Resources Department
“I am confident that when
the goals identified are
executed, Mecklenburg
County Human Resources will
be positioned as a national
leader in Human Resources
by attracting, developing,
and retaining talent that
supports the organizational
goals of the County.”
OUR
VISION
Serve as a strategic partner with County
departments to maximize human capital and
achieve organizational goals by attracting,
developing, and retaining high-performing
employees.
OUR
MISSION
To be a 21st century Human Resources
department that is recognized nationally as
an industry leader.
Joel Riddle
Human Resources Director
308
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Human Resources continues to evolve. A variety of issues,
prevalent in Human Resources, were not on the radar a
few years ago. Regulatory compliance continues to be an
ever-changing and evolving concern for Human Resources
professionals. As an example, the excise (“Cadillac”) tax
component of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act will require organizations to review and amend benefit
plan options to ensure compliance with the law and to
avoid associated penalties.
Second, the proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards
Act (FLSA), currently slated for a July 2016 implementation,
will result in a number of currently exempt positions being
re-evaluated. The current salary status for exempt
employees is $23,660 which will more than double to
$50,440 once the proposed changes become law.
While regulatory compliance sets the parameters for
which we must work, the focus of our three year strategic
plan involves a strategic role in fulfilling the strategic vision
of the Board of County Commissioners, the vision of the
County Manager, and incorporating departmental
feedback related to human capital management (ex.
succession planning, performance management, and
recruitment).
It is well known that there are currently four generations
of employees in the workforce and the motivations of each
generation are, at times, radically different. Identifying
the needs of each generation to ensure top talent is
attracted and retained is a critical issue facing the Human
Resources discipline. Organizations must look for ways to
develop and retain a diverse work force and Human
Resources usually leads such initiatives.
In addition, a number of the “tethers” that used to provide
incentives for talented individuals to consider a career in
local government are no longer in place or they are not as
prevalent as they once were (ex. enhanced job security,
rich benefit packages, retiree medical insurance, etc.). As
a result, all local governments are competing with private
sector employers in the battle to attract and retain top
talent.
309
This means that Mecklenburg County must compete
for talent, not just as a local government employer,
but as an employer in a global marketplace.
Mecklenburg County has five percent of employees
that are retirement eligible and the average age of
Mecklenburg County employees is 44.6. In short, the
County’s challenge is twofold. First, the retention of
“institutional knowledge” is critical to ensuring
organizational continuity. Second, attracting and
retaining talent to a career in local government in a
global workforce will require the County to develop a
strategic approach to talent acquisition and
retention. As a result, it is critical that Human
Resources align a talent management process that
will support the Board’s key theme of being a high
performing organization and to ensure that
Mecklenburg County is positioned to be a leader in
human capital management.
Second, it is critical that the County not only retain
employees, but that employees have the appropriate
tools in place to manage their physical and mental
health through well designed benefit and wellness
plans.
Sixty nine (69) percent of the County’s
insurance costs are for management of chronic
conditions. To ensure that the County is a high
performing organization, and to ensure that
employees are aware and better able to manage
their health, in the next three years, Human
Resources will focus on engaging employees in the
management of their health outcomes, and providing
appropriate benefit plans to incent employees to
better manage their overall health.
OUR GOALS
In the next three years, Human Resources will focus on the following two goals:
•
•
Implement a Holistic and Integrated Talent Management Approach for the County.
Improve the Physical and Mental Health and Wellness of County Employees
These two goals are significant in scope and they will require multiple years to implement. However, they are
consistent with the themes outlined in recent years by the Board of County Commissioners, the County Manager
and departmental leadership. The County strives to be a high performing organization with a dedicated, diverse,
knowledgeable and experienced staff.
The first goal is to implement a holistic and integrated talent management approach for the County. Succession
planning, performance management and recruitment initiatives are all currently under way. During completion of
the three year strategic plan, Human Resources leadership recognized a holistic talent management plan is needed
that integrates the above with workforce planning, onboarding, learning and development, and compensation and
benefits. Taken together, these are the industry recognized components of a holistic talent management plan.
The second goal is to improve the physical and mental health and wellness of County employees. Proper incentives
must be in place to ensure that staff is managing their health to reduce preventable health outcomes. Sixty nine
(69) percent of the County’s insurances costs are related to the management of chronic illnesses. Engaging
employees, properly educating them about negative health outcomes and providing incentives to help staff better
manage their health should greatly improve health outcomes while reducing health care costs and time lost at
work.
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
There are a number of people to thank for the development of this strategic plan. Senior leadership (Wanda
Caldwell, Allyson Berbiglia and I) had open and honest discussions about the strategic plan and the items that
should be included in the plan. Pat O’Hara facilitated many of these discussions and this document would not be as
thorough without his support and coordination with Strategic Planning and Evaluation.
Once a draft of the document was completed, the Human Resources leadership team engaged Human Resources
Managers to review. While the draft document was strong, there is little doubt that the document was greatly
improved after staff provided feedback.
I would also like to thank the County Manager, the Executive Leadership Team, and Strategic Planning and
Evaluation staff for their guidance and support throughout this process.
It is critical to note that the Human Resources strategic plan only has two goals. However, if executed properly,
those goals will change the way the department does business and align the department with industry best
practices for both public and private sector employers. However, there are costs associated with these goals. At a
minimum, we will need to hire an experienced consultant to assist in the design of our talent management process,
we will need to hire additional staff resources to manage resources and integrate currently unrelated activities into
a broader talent management approach. Resources will also be required that align wellness incentives with best
practices. We have included estimates in the strategic plan, but it is important to note that improvement often
comes with a cost. I am confident that when the goals identified are executed, Mecklenburg County Human
Resources will be positioned as a national leader in Human Resources by attracting, developing and retaining talent
that supports the organizational goals of the County.
Again, my thanks to everyone who made this strategic plan a reality. The next three years will be an exciting time
310
as we move from design to implementation to execution.
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Implement a holistic, integrated talent management approach for the County
Objective 1: Create a strategic, enterprise-wide plan for talent management
Objective 2: Increase organizational readiness to attract, retain, and develop talent by improving talent
acquisition process to ensure County is acquiring the best talent.
Goal 2: Improve the physical and mental health and wellness of County employees
Objective 1: Implement benefit plan design changes.
Objective 2: Design and implement wellness platform and increase participation in wellness platform
programs
Goal 3: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentallyfriendly activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$5,412,333
52
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$157,514
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
1
$174,812
1
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$116,312
1
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
311
312
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
313
OUR
To be the trusted technology partner for the realization of
Mecklenburg County’s strategic goals.
OUR
We provide business-valued IT solutions and services that are flexible,
engaging and innovative, enabling Mecklenburg County to serve the
residents needs by helping improve their lives and community.
The IT Services 3-year Strategic technology roadmap will improve ITS service excellence and
provide the County with capabilities that can transform Citizen services. Collaboration
between ITS, business units and County leadership will determine the degree to which the
County is able to build an enabling technology portfolio.
314
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Technology is an enabler of change. It has become ubiquitous
and integrated into virtually every aspect of our daily lives and
serves to support and enhance the delivery of Mecklenburg
County services to our residents for delivering Mecklenburg
County services to our residents. Under new leadership in
2016, the IT Services Department is undergoing a
transformational process to enable a service-delivery model
that will support our business partner’s technology needs in all
areas including: Mobility, Cloud, the Internet of Things (IOT),
IT Modernization, IT Security, Digital Government, Data
Management, and Business Intelligence. The IT Services
transformation is focused on:
-
The Board of County Commissioners has created the advisory
group, “Information Services Technology Advisory
Committee” (ISTAC), which meets monthly to review IT
Services activities.
Moving forward, the primary changes in demand for services
should be driven by strategic priorities and prioritized
technology capabilities as defined by the BOCC, Executive
Team, and Departments. Additionally, unforeseen legislative
mandates for other County departments could have an impact
if there are associated impacts on technology systems.
Further, it is as the Department moves forward through its
transformational journey, we are focused on improving
internal processes, implementing best practices, and
addressing non-discretionary business needs related to
security and foundational requirements.
Improving the fundamentals of our day to day service
delivery to ensure we provide predictable, reliable
service.
Increased performance in our ability to deliver new
capabilities aligned to leadership’s strategic direction.
ECONOMIC AND FISCAL TRENDS
The IT Services department is comprised of 144 full-time
employees, plus two additional employees that report to IT
Services, but are funded by Park and Recreation.
As County growth occurs, the demand for IT Services
increases.
DEMOGRAPHIC & SOCIAL CHANGES
The department’s approved FY16 operating budget is
$19,194,072. Additionally, 9 new positions were approved
and funded using $1,000,000 in Technology Reserve funding.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is causing technology needs and
potential capabilities to expand exponentially. Technology is
now a part of many of our everyday experiences and impacts
our resident’s expectations regarding ease of accessibility and
transparency. Due to wide-spread availability of public and
secure wireless access along with ever increasing use of smart
phones, tablets, and laptops has contributed to the expanding
need for mobile solutions, as well as the demand for
information on services available through those solutions.
Over the coming years, our department will continue to
explore ways of using these and other new technologies
effectively.
IT Services exists to provide infrastructure and automation
services to support business operations and service delivery
for all County departments. Services include managing the
County’s IT infrastructure including data and voice networks,
internet and servers, and securing County data and systems.
The six major services provided by the IT Services
department are:
- Service Strategy & Planning
- IT Security
- Service Development (Applications & Database)
- Quality Services (QA, Testing Assurance, System
Validation)
-
Beyond effective use of technology, Risk Management has
become a growing need for IT Services. Increased use of and
access to technology has resulted in concerns including
establishing secure networks to ensure data security and
implementation of redundant systems to ensure disaster
recovery. As use of technology expands, we anticipate Risk
Management will become an increasing focus.
Technology Services (Network, Servers, End-user
Computing, Telecom, IT Service Management &
Delivery)
IT Operations and Business Administration
315
OUR GOALS
IT Services has six transformational goals that will guide our work during FY17-19. These goals and their associated actions are designed to
support the County’s strategic priorities and industry best practice.
GOAL 1: Ensure strategic alignment and governance structure enables IT Services to deliver value through business enabled IT projects.
- Ensure alignment of priorities (based on Mecklenburg County organizational strategic priorities, Departmental and IT Services strategic
priorities) as well as business value understanding and realization.
- Strategic alignment will enable IT Services to build a relationship with our business partners based on perception of IT value by
delivering planned & budgeted project portfolio.
GOAL 2: Financial Management: Maximize IT-related resources, optimize return on investment, and provide high-value IT Services in a
cost-effective manner.
- Maximize scarce resources and serve as good stewards of public tax-payer resources.
- Ensure resource utilization aligns with priorities and achieves expected business value.
GOAL 3: Implement and drive maturity of an IT Operating Model that utilizes a consistent methodology and is focused on continuous
improvement of service delivery.
- The IT Operating Model is at the heart of enabling IT to complete work in an efficient and effective manner. It is important to be able
to create efficiencies through good process, and identify inefficiencies and address those.
- It is important to know what work should be done, at what stage, and by whom, and that artifacts be completed and maintained to
ensure a common understanding.
- Consistent processes and documentation is necessary to ensure provision of IT Services that meet County business needs.
GOAL 4: Provide available & scalable IT Services and systems that are dependable and flexible.
- Maintaining IT services that are required for day-to-day business operations is a core responsibility and requirement.
- ITS will be able to achieve its vision by enabling stable, reliable, consistent services. Providing stable and reliable services will enable IT
to move from being reactive to proactive, positioning us to focus us to drive a relentless pursuit of improvement to how we deliver the
service against the customer’s expectations, thereby decreasing the total cost to serve. This model will build IT Service’s credibility and
improve our perception and quantified value of the Quality of Services.
- Flexible and dependable solutions enable organizational agility which is important in an environment like Mecklenburg County’s where
our resident population and its needs are evolving, and the services we provide must be able to do the same.
- Ensure resource utilization aligns with priorities and achieves expected business value.
GOAL 5: Utilize appropriate Risk Management processes and tools that protect and secure enterprise IT resources.
- IT Services plays a critical role in Mecklenburg County’s Enterprise Risk Management processes. Implementing and maintaining
security of our technology infrastructure and data is of upmost importance, as security breaches can impede the organization’s ability
to reach strategic objectives, and could potentially cause harm to our residents.
- Protect and secure the County’s information and information systems from unauthorized or unintended access, use, disclosure,
disruption, change or destruction in order to provide integrity, confidentiality, and availability to the County’s data assets.
- Expand the continuum of the County’s Enterprise Risk Management program into the County’s IT-related strategic planning and
implement risk management at the operational level for all IT services.
- Meet regulatory and Mecklenburg County resident’s expectations regarding securing data.
- Ensure the enterprise IT assets are secure while also allowing engineering and implementation of flexible and responsive IT solutions.
GOAL 6: Develop an IT Services culture that fosters engaged and productive team members.
- Instill a culture of “One IT” and ensure all team members understand our strategic priorities and the role they play in achieving them
- Engaged, productive team members are key to enabling ITS to implement and maintain an efficient, effective, and scalable IT
operating model.
- Promote a working environment that embraces learning and continuous process improvement ethos in how we get work done.
- Ensure every associate has a Work Plan and IDP aligned with strategic priorities and relevant development opportunities
- A positive culture helps enable a person to believe that they, as an individual, can make a difference in the organization.
- Engaged team members are more willing to go above and beyond to deliver high-quality services and are more likely to remain
committed to the organization.
- It is more efficient and cost effective to keep productive existing employees.
316
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
The FY17-19 IT Services Strategic Plan is focused around a few key drivers that were identified through an intense external
IT Assessment and associated recommendations, as well as an internal review of Industry-leading practices and operational
processes. As previously mentioned, IT is undergoing a transformational journey with the hope that we will be able to add
significant value to the County’s technological capabilities. To drive this transformation, we have built our Strategic Plan
with the goals of:
Delivering solutions that provide shareable enterprise capabilities: An enterprise application strategy based on
common shareable capabilities reduces technology portfolio complexity and facilitates developing and integrating
solutions more easily, faster, more adaptable and more cost effective
Continuing Efforts To Transform The IT Function
Strengthening Enterprise Architecture & Managing Enterprise Data As Shareable Asset: Adopting flexible
integration architectures in conjunction with enterprise data governance enables sharing data across platforms
and agencies
Creating and implementing a Disaster Recovery Readiness Action Plan to ‘Protect Our Assets.’ The idea is to
provide sustainable and recoverable technology platforms, using a practical approach to restore services of
essential County business capabilities when interrupted by outages and/ or disasters.
Key Assumptions For FY17-19 IT Services Strategic Plan:
•
•
•
Project costs are estimates and will need to be refined.
– Need to validate departments proposed 3 Year Strategic Plans into Capabilities Roadmap and validate
alignment to executive leadership and department strategic goals and objectives
– IT Services degree of certainty is limited and may fluctuate 25-50% in either direction.
– Further solution definition and cost estimate refinement will then need to take place to improve
certainty.
Cost projections encompass only known FY17-19 project needs.
– Cost projections will need to be revisited annually to adjust for new projects will be identified beyond
those initially identified in this FY16 plan
Costs for Consulting and/or Employees only include new costs beyond the current operating budget and staffing
resources. It is assumed that existing staff will also support FY17-19 project work.
– As of FY16, approximately 47.5% ($6,882,493) of the total IT Services Salary and Benefits cost
($14,489,459) is spent supporting project work. Of this %, we estimate that annually approximately ½ of
those staff, ($3,441,247) will be able to support “new” projects in the FY17-19 plan. The other ½ of staff
would be closing out existing projects, etc.
317
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: Ensure strategic alignment and governance structure that enables IT Services to deliver value through
business enabled IT projects
Objective: 1 Ensure alignment of strategic priorities, business value understanding, and realization by vetting
technology proposals on a quarterly basis with the Executive Leadership team
Objective: 2 Build relationships with our business partners based on demonstrated IT value by delivering planned
& budgeted project portfolio annually
Objective: 3 Increase value by delivering the approved project and transformational portfolios annually in
alignment with the approved 3-Year Strategic Plan
Goal 2: Financial Management: Maximize IT-related resources, optimize return on investment, and provide
high-value IT Services in a cost-effective manner
Objective: 1 Ensure resource utilization aligns with priorities and achieves expected business value
Objective: 2 Maximize scarce resources and serve as good stewards of public tax-payer resources
Goal 3: Implement and drive maturity of an IT Operating Model that utilizes a consistent methodology and is
focused on continuous improvement of service delivery
Objective: 1 Improve organization's maturity in IT service management, architecture and testing
Objective: 2 Ensure consistent adoption of speed to value
Goal 4: Provide available & scalable IT Services and systems that are dependable and flexible
Objective: 1 Establish Enterprise Application Portfolio
Objective: 2 Manage data as an enterprise asset
Objective: 3 Enable a sustainable model to ensure minimal standards for enterprise technology
Goal 5: Utilize appropriate Risk Management processes and tools that protect and secure enterprise IT
resources
Objective: 1 Provide sustainable and recoverable technology platforms
Objective: 2 Secure data and system operations from malicious intrusion and unauthorized use
Objective: 3 Reduce exposure to misuse of data
318
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY (cont’d)
Goal 6: Develop an IT Services culture that fosters engaged and productive team members
Objective 1: 1 Maximize employee capacity, productivity, and morale
Goal 7: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentallyfriendly activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$19,194,072
144
FY2017***
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals**
6 New FTEs
FY2018***
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals**
FY2019***
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals**
$20,346,408
$35,894,518
$14,978,349
(Cost not
included in
FY17-19
estimates but
will be added
to Operating
Budget
Request)
6
6
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and contract or consultant resources
were identified to achieve the ITS department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
•
•
•
Costs for Labor (Consulting and/or Contract Employees) include only new costs beyond the current
staffing resources funded by the ITS operating budget.
The FY17 ZBB / Operating Budget request will include 6 new positions, that, if funded, would result in a
reduced amount of 1x funding needed for FY17-19 strategic capability projects.
The FY17 ZBB / Operating Budget also includes and additional $1,000,000 for the 9 positions (part of the
144 Total) that were funded by Technology Reserve in FY16.
***Estimated costs to Achieve Goals are based on need only and Do Not Consider Funding Source
319
320
FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
Executive Summary
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
321
OUR
To be the best local government Public Information
Department
OUR
Telling the Mecklenburg County Story
“We couldn’t do what we do without
all the help and great service we
receive from Public Information!” –
from a customer on annual Customer
Satisfaction Survey
322
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Mecklenburg County Public Information
We provide comprehensive communication services for Mecklenburg County government, including all
departments, the County Manager and Executive team, and the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. Our
mission is to tell Mecklenburg County’s story to the one million residents who call Mecklenburg County home.
Public Information (PI) manages direct and internal communication for our key stakeholders. Activities include
consulting, developing and implementing communication plans, crisis communication management, media
relations, managing the County’s Internet/Intranet, community relations and social media footprint.
Public Information by-the-numbers:
(a) 19 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee
(b) Annual budget is almost $2.4 million per year
(c) Manage over 5,000 web pages and support over 100 departmental content contributors annually
(d) Use social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr to effectively reach all residents
PI has changed tremendously in the last few years. We are a web-based organization that must adapt to changing
technology and stay close to our customers at the same time. Communication demands from departments continue
to grow and the need for Mecklenburg County to continue to be open and transparent will continue to grow for the
next three years and beyond.
323
OUR GOALS
1)
To inform, educate and engage residents and stakeholders about County
responsibilities, services and results.
2) To inform, educate and engage County employees about the policies, procedures
and information they need to be successful at their jobs.
“As Mecklenburg County
strives to meet the Vision
of being the best local
government service
provider, Public
Information continues to
push harder and higher to
meet that vision.”
Public Information
Director Danny Diehl
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
DANNY DIEHL,
Public Information Director
Responding to the present and planning for the future is how Public Information (PI) fulfills its mission of “Telling
the Mecklenburg County Story.”
The 20-member staff includes professionals with skills and expertise that were unknown as little as five years
ago.
Today, PI includes a social media coordinator, a community relations coordinator, a six-person web services team,
two videographers and six public information officers.
The diversity is needed because effective communication today means mastering the multiple channels our
customers use to receive County information.
In 2015, a single story may be told five or more different ways. It can be in the form of a news release, a Countyall email, a web story, a tweet, a Facebook post, a video or in-person during a community meeting.
Our three-year plan tries to anticipate what channels are coming next, what resources will be needed to
effectively use those channels, and what skills will be required among PI professionals to maximize our resources
and fulfill our mission and vision.
324
GOALS, OBJECTIVES and COSTS SUMMARY
Goal 1: To inform residents and stakeholders about County responsibilities, services and results
Objective 1: Effectively identify Communication Trends for county residents
Objective 2: Effectively identify Communication Trends for internal customers
Goal 2: To improve MecklenburgCountyNC.Gov for additional functionality and public engagement through a
multiyear, phased approach of upgrades and enhancements
Objective 1: Improve ability to access information electronically via the website and regularly fix broken links
Objective 2: Increase functionality and ease of use of MeckWeb and regularly fix broken links
Goal 3: Increase the visibility of Mecklenburg County government using PI Community Relations
Objective 1: Engage the community in County initiatives; increase resident awareness of County responsibilities
Goal 4: Increase social media engagement with county residents and County employees
Objective 1: Increase resident involvement and engagement on all social channels by becoming more usercentric in our social media presence
Objective 2: Coordinate social media presence across all departments to ensure consistency, accuracy and
adherence to social media policy and industry standards/best practices
Objective 3: Increase employee awareness of and engagement with the County’s social media presence
Goal 5: Maintain environmental sustainability of operations
Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines
Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly
activities (via the County’s Work Green program)
FY2016*
Department
Total # of
Adopted
Dept.
Budget
Positions
(Net County)
$2,365,409
20
FY2017**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$895,921
FY2018**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
6
$769,432
7
FY2019**
Est. # of
Est. Costs to
employees
Achieve
to Achieve
Goals
Goals
$764,433
7
*All or a portion of the FY2016 department adopted budget and full-time/part-time employees may be used
to support the achievement of goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
**All estimated costs (including one-time and/or ongoing amounts) and full-time/part-time employees were
identified to achieve the department goals from FY2017 to FY2019.
325
326