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Week of September 23, 2004 |
| County to shuffle duties as part of master plan By Samantha JosephMiami-Dade County government's departments will rearrange operations to meet the goals of the county's first strategic plan, released Tuesday. "It's a countywide plan that's intended to be very broad, very general," said budget coordinator Ray Scher. "Each year, as part of the annual business planning process, each department in the county will determine how to achieve these broader objectives." The near 200-page plan was in the works for nearly two years and has the approval of the county commission. Its goals range from small to ambitious, and include plans to cut the number of county uninsured residents by 20%, or 90,000. About 450,000 Miami-Dade residents, including 100,000 children, have no health insurance. It also intends to increase public transportation use more than 10% by adding routes and improving services; increase the number of accredited daycare operations 40% within three years; and move 20% more international cargo through the county's ports. "We try to develop these goals and objectives in very measurable ways so we could track our progress annually and quarterly," said County Manager George Burgess. He unveiled the strategy with county commission Chair Barbara Carey-Shuler, who called it the county's "game plan." "The document lays out the details, but what's key is that the details come to life," Mr. Burgess said. "What I'm really trying to impress upon folks is that the book is great, but what's really important is the process (by which) what's in the book takes on life." The idea borrows from private sector market research techniques. In this case, the county conducted citizen surveys, and hopes to repeat the process and provide annual feedback based on the findings. "If it works for the private sector... then it should be all right for us, too," Mr. Burgess said. The county plans to give its first progress report by December. |
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