Veterans committee reviews county strategic-plan chapters, has no major changes for veterans services

Members of the Richland County Veterans Service Committee reviewed draft chapters of the county strategic plan and had no substantive amendments specific to veterans services.

County staff summarized the chapters and said the draft focuses largely on internal organization in its initial iteration; departments will later submit operational work plans to implement strategic goals. “As your first strategic plan as a county, it's kind of looking at restructuring and how we're doing things within our walls,” a county staff member said during the discussion.

Veterans service staff and committee members said they did not see language that would require changes to the office’s current operations. Karen Knott, the veterans service officer, said she was preparing a consolidated response for the strategic planning committee but had not proposed changes specific to veterans services: “I really don't have a lot...I really don't feel like, at this time that I have much to add,” she said.

Committee members encouraged continued cooperation between the city and county, noting that collaborative work on housing and outreach can affect veterans’ access to low-cost housing and services. The committee agreed to forward any suggested clarifications to the strategic planning committee and to revisit the chapters as other departments submit more detailed work plans.

The strategic-plan review was placed on record to allow members and departments time to send suggested edits to the county strategic planning committee prior to the next meeting.