At the May 29 meeting the Jefferson County Health and Human Relations Commission discussed creating a concise strategic plan to define the commission's priorities and to support future grant applications.

Commission member Gigi and other commissioners outlined a preference for a short, infographic-style plan rather than an extensive document. “We were sort of leaning towards something like that rather than constructing a great big 85-page document,” a commission member said when describing examples from other public health departments. The commission emphasized the need to represent the whole county — not only Madison and Hanover — and reviewed maps and population data to help shape outreach.

Members agreed on next steps: each commissioner will propose two survey questions to help identify community needs across Jefferson County; the survey would be distributed through county channels, at festivals, QR codes at public events and via partner organizations. The commission noted existing resources such as the county comprehensive plan and suggested pulling relevant items from that document as a starting point.

Commission discussion included coordination with town-level human relations groups. Commissioners described Madison's human-relations committee activities — including neighborhood block parties and a “human library” concept — as potential collaboration models for outreach in other county communities. Commissioners also flagged grant-readiness as a reason to finalize a strategic plan: foundations and state grant programs often ask for a documented plan when reviewing applications.

Follow-up actions recorded by the commission included collecting suggested survey questions, reviewing the county comprehensive plan and circulating a draft mission statement to members before the next meeting. No formal vote was taken at the meeting on a final plan; the commission scheduled continued work and outreach to stakeholders in June and July.