Sedgwick County staff present draft strategic plan; timeline set for department plans and KPIs

Sedgwick County staff and consultants presented a draft revision of the county's strategic plan at a staff meeting July 8, describing five cross‑organizational goals, proposed key performance indicators and a timeline to roll the plan into the budget process.

Misty Breckner of the Public Policy and Management Center at Wichita State University, who led the consultant team, told commissioners and staff the update keeps the county's existing mission, vision and values from 2019 but restructures the plan to apply “across the organization” rather than by service area. "This plan is a little bit different," Breckner said, explaining the team moved from a sectioned approach to one that asks each department how it fits under five enterprise goals.

The nut graf: County leaders said the revised plan is meant to align commissioners, staff and the public, guide budgeting and produce measurable department‑level performance targets. Lindsay (finance staff) emphasized the plan will drive budget recommendations: "this is going to drive so much of what your budget office... does." The draft is not final; staff will incorporate commissioner feedback, complete department plans and return the consolidated plan for formal approval later in the year.

Consultants described the engagement and development process for the draft. Breckner said the effort included review of the 2019 plan, focus groups with the eight division areas used in 2019, interviews with elected and appointed officials, two local government and two regional business organization focus groups, state department interviews, and a strategy development session with roughly 50 employees. Sarah Gooding, project lead, said the team also developed templates for department strategic plans and corresponding KPI templates and has offered training to leadership and budget staff.

Departments previewed draft goals and KPIs. Lindsay (finance staff) outlined a services-and-resources goal that will include a cost‑effectiveness metric and a community survey baseline; she gave the current "price of government" figure used internally as about "0.86 of a penny". She described a proposed metric to maintain a cost‑benefit ratio greater than 1:1 at the organizational level and said the county is limited in revenue options by its status as a political subdivision.

Sheena (human resources staff) presented the workforce and culture goal, with strategies that include competitive, market-aligned compensation reviews, professional growth for middle managers and staffing aligned to service demand. Sheena said two KPIs for the workforce goal are maintaining employee satisfaction scores at or above prior years and annual retention of 80% or higher; staff said retention will be measured annually and the county will track voluntary and involuntary separations.

Scott Wagner, chief information officer, described a technology goal to "securely leverage technology to enhance employee and customer experience and efficiency," with KPIs tied to employee satisfaction with equipment and public satisfaction with technology-enabled services. Nicole Gibbs of strategic communications described a communications goal to "enhance transparency and public awareness" and to use a community survey this fall to inform messaging and a community dashboard.

Speakers raised questions about survey design, comparator data and measurement. Commissioner Howe cautioned about survey response bias and suggested including ZIP codes or other methods to ensure representativeness. Commissioners asked for comparative metrics to other counties; staff said comparisons exist but can be difficult because services differ across jurisdictions. Commissioners asked that department KPIs be available for review as they are developed and that the commission be given time to review survey instruments and other measurement details before final adoption.

Tim (county staff) and Rusty (county staff) were identified as co‑owners of the public‑trust goal and said the plan will be iterative: departments will adopt tailored plans, KPIs will be refined, and the leadership team will revisit strategies if they do not produce expected results. Misty Breckner said PPMC will remain available to assist departments with KPI development and workshops.

Next steps and timeline: staff described a goal to have department strategic plans in place by the end of the third quarter of 2025, KPI workshopping and budget analyst review in the fourth quarter, and a plan returned to the commission for adoption before the end of the year so it can be reflected in the next budget cycle. Staff also said a community survey is funded in the current budget year and will be used to set baselines for public‑facing KPIs. Training assets for KPI development will be reissued after a recording glitch, and PPMC anticipates holding follow‑up workshops for departments.

No formal motions or votes were taken at the meeting; the presentation was a staff briefing and review of the draft strategic plan. The meeting closed with procedural items and reminders about the next day’s agenda.