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Westmoreland supervisors review draft five‑year strategic plan, emphasize public safety, housing and health care
Summary
Board members reviewed a draft five‑year strategic plan that centers on six focus areas — public safety, education, human services, economic development, rural character and active lifestyles — and directed staff to refine goals, measures and community outreach.
Westmoreland County supervisors spent the bulk of their Oct. 1 workshop reviewing a draft five‑year strategic plan and offering priorities for staff to refine before wider public input.
County staff said the draft plan centers on six focus areas — public safety, education, human services, economic development, rural character and active lifestyles — and asked supervisors to confirm the goals and performance measures that would guide the county's work over the next five years. "We are in workshop mode... no action needed tonight, but we want your input," the County Administrator said.
Why it matters: Board members emphasized concrete service gaps the plan should address, including emergency response times, access to health care and workforce housing. Those items are likely to influence capital improvement priorities and budget decisions the board will make when aligning resources to the plan.
Among public safety proposals, staff recommended investments to upgrade the county radio system, increase competitive salaries to recruit first responders, coordinate with volunteer fire departments and evaluate satellite EMS stations in underserved areas. The draft sets measurable targets such as response‑time benchmarks and minimum staffing ratios.
Supervisors raised funding and equity questions. "One of the concerns that was brought to me was certainly a satellite EMS station and how is that going to be funded," Supervisor McCormick said, adding that parts of the county provide a disproportionate share of the tax base. Staff noted those tradeoffs would be part of later budget alignment.
Housing and health care emerged as cross‑cutting priorities. Several supervisors urged that affordable or workforce housing be elevated from a subtopic in human services to a stand‑alone focus area so the county can better leverage state housing programs and public‑private partnerships. On health care, supervisors pressed staff to pursue options to recruit providers, explore an urgent care site in Montross and investigate reuse of a vacant cancer‑care facility.
The board also discussed transportation barriers that limit youth access to workforce programs and internships and asked staff to consider measures to increase youth mobility and employment readiness.
Next steps: Staff said the draft plan remains open for revision and community feedback, with town halls and further opportunities to comment before formal adoption. The board directed staff to incorporate tonight's input and to align the capital improvement program and budget with the plan's priorities.
