By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
After three community meetings — one in Kentwood in mid-December, an extensive “profile” of the county and a current bilingual survey, the Kent County administration is in the final stages of information collection for its current strategic planning process.
Over the past six months, according to supplied information, county leaders have “engaged in a strategic planning process that will guide its leadership through the next five years to better reflect the changing demographics, economics, and needs of the County.”
One currently ongoing element of community input is a Spanish-language bilingual survey, which will be accepting input until Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. (A link to the survey is here.)
“Community engagement is absolutely integral to the success of Kent County,” Wayman Britt, Kent County Administrator/Controller, said in previously supplied information. “It is important for us to hear the thoughts and ideas from our communities as we renew our strategic plan and effectively plan for the future.”
Partnered with Public Sector Consultants, a Lansing-based research and project management firm, the county conducted “several forward-looking conversations with external stakeholders, elected officials, County administration leaders, and residents on what goals and action items should be included in the County’s next strategic plan.”
Additionally, a county profile was developed and announced this week. (See the graphic profile here.)
Among the highlights of the profile are that the county’s median age of 34.9 years old is more than five years younger than Michigan as a whole and that 50 percent of the population of about 648,594 is 35-years-old or younger. That population is up 7.6 parent from 2010, when the last Federal census was conducted. Other highlights of the profile are that the county as the fastest growing metro economy in the United States, up 21.8 percent over five years, and that county’s violent crimes (reported in 2016) of 367 per 100,000 population was less than both the state and the country as a whole.
Upon completion of the community-engagement process, Public Sector Consultants will develop a strategic plan with the goal being to have the Board of Commissioners review a draft plan in late February 2019 and then to publicly release it in March.
“Solutions and ideas do not just come from government — they come from our residents who live, work, and play in Kent County,” said Britt.
For more information about the Kent County Administration visit accesskent.com .
