2023-2025
Lancaster County Strategic Plan

The Lancaster County Strategic Plan consists of the County’s mission, vision, guiding principles, strategic priorities and goals, and outcome measures for those priorities and goals. This Plan guides the County Board’s policies and budget decisions in a concentrated effort to make our County an even better place to live, work, and play through an even more effective, more efficient, more focused County government.

We are tracking progress for each strategic priority and goal for the lifespan of the Plan and reporting on that progress biannually.

We invite you to learn more about the Strategic Plan and the progress we have made.

2023-2025 Strategic Plan Report

Progress Report - Feb 15, 2024

2023-2025 Strategic Plan Progress Report

Strategic Priorities

01.

Community Well-Being and Safety

02.

Welcoming and Diverse Communites

03.

Employer of Choice

04.

Climate Smart and Resilient Infrastructure

05.

Thriving Economy

Community Well-Being and Safety

Sara Hoyle, Lincoln-Lancaster County Human Services Director

Provide a range of public safety services and enhance access to human services to foster well-being throughout Lancaster County.

Enhance partnerships and expand access to crisis intervention, behavioral health services, and basic needs support services.
Ensure residents of all abilities have physical access to government programs and services.
Enhance diversion programs and alternatives to incarceration to decrease the jail population and reduce recidivism.

Complete construction of the Family Resource Center by the end of 2025.
Reduce the number of behavioral health and increase the number of calls for service to law enforcement and increased the number of calls to community-based crisis response resources.
Reduce waiting periods for health and human services in the community based on data from Region V and County programs.
Complete an updated self-evaluation and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) transition plan by the end of 2023.
Engage an independent third-party consultant to provide findings and recommendations on the criminal justice system by the end of 2025, including developing a common definition of recidivism.

Welcoming and Diverse Communities

Christa Yoakum, Lancaster County Commissioner

Foster opportunities, services, and effective communication to strengthen the cycle of support and sense of belonging for all who live in and visit Lancaster County.

Provide a range of public safety services and enhance access to human services to foster well-being throughout Lancaster County.

Assess and enhance existing data and data sources available on service provision and community needs.
Establish a communications position to develop a comprehensive, inclusive, centralized, data-driven community engagement strategy to effectively engage the community and ensure a unified approach to addressing community needs.
Support the implementation of the Welcoming and Belonging Plan developed jointly by the City of Lincoln and Lancaster County.

Engage an independent third-party consultant to provide findings an recommendations on how best to use existing data and develop new data for service provision and community needs.
Fill Communications position by the end of 2023.
Complete community engagement strategy by the end of 2024.
Evaluate the success of the community engagement strategy through a community survey using objective measurements.

Employer of Choice

Barb McIntyre, Lincoln-Lancaster County Human Resources Director

Implement flexible, creative, and diverse methods of learning and developing the County’s workforce that enhance the employees’ experience, encourage a culture of innovation, and enable employee success through development of their talents.

Provide a range of public safety services and enhance access to human services to foster well-being throughout Lancaster County.

Enhance the pride and satisfaction employees feel as part of Lancaster County through learning and development that strengthens employee attraction, engagement, and retention.
Effectively use knowledge, processes, data, workforce and systems to meet the expectations and needs of those the County serves.
Develop an employee-driven quality improvement and continuous process improvement program to enhance decision-making and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of County operations.
Support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Manager’s development and implementation of a DEI strategy within County agencies.

Complete a needs analysis of organizational capabilities and employee competencies by the end of 2024, providing a proposal for resources needed to implement an employee development program.
Develop streamlined quality assurance reporting for employee data by the end of 2023.
Roll out the employee development program based upon the findings of the organizational needs analysis by the end of 2025.
Implement an employee-driven quality improvement and continuous process improvement program by the end of 2024.
Utilize regular employee surveys and human capital management data, to demonstrate an increase in:
Employee retention and reduce turnover year over year.
Employee engagement year over year.
Employees who receive/attend training year over year.
Employees who feel that the County provides opportunities for career advancement (benchmarked from survey).
Employees who rate their work environment as excellent or good (benchmarked from survey).
Implement a DEI Strategy within County agencies by the end of 2025.

Climate Smart and Resilient Infrastructure

Sean Flowerday, Lancaster County Commissioner

Invest in resilient and sustainable infrastructure to meet changing needs and potential growth, protect the environment, and ensure a safe community.

Provide a range of public safety services and enhance access to human services to foster well-being throughout Lancaster County.

Update the 2018 Transportation Study by developing a 20-year infrastructure needs assessment to begin planning and prioritizing improvements, including needs relative to service delivery.
Develop a climate strategic plan in coordination with other government agencies and partners to increase climate resiliency throughout the County.
Ensure a safe, sustainable water supply.

Complete the 20-year infrastructure needs assessment by the end of 2024 to identify and prioritize:
District shops and buildings in need of updates.
Replacement of bridges and culverts rated in poor condition.
Pavement of county road to support traffic increases.
Propose innovative solutions to filling any identified gaps in funding for shop, bridge, culvert, and road projects over the 20-year plan lifecycle.
Complete climate strategic plan by end of 2025.
Receive recommendation from the Lincoln Second Water Supply Working Group by the end of 2023.

Thriving Economy

Abby Eccher, Lincoln-Lancaster County Chief Information Officer

Encourage a diversified and resilient economy through intentional growth and public-private partnerships so that Lancaster County residents have the best employment, housing, and opportunities for a high quality of life.

Expand access to technologies such as broadband to rural areas of the County to increase connectivity.
Align zoning to promote commercial and industrial sectors and housing options that support community needs consistent with the Lincoln-Lancaster County 2050 Comprehensive Plan.
Work with the Chamber, through Lincoln Partnership Economic Development (LPED) and Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), to support and advance tourism and their existing and planned economic development efforts, including the expansion of recreational activities in Lancaster County.
Improve access to housing in rural communities.
Support and partner with the American Jobs Center to provide people looking for work with access to job openings.
Increase public expenditures with local vendors.

Complete broadband project milestones.
Increase the size of Lancaster County’s workforce in the commercial and industrial sectors.
Validate at least 5,000 affordable housing units on track to be constructed by 2030.
Make Visitor’s Improvement Fund available for projects in 2025.
Add new Promotion Fund grant cycle in 2023.
Expend Owner Occupied Rehousing Program funds by the end of 2025.
Increase in the number of people accessing the American Jobs Center who find employment.
Implement a plan to increase public expenditures with local vendors by the end of 2025.

ADDRESS

555 South 10th Street
Room 110
Lincoln, NE 68508

EMAIL

StrategicPlan@lancaster.ne.gov

PHONE

402-441-7447

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Lancaster County Strategic Plan

2023-2025 Lancaster County Strategic Plan

Strategic Priorities

Community Well-Being and Safety

Welcoming and Diverse Communities

Employer of Choice

Climate Smart and Resilient Infrastructure

Thriving Economy

ADDRESS

EMAIL

PHONE

FOLLOW

LANCASTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

2023-2025
Lancaster County Strategic Plan