Case Study on Attempted Improvements to a Community Planning Division

-Create an environment where team members can identify and solve problems on their own, delegating real power and responsibility - Demonstrate and articulate the values of the organization -Look for ways to use staff's interests and strengths in directly supporting people - Share decision making

While working for the department, it became very apparent that the practices and management style of the Department Director significantly affected the culture and daily activities of the individual sections under his leadership. First, he would set objectives and standards for the individual sections. These objectives usually looked good on paper but were often unrealistic when applied to daily operations. These lofty ideals, set as goals to middle management, seemed overwhelming and out of touch with the reality of hands on field operations. As a result, middle management would frequently choose to either change or completely disregard the given directives. This disconnect in the chain of command would often cause confusion and inconsistencies at the operations level. Additionally, lack of follow-up meant the Department Director assumed his set objectives were being carried out while lower level employees remained uninformed.

After reading the case study Welcome to the new town manager, by Mary Jane Kuffner Hirt, I established three major problems the community of Opportunity needed to correct. These problems involved the water & sewer system, the balancing budget, & the pay-as-you-go method. The city manager, Jennifer Holbrook, must implement strategies that would correct these problems quickly.

Unfortunately, one problem I noticed was the breakdown in communication between all levels of the team. The pattern of communication I noticed was closed and limited to only a small portion of the team as a whole. With such a large building, this is something that needs to be addressed immediately. Opening the lines of communication within the department will strengthen the relationship each member has with their leader. This builds trust and will improve

This paper presents an analysis of the evaluation report on “Hennepin County Community Works: 20 Years of Transforming Places for People: An Evaluation of Past Performance and Lessons Learned with Recommendations for the Future. The report was viewed on October 23, 2015 and can be found on this link: http://www.hennepin.us/~/media/hennepinus/your-government/projects-initiatives/community-works/cw-evalulation-report-2014-final.pdf

Just imagine for a moment, strolling barefoot through silky sand, the warm sun beating down, and the sound of waves rhythmically rolling in. Picture dolphins dancing in the distance, seagulls whistling their blissful hymn above, and children laughing as they dance through the ocean spray. Sounds like the perfect escape, right? Tragically, the future of such a beautiful scene is in serious jeopardy! The quality of our waters is degrading at an alarming rate; the human race contributes to the problem daily, often without realizing it. Water pollution in Florida is reducing pure water sources at a drastic rate, destroying natural beauty, and severely impacting the survival of local wildlife. Human actions are a major contribution to this issue, therefore citizen awareness is the highest workable solution to diminish the threat and improve the degradation of our waterways. Florida cities near major waterways should establish annual community events to raise awareness and positively impact this problem.

community debate that arises periodically in many resort communities. I have dealt with it in the past, particularly in Snowmass Village. I believe that if it is handled incorrectly it will continue to be disruptive in the political process. When handled community through appropriate outreach and dialogue (generally as described above), common ground can be found. I am somewhat familiar with the pressures that Chris Bendon has faced in this role, just as I am with other planning and development directors in Aspen back to the Sunny Vann era. I have watched it over a prolonged period. I believe that the basis of the current debate is not new to Aspen, but is has been some time since it last occurred. I am very aware that a Community Development Director’s role is significant in Aspen, as it typically is in any resort community. I have demonstrated that I do know how to help ground growth and development in alignment with a value system like the one in

On June 8, 2017 Quentin Smith came to the staff office appearing to be disorientated and groomed. Mr. Smith express that he wanted to go to respite in the meantime while he wait for transportation to St. Joseph’s. Wellness Coach Ms. Cain sent a referral to Parachute respite and a representative called informing that Mr. Smith has been there three times thus far. In stating that Wellness Coach Ms. Cain stated that Mr. Smith feels as if he is need of a changed environment.

As envisioned by the Department’s Executive Management in 2016, at initiation of six-year community plan cycle, the outreach process was to involve a, “more continuous feedback loop of public input”, from previous Community Plan Update outreach efforts and toward achieving

I was asked by the acting director to take over one of the division’s due a reassignment of its Director. The directorate was responsible the Strategic Investment and the Capital Investment Planning for the CIO. The acting director wanted me to turn the staff around or convince them to move on to other agencies or positions outside the office. I immediately interviewed each staff member and I came to understand that I inherited a staff that had been completely demoralized by the old director and was on the verge of filing complaints with the union. This issue, coupled with acting director’s negative view of the staff, meant that I was fighting a war on two fronts. During the interviews with the staff, I found that most were competent and hardworking but were afraid to take any action without management approval. This approach made me a single point of failure. To make matters more complicated, when I spoke to my superior about what he believed their short comings were, he cited their lack of independence and their ability solve problems at a lower level. I quickly met with them and provided them parameters to make decisions within. Once I empowered them, I gave them authority to deal directly with the Department Of Commerce and the Office of Management Budget. To complicate matter even more, they were often the victim

Delivering effective public service is of top priority to the organization I work for, City of Largo. The City of Largo is progressive and values itself on integrity, professionalism, teamwork, respect, diversity, competence, responsiveness, passion, creativity, empathy, and pride. The City's mission statement is clear and relates to the community it serves which is to provide superior services that enhance the quality of life and community pride. The City wishes to be looked upon as an organization that is vibrant and distinctive, with a dynamic, diverse, innovative, and high performance workforce that provides superior services through responsible stewardship. The City of Largo is driven by missions, rather than rules.

“Assigning team leaders that are both task and relationship-oriented” - Emma is not leading or driving a productive meeting; shift members around to work collaboratively;

vacancy rate of less than 20%, as well as current or pending capital improvements. After careful planning, outreach to the property and business owners, community residents, and the public, as well as conducting a needs assessment survey (Appendix C), a District Plan is drafted which serves as a business plan for the BID and is submitted the City Planning Commission for an approval. The District Plan is the most important document in the process as it includes the services and improvements the BID plans to provide, as well as the first year’s budget, and the assessment formula used to compute the amount each property owner is to pay. SBS recommends that a “BID should revisit their district plan approximately every five years or when major changes are needed”. After the District Plan has been submitted to City Planning Commission, the legislative authorization process follows legally mandated timeline and can take from nine to twelve months to complete. At the end the City Council adopts the BID Local Law and the Mayor signs it.

My interest in community organizing and building began with the passion and knowledge for the well-being of others my father instilled in my life. My father was the late Chief Elmer Manatowa Jr of the Sac and Fox Nation, Native Tribe of Oklahoma. I have been an active Governing Council member (all adult members) of my Tribe for many years. I landed my first real job, Planning Department secretary, after taking a business course at the local technical .school. In that position, I had the opportunity to attend a Tribal Sovereignty Symposium organized by the Federal, State, and Tribal organizations. This was my first taste of community organizing and community building. It was the fourth symposium of its kind. The topics included Indian law, environmental issues, law enforcement, juvenile justice, arts, taxation, spirituality, preservation, state compacts, and Tribal immunity. There were two Senate Bills, 299 and 667. Bill 299 allowed certain protections for protecting land royalties and mineral rights. The protections included oil and mineral operator’s exclusion from drilling on individually owned Indian Country lands. Bill 667 referred to the health and human service regarding Indians.

People need to know their role and If structures are not in place, then the outcome will not be positive. According to Litton (2014) the Wright report, (2010) found serious issues with the department’s structure and methods. Litton (2014) explains that while there was no explanation for the problems there were suggestions that issues lay with the department’s abilities and with its culture. According to Litton (2014) the Wright report’s (2010) found that the culture was that civil servants did not think that it was their duty to give their political leaders tough autonomous advice. The Panel noted that the Department didn’t ensure internal debate to support views presented to the minister. The Wright report (2010) also identified structural failings however, such reports as the Public Sector Organization Review Group (The Devlin Report) (1969); ‘Strategic Management Initiative’ (1994); and the OECD report (2008) all enlighten us how little has been achieved by the civil service, and point out how much needs to be done (Litton,