County Presents Goals For Strategic Plan

On Tuesday, the county took another small step toward developing the countywide

This Strategic Plan will be drafted and presented in December and is the second of six projected Strategic Plans that will guide the county into 2030. 

Strategic Plan Coordinator Pat Thomas briefly outlined the Strategic Plan Goals, which focus on the areas of economic development, transportation, education, human services, and public safety.

"These goals will give clear direction to the Strategic Plan Team," Thomas said. "The team will develop measurable community outcomes for each goal area."

Some of the goals include creating more jobs, educating the workforce, using state and federal funds and community partnerships to offer crisis prevention and intervention for at-risk families, developing multi-modal transportation, and maintaining safe neighborhoods with prompt emergency response. 

For any questions or comments, contact Thomas at strategicplan@pwcgov.org. 

In the public hearing that immediately followed Thomas's comments, only three people spoke. Two offered support for the Strategic Plan.

Nancy Hiteschue, the vice president of public policy and communications at the Prince William Chamber of Commerce, said that the chamber shared many of these goals.

"Particularly, we appreciated your strong statements on economic development and education and transportation," she said. The goals displayed an understanding of the role that telework can play, she continued, and "greater connectivity of our transportation system is vital to our economy."

Nancy Vehrs, president of the Prince William Wildflower Society, spoke solely on her own behalf. 

"When I look at the proposed strategic vision, I see one glaring omission, and that's the environment," she said. She proposed the addition of a goal statement saying, "the county will strive to preserve and enhance the county's natural environment and open space."

BOCS Chairman Corey Stewart hastened to tell her that just because something wasn't in the Strategic Plan Goals didn't mean that it was unimportant to the county. 

"If something is not in there, that doesn't mean it's not a priority for the county. Parks and recreation, libraries, we spend a lot of money on those things, but those things are not in there, because we're focusing on the things that will move the county forward," Stewart said.

Prince William County Executive Melissa Peacor added that some county policies and goals were found in documents outside of the Strategic Plan. In the case of environmental issues, some of those would be addressed in the Land Use and Environment Goals document, she said.