
Gunnison County, Colorado, USA, has used strategic planning to accomplish a plethora of goals, including:
- The electrification of all county government buildings.
- The use of geothermal and solar to heat and cool the construction of new workforce housing units owned and entitled by county.
- Receipt of the largest grant-funded awards in its state for infrastructure and housing.
- Managing resources from outdoor recreation and tourism.
- Addressing basic needs of community through the local health coalition.
At the center of this success is having a disciplined process. Experts John Cattles and Cathie Pagano walked through the process in their session, How Small Communities Accomplish Audacious Goals: Gunnison County Uses Strategic Planning to Achieve Big Results, at ICMA's Local Government Reimagined Conference in Denver, Colorado, USA.
They recommend this easy-to-use guide that will help you build a successful strategy to achieve your goals:
- Form an agenda. This will grab public and political attention.
- Formulate a plan. Consolidate political desires into strategic goals.
- Develop your policy.
- Implement and check capacity. Assign responsibility at staff level and budget accordingly.
- Measure, evaluate, and communicate.
- Adapt and repeat.
Following these six steps will allow you to develop a surefire way to accomplish your objectives for the betterment of your community.
Check out this presentation and more here!

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