A Report to the Community: 2016 Leon County Annual Report In Brief
MESSAGE FROM THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
On September 20, 2016, I presented the 2016 Annual Report to the Board of County Commissioners. It is now my pleasure, as Leon County Administrator, to present this report to the residents of our community.
Ben Franklin once said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” The famously innovative and civic-minded Founding Father would find much to be proud of in Leon County government in 2016, including our commitment to adapting to meet the changes and challenges facing our community. That’s what the best organizations do. They anticipate change, challenge themselves and continue to advance their strategy. 2016 was a year of big changes and bold initiatives for Leon County and capped off the last in the five year 2012-2016 Strategic Plan.
The Annual Report shows County employees living our “People Focused, Performance Driven” culture through our core practices, and our continued focus on aligning the optimized resources of Leon County government with the Board’s top priorities: to grow and diversify our local economy; to be a responsible steward of our natural resources and protect our environment; to enhance Leon County’s quality of life, so it is a place where people are healthy, safe and connected to their community; and to continuously improve how we govern.
The Annual Report highlights measures Leon County has taken to engage citizens as co-creators of our community; game changing infrastructure projects that came to life, sparking revitalization and private-sector investment; and strategic initiatives that are enhancing our quality of life and growing our tourism economy.
Through the vision and leadership provided by the Board of County Commissioners and hard work of dedicated employees, I am proud to report that in 2016, Leon County has proven to be a government that our citizens can believe in and others can benchmark against. What follows are excerpts from the 2016 Annual Report. I invite you to read the full report at www.LeonCountyFL.gov/AnnualReport and I always welcome your feedback.
RESPONDING DURING THE COMMUNITY’S TIME OF NEED
While 2016 tested Leon County’s plans and preparedness, I’m proud to report that we demonstrated resilience and compassion in our response to events like Hurricane Hermine, the Wakulla bus crash, and the Zika virus.
One of our biggest challenges came late in the evening on September 1. That night Hurricane Hermine made landfall on a path directly through Leon County. Hermine was the first hurricane to hit Florida in 11 years and was the first storm to cause as much damage to our community since Hurricane Kate in 1985. Activated for eight straight days, the coordinating efforts at the Leon County Emergency Operations Center ensured first responders met every need and that our Public Works crews were working in tandem with electrical restoration. Our teams rose to the challenge by distributing water throughout the County, opening a comfort station at the main library downtown for 5,400 of those hardest hit, and by working alongside our area nonprofits to help our County return to normal.
PRESERVING LIFE, IMPROVING HEALTH, PROMOTING SAFETY
Leon County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) received 38,396 calls for service in 2016; a 42% increase since 2004, which was its first year of operation after Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare discontinued its ambulance service. EMS’ Heart Ready initiative has improved cardiac arrest survival rates to 33% upon arrival at the emergency room, which is almost 5 times better than the 7% national average. EMS trained more than 1,700 residents in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and in the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
INSPIRING A LOVE OF READING AND A LIFE OF LEARNING
The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System welcomed more than 1 million visitors in 2015, a number greater than the population of Rhode Island. Leon County residents checked out more than 1.7 million books and other media, and downloaded 65,000 eBooks and audio materials from its collection. To further increase access to digital resources, Leon County unveiled a new online catalog featuring improved search options and quick access to online resources, services and information. You may learn more about Leon County's libraries and download eBooks and audio books at: www.LeonCountyFL.gov/Library
2016 LEON COUNTY ANNUAL REPORT VIDEO
This year's Annual Report video visually engages citizens in the accomplishments of their County government like never before by telling a year-long story of County services in the community.
To view the video, please visit: www.LeonCountyFL.gov/AnnualReport
TRANSFORMING AND RENEWING THE COMMUNITY
Leon County completed the construction of Fred George Greenway and Park and Okeeheepkee Prairie Park in 2016, continuing to expand the County’s recreational offerings. We also closed the County’s solid waste landfill and engaged the community in developing a master plan to make portions of the Solid Waste Management Facility into a regional recreational amenity. And through the efforts of Blueprint 2000, we were able to complete transformative projects like the FAMU Way Extension and the Capital Cascades Trail.
EMBRACING ECONOMIC VITALITY FOR FLORIDA’S CAPITAL
In 2016, we established the Tallahassee/Leon County Office of Economic Vitality in partnership with the City of Tallahassee to serve as the hub of our economic development ecosystem, bringing together and leveraging the efforts of our many economic development partners. OEV integrates policy, collects and utilizes data, and coordinates projects and initiatives that cross over the planning, land use and economic development spectrum. The new office demonstrates the County and City Commissions’ desire to invest in and cultivate economic development through its sales tax initiative which, in November 2014, dedicated 12% of sales tax collections (estimated at $90.7 million) to implement economic development projects, programs, and initiatives. As for the tourism economy, Leon County’s Capital City Amphitheater continues to bring in some of the largest names in the industry including O.A.R., Jason Isbell, Boz Scaggs, Peter Frampton, and Alabama Shakes, which was a sold-out performance.
INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY AND CREATING JOBS
Leon County hosted the first Leon Works Expo in October 2015, providing 330 local high school students and 200 members of the public training opportunities and exposure to skilled careers within our community. Leon County will host the 2016 Leon Works Expo in October as well as begin a Junior Apprenticeship program, which will further help our community to fill the skilled job gap of 10,000 workers by 2022.
PROVIDING TRANSPARENCY AND ENGAGING CITIZENS IN MEANINGFUL WAYS
Leon County has a long history of promoting citizen involvement to guide policy and shape our community. Since 2012, the nationally-recognized Citizen Engagement Series has provided greater opportunities to build trust through meaningful engagement. The Citizen Engagement Series sessions enhance transparency and convey the relevance of County government through immersive hands-on exercises that offer a glimpse into the decision making process that shape the community.
This year’s Club of Honest Citizens event, “Created Equal: A Conversation About Race, Founding Ideals, and Our Hometown,” was held at a popular nightclub where more than 250 citizens participated in a conversation about race and its impact on the community.
VALUING AND SUPPORTING OUR VETERANS
Leon County Government is dedicated to serving veterans in our community. In 2016, Leon County served more than 3,500 veterans and dependents with face-to-face consultations. For his or her service, a veteran has earned many benefits. But sometimes the application process can be complicated. Leon County staff works to help veterans and their spouses process medical claims, retirement benefits, and even to receive assistance for certain approved emergency needs like heating and cooling. But being a onestop shop for local veterans is not the whole story of what Leon County does. In 2016, Leon County engaged the community in support of our veterans through events like Honor Flight, Operation Thank You, and the Veterans Day Parade.
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Please find the complete 2016 Annual Report PDF and video online at: www.LeonCountyFL.gov/AnnualReport
Please take time to read this Annual Report and know that I welcome your feedback. The survey can be found on the Leon County website at www.LeonCountyFL.gov/AnnualReport. I appreciate your feedback, which helps us to enhance our product for you and our citizens each year.
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