Contact: Denise Turner
Phone: 336-373-2002

City Plots Course for Future with Launch of MAP
Plan offers unprecedented public reporting on City management, performance

GREENSBORO, NC -- (April 15, 2011) – Greensboro City Manager Rashad Young has announced a comprehensive plan to provide greater transparency and an increased level of insight into the performance of City government. Called MAP, which stands for management, accountability and performance, the plan offers residents detailed reports that track the City’s progress and use of resources, and provides City employees with a strategic course of action.
 
Young says MAP was forged after review of the City’s Connections 2025 comprehensive plan, the Greensboro and Guilford County consolidated plan, and the community indicator project, as well as the leadership goals established by the current City Council. By evaluating each of those plans’ goals, which were developed through community influence, MAP’s goals and strategies were created. “We set out to implement a plan that reflects the needs and desires of the residents of Greensboro, as expressed through various community meetings and the City Council,” says Young. “The job of city government is to serve the taxpayers and our internal focus is on service excellence. The MAP plan is a beneficial tool that provides a clear view of how we are serving the City’s residents and details what we need to accomplish to make an impact on our community in the future.”

According to Young, MAP is already having an impact on the City as it was used to establish the framework for the fiscal year 2011-12 budget currently under development. With the City working to address a $9 million budget gap and reduce an additional $9 million of the budget to account for potential state revenue shortfalls, Young says one of the outcomes of the MAP plan is the ability to identify enhanced service offerings through a combination of resources. “With MAP, we’ve been able to take a renewed look at the way we provide services. We’ve recognized that there are areas where we can combine like minds, within and between departments, to form a common mission that will eventually decrease expenditures, and increase services.”  

Young says that in the past, City management discussed strategy, budgeting and reporting on a department-by-department basis. Now, with the combination of resources into “result areas,” City department management and budget planning are organized based on the MAP structure. “In the past, each department would have its own set of goals and objectives,” says Young. “With MAP, the departments are working together under common goals. The strategic discussions incorporate a broader view and our teams are focusing on the services provided, rather than who is providing those services.”

The goals defined within the MAP plan touch on five major areas of emphasis for the City and its residents. The goals relate to economic development and job creation, enhanced public safety and crime reduction, infrastructure maintenance and sustainable growth, customer service, and fiscal stewardship, transparency and accountability. The City’s performance and efforts toward accomplishing those goals will be marked by “high level indicators” that serve as reports on the City’s progress.

Residents can see detailed high level indicator reports – including statistics, financial information and graphics – on the City’s website at www.greensboro-nc.gov/MAP. Starting in October, the City’s progress will be updated on a quarterly basis and the information will be maintained through a MAP portal on the City’s website. “The plan offers an unprecedented look at how the City is managing and maximizing its resources,” says Young. “Residents will get a tangible view of our progress, and the results will be provided in a transparent fashion that enables everyone to hold us accountable for our performance.”

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The City works with the community to improve the quality of life for residents through inclusion, diversity, and trust. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a professional staff of 2,800 employees who maintain the values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City is governed by a council-manager form of government with a mayor and eight council members. For more information on the City, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov or call 373-CITY (2489).