Wake County staff on Feb. 10 presented next steps for implementing the county’s strategic plan adopted in April 2024 and asked commissioners to identify gaps or partnership opportunities as staff prepares budget recommendations.

Jason (county staff leading the effort) told the Board of Commissioners that the adopted plan sets six focus areas and 24 goals, and that staff recommended 104 initiatives to carry those goals into action. He said the initiatives were developed by focus teams made up of more than 60 staff across departments during a five-month process and that next steps include aligning initiatives with departmental operational plans and budget priorities.

Why it matters

Staff said the strategic plan will guide county priorities during upcoming budget development and help the county shift from planning to implementation, tracking and reporting. Commissioners were asked to flag any “critical gaps” and to identify partnerships that could help advance the initiatives.

Example initiatives and cross-cutting items

As an example, staff reviewed the Growth, Land Use and Environment focus area (GLU). Staff proposed four initiatives under a goal to direct growth and development toward municipalities with access to municipal services: (1) review and update small-area plans, (2) advocate for high-density development in municipalities, (3) update the county transportation plan (technical document used in development review) and (4) develop integrated utility infrastructure plans to align broadband, water and other utilities with likely growth corridors.

Commissioner questions and topics raised

Commissioners asked how specific items are addressed in the initiatives:
- Commission Thomas asked whether infant and maternal health work is included; staff said maternal-health and infant-health initiatives are folded into the Community Health and Well-being goal and that an update of earlier plans is included as an initiative.
- Commissioners and staff discussed broadband and digital-inclusion initiatives; staff said digital literacy and low-cost broadband resources are included among the initiatives and that infrastructure planning will explicitly include broadband alongside water and sewer in utility coordination efforts.
- Commissioners asked about seniors and aging services; staff said recent demographic analysis showed strong growth in the 55+ population and that the plan is a living document — focus teams and community surveys will inform any additional initiatives for seniors and other populations.
- Discussion also covered public-transit amenities, service navigation to help residents find county services, and broader concerns such as benefits cliffs that affect low-income workers; staff said several initiatives address transit amenities and service navigation and that benefits-cliff policy is monitored through the county’s federal legislative agenda.

Next steps

Staff asked commissioners to review the proposed initiatives and report any omissions. Focus teams will continue meeting quarterly; the first quarterly meetings were scheduled to begin next week. Staff said they can present deeper dives on selected initiatives to committees and will incorporate commissioner feedback into implementation and the recommended budget.

No formal vote was required at the work session. Commissioners generally expressed support for moving to implementation and requested committee-level reviews of priority initiatives.