MISSION STATEMENT

Practice stewardship of San Juan County's infrastructure and natural environment for the benefit of the citizens of the County.

Definition

By "Practice" we mean to work at, as in a profession and to perform frequently, as in habit or usual custom.

By "stewardship" we mean the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.

By "infrastructure" we mean the public's structures, roads, trails, real properties, and utilities.

By "natural environment" we mean the air, water, land, vegetation and wildlife of these islands.

Method of Accomplishment

We intend to accomplish this through the following values and guiding principles:

We care about our employees.
We hire personable and professional people. We promote and provide good training. We are concerned about the health and safety of our employees. We provide adequate staffing for work effort. We communicate with employees. We treat each other with respect. We provide the resources and independence to do the job.

We will endeavor to act like a small organization. A small organization is more responsive, concerned about individuals, flexible, informal, less bureaucratic and promotes a wider range of skills and responsibilities. There is a feeling of unity and cooperation, rather than separateness and competitiveness within the department.

Cost decisions will reflect budget, quality and long term maintenance. Not just the lowest bid to solve the immediate problem. Specifications and project requirements should be written to meet long term goals. Maintenance projects should solve long term problems.

Our public contacts will be professional and courteous. We take time to listen. We care about the issue and insure a timely response. We treat the public with respect and consideration. We inform and involve the public in advance of major issues, projects, or proposed actions. We understand our customer/client needs. Our responses are informative, clear and helpful.

We produce high quality products. Our decisions are thorough and deliberative. We look for long term benefits. We involve affected/knowledgeable people in decisions. We don't take on more work than we can do well. We consistently exceed expectations.

We establish reasonable schedules and meet them. We don't take on more work than we can do well. We consistently exceed expectations. We have clear priorities and adhere to them.

We set a positive example for environmental enhancement. We explore and support current methods to avoid impacts to the natural environment. We budget sufficient funds to allow protection and enhancement of our environment. Our design decisions protect and enhance environment. We are open to new ideas.

We make our decisions with integrity and consistency. We follow both the letter and spirit of the law and public policy. Our decisions reflect community values.