Washington County is committed to providing quality public services to its residents in an efficient, cost-effective, and responsive manner. In an effort to sustain or improve service levels to residents and to more strategically align performance to management decision-making, Washington County implemented a system of results-oriented government in the early 1990s.
Performance measures help determine the quality and the cost-efficiency of government services, identify the results achieved, the benefits delivered to residents, and how well government resources are being used. In addition to external performance measures, which enhance accountability to the public, internal performance indicators can assist organizational managers in making resource allocation decisions, program evaluations, and assessments of goal effectiveness and achievement.
Performance indicators, in the form of goals, results and accomplishments, and key trends and challenges are reported for each department throughout Seciton E of this document.
Goals of the Performance Measurement Project
The multi-departmental Performance Measurement and Improvement Team (PerMIT) works with departments to integrate performance measurement into all management processes to achieve maximum benefits, ensuring continuous improvement in all service areas. Further, Washington County continues to make enhancements to its performance measurement system that will improve the way performance measurement information is used in decision-making. Enhancing the system includes scheduling annual opportunities for departments to share information with county Administration on their efforts to instill performance measurement and continuous improvements as a valued practice in Washington County.
Annual Performance Measurement Report
The Washington County Annual Performance Report, helps Washington County keep pace with changing expectations, focus attention on improving critical programs and services, make effective decisions, and communicate results to its residents. Washington County has a comprehensive performance measurement system in which departments track, report, and review performance measures on an ongoing basis to support management decision-making and to drive improvements in core functions and programs. This mechanism of tracking performance also facilitates an ongoing overview of departments’ performance and encourages dialogue about performance results between county Administration, all county budgets, and the annual budget.
Performance Measurements and County Goals
Selected performance measures are listed for each department in Section E and tie directly to the goals listed for that department. The chart that follows further illustrates the relationship between individual departments and its function in meeting the countywide goals.
State Standard Measures and Washington County
The Council on Local Results and Innovation, created by the Minnesota Legislature, annually releases a set of performance measures for counties that will aid residents, taxpayers, and state and local elected officials to determine the efficacy of counties in providing services and measures residents’ opinions of those services. The “Performance Measurement Review” that follows provides a summary on 11 of the output and outcome performance measures for Washington County.
Matrix of County Goals by Department
The table below indicates the relationship between the countywide goals and the individual departments. Refer to the departmental performance measurement information earlier in this section for a description of each individual department's specific goals.
We have chosen to show the most obvious relationships in this matrix.