Strengthen Community Partnerships
Success in strengthening community partnerships will be evident when open and productive communication becomes the norm across all County relationships.
Enhance Transparency And Communication
Transparency is key to building trust with residents and community partners. This initiative focuses on ensuring that communication is clear, frequent, and accessible to all parties, fostering a sense of transparency and communication that is better than historically experienced.
TBD
In Progress
Completed or Current
Audit existing communication channels for efficacyConduct a comprehensive review of the County’s website, social media, newsletters, and other communication channels to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This audit will help ensure that information is easily accessible, regularly updated, and presented in a user-friendly format.
TBD. No formal review process yet in place. Red
Increase public engagement at community eventsEstablish a presence at community events, such as fairs, service organizations, and public meetings, by setting up informational booths or having a designated County speaker to engage directly with residents. These engagements will provide an opportunity for real-time feedback and questions from the community.
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Recurring Community Forums and engagement have been held and scheduled to continue, hosted by Commissioners, County Manager, and others (Last mtg held: 5/27/26).
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Public Health and DHS both table at community events
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PH co-hosts Health Fair
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PH Tables at the County Fair Education Booth
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PH Tables the Pride celebration
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PH Tables the Mental Health Awareness Walk or other events
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PH had tabled at the Walk for Moms
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PH Tables Earth Day
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County has a booth at the Halloween Hootenanny
Green
Identify underserved communitiesConduct outreach to determine which segments of the population are not receiving necessary information or feel excluded from County communication efforts. This includes reaching out to historically marginalized groups and underserved populations, such as non-English speakers, the diversity of native communities, low-income residents, or residents outside of the main population center.
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Historically underserved populations in our community would be our Spanish Speaking populations, those with low SES and the senior populations. Both PH and DHS work to outreach and serve these populations, though a formalized assessment or outreach process should be developed. Yellow
Offer Spanish translation for public and official meetingsImplement real-time Spanish translation services for public meetings, ensuring that Spanish-speaking residents have full access to County discussions and decision-making processes. Additionally, ensure that key documents and communications are available in both English and Spanish.
The County is currently testing a Spanish transcription ability for posting post-board meetings, but has no real-time service available. Red
Create a system for hearing and responding to community concernsDevelop a community feedback system or employ an ombudsman so residents can easily submit concerns or questions to the County, with a formal process for tracking responses and resolutions. This would improve accountability by ensuring that concerns are addressed in a timely and transparent manner.
The County has a Report a Concern/Submit comments link to the County website (https://support.archuletacounty.gov/) and working towards a formalized tracking and analysis of submissions. Yellow
Proactively Engage With Partners On Relationship Building
To ensure that relationships with community partners are strong and productive, the County will take deliberate steps to foster open communication and collaboration. This initiative focuses on understanding the health of each partnership and proactively addressing challenges.
Identify all partnersCreate a comprehensive list of current and potential partners, including public sector, private businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations.
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County Departments maintain a list of partners previously identified in development and approval of the Strategic Plan but should also be updated with updates from upcoming Comprehensive Plan stakeholder meetings. Yellow
Assign County liaisons for each partnerDesignate a County representative to serve as the primary point of contact for each partner, ensuring ongoing communication and accountability.
Currently working to best match personnel. Red
Map relationshipsDevelop a detailed map of all partnerships which includes the following:
• Health indicators: Assess the current status of each partnership (e.g., strong, needs improvement, fractured).
• Relational challenges: Identify specific issues or tensions that may be hindering collaboration.
• Improvements: Outline actions or strategies that could enhance each relationship (e.g., increased communication, joint projects).
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Identified partners were ranked based on county employees rating of the current relationship, follow up to partners was conducted to see if the internal perception and external perceptions were the same. For those partnerships with low rankings, the department will create an action plan for improving the relationships. – Yellow.
Monitor relationships and reporting plan/scheduleCreate a system for regularly checking in with partners and tracking relationship progress. This could include quarterly reports, scheduled meetings, and periodic surveys to assess partner satisfaction.
TBD. Red
Community Wide Vision
While the County cannot independently lead a community visioning process, it can play a crucial role in encouraging partners to come together, laying the groundwork for collaborative discussions and action. This initiative focuses on fostering an environment where stakeholders feel empowered to co-create a meaningful, long-range community vision.
Facilitate initial discussionsEncourage informal meetings or roundtables among key partners to explore the idea of a community-wide vision. The County can suggest these gatherings and offer logistical support (e.g., venues, coordination, refreshments) to ensure they occur.
Relationships/meetings currently occur by various departments and partners and participate in community events. A formal process does not yet exist but stakeholder meetings will occur for various departments in support of the upcoming Comprehensive Plan update. Yellow
Commit resources to incentivize and promote collaborationAllocate County funds to support a collaboratively funded and managed visioning process. In addition, offer incentives such as staff support or public recognition to encourage partners to contribute resources and work collectively toward shared goals. This commitment from the County will foster a sense of joint ownership and motivate partners to collaborate more effectively.
The County is currently funding a Comprehensive Plan update and Housing Action Plan 2026 and has a robust grants program for local organizations. Yellow
Milestones
Create a map of all the County partnershipsThis should be a comprehensive list of current and potential partners, including public sector, private businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations, and should include the nature of the partnership, the health of the partnership, and key people.
Completion of communication auditThe County successfully completes a comprehensive audit of its communication channels (e.g., website, social media, newsletters), identifying strengths and areas for improvement, with initial actions taken to enhance accessibility and usability.
A dedicated County liaison has been identified and assigned to each partner, and a common goal has been determinedClear lines of communication and accountability have been developed; with regular follow-up to maintain engagement and establish a shared sense of purpose and commitment to collective progress.
Collaborative community visioning process initiatedThe County successfully facilitates initial discussions among key partners for a community-wide visioning process, with a formal structure and timeline for ongoing collaboration established and multiple partners contributing resources toward the effort
