News

County seeks citizens' ideas

By Michael D. Bates | Hernando Today
Published: November 25, 2012

BROOKSVILLE - Large chunks of past town hall meetings to gauge residents' pulse on hot-button issues have been taken up with lengthy staff presentations and abbreviated citizen input.

County Administrator Len Sossamon said he wants to change that and put on a town hall meeting with an emphasis on residents and not staff.

To that end, Sossamon has arranged a town hall meeting for Dec. 10 at the Northcliffe Baptist Church fellowship hall, 10515 Northcliffe Blvd. in Spring Hill.

"This will give people an opportunity to come without any pressure from staff, any presentations," Sossamon said. "Staff will be there to answer questions but no protracted or even short presentations unless they are asked specific questions they need to respond to."

Only six months on the job, Sossamon is knee-deep into writing his long-range strategic plan for Hernando County and he wants to find out what is on people's minds.

"This will allow citizens to tell us what they would like to see the county government be and do and then help us establish that little phrase called 'level of service' or 'quality of service' if you will," Sossamon said.

There be two sessions: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Sossamon said he knows it is near the holiday season and there may be more such town hall-type meetings scheduled for the future.

Sossamon said the afternoon session is for those who don't want to drive at night.

He said the town hall meeting will be a "drop-in" event, where people can attend as much of the session as they wish. They don't have to stay for the whole event.

The evening session will mirror the earlier one, he said.

Sossamon has spent the last few months working on something he calls a "Blueprint for the Future."

The plan attempts to answer three basic questions: Where is Hernando County right now, where is it going and how does it get there?

The plan looks at Hernando County 25 years out and heavily stresses economic development and tourism.

Sossamon said he was told when he got here the county had a comprehensive plan, which serves as a growth tool. But that is not the same as a strategic plan, he said.

His blueprint includes a traditional SWOT matrix, an organizational method common in planning department circles. SWOT identifies the county's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

mbates@hernandotoday.com (352) 544-5290