Vision Statement
The Washtenaw County Road Commission aspires to be a premier road maintenance and planning agency providing a high quality system of roads and bridges through efficient maintenance, fiscal responsibility, and innovative planning and improvement strategies. We aspire to provide the highest quality service through an open and fair decision-making process to meet the needs of the traveling public in Washtenaw County. We strive to enhance the quality of life in urban and rural communities by drawing on the expertise, creativity and commitment of our staff and partners. We recognize that our success is dependent upon the collective talents of our staff and community resources to meet the challenges. We commit to attracting the best and brightest workforce, strengthening their skills and promoting and rewarding excellence, while nurturing diversity and encouraging innovation.
Guiding Principles
In our work together at the Washtenaw County Road Commission and with our communities and other stakeholders we will:
- Promote openness and transparency in decision-making
- Provide ample opportunities for participation by the public and local government
- Be conscientious stewards of the public’s money
- Value diversity
- Be sensitive to the environment
- Value all employees
- Provide leadership in transportation planning and road system improvement
Implementation
To implement the Guiding Principles we at the WCRC will develop and adopt annual goals and strategies to guide our work with our partners and stakeholders, regularly monitor and report on those efforts, and review and adjust plans as necessary.
Guiding Principles in Detail...
Promote openness and transparency in decision-making
Road Commission decisions must comply with legal requirements and professional standards. We will ensure that the community understands these obligations in the decision process, and to the extent we can, we will exercise flexibility in the application of professional standards to address strongly felt needs of the community. As a public body we also have an obligation to comply with statutory requirements such as the Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information requirements. We are committed to going beyond those requirements to ensure openness in our decision-making, make appropriate information available in a timely fashion consistent with legal requirements, reach out to the larger community through the media and other ways to ensure that the community is aware of the decisions we make and the basis for those decisions.
Provide ample opportunities for participation by the public and local government
We are committed to providing ample opportunities for public participation and input into decision-making processes. In addition to mandated public hearings we will make an affirmative effort to notify and engage residents in areas particularly impacted by proposed projects, and we will work to identify community concerns and needs and address those concerns, consistent with statutory obligations and professional standards.
Be conscientious stewards of the public’s money
As a public agency, we use public resources from the Michigan Transportation fund, federal and state grants, as well as township and developer contributions to support our work. We are committed to being effective stewards of these resources, ensuring the long-term fiscal stability of the Road Commission, employing cost-effective solutions to projects, continuing to explore ways to reduce the costs of operations, continually striving to improve service delivery and productivity, and ensuring a high level of customer service in all that we do.
Value diversity
We serve a diverse community, in terms of gender, geography, race and other characteristics. We are committed to serving the entire community, and reflecting the diversity of our county in our choice of employees, projects, vendors, and in our partnerships.
Be sensitive to the environment
Consistent with legal obligations and professional standards, we will be sensitive to the impact we have on the natural and built environment, seek to minimize that impact and, to the extent possible within financial and other constraints, seek to enhance and improve the environment. Where possible, consistent with the values of Washtenaw County residents, we will make decisions and execute activities in a way that is a model of environmental stewardship for other Road Commissions. We will respect historical values reflected in the built environment to the extent we can and be sensitive to concerns regarding local and county objectives to minimize sprawl and protect open spaces.
Value all employees
We recognize that the success of our agency is largely dependent on the talents and skills of employees. We believe that every employee has a role to play in making a positive difference for the success of our agency. We are committed to hire and retain the best possible employees, evaluate them regularly, provide opportunities for professional development and advancement, pay them competitively, reward success and innovation, and treat them with dignity, fairness and respect.
Provide leadership in transportation planning and road system improvement
While we are responsible to the people of Washtenaw County through the elected County Commission, we also recognize an obligation to share our insights, experience and expertise in transportation and in providing transportation services with others. We will support county, regional and state transportation initiatives through active engagement in the County Comprehensive Plan implementation, the County Road Association of Michigan and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. We will continue to strive to be recognized as a source of innovation and cutting edge performance in everything we do.