Kitsap Business and Economy

Action Plan for Building Public Trust
1. Chief Executive Officer Pledges that Building Public Trust is the Port’s Most Urgent Priority
• The Port aspires to a reputation as an agency of the highest integrity. It strives to become a model for other government bodies.
• The Port pledges a culture of openness, with transparency as a core value.
• Trust is built by communicating clearly and honestly with the public and delivering results.
• TIMETABLE: Now.
2. Community Outreach
• Port leadership will meet directly with the public in each of the Port’s three districts. Meetings will include presentations by CEO, directors, and the commissioner for each district, followed by open-ended Q&A.
• Community meetings will be broadcast on BKAT; the Port also will explore extending BKAT coverage to study sessions.
• The Port will genuinely seek to engage its most active critics. They will be invited to meet personally with the CEO to express their concerns and their suggestions on how to earn their trust. CEO pledges to listen carefully and engage them honestly.
• The Port’s Community Outreach/Public Participation Plan will be published and/or widely distributed.
• TIMETABLE: Aug.-Nov.
3. Open Records/Public Meetings
• The Port will arrange for open government ombudsman Tim Ford of the state attorney general’s office to conduct training for staff and commissioners on public disclosure obligations. The Port intends to go beyond the legal requirements and fully embrace the spirit as well as the letter of the law.
• The Port will not attempt to discourage the public from requesting public information. The practice of regularly identifying requesters of public information by name at commission meetings should be discontinued.
• TIMETABLE: Ombudsman is available late July-early August, and during the month of September.
Action Plan for Building Public Trust
4. The Port as a Trustworthy Steward of Public Funds
• Port leadership will move aggressively to guarantee the Port’s financial sustainability.
• It will define and communicate the Port’s philosophy on investment of public tax dollars.
• It will define and communicate the Port’s commitment to reducing reliance on property taxes for operations.
• TIMETABLE: Financial stewardship philosophy will be articulated in three-year plan (for publication and distribution in August) and shared during community meetings.
5. The Port as a Trustworthy Steward of the Environment
• Port leadership will continue to pursue sustainable economic development opportunities in clean technology and support the creation of future-oriented jobs by businesses that respect or improve the environment.
• The Port will develop, communicate and implement environmental “best practices” plans for all existing Port operations.
• TIMETABLE: Ongoing. Environmental stewardship philosophy will be articulated in three-year plan and shared during community meetings.
6. Kitsap SEED
• The Port will act decisively to resolves issues surrounding the Kitsap SEED project.
• Port leadership will continue to address it with the candor and openness demonstrated during the public planning session for the three-year plan.
• TIMETABLE: CEO’s recommendation due Aug. 11.
7. Partnerships
• The Port will reach out to those who have supported and/or partnered with the Port in the past to address any concerns they may have about trust in the Port.
• The Port will take a leadership role among stakeholders in economic development in the region to build consensus and get results.
• The Port will host regional Economic Summit in October.
• TIMETABLE: August-October.
8. Our Actions Must Match Our Words.
• Ultimately, the Port will be judged on what it does, not what it says. Commitment to the public trust must be demonstrated every day in all that we do.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 1:52 pm by Rachel Pritchett and is filed under Uncatagorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.