Orientation Guide for Newly Elected County Commissioners or a Newly Appointed County Manager
John G. Richardson and Donald W. Cobb*
Introduction
Assuring that elected and appointed officials have an understanding of the Cooperative Extension Service and its mission is critically important to the future of the Extension Service. It is imperative that these officials who are local funding partners of the Cooperative Extension Service understand Extension and the impacts its program have on local citizens.
In this age of accountability, county commissioners and county managers are especially important to the success of the Extension program as they control funding at the county level. Assistant county managers and finance officers may also be included in this critical group as they may provide leadership to county departments.
Arranging a Meeting
While some individuals who may be elected to a board of county commissioners or appointed as a county manager, may already know and understand the Extension organization and its programs, many others may not.
To assure that each county commissioner or county manager has an adequate knowledge of the Cooperative Extension Service and its mission, the County Extension Director should arrange a personal conference with each commissioner or county manager promptly following that individual's election or appointment. This meeting should be arranged at the convenience of the commissioner/manager, and be held at the commissioner's place of business or principle residence. This meeting should be held between the time of the commissioner's election and the date on which their official duties begin. For meetings with new county managers, the meeting location should be selected by the new manager, but if possible, arrange the meeting at the Extension office. While other important things may need to be discussed, the following list represents many of the items that should be beneficial to both the commissioner/manager and Cooperative Extension throughout their term of service.
Before the Meeting
Some of the key things to accomplish prior to the actual meeting are as follow:
- Get acquainted with the commissioner's/manager's place of residence
and home community (These are public service oriented people, so by
knowing where they live, inclusion of conversation relating to the
their community may be useful during the meeting);
- Gain a perspective of the commissioner's/manager's philosophy about
the county, its opportunities and problems;
- Gain a clear knowledge of the commissioner's/manager's mission and
goals that they expect to achieve in their new role;
- Gain a perspective of the commissioner's/manager's vocation,
personal interests, and/or other factors that may provide some insight
as to their likely level of personal interest and direct involvement in
Extension educational programs
The Meeting
- Provide the commissioner/manager a copy of Cooperative Extension's
Mission Statement and explain Extension's role as an informal
education agency that develops and provides educational
opportunities to the people of the county based on their needs as
relates to Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer
Sciences, Community Resource Development, and youth development
through 4-H;
- Briefly describe the Advisory Leadership System in the county and
how the System assures the involvement of local people representing
all segments of the county's population in identifying people needs
and in conducting educational programs;
- Describe to the commissioner/manager the major programs included
in the county plan of work along with objectives selected to address
these programs;
- Provide some examples of program materials that are currently being
used to provide information to county citizens;
- Describe to the commissioner/manager some of the recently
successful educational programs that have been conducted in the
county;
- Explain some recent program impacts by Extension, specifically
focusing on direct benefits to the people of the county;
- Explain that special program review opportunities are provided
through one or more annual commissioner reports;
- Provide a printed listing of the current county Extension staff,
including their responsibilities;
- Provide a copy of the signed Memorandum of Understanding to the
commissioner/manager and briefly describe the three way partnership
involving the county, state, and federal governments in support of the
Extension System;
- Be aware of the total county budget figures and share with the
commissioner the portion (per cent of total county budget) of that
budget that supports Cooperative Extension in the county;
- Explain that County Commissioners are one of the audiences of
Extension, and that educational resources can be provided to them on
some of the broad issues that are facing the county;
- Extend a personal invitation to the commissioner or manager to visit
the Extension Office and to attend key programs; and
- Thank the commissioner/manager for their time.
Conclusion
It can be expected that nearly all such visits will be unique. However, prior preparation must be made to assure that a positive and informative meeting occurs. Realizing this, it is also important to remember that the information provided to the new commissioner or manager during this session is for both their benefit and that of Cooperative Extension. The key is to educate them about Extension's impacts in their county and make sure that they remain informed as well as included in programs and events that demonstrate the important roles of Extension programs in people's lives, and in the well being of the county.
Publication Number
AEE 97-02
*Authors
John G. Richardson, EdD.
Extension Program Delivery and Accountability Leader
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Donald W. Cobb, EdD.
District Extension Director
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Peer Reviewed by: James D. Stephenson and Ken Vaughn, County Extension Directors, Ronald Jarrett and Sandra A. Zaslow, District Extension Directors, Joe Zublena, Assistant Director, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, David Jenkins, Professor, and Richard Liles, Associate Head, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education.
For additional information contact the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, 120 Ricks Hall, Campus Box 7607,North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7607
|| North Carolina State University || Cooperative Extension ||
Published by: NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
Table of Contents
Created June 30, 1997
Updated June 30, 1997
created by Michael Ebbs