April 10, 2009
Theresa Jennings
DNRP Director
Welcome to the 2009 performance report of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP). Our department has been using performance information for many years to improve service delivery, get feedback on customer priorities, and improve accountability with the elected leadership, our stakeholders, and the public.
We are proud to have received the Association of Government Accountants 'Certificate of Excellence in Performance Reporting' for the past several years.
In 2008, DNRP took two significant steps forward to improve performance.
First, we consolidated our goals to reflect the three primary domains of sustainability:
Shifting to a triple-bottom-line performance framework helps improve decision making by establishing a consistent, basis for managing resources across lines of business.
Second, we enhanced internal accountability by cascading organizational performance measures out to the section level. By extending performance measures to smaller levels of our organization, we better connect and align branches of our organization, strengthen the assignment of responsibility, and increase transparency and accountability.
We are also building on recent accomplishments, including the tracking and reporting on measures of equity in service delivery, and, together with partners, addressing disproportionate outcomes in community conditions that DNRP services and facilities can help remedy. Our investments in regional trails, for example, are being evaluated for the degree they will help remedy disproportionate levels of physical activity in communities across King County.
Key focus areas for DNRP performance improvements in 2009 include:
Recognizing that performance improvement is a journey, not a destination, we welcome your ideas regarding other measures we should consider including in this report, and your reaction to the priorities DNRP is currently addressing. Thank you for your feedback.
