Visioning Case Study: Tillamook County, OR

In 1997, the Tillamook County Board of Commissioners voted to create the Tillamook County Futures Council and charged the appointed group to develop a long-range vision for the county using broad-based citizen input. With assistance from the University of Oregon's Community Planning Workshop, the Futures Council conducted focus group meetings to gather input from community members, used that input to develop a preference survey and conduct electronic polling, and then organized additional meetings to set the strategies and goals for attaining the visions articulated in both the meetings and through the survey. As a result of this series of meetings, the Futures Council articulated a strategic vision, created 19 goals and 52 strategies for attaining that vision, and developed benchmarks to assess and monitor the effectiveness of the strategies as well as progress in achieving the goals over time. Their vision plan is divided into four sections: Growth and Development, Economy, Natural Environment, and Society and Culture.

The Futures Council developed benchmarks to measure their success at two-years, five-years, and their goals for 20 years out. The purpose of the benchmarks is to establish baseline data and trends, which will aid policy makers in working toward Tillamook County's Strategic Vision. The Futures Council also organized an action plan by which county residents and community groups can participate in designing the immediate steps towards goal achievement. Tillamook County's process uses all the ingredients prescribed for a successful visioning process. To read more about Tillamook County and find out about the specifics of the work by the Tillamook County Futures Council, please visit their website.

The following is a partial example of some of the goals, associated strategies, and the benchmarks identified to assess progress towards achieving the goal. (A complete list of the goals, strategies and benchmarks can be found on the Futures Council website at

    * Goal 1.1 – Manage growth in a manner that creates vibrant towns while maintaining the    rural character of the countryside by concentrating growth in existing communities and by protecting our farms, forests, rivers, bays, beaches, and coastline.
    * Strategy 1.1 – Direct growth toward existing cities and communities and away from agricultural and forest areas.

     * Goal 3.1 – Expand existing businesses and industries while maintaining traditional industrial base in forestry and agriculture.
     * Strategy 3.1.1 – Promote the development of sustainable and innovative management practices and businesses that add value to our present resources (dairy, wood, and fish products).

     * Benchmark 3.2 – Oregon’s national rank in economic diversification.

Contact: Susie Godsey
1906-A Third St
Tillamook, Oregon 97141
(503) 842-2236
info@edctc.com