2022 State of the County Presentation

Location: Livingston Depot (200 West Park Street)

We Will Park County is a citizen-informed initiative that offers a common vision and data set.   https://insight.livestories.com/s/v2/we-will-park-county/0e005fbe-e7ca-480b-98f3-8f29dbda1d67   The initial phase of this program began with a community-wide survey in 2018, which led to the launch of a data-rich website in 2019: WeWillParkCounty.org. With an eye towards the future of Park County, the next phase of this program includes an updated community survey, transition our channel for disseminating this information from the website to an annual “State of the County” report [working title], and a community convening to foster civil discourse on crucial issues.

• The purpose of the community convening is to release the 2022 We Will Park County “State of the County” report and provide an opportunity for Park County residents to become more deeply engaged in the current challenges faced by our community, including flood recovery and planning for growth.
• The We Will Park County “State of the County” report will include many of the data points currently available on the website, with the additional enhancement of results from our updated community survey.
• The 2022 Community Survey ran from August 26-September 19 and received 816 responses from community members throughout Park County.

The overall goals for the community convening are:

• Build awareness, enthusiasm, and broad support for addressing county issues.
• Establish this event as an educational, engaging community activity that supports civil discourse among diverse local stakeholders.
• Introduce the We Will Park County annual “State of the County” report as a compelling, primary source that captures current data and opinions of Park County citizens.

PCCF is not an advocacy organization, rather, we work to compile the best information available about the issues challenging our community and let others formulate plans on how to address the issues.  A prime example is our facilitating the Housing Needs Assessment for Park County:  https://www.parkcountyhousing.com/_files/ugd/405ec9_8271f34bead0450ea0e00a5ef703b324.pdf which document provides that core data for others to interpret and apply, which is what HRDC did in producing the Housing Action Plan.  Other organization or individuals can interpret that data in a different manner and propose different plans of action.

We’ll present the results of this year’s community survey along with current secondary data on a number of key issues & metrics from around the county, followed by a discussion panel featuring three well-respected leaders from peer communities about increasing local resilience and self-determination.

Panelists:

• Bill Milton, Musselshell County rancher & lead facilitator with the Musselshell Watershed Coalition
• Mike Halligan, Executive Director of the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation
• Elizabeth Brown, Managing Director of the Mental Health & Well-Being Program Area of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and former Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Community Foundation during the destructive wildfires of 2017

Light refreshments will be provided.