vision 2015 FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN PINELLAS COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR

Transcription

1 FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN PINELLAS COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR Prepared by: Barbara Hastings, Organization Management Analyst Chad McLeod, Manager of Public Affairs and Compliance Revised

2 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 STRATEGY MAP. 5 MISSION STATEMENT. 6 CURRENT OPERATIONS. 7 SCOPE OF FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.. 8 PERSPECTIVES, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES 8 FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. 8 EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE... 9 ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE. 10 ENGAGED & KNOWLEDGEABLE WORKFORCE. 12 CONCLUSION. 15 2

3 Executive Summary From collecting property taxes to issuing driver licenses, the Tax Collector s office services nearly every resident of Pinellas County at one point or another. As an independently elected position that acts as the county s chief revenue officer, the Pinellas County Tax Collector s Office is responsible for collecting and distributing a variety of local and state taxes, including taxes on real estate, tangible personal property, and tourist development. Each year, the office collects more than $2 billion in tax revenues and driver license and motor vehicle fees. The Tax Collector distributes those funds to the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, the Pinellas County School Board, local cities, fire districts, and other state and local taxing authorities. The office of the Tax Collector is established under the Florida Constitution, Article VIII. While the Tax Collector is independently elected every four years, the office serves as an agent of multiple state-level departments, such as the Florida Department of Revenue, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Florida Department of Revenue reviews and approves the Tax Collector s budget every year. The budget is funded by commissions and fees paid by taxing authorities to the Tax Collector for tax collection and distribution services. At the end of the year, surplus fees not required for operational expenses are returned to the taxing authorities. On average, we have returned $12 million a year in unused fees in the last five years. The Tax Collector s office considers other branches of county government as collaborators, including the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, Pinellas County Property Appraiser, Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court, and Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections. The Tax Collector also collaborates with the Florida Tax Collectors Association and statewide professional coalitions. The Tax Collector s strategic advantages begin with its core competencies: expertise in collection and distribution of funds, customer service excellence, continual process improvement through technology and use of performance data, and a strong commitment to workforce development. Other key advantages include being a fee office (allows office to be self-funding), offering full-service driver license transactions, providing one-stop convenient locations throughout the county, having an in-house training staff, and having a well-established career ladder. 3

4 Strategic challenges include a decrease in revenues as a result of declining property values. Less revenue has forced the Tax Collector s office to make budget cuts while absorbing additional state-driven service mandates. To achieve acceptable budget cuts, the office has been unable to give salary increases since This presents a challenge in the office s ability to remain competitive in recruiting and retaining employees. Also, budget restrictions make it difficult to fund additional positions, creating the challenge of maintaining capability and capacity to continually meet customer expectations. In an effort to capitalize on the office s strengths and mitigate strategic challenges, the Tax Collector has developed a five-year strategic plan. This strategic plan centers on the four perspectives and eight goals adopted by the organization s senior leaders. These perspectives include 1.0 Financial Responsibility; 2.0 Exceptional Customer Service; 3.0 Organizational Excellence; and 4.0 Engaged and Knowledgeable Workforce. The Tax Collector has developed specific goals that link to each perspective area: 1.1 Acquire new revenue sources 1.2 Minimize expenditures 1.3 Ensure fiscal accountability 2.1 Maintain a world-class level of service for all customer segments 3.1 Improve processes for increased efficiencies 3.2 Ensure quality compliance 4.1 Empower the workforce to excel 4.2 Support our key communities Senior leaders have developed Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound (SMART) objectives* to accomplish these goals. *Sometimes referred to as initiatives or strategies 4

5 Mission: We Serve our citizens promptly. Satisfy licensing and identification needs, and accurately collect and distribute revenue. Are good stewards of public funds. Continually pursue organizational excellence. vision Financial Responsibility 1.1 Acquire new revenue sources 1.2 Minimize expenditures 2.0 Exceptional Customer Service 2.1 Maintain a world-class level of service for all customer segments 1.3 Ensure fiscal accountability 3.0 Organizational Excellence 3.1 Improve processes for increased efficiencies 3.2 Ensure quality compliance 4.0 Engaged & Knowledgeable Workforce 4.1 Empower the workforce to excel 4.2 Support our key communities Figure 1. Pinellas County Tax Collector Strategy Map. Every measure selected for our Balanced Scorecard is an element in a chain of cause-and-effect relationships that communicate our operational strategy. 5

6 Mission Statement The purpose of the Tax Collector s office is to collect and distribute taxes and issue licenses, titles, and registrations on behalf of the state of Florida. WE: 1. Serve our citizens promptly 2. Satisfy licensing and identification needs, and accurately collect and distribute revenue 3. Are good stewards of public funds 4. Continually pursue organizational excellence Constitutionally Mandated Duties and Responsibilities Tax Collector Workforce Interdepartmental Cooperation Public Service Accountability Figure 2. Interrelated items associated with the Tax Collector s Mission 6

7 Current Operations The workforce consists of a budgeted staff of 268 positions within eight facilities throughout Pinellas County, including a main office, six branch offices, and a processing center that houses the call center and mail processing facility. The Pinellas County Tax Collector s Office processes nearly 880,000 walk-in customers, nearly 320,000 telephone calls, and more than 400,000 mail transactions per year. Branch Operations Processing Operations Tax Operations Workforce Distribution 4% 3% 3% 5% 4% Budget & Finance Human Resources 13% Technology Services 68% Other Figure 3. Distribution of workforce throughout departments and functions The office collects and distributes more than $2 billion in state and local taxes and fees. Pinellas County was ranked second by the Florida Department of Revenue out of 67 Tax Collector offices statewide for the greatest percentage of budget reductions in the last five years. The Tax Collector career ladder assists more than 90 percent of eligible staff to reach Tax Specialist level within three years of hire date. Overall workforce satisfaction has increased from 72% in 2010 to 92% in

8 Scope of Five-Year Strategic Plan The goals of the strategic plan and objectives within each goal will guide the direction of the Tax Collector s office for the next five years. Each component of the plan serves to fulfill the Tax Collector s mission and supports the organization s vision of World-Class Service, Anytime, Any Place. Perspectives, Goals, and Objectives 1.0 Financial Responsibility 1.1 Acquire new revenue sources Objectives: 1. Issue RFP for banking to include e-commerce options. Target date: Q (Completed). 2. Absorb state office services. Target date: Q (Completed). 3. Research alternatives to collect on delinquent mobile homes. Target date: Q (On hold). 4. Obtain additional high-speed remittance customers. Target date: Objective closed, not feasible at this time. 5. Increase non-valorem special assessments. Target date: Q Issue birth certificates in Branch offices (TBD upon completion of Duval County pilot) 1.2 Minimize Expenditures Objectives: 1. Outsource TPP collections. Target date: 2011 (Completed) 2. Deploy FMLA outsourcing. Target date: 2011 (Completed) 8

9 3. Redirect customers toward cost-effective processing options a. Implement TD Express. Target date: 2011 (Completed) b. Evaluate use of Renew Express. Target date: (Evaluation completed, not feasible to implement at this time) c. Pilot Bill Express. Target date: Q (Currently on hold awaiting statutory changes) 4. Reevaluate Branch Office locations. Target date: Q Issue electronic 1099s. Target date: Q Implement internet send-out packages (TBD) 7. Implement DL by phone (TBD) 1.3 Ensure fiscal accountability Objectives: 1. Reevaluate cost of transactions for all customer segments. (Current and ongoing, annual). 2. Develop and deploy process for internal office audits. Target date: Q (Completed). 3. Develop and deploy process for tracking leases and contracts (partners, vendors, interlocal). Target date: Q (In progress). 4. Deploy improved quality assurance program (See 3.2.1). 5. Develop vendor SLA template. Target date: Q Improve purchasing policies and procedures. Target date: Q Exceptional Customer Service 2.1 Maintain a world-class level of service for all customer segments Objectives: 9

10 1. Determine customer satisfaction factors. Target date: 2011 (Current and ongoing, biannual). 2. Evaluate additional South County workstations. Target date: Q (Completed). 3. Install flat screen DMV-TVs. Target date: 2012 (Completed). 4. Upgrade customer queuing system, Branch Ops. Target date: 2012 (Completed). 5. Implement queuing system, Tax Ops. Target date: Q (Completed). 6. Develop and deploy e-newsletter. Target date: Q (Completed). 7. Deploy Tax Ops telephone survey to customers. Target date: Q (Completed). 8. Develop and deploy social media plan. Target date: Q (Completed). 9. Develop and deploy partner/stakeholder communication plan. Target date: Q Reevaluate formula for determining capability/capacity, Branch Ops. Target date: Q (Completed). 11. Reevaluate formula for determining capability/capacity, Pro-Ops. Target date: Q (Completed). 12. Develop and deploy comprehensive complaint resolution system. Target date: Q Implement online chat system for customers. TBD. 14. Reevaluate formula for determining capability/capacity, Tax Ops. Target date: Q (Completed). 15. Develop and deploy Deed Express customer survey. Target date: Q Develop and deploy certificate holder survey. Target date: Q

11 17. Develop and deploy internal customer survey for Tax Operations department. Target date: Q Update website design and the content management system. Target date: Q Organizational Excellence 3.1 Improve processes for increased efficiencies Objectives: 1. Evaluate new electronic time sheet. Target date: Q Develop and deploy electronic leave request & attendance, ABRA/ESS. Target date: Q (On hold pending potential time sheet upgrade). 3. Improve comprehensive performance measurement system, Active Strategy. Target date: Q (completed). 4. Improve internal customer feedback methods for training. Target date: Q (Completed). 5. Develop and deploy internal customer feedback method for B&F. Target date: Q (Completed). 6. Develop and deploy external customer feedback method for B&F. Target date: Q (Completed). 7. Improve internal customer feedback method for Tech Services. Target date: Q (Completed). 8. Implement PASS (CoCo) for customer appointments in place of OASIS. Target date: Q Deploy AtTask in Technology Services. Target date: Q Implement CeSar for call center. Target date: Q (Completed). 11. Implement electronic personnel books. Target date: Q (Completed). 11

12 12. Evaluate and improve operating processes in Tax Ops. Target date: Q (completed). 13. Develop system to manage data from Q-Flow. Target date: Q (Completed). 14. Implement RTL module/online Bill Payment efiles (bulk load tax bill pay). Target date: Q (In progress, target date extended to Q2-2013). 15. Convert to Office Target date: Q Improve process for recording and analyzing customer comment cards for walk-in customer segment. Target date: Q (In progress). 17. Move website externally. Target date: Q Taxsrv13 analysis/migration. Target date: Q (Completed Q1-2013). 19. Coordinate L1 (DMV) state equipment refresh. Target date: Q Improve and test comprehensive disaster preparedness and recovery system. Target date: Q (Completed). 21. Roll out of Windows 7. Target date: Q (In progress, on track). 22. Implement Remote Deposit Capture project (mini check imagers). Target date: TBD. 23. Deploy SharePoint 2010 upgrade. Target date: Q Research SAN refresh. Target date: Q Develop comprehensive records management system. (see 3.2-4) 26. Improve and consolidate ABRA reports. Target date: Q Evaluate potential of telephone staff scheduling software. TBD 28. Improve uniformity and security of shredding process. Target date: Q (completed). 29. Participate in Sterling Assessment. Target date: Q

13 30. ABRA/SQL upgrade (TBD) 31. Improve medical tracking log. Target date: Q Develop and deploy Office Funds update (TBD) 33. Improve lienholder/title log (TBD) 3.2 Ensure quality compliance Objectives: 1. Develop and deploy improved quality assurance program. Target date: Q Expand use of Active Strategy. Target date: Q Reengineer Tax Operations processes (completed). 4. Develop comprehensive records management system. Target date: Q Engaged and Knowledgeable Workforce 4.1 Empower the workforce to excel Objectives: 1. Develop and deploy a workforce communication plan. Target date: 2011 (Completed, biannual review). 2. Update technical training plan to meet current and future needs. Target date: 2011 (Completed, biannual review). 3. Improve Diane Dollar Reward and Recognition program. Target date: 2011 (Completed, biannual review 2013 re-evaluation completed). 4. Refresh In-Service Day Reward and Recognition program. Target date: Q File server refresh (H drive) (Completed). 13

14 6. Develop process to refresh workstations (PCs). Target date: Q (Completed). 7. Develop and deploy HazMat and Medical training curriculum. Target date: Q (Completed). 8. Develop and deploy annual ethics training. Target date: 2012 (Completed). 9. Improve mentoring process. Target date: Q Develop and deploy formal succession plan. Target date: Q (In progress, on track). 11. Develop and deploy a comprehensive safety plan. Target date: Q (Completed). 12. Promote Wellness initiatives. (Current and ongoing). 13. Develop and deploy Leadership Training. Target date: Q Policy review, refresh, consolidation. Target date: Q (In progress, on track). 15. Conduct In-Service Day Training and annual award presentation. Target date: Q2 annually. 16. Refresh annual workforce satisfaction and engagement survey. Target date: Q Pilot part time positions at one Branch location (TBD) 18. Work with UPS to improve recruitment and hiring process. Target date: Q Support our key communities Objectives: 1. Promote specialty tag and voluntary contributions throughout Branch Operations. (Current and ongoing). 14

15 2. Collect funds and/or supplies for workforce-selected charities that benefit our key communities. (Current and ongoing). 3. Maintain >50% donor level for DL transactions (Current and ongoing). 4. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. Target date: Q

16 Conclusion In an effort to provide the most efficient use of tax revenue, provide the highest quality customer service, and create an attractive, rewarding work environment, the Tax Collector s office has developed the preceding strategic plan. This plan incorporates our perspectives of Financial Responsibility, Exceptional Customer Service, Organizational Excellence, and an Engaged and Knowledgeable Workforce, as well as our values of People, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, Leadership, and Service in the following manner. 1. By enhancing customer service efforts, the Tax Collector hopes to continue offering customers efficient, comprehensive, and friendly interactions with the office, whether in person, by telephone, by mail, or via the internet. 2. By empowering the workforce through training, motivation, and recruitment, the Tax Collector will continue to staff offices with a high quality, motivated, informed, and effective staff. This will enable the office to continue to serve the public in a timely, efficient, and accurate manner and to professionally and comprehensively address the public s needs and issues. 3. By cross-training and refining infrastructure, the Tax Collector will provide a sound, progressive work environment that facilitates the accurate collection and distribution of revenue, as well as provides one-stop facilities where customers can handle different types of transactions with a single payment. 4. By developing efficient processes, the Tax Collector will provide the workforce with the appropriate technology, equipment, and training to deliver services. Technological solutions will also facilitate the accessibility and delivery of information within the office, to collaborative agencies, and to the public. 5. The Tax Collector will maintain appropriate staffing levels and workforce development that are necessary for the effective and efficient delivery of service to the public and other stakeholders. In summary, the Pinellas County Tax Collector is committed to high standards of accountability, service, and the continual pursuit of organizational excellence. Every aspect of this strategic plan serves to fulfill these standards. 16