Hank Dewald, Herald Staff Writer

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Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories looking at where Halifax County government is today and what its leaders believe needs to be done in the future.

HALIFAX — Members of the Board of Commissioners and top county staff spent Friday discussing the accomplishments of the past 12 months and looking toward the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.

Halifax County Manager Tony Brown said the day-long meeting was a perfect opportunity for the commissioners to hear from all of the county’s management team, not just Brown and Assistant County Manager Linda Taylor.

The retreat was set up as a brainstorming session. Everyone was encouraged to list the things they think are most important and the ways they think each problem should be addressed.

Facilitator Ellen Burnette was brought in to manage the meeting and to encourage everyone to participate. Burnette broke the meeting into small groups to consider a wide range of issues from budget items to marketing the now available Littleton Industrial building.

The first item on the agenda was listing what each member thought were the county’s best accomplishments during 2008.

Burnette said that was a good exercise to get the group thinking and talking freely among themselves in preparation for discussing the area’s future needs and challenges.

“The first exercise produced some good results,” Burnette said as she hung large sheets that listed goals several of the smaller groups thought were the most important.

By midday, the large sheets covered almost an entire wall in the Halifax County Agricultural Center Auditorium.

Some of the important accomplishments listed were:

• Successful budget for fiscal year 2008-2009, with no tax increase.

• Economic Development projects created new Halifax County Corporate Park and purchased old Halifax County Airport.

• Upgraded security at Court Services building.

• Hired county manager, cooperative extension director and economic development director.

• Decreased turnover rate from 21 percent in 2007 to 10.13 percent in 2008.

• Developed paperless agenda for management team.

• Upgraded Central Communications offices.

• Reorganized county manager’s office.

• Developed team and customer service focus via retreats.

• Improved employee morale.

• Upgraded jail sewer problem.

• Established fully functional One-Stop-Shop with Environmental Health and Planning, and made Human Resources/Aging/Veterans services more customer friendly and easily accessible.

• Continued championing county needs via various agencies and the N.C. Legislature and the U.S. Congress.

• Established disaster core team.

• Assisted Halifax County Schools in determining future use of facilities.

• Continued to try to improve all relationships between the county and all with whom they interact.

Brown said it was an excellent way to get everyone on the same page and to get them working together. From that easy beginning, the task of setting future goals became much easier he said.

The group went on to develop a priority list for economic development and an overview of plans for school improvement in the morning session.

The afternoon was devoted almost entirely to the upcoming fiscal year 2009-2010 budgets andeconomic development.