San Rafael, CA – Anyone who would like a snapshot look at how the County of Marin serves its community can get one through a new multimedia annual report that was presented to and accepted by the Marin County Board of Supervisors on January 31.
The online report is at www.marincounty.org/2016.The presentation, which covers the 2015-16 fiscal year, can be found online at www.marincounty.org/2016. It includes a short video, an infographics package and narrative summaries of the County’s highlights and achievements, breaking it down by countywide goals – Healthy Communities, Safe Communities, Sustainable Communities, Environmental Preservation and Community Participation.
“We were really pleased with how our annual report was received last year when we decided to go with a multimedia approach for the first time,” said County Administrator Matthew Hymel, who is managing a $540 million annual budget. “It was easy to understand but yet provided great insights into our priorities, our services and what they cost. We made even more improvements to the presentation this time.”
The County works to improve transparency, stay updated on communication trends and spark more involvement by residents. Providing an eye-catching annual report – something a typical resident might find interesting – is part of an overall outreach program. Most government annual reports are thick written documents designed for insiders containing long narratives and endless fine-print spreadsheets.
“We designed this with the residents in mind, using compelling imagery and eye-catching infographics to help viewers easily digest the information without digging through mountains of text,” said Laine Hendricks, Public Information Officer with the County Administrator’s Office. “Our video showcases the beauty that surrounds us while mixing-in some insight into what we do for the residents of Marin.”
In December 2016, the County also rolled out its State of the County 2016 video and webpage that identified the Supervisors’ five priorities for the coming year. Data on the County budget can be found on the OpenGov webpage.