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Fairfax
County gets an "A"
Fairfax
County gets its fair share of flack for being the poster
child for suburban sprawl and traffic snarls. So, the
results of a Syracuse University study of the country's
top counties may be a welcome surprise. Fairfax received
top scores in the performance study of the top 40 counties
based on management published in last month's Governing
magazine.
"The
handling of money and capital projects is outstanding,
and Fairfax is a national leader in the advanced use
of technology for the benefit of citizens," the
study notes. "Each area of government reflects
the strategy of decentralization."
The
county received an average grade of A- — making
it the No. 1 county, tied with Maricopa, Ariz. —
and putting it well above the 40-county average grade
of B-. Of the five categories ranked by the study, Fairfax
received an A in information technology and grades of
A- in financial management, capital management, human
resources and managing for results. Fairfax was the
only county to receive an A- grade or higher in human
resources.
Among
the positives in human resources cited in the study
were the "generally superior personnel policies;
efficient training, discipline and termination processes;
… elected employee advisory council meets frequently
with county executive."
The
40 counties ranked in the study were determined first
by region, then by revenue. Chosen were the top 12 revenue
generators in the West, the top 10 in both the South
and the Northeast and the top eight in the Midwest.
-
Leila Marija Ugincius
Return to Virginia Business - March
2002
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