Accountable Government

Measuring City of Olathe Performance
The City of Olathe wants its citizens to know that elected and appointed officials are focused on continued improvement in efficiency, better service delivery and better value being delivered for every tax dollar. The City uses a number of tools to demonstrate this focus and to measure progress toward strategic targets.

DirectionFinder® Survey
This is an annual survey of Olathe citizens to assess the effectiveness of City services and performance. DirectionFinder® is a statistically valid survey performed by Olathe’s ETC Institute.  

Organizational Balanced Scorecard
 

Olathe's Organizational Balanced Scorecard was initially developed in 2004 to help manage progress toward strategic targets, promote continuous improvement in efficiency, and provide better service delivery and value for tax dollars invested. 

At the heart of the Organizational Scorecard is the City's vision to "Set the Standard for Excellence in Public Service."  To further clarify the City's vision, eight "Key Result Areas" or "KRAs" were identified. Seven of the KRA's were derived from the City's community-based Strategic Plan.  These KRAs are Transportation, Public Safety, Downtown, Economic Sustainability, Active Lifestyles, Public Services, and Diversity.   An eighth KRA, Service Delivery Support, was added to reflect the importance of internal support services.   A Balanced Scorecard Annual Report is prepared each year to report the City of Olathe's performance in each of the Key Result Areas.  Learn more.

Comparative Performance Report
Olathe's first Comparative Performance Report was developed in 2008 to help better manage city services by preparing an annual report that compares Olathe's performance to the performance of other high-performing comparable cities from across the United States.  The report shows trend data and comparisons to Core Cities for key performance measures throughout city service areas.  This is done with data from the International City/County Management Association's (ICMA) Center for Performance Measurement (CPM), Benchmark Cities (national Police performance data), and DirectionFinder® citizen survey data.

2008 Comparative Performance Report

Strategic Plan
To better manage local governmental resources, the City of Olathe began using a community-based strategic planning process in 2000. The plan was updated by a second citizens’ steering committee and approved by the City Council on Tuesday, July 6, 2004.

2004 Strategic Planning Report

Report Line
The report line is one more vehicle for individuals who may not be comfortable with using traditional channels to provide important information to the City. Concerns or issues may be reported via the web or via telephone at (800) 363-8042.   Learn more.

Tracking federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Money on the Web
The City of Olathe has been awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for a number of projects. The City believes all information about money being awarded and how it is being used should be easily available for the public. The City will continually update this page with current information.  Learn more.